The times., 1899-01-18
EAt AVS REVISED TRADE.
hEer's Relief Commission Pcruses
the Document.

The Alger Relief Commission was occu-
pied yesterday morning in reading the re-
vised statement submitted to it by General
Eagan. In the statement all the offensive
personalities have been stricken out,
though General Miles is somewhat severely
criticised by inference. In this paper.
General Eagan continues to express his
surprise that General Miles should have
chosen as his staff commissary Major
Black. an inexperienced volunteer officer.
He states that the policy of the other
major generals was TO select as their staif
commissaries officers of ripe experience.
and where it was possible, officers of the
Commissary department!
General Eagan denies the report printed
in the newspapers that he had been repri-
manded By General Miles. General Eagan
compels the reader TO draw the inference
that General Miles inspired this newspaper
publication for the purpose of elevating
himself and njuring a brother officer.
General Eagan also claims that to him
is due the credit for having fitted out the
Porto Rican expedition and maintains
| that the refrigerated beef sent to the
troops in that island was of standard
| quality and was neither embalmed nor
! chemically treated. He proceeds to criti-
! else the charge made by General Miio5
I that there was a shortage OF funds with
which to purchase supplies for the troops
! in Porto Rico. He claims that the com
missaries, besides having rations for six
| teen thousand men for three months, had
to their credit and subject to their check.
! over four hundred thousand dollars.
| He arraigns General Miles for having
| chosen to feed the troops on native cattle
| instead of American refrigerated beef. He
! maintains that the medical fraternity will
| bear him out in the statement that Ameri-
/ can cold storage beef is more wholesome
than Porto Rican fresh slaughtered beef.
| This beef must be eaten too soon after
| the death of the animal and before the
| animal heat has been allowed to leave
! the carcass 1t was this meat, he de-
clares. and not the canned or refrigerated
! beef. which caused so much sickness among
| the soldiers in Porto Rico. He defends the
| refrigerated beef from the charge that it
was embaimed and refers to General
Skaters commendation of the meat.
He replies to the charge made b. General
| Miles that canned roast beef was sent TO
the troops in the field under the pretence
of experiment by stating that canned roast
beef has been a part of the ration of the
American soldier since 1884. 1t is desig-
mated as an emergency ration and Is not
! intended to be eaten when fresh meat can
be procured. He states that this canned
roast beef is used in the armies of Europe
ana IN many lainllieS. Inc paper concludes
as follows: Il trust that this testimony
will offset the statements made by General
Miles and will in some measure at leas
do justice to those who have been wrong
ed
Col. Charles II. Gibson, an agent OF this
National Relief Commission. was on tbs
witness stand yesterday afternoon. He
testified that he had been sent to Se"tiag'
on the ship Resolute with supplies for tht
sick. He had great difficulty III landinl
his stores. He appealed to General Shaftel
for aid, but none was given. Finally h'
secured assistance and got part OF his sup,
plies to the front He testified that he die
not eat any of the refrigerated meat. HI
saw some of it in the commissary depot
1t was green and was covered with flies
He was disgusted and did not make any
attempt to use it. The timed roast bee
| was, in his opinion, unfit for use as food
The meat appeared to him to have beer
| boiled till all the nutritive properties hat
been extracted 1t was stringy and taste
less. He tried TO eat this on several occa
sions, but could not swallow it. He saiC
that canned roast beef had been used il
the French army. but that about thre,
years ago an order was issued by IN,
French government prohibiting its use a
food by the troops of that country.