The Washington weekly post. (Washington, D.C.) 1878-1916, 1899-04-11
DIR. Castles Opinion as to
Treatment of Army Beef.
CHEMICAL POSSIBLY FORAALINE
Describes Odor of the Beef at Lakeland
as Aromatic and Acrid - Was Told by
Armour's Agent that a Preservative
Was Used-Testimony as to the Anthem
Walker on the Canned Beef

The army court OF beef inquiry re-
sumed it's sessions at 10 o'clock yesterday,
with Rear Admiral John G. Walker.
President OF the Nicaragua Canal Com
mission, on the stand. He said that
canned roast beef had been used by the
commissions surveying parties on the
Isthmus. He added that the men did net
like this beef, preferring bacon AMI the
fresh native beef But while this was
true. the canned beef had not been found
TO be unwholesome. If QUILTING a large
expedition to the tropics he would in
clude some OF the canned beef as ra-
ton, but not very much Of II.
DR.. Charles II. Castle, an assistant sur
geon of the First Ohio Cavalry, for a
time brigade surgeon, and one OF the
men whose names were given by Lieut..
CAMPER as being present at Lakeland.
Fla. when Mr.. Merehouse, agent for Ar
mour & Co., said that their beef had been
chemically treated, said that on TWO oc-
casions he had found the meat spoiled
after ii had passed inspection.
On the 18th of August he had met the
Armour agent-his name he did not
KNOWN the presence Of Capt. Car
michael and Lieut.. CAMPER at the COM
missary depot. On this occasion DR.. Cas-
tie had called the attention of the agent
to some disolorations of a greenisn char
acter on the meat. when the agent had
replied: The discolOration is due 10 some
chemical with which the beef was treated
upon being put in the refrigerator"
Il asked him what the formula was"
continued DR.. Castle, but he replied
that he did not know; that the formula
was unknown TO him.
Refused the Refrigerator Meat.
DR.. Castle identified letter he had
addressed 10 the chief commissary at
Tampa on the Gd Of August last asking
that he be allowed 10 purchase beef at
Lakeland and not compelled to receive
the beef shipped in because of
the frequent eondemnations of the re-
frigerator beef from Tampa. Failing to
receive a prompt response to the letter,
he had wired and had received authority
for time to make the purchases OF local
butchers
Describing the odor emitted by the
meat, DIR. Castle said 1t was not Of dis
sUsting character, but that it was an aro-
matte. acrid, sour smell. He had reached
the conclusion since he had returned TO
his laboratory work in Cincinanti that the
beef had been treated either with the gas
formaldehyde or the kindred solution, for
maline-used n gaseous form as a garmi-
eide and disinfectant, and as liquid as
a museum fluid for preserving anatomical
and pathological specimens. He had made
no report to any superior officer concern
ing the agents statements, because he
had supposed that the War Department
knew of the process, if any was used.
Mr.. Sidney Reid, a reporter in the New
York Office of the Associated Press, gave
the particulars of an interview he had
with Gen. Miles at the Waldorf-Astoria
on the S1st of January last. In this in
terview Gen. Miles was represented as
telling of the inquiries he had set afoot
concerning the beef supplied to the army,
as saying that the canned roast beef was
nothing more than the refuse of beef from
which beef extract had been made, and
as stating he had overwhelming evidence
that the embalmed beef was treated with
chemicals"
Miles Interview Doetored.
Mr.. Reid presented the court with a cor
rect copy OF the interview with Gen. Miles
printed in the New York Herald as pre-
pared by him. Referring TO an interview
with Gen. Miles printed in the New York
Herald, Mr. Reid said it was not a cor
rect ieDEOQuctlOll VI Ills lCpOil VI lllC
interview. 'I saw portions of my inter
view in the Herald he said. combined
with other matter which l did not write"
In reply to questions from Maj Lee
Mr.. Reid said he did not have Gen. Miles
testimony before the War Investigating
Commission In mind when he talked with
him, or when he wrote his article His
conversation with the General had occur
red in the Office of the hotel, and the
latter had at first declined TO be inter-
viewed, excusing himself several times.
Upon a later attempt on his part Gen.
Miles had consented to read what pur-
ported TO be interviews with him in the
New York evening papers of that date,
and had then expressed himself as rep
resented in the Associated Press dis
patches
Il don't claim that the verbiage is alb
solutely correct" he said. but | do claim
that it is correct in substance, and that
IL does not misrepreSent what Gen. Miles
said" Moreover he had volunteered 10
submit the interview to Gen. Miles when
written out. but the General had said that
he was too busy 10 give attention TO IL or
had made some other excuse, consequent
ly the General had not seen the article
after il was prepared
The court then adjourned for the day
Gen. Shafter was in the courtroom for
a time during the day. He will testify TO-