The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-02-28
ENLISTED MEN ON THE STAND.
CANNED BEEF WAS BAD AND THE
OTHER LITTLE BETTER.


Meat Around santingO-None of the
Men Liked the Canned Roast Reef.
Both Meats Frequently Tainted
and Much of II Had to he Thrown
Away.
Washington, Feb. 27.-When the army
court Of inquiry into the beef charges met
to-day after its two days recess, it ex-
pected to begin the examination OF some
of the enlisted men of the army who had
not only seen the beef furnished The army
n the fields. but had eaten 1t in quantities,
wherein they differed from most of the
officers who had previously testified.
The enlisted men were slow in arriving,
however, and the first witness was Lieur.
Charles II. Dyer. Ninth Infantry, now az
Madison barracks. There were numerous
complaints, he said, as TO the canned roast
beef
party of six enlisted men of the Ninth
infantry next appeared. First Sergeant
Howard Alexander testified that his reg
ment used both corned and roast canned
beef on the voyage from Tampa 10 Santi-
ago There were many complaints from
me men as to the canned roast beef. IL
nauseated the men, had little taste and
apparently contained little nutriment The
men finally got 10 throwing the cans away
or not drawing them, as the meat FREE
quently made them sick as soon as they
ate 1t. Witness was not willing to say
definitely whether Il was the canned meat
or the malaria that caused most of the
sickness In the regiment.
Said They Were Nauseated.
After getting into the city Where the
refrigerated beef was used the men con-
tinued to be very sick, nauseated and suf-
fering from bowel trouble. The sergeant
thought this also came from the refriger-
ated meat; the gravy, especially that
which came from the refrigerated meat.
seemed to nauseate the men even more
than the meat itself Returning 10 the
canned beef, witness said a can would not
keep more than four hours after open-
| ing. In quantity the ration was freuuent-
| ly short
Sergt. Buckeye, also of the Ninth. was
called. He testified that the men did not
IKE the canned roast beef. II made them
sick. and they did not eat II when they
could get anything else. On Shore before
| the surrender, about half the meat RAJ
| ton was canned roast beef and the same
| complaint continued. Each man did his
own cooking in his mess tin or in empty
| cans though many ate their canned beef
| from the can Nothing they did to the beef
| In the way of preparation seemed to have
much effect on IT,
Had to Trim the Beef.
Coming to the refrigerated beef, Buck
aye said there was little or no complaint
while in Santiago. After the regiment got
outside of town, about a quarter OF the
beef spoiled in transit TO the camp. What
was left after trimming off the spoiled part
was considered quite good
Replying to Col. Gillespie. Buclaye said
from the 22nd of June 20 July the ration av-
eraged one-haif short Asked if he thought
the command actually suffered In health
from this lack of food, he replied very sim
ply: 81 think 1t did sir"
Sergt. Budstorm Hatcher, also of the
Ninth, was then called. His testimony
agreed substantially with the two pro-
ceeding Witnesses.
His summing up OF the canned roast
beef In reply to Col Davis question as 10
what was the matter with It, was Iaconic.
well, sir, II didn't look good when yon
opened Al, and ii did not taste good when
you were eating it. and 1t did not seem to
90 any good after you had eaten it,
Whie the ration was short on shore and
bad in part witness said he made no re-
port Of It to his company officers.
You see, sir, they were living on Just
the same things as the men," he explain
Sergt. White, Ninth Infantry. was very
dogmatic In his statement that all the
canned roast beef In the campaign was
bad. II developed that he had opened only
one can himself. That was bad and he
threw IL away. He had seen other men
do the same, but he did not recolleet ever
seeing good can.
OF the refrigerator beef he had seen
some good and some bad. but he thought
most Of 1t was tainted.
Different Sort of Beef.
sergt Casey, Ninth Infantry, had the
same general story 10 tell of the beef on
ship and on shore. When he said that the
canned roast beef was III smelling, Col
DAVIS had the orderly open a can of roast
peer that mad been sent TO Porto Rico and
back Witness smelled and handled IL
and said II did not look like the beef servai
TO him In Cuba. The campaign arttcta
was liquid, oily and repulsive IN odor
The refrigerator beef he had In SANTIAGO
was good, but outside of town, the met
was buried four days out of ten as soon as.
it reached camp
Sergt Francis Kidd also Of IN. 49,.
Infantry, told a very straigbtforwa.a
story as 10 the canned and refrigars,s>t
meat. 1t agreed substantially with ~
statements of the other sergeants ~
said much of the refrigerated beef u,as
tainted and nearly all the canned ross,
peer was thrown away but there were so
many OF the men sick and unable 10 ca
that the reduced ration went around YER,
we'll WY
Further than this Kidd said thar ~
hies would not light on the refrigerator
meat, and although there were myriads ~
flies and quantities of tainted meat. he
never saw any of 1t "hy-blown. par,
Of the tainted meat was trimmed and ~
remainder used. but almost rs per cent
of IL was lost in this process.
Corpi Grant, Ninth Infantry, ana seret
John Mltz, Ninth Infantry were the Iast
witnesses OF the day. Their testimony
was merely accumulative
Encouraging Probity of tha
House-Here's q fish In this mill