The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-01-09
| WHAT'S MATTER WITH MEAT?
IT'S ALL RIGHT, ASSERTS LIEU
TENANT COLONEL SMITH.


May Have Laid on the Floor Too
Long, But That Cuts No Figure.
Had to BE Trimmed I'm Some Cases
still 1t Was GOOd-With Small En-
ceptiOn RatiODs Were All Issued
in Proper Shape and Were Album
dant, He Says.
Washington, Jan. S.-Commissary Gen
eral Egan of the army to-day made public
letter from Lieut. Col A. L. Smith of
the subsistence department. touching on
the use of refrigerated beef furnished 20
troops in Porto Rico from that landed at
Ponce. In this letter Col. Smith says, in
part:
Among others to whom the refrigerat-
ed beef was issued, l remember the fol-
lowing officers as having spoken of the
immense superiority of it over the native
beef: Maj. H. p. Birmingham, surgeon
of the general hospital; Capt Irvine
Eleventh Infantry, who was acting as
commissary for the steamship Panama q
think loaded with convalescents en- route
TO the United States; Capt w. p Evans,
commanding battalion Nineteenth Infant
ry Capt. Hoppin, Second Cavalry, com
manding cavalry squadron.
There We're no preparations made for
the receiving and taking care of the beef
on shore. 1t had to be unloaded by light
ers and thrown on the floor of the COM
missary storehouse until the troops called
for it in open wagons. 1t was therefore
subjected to the worst possible usage in
handling. 1t was frequently twelve to
eighteen hours off the vessel before being
used. One issue to Capt. Hoppin was
over twenty-four hours in the storehouse
Was in Good Condition.
Notwithstanding this the meat was in
good condition except pieces which had
not been sufficiently protected, but could
be trimmed off with some loss. inspect
ed the refrigerator beef each morning be-
fore 1T was issued, and know that it was
in good condition, except as stated above
Cases where il was rejected We're think
due to the prejudice arising from it's APP
pearance when out of the refrigerator a
short time, and to the fact that it was
known the beef had been long time on
Nll6 NGSSGl III OTTO IAlCdu waters.
THE officers without exception to whom
spoke condemned the use of the ma
tive beef, which had to be consumed the
same day it was slaughtered
Col. Smith has the following to say
about rations for the soldiers:
II further beg to call your attention TO
the fact that with the exception of soap
and candles for two or three days. there
was never a time after my arrival when
~. II
issue the complete ration, fresh vegetables
not included. These spoiled so rapidly
that it was deemed best 20 commute the
ration of them for several weeks, and
give the troops the money value 10 buy
other articles. Coarse sat was issued in
lieu of fine on one or two occasions.
The Lack of system.
"Commissary stores had been so unsys-
tematically unloaded and stored at Ponce
that it was hard TO tell what articles were
on hand in the island in sufficient guam
tity to provide for the wants of the sol
diers.
81 further beg to call your attention
to the receipts filed with my July and
August returns in your office, from the
commissary officer of each artillery, cav
airy and infantry command, which left
Port Tampa for Porto Rico up to Aug
16, with sixty days rations. These receipts
win show that complete rations were fur
nished to every vessel with the exception
of a small portion of the fresh vegetables,
which, it was well known, could not keep
sixty days
Il further state that about 10 o'clock a
m, Oct 10, on taking leave of Gen Henry
commanding United States troops at
Ponce, he requested me, among other
things, to say to the honorable Secretary
OF War on my arrival at Washington, that
the ratioffs furnished to the troops in
Porto Rico were abundant in quantity and
excellent in quality"
Col. Smith was on duty at Ponce from
Aug. 20 until Oct. II, when he was ordered
to Havana.