The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-01-21

Washington, Jan. 2O.-MaJor w. II. Daily
chief surgeon with General Miles, and
whose field service stretched from Tampa
to Puerto Rico. and whose report con-
demnin- the beef furnished the expedi-
tionary forces created a sensation some
weeks ago, made his long-awaited appear
ance as a witness before the war investi-
eating committee today. Surgeon DAILY 5
report was the strongest in language OF
those submitted by General Miles in sub
stimulation of his attack on the beef sup
plies. DR.. DAILY has been too i'll to appear
heretofore. He was accompanied by Cen
eral Miles own stenographer. despite the
presence Of the commissions official stem
ograDher.
on being sworn, the witness identified
| the report submitted as his own. changing
its date, however. from Sept 81 to Oct. 81.
| He was willing he said, TO stand by his
report II was wholly voluntary and was
not called OFT by any request or IN ODE
! dience 10 any circular or letter, SO Tar as
/ he remembered.
He had heard nothing OF an official cir
/ cular calling Tor reports. AT Ponce, now
| ever. some time between Aug. list and
| 12th, he believed he had communicated to
! General Miles some observations regard
! in beef supplies.
1
] a quarter of beer hanging free in the sun
| on shioboard. and he became interested
] IN the experiment OF having fresh siaugh-
| tered beef placed under such moist eli
matte conditions, TO see how long it could
/ stand il.
I observed" he said, that the flies,
/ especially the bull flies, did not affect il,
! diu not light on 1t, or, II they did, they got
/ away from IL very quickly.
/ He had cut off piece Of the beef at
] Tampa and cooked il, but it neither smell
J ed nor tasted naturally. Later he helped
/ the men corral some horses and subse-
! ouently he had trouble with his stom-
ach, which he first attributed to the ac-
/ tiVity of the Corraling. Then he noticed
/ indications of chemical presence that
/ brought back recollectiOns OF chemical
| stun he had used to preserve elk IN
| hunting expedition in the Rocky noun
| tains some years before. All that day at
! Tampa, ana the next day, he had an I'M
/ pleasant taste. In that previous hunting
| expedition he had analysed the chemical
! preventative and found it to contain
boraX and salicylic acids. These were TO
be used externally on the elk, but he had
rubbed 1t into the raw flesh and also in
jected it.
Questioned as to these ingredients, he
said bOraX was not safe to be used in con-
nection with food nor for ordinary medi-
cinal purposes, while the Salicylic acid
was most nauseating, loathsOme and dis
gushing, almost always destructive OF d.
geStion.
CHEMICALS WERE USED.
to preserve the beef by chemicals was
not a success. That had been his expert
ence on the transport Panama IN the beef
carried by which ship he was pretty sure
chemicals were involved" That beef he
said. was very foul. Most of the beer
which the Panama carried was Tefrlgerat-
ed. They had secured a ton Of beer. and
for this they had at first had one and
One-half tons of ice, later increased TO
eleven and one-halt tons of ice. The
beef however. had decidedly peculiar
OtlUE.
AT Ponce" he went on to say. q OBJ
served the refrigerated beef taken from
the transports. II had a peculiar Odor.
observed the examination Of spoiled beef
on one transport. II was done by a butch
er down in The hold. He thrust his arm
IL every direction into the putrid meat.
trying 10 ind solid piece. This meat
had the same peculiar OdoT."
He added that the transport Panama
was like that of a dead human injected !
with preSeTVaUVes. He also depicted the {
strong doors aboard the transport Ches-
Ter.
General Beaver asked if the witness did 1
not think mis- examination purely superb +
cal and without an substantial Anowl- !
mo. I would not like to say that" wit (
ness replied. He believed the beef On /
the Panama had come from the trans Z
fort Manitoba.
FOUND THE CHEMICALS.
On the Panama, coming over from
once. lie HdQ l4dGt SOlllt Tea, OF SQEu. !
from the refrigerated beef, the same that /
had been condemned. had filtered il and I
sealed il Theoretically in a can. and when 1
he reached his home at Plttsburg had |
analyZed if. From this he got a lIghLish |
brown rssidUUm. This ne said, disclosed !
the character of boraX and salicyic
acid.
DR. Daily urged that he be permitted TO
demonstrate the test. DR.. Conner OBJ
jected. insisting that ne leave The power
the witness brought as the residuum of
Z lssa m f.s.-Tfs1 ~ IN.
amlned by "a government chemist.
Witness pleaded not TO have the matter
taken our Of his hands, bat compromise
was erected by deciding that Dr. DAILY
be present with the official chemist and
Ii was arranged 10 have Prof CLARKE of
the geological survey here examine the
powder.
At The afternoon session Dr. DAILY I'M
CerWeut q rather severe crOss-eXamiUa-
ton especially on the subject of the date
on which he had reported as 70 his sus-
picions in regard TO the beef and why
he had not reported sooner.
Dr. DAILY SAID he had never discussed
Instead OF commenting on such matters
he had rather attempted 90 aliay disc0n
tent with the meat While al Chicka
manga ne had found meat which APP
peared TO have been treated as Indicated
in his report
At Jacksonville he had inspected meat
which. While or good. appearance, had
IAN unm-sJaEoble ccor.' The cooks there !
said that much seasoning was required 10
overcome the uupalatableness of the
in regard to his report on the question
Of the meat furnished the army, Dr. Dalv
was asked whether il had been forward {
ed from army headquarters to any person
Interested. He replied that in his opinion
the major general of the army was the
person most likely to be interested.
Dr.. DAILY was ut Tampa about the 30th :
)f May. His suspicious in regard TO the
beef, he said, were aroused about the 18th [ ]
IF June. He reported this fact in August.
WITNESS ON TRIAL
Mr. Denly asked DR.. Daily whether. in
his opinion an officer had performed ms !
iuty when. knowing that the beef sur
)lied the army was detrimental TO health '
ne had concealed that fact and had nor
'enorted for many weeks.
Dr. DAILY replied that he had reported
lpon the facts in a regular way ana after
nature delibcraton. He could not no
said, howl about il 10 every one he metz
8lr. DENLY, still following up this line
Il interrogatory. asked whether he would 4
AVE treated p patient as he had treated
he soldiers of the army.
you are on trial now. Doctor" con !
inued Mr.. DENLY. ''on trial before the II
To this the witness protested yigorousl,- 7
hat he was not on trial and that ma :
cuntry would never put him on trial. :
During the course of the afternoon DR. =
oaly stated that il was a mistake - :
,eiieVe that freshly killed meat was do -
mental TO health. Meat from an aninaI 4
ust slaughtered was in no way ini17~ =
ous he said. =,
Tomorrow morning DIR. DAILY win mo. "
II. Conner, of the commission. and ~ =
'larkc OF the geological survey vyhen -, -, -
viii be made Of the navel - :.
ihich Or. Daily believes to eybfbit ! -
of borax and salicylic \
cid. If