The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-01-09
Commissary Eagan Produces the
Testimony OF Subordinate.
EMBALMED BEEF GOOD
GREATLY SUPERIOR TO NATIVE
FRESH MEAT.
Some Was Thrown Away Merely On
Account of Its Appearance
Troops In Puerto Rico Had
Abundance of Good Rations, Ac-
cording to Commissary Reports.

Washington, Jan. S.-Commissary
General Eagan of the army today made
public d letter from Lieutenant Colonel
A I. Smith, Of the subsistence depart
neat, touching the use of refrigerated
beef furnished to troops in Puerto Rico
from that landed at Ponce. IN this
letter Colonel Smith says in part:
Among others TO whom the refrlSer-
ated beef was issued, I remember the
following officers as having spoken OF
the immense superiority OF it over the
native beef. Major H. Z. Birmingham,
surgeon Of the general hospital; Cap
tain Irvine. Eleventh infantry, who
was acting as commissary for the
steamship Panama q think loaded
with convalescents en- route 10 the
United States; Captain ". p Evans,
commanding battalion Nineteenth in
fantry; Captain Hoppin, Second cav
airy; commanding cavalry squadron.
There We're no preparations made Tor
the receiving and taking care OF the
beef on shore. 1t had to be unlOaGed
by lighters and thrown on the floor Of
the commissary Storehouse until the
troops called for it in open wagons. 1t
was subjected to the worst possible
usage in handling. It was frequently
twelve or eighteen hours off the vessel
before being issued. One issue to Cap
hours in the storehouse. Notwithstand-
ing this, the meat was in good condi-
ton, except pieces which had not been
sufficiently protected, but could be
trimmed off with some loss.
81 inspected the refrigerator beef
each morning before it was issued and
know IT was in good condition, except
as stated above. Cases where it was
rejected were, I think, due to the
prejudice arising from the appearance
when out of the refrigerator a short
time and to the fact that it was known
the beef had been a long time on the
vessel in Puerto Rico waters.
1.-The officers, without exception, to
whom 1 spoke, condemned the use of
the native beef, which had to be con-
sumed the same day it was slaught-
cred"
Colonel Smith also has the following
to say about rations for the soldiers:
81 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 time after my arrival
when the main storehouse at Ponce
could not issue the complete ration,
fresh vegetables not included. These
spoiled so rapidly that it was deemed
best to commute the ration Of them
for several weeks and give the troops
the money value to buy other articles.
Coarse salt was issued iI. lieu Of fine
On one or two occasions.
"Commissary stores had been so
unsyStemmatically unloaded and stored
at Ponce that it was hard to tell what
articles We're on hand in the island in
sufficient quantity to provide for the
wants of the soldiers.
Il further beg to call your attention
to the receipts fled with my July and
August returns in your office from the
commissary officers Of each artillery,
cavalry and infantry command, which
left Port Tampa for Puerto Rico up to
August Is, with sixty days rations-
These receipts will show that complete
rations were furnished to every vessel
with the exception of a small portion
of fresh vegetables, that it was well
known could not keep sixty days.
4 further state that about 10 a. m.
Oct 10, on taking leave Of General
Henry, commanding United States
troops at Ponce, he requested me
among other things to say to the
honorable secretary of war on my ar
rival in Washington that the rations
furnished to the troops in Puerto Rico
were abundant in quantity and excel
lent in quality"
Colonel Smith was on duty at Ponce
from Aug 25 until Oct. II, when he was
ordered to Havana