Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1899-01-09
DELICIOUS BEEF.
Testimony Showing Excellent
Quality Of Army Meat.
Gen. Eagan Will Again Appear Before
War Investigation Board.
The Beef Agitation Said 10 Be lnjuring Pack
s ers' Export Trade.

Sary-general, saturday, gave out a re-
port received from Lieut.. Col. c. E.
Wood. chief commissary officer of the
th Corps. Gen. Lees command, TO
show how the troops in the vicinity of
Havana are faring in the matter of
fresh meat. The report is dated Ha-
vana, Dec. 81. and says in part:
From the 31st of May to the nth of
December 1 have had dealings with
the Cudahy Packing Company, Ar
mour & Co, and Swift & Co.. all of
whom have supplied refrigerated beef
to the troops of the corps, and it has
given universal satisfaction.
1T took some time to teach the vol
unteer troops how to properly handle
the meat after issued from the refrig-
orator car, and during the process Of
teaching there was naturally few
complaints; but in every instance,
when it was the fault on the contract
or, it was Immediately replaced by
good beef. and when it, was the fault
of the volunteer regimentai commits
sary or of the company cooks in not
using proper precaution tas w2s gen
orally the case). it was corrected by
more careful oversight
with regard to the canned roast
beef it has never been issued in this
corps except as part of the travel "a
tions, and no complaint as TO it's quail
ity have ever reached me in my official
capacity
after seven months in a hot climate
I am Of the opinion that refrigerated
beef, if it is properly handled immedi-
ately after the issue, will give better
ie-fn hr,v IN H1 20 &
fed Texas steers sent here to be killed
and eaten on the same day"
Mai. James d. Black. commissary of
subsistence in the office of the COM
manding general in Porto Rico, testi-
fed before the war investigating COM
mission, Saturday. that the general
character of the commissary supplies
was good. On Aug. 10 the Manitoba
arrived with 1855 quarters of beef.
which, he said, was preserved by
some chemical process"
This Immediately drew a volley of
queries from the commission. which
resulted in an explanation from the
witness that the chemical was am-
monia used in the refrigerator plant
TO keep the meat cool.
The commission, it is stated, has de-
cided to allow Commissary-G General
Eagan to re-testify, as he has request
ed to be permitted, to meet the beef
charges. He is expected to appear
again, early this week.
The army beef survey board of the
war department. re-assembled, Satur-
day, The boards work will probably
extend over several weeks, as 1t neceS-
states correspondence with persons IN
Porto Rico and other distant points.
A general misconception seems TO
prevail as to the scope of this inquiry.
The board is convened simply to pass
,lpon one lot of beef which was de-
stroyed en- route from Porto Rico, and
has no connection either with the war
Investigating commission or with the
separate inquiry now being prosecuted
by the inspector generals office as 20
the general character of the meat fur
nished the army during the Spanish
war.
The only province of the survey
board is to determine whether or not
Swift & Co are to be compensated for
the meat destroyed or whether the cir
cumstances warrant putting the loss
on the contractor. The findings OF the
board ultimately will be passed upon
by the officers under whose authority
it was convened, and until that there
will be no news of it's deliberations OBJ
tainable.
The commissary general has recelv-
ed a letter from F. B. Thurber of New
York, President of the American Elk
port Association, volunteering to APP
pear before the war investigating com
mittee or any other body of the war
department to testify to the high char
acter of American export meats. es-
pecially the canned and corned beef,
of which his several firms, he says,
have sold hundreds of thousands of
cases in the past 80 years to this gov
eminent and to tropical and Arctic
expeditions. He says a serious INJURY
has been done our export trade in un-
Justly discrediting our own meats. He
aslo suggests Gen. John p. Hawkins
ex-commissary of subsistence and
Gen. A. w. Greeley as witnesses who's
practical experience should be waltz
able to the commission.