Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1899-03-16
STRINGY AND PULPY.
ARMY BEEF DID NOT SEEM To
NOuRIsH THE MEN.
POISONING DUE TO PTOMAIEES.
IL the Mcnt Were Properly steriiized,
Ptomnines Would Not Devciop-Ar-
bitrnry Action Attributed 10 Grant.
Court Leaves for Omaha To-Day.

AMY ~ aif"h1 49,
the voyage from Newport News TO Port
Rico canned roast beef was issued AM
there was a great deal Of complaint abou
II. Ii was stringy. pulpy. and nauseat
ing. and did not seem TO nourish the men
Much dlaIrhoea was caused by the u.s.
OF II.
The witness attributed the sickness Il
ptomalne poisoning. He believed
ptomaines would develop IN the hot SUI
I'm i've or six minutes after can was
opened. If the meat were properly steIll'
lied. ptomaines would not develop.
GRANT TOOK CHARGE OF RATIONs
While in Porto Rico twenty-five miles
from Ponce, the matter OF regimental ra-
lions was taken out OF the regiment
hands 10 a great extent. General Grant
seemed TO know more about 1t than any
body else. The witness took no pariicu-
lar interest in them because Of the action
Of General Grant
1.-THE law requires the surgeon 20 super
wise the cooking Of that which IS issued.
Did you interest yourself 20 ascertain
what was being issued TO the enlisted
men?"
I'VE saw what was issued and took 1t
because we could not get anything else.
We had canned roast beef nearly all the
while. and tho men refused TO eat IT. 1t
was ordered condemned, and we buried a.
lot OF IL. one OF the men said II we Old
not bury IL IL would bury us
"a board Of survey was ordered, but
the witness never heard anything more
about It. As 20 the refrigerated beer,
very little Of IL was used. as at least
three-quarters of II had to be cut off.
MEAT SIMPLY SPOILED.
az do not think any chemicals had been
used on the meat" witness said. ut was
simply spoiled The meat had undoubt-
cdly been acted upon by the heat, which
had softcned It. The fat and grease and
gclatine had all intermlngled with the
nbrc."
The court held short executive ses-
sion this afternoon. and determined 10
leave for Omaha Tomorrow. Thence the
members will proceed 10 Kansas City. II
Is the expectation of the court TO return
10 Chicago by Tuesday Of next week.
when the examination of witnesses viii
be proceeded with.
MADE MEN VIOLENTLY SICK.
AlUtI AiNsr-t - lA4lllNAtNll III SHAW A'tN
nbOut being called out one night TO look
after the men Of Company 4. who were
reported 90 nave been poisoned by eating
canned roast beef. lie said they vOmitod
fearfully. and il seemed that hypOdermic
Injections of morphine would hardly re-
licve them. Tho. were sicl, for some days
aftcrwatd, with a great deal OF stomach
trouble.
In reply TO a question the witness said
The canned roast generally gave them gas
,ritis and other ailments.
did the comm!ssary find out how these
things wcrc?"
lie came several times and said We
were an right. i think Captain Piper
iold us the canned beef was all right, and
we would have 10 eat 10. We had some
bacon but great deal Of that had mag
gots I'm Il and had 20 be condemned. II we
had depended upon the army raions. the
troops would have starved to death. They
spent all the money they got buying
things To cat either at the commissary-
store or i'm the city"
what was the brand on this canned
roast beei?'
Il think It was Libby. Mcneil & Libby;
] am not sure. | tried 10 eat some of ~.
but could not, so absolutely revolving was
it,"
GAMERS" INFERIOR CATTLE.
George Lees another witness. gave his
occupation as that of a packing-house cX-
pert. putting up machinery and appara-
tus for large packing houscs. lie said
he was familiar with the classes Of cat
Tie delivered i'm Chicago.
"What are 'canners'?' asked Major
Lee.
"What are generally termed Gamers
are a very inferior class of cattle think
Onc-third Of them would De condemned
In any English market. Chucks and some
times meat scraped off the plates are
used for canning"
about what per cent. Of nutriment
would b left i'm the meat that goes into
the can?'
Little or none"
William r. Replogle testified that he
served i'm the Hospital Corps at Porto
Rico. and that canned roast beef was fire.
nuently served to the corps. lie had seen
three or four cans opened, with maggots
runnng out Of them. Witness stated that
at Guayamo he saw a piece OF cooked
fresh beef which had maggots in It,
HOW ONE MAN WAS STARVED.
In reply 20 Major Lee, the witness told
or the sickness of one Thompson. who
bad nothing whatever TO eat the first day
after landing. The second day he was
tlAtn tofItA ittl ana lHlNldihs bul IHu
no way of making coffee. The man be-
rame very sick and died within a week.
Captain BOughton. Third Cavalry. tes-
titled that in his command the officers
drew the same ratiOns as the men while
IN Cuba. "The complaint about the can
he'd beef" ne said, was that the men
rOuld not eat the meat, and would not
rat il. unless absolutely compelled 20 do
30 do appease hunger. When the cans
were opened the first thing that struck
the observer was the repulsive, uninyit-
ing appearance of the contents.
do you consider canned roast beef
wholesome for the American soldier.
1T Is exceedingly unwholesome. 1t
tastes like chips. There is no substance.
snd tine fat and grease are absolutely
rspulsive."
MEAT UNFIT FOR A RATION.
Colonel Henry l.. Turner. who went to
Cuba in command of the First Illinois
Infantry. and became brlgadier-genoral
Of the Second Brigade OF the Third Die
vision OF the Fifth Army Corps was the
next witness. In reply 10 Major Lee. the
witness stated tina, he had tried 10 eat
some OF the canned roast beef. but il
nauscatcd him and he could not DO it,
II certainly was unfit for ration I'm
warm climate. lie regarded 1t as "A con-
tributing cause OF the sickness of the
men. lie had also tried TO eat the re-
frigcrated beef. but il gave him stomach
trouble.
Lieutenant Colonel NJ. f. Davis. Of the
First Cavalry. was then called. lie said
that the men could only consume one half
OF the contents OF the cans OF can
ned beef issued 10 them. The rest was
thrown away as unfit 10 eat. The con-