The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1899-03-15
Utterly UNFIT.
Lieutenant Ramsey Tells What
He Knows ofthe Embalmed
Beef.

He was depot Commissary Daring the
War-Was in Tam and Cnba-It
was made from Chacks and Seeks--
! Whole ear Loads Of it Condemned at
Tampa-lt was Thought TO have been
Treated Chemicaliy-Caus exploded
and the Stencil was Terrible.
One of the witnesses recently before
the army beef investigation COMMITTEE
was Lieutenant Ramsey of the Ninth
Infantry. His testimony will be very
interesting to Morgantown people. A
special from Washington gives the
following details of the hearing on the
day Ramsey testified:
The most interesting before the
Wade Court of Inquiry to-day was
Lieut.. Ramsey. Ninth Infantry, who
characterized the canned roast beef as
ian unpalatable and uninvlting grade
OF inferior meat which he would not
willingly feed to any man, sick or
well.
Another feature Of the hearing was
an object lesson in canned meats pre-
pared by the court and served to the
non-commissioned men who testified
at yesterdays hearing. The court
had prepared eight plates of beef =
fresh beef, canned beef that had been
TO Cuba and back and canned beef
fresh from the factory. Four plates
were prepared hot in stew and four
cold, as they came from the can, the
fresh beef being boiled to make it re-
semble the others.
The enlisted men were ordered to
sample each and say which was the
sort they had in Cuba. 1t was try
ing ordeal for the men, most of them
declaring that none of the plates look
ed anything like what they had eaten
in Cuba.
Col. Davis, the Recorder, stated TO-
day that In all probability Gov. Roose-
welt would not appear personally be-
fore the court, but would send a sworn
statement setting forth his observa-
tions regarding the beef furnished to
the Rough Riders.
CANS BURST, STENCIL TERRIFIC.
Lieut. Ramsey, Ninth Infantry,
the first witness, acted as depot COM
missary at various times, and was one
OF Col. Weston's assistants after the
capture of Santiago. Asked If any
protests came from the front against
the canned roast beef, he said he 're-
ceived requests for as much bacon as
he could send.n The men preferred
it to canned beef.
Witness said he had seen great
many cans of beef rejected among a
five-car lot at Tampa. The cans had
burst and the stencil was terrific,
The contractors replaced the spoiled
cans in this instance, but there was
the same stencil from mere defective
cans when the cargoes were broken
out In Cuba.
In quality the refrigerated beef on
the Mississippi and the Port Victor,
which witness personally inspected,
was Of better grade than usually found
at army posts. He said he did receive
a number of complaints of the meat
spelling before it reached some of the
camps.
Afterward witness rejoined his
regiment and saw something OF the
other side of the beef problem in the
camp mess. When outside of San
tiago about half the meat was lost
by trimming off the tainted parts.
Asked if he had reason to believe
that any of the meat issued in Cuba
had been chemically treated, Lieut..
Ramsey replied;
EXTERIOR TREATED CHEMICALLY.
"Well," / have been informed by
butchers and others and have gener-
ally understood that it is the prac
tice of the large packing houses to
treat the exterior of the meat chemi-
cally with preparation which will
coagulate the albumen and thus pro-
tect the interior. 1t is the custom
to trim off the outer surface of the
beef always before 1t is used.
Reverting to the canned roast beef
issued in Cuba, Lieut. Ramsey said
ut was unpalatable and inferior
quality of badly boiled beef. 1t was
evidently made from the chucks and
necks. / don't think in the cans |
saw there was single piece that
weighed an ounce. / consider it re
sponsible in large part for the sick
ness and stomach trouble among the
| r,ax, ,,