Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1899-02-25

chief complaint being that it often de-
composed en route to camp. The les
timOny of representatives OF the sub
sistence department Was begun. that of
Colonel Woodruff. assistant ommissary
general. being the most notable He
purchased more than SOj,Coo pounds OF
canned roast beef, and told Of the
method OF purchase and the reasons
that prompted it. He took issue with
General Miles contention that beef on
the hoof was the usual source Of fl esh
meat supply to the army.
Another feature of the day was the
introduction of pr. DAILY. who charged
before the war commission that refrig
Grated beef at CEickamuusa, Jackson
vile, Tampa and in Porto Rico had been
treated chemically. He was not eX-
amined, however, in regard to this
charge, Colonel Davis announcing that
the contractors who We're attacked were
entitled to be notified of the eXamna-
ton upon this point, that they might
have ample time in which to appear
should they desire to do 50. The law
required this, he said Accordingly, DR..
DAILY was excused after a partial ex-
animation, and will he recalled later.
General EaGan, former 'omnlissary
general, is expected to appear today and
tell the story of the beef supply us
viewed by his department.
DIR. Days examination IT,; Erl,cordei
conducted sl,\VlV and with
care, developing with great minutenes.,
all of DR.. Daly's dulIes while attached
to General Miles staff. These. besides
those of an army surgeon, consisted in
making special reports to General Miles
on camp sites, water supply and the
like. The recorder very carefully de
velnpcd tn" fact that most of these re-
ports We're verbal or telesraphic, there
in differing from the now famous meat
report which has caused Dr. DAILY being
summoned as Il witness. Therein the
examination differed from that of lh,
previous witnesses.
In all of this very detailed recital the
question of beef was not once broHcheu
by the court, but when DR.. DAILY had
been chronologically carried through his
term of serVic" and ont of the army, he
recorder handed him the famous "em-
balmed beef report and asked him if
h. recognized it. Dr. DAILY said he did,
and it was all right, except, perhaps, the
date. which, in the copy, was Sept Il,
He said to the best of his recollection The
exact date was oct. II. The date, how
ever. he said, was not essential. the report
being genuine, and in the opinion of DR..
naly perfectly accurate.
Pricr to leaving the stand, however,
Dr.. DAILY was examined in regard to the
Powell experiment with beef preserva-
tives al Tampa Colonel Davis pointing
out that it was merely experimental and
no contractor was involved. DR.. DAILY
said Colonel j. T.. Weston called his at
tention to Il quarter of beef, which was
hanging on a transport and which Col
orel Weston said had been for 60 hours
in the open. and he was waiting to see
what would eVentuate. DR.. Dal y did not
recall anything of Colonel Westun's
statement indicating the beef was other
than a part of the general supply. or that
it had been treated with Il chemical as an
experiment. He noticed that flies would
not remain ON the beef and that no larvae
We're deposited.
He thought that strarge and that beef
would not putrify in the Tampa air af-
ter 60 hours exposure. Witness finally
cut a piece from the beef and later
cooked and ate it. After riding horse
back he became nauscated. He did not
suspect preservatives on the beef. al
though his taste suggested an experience
he had with preservatives on antelope
some years before while hunting. Never
theless. DR.. DAILY said he remarked to
TO one about the matter. Witness want
ed it made plain that Colonel Weston
had said nothing about the quarter of
beef being experimental, and he had no
reason to suspect the government was
conducting an experiment as to efficacy
of any chemical preservative.
The supposed beef was part Of a con-
signment from the cOntraC tors, supposed
to keep ~ hours i'm the sun, and perhaps
Colonel Weston was merely curious to
see if the beef would stand the test. Re
curing to the taste of the beef, as sug-
ScstlhS NN pEi iV'4'C W ltll pItStENeft
antelope meat, witness said some years
ago. while EN- route to hunting grounds
in the west, he secured in Chicago what
was recommended as u presorvative-u
white powder. 1t was used in camp.
preserved the meat, but the latter when
eaten, nauseated him. An analysis di-
vulged the presence OF Doric and salycilic
acids. In regard to the Tampa en-
perience, DIR. Daly said ii did not arouse
any suspicion. He did not look upon thl
incident as q government experiment
and did not feel called upon to report or
take any official action about it. He
gave it little thought then and said he
first considered his Tampa experience
sufficiently serious to present to the de-
Dartment. when he had experience with
contract beef on the Panama. DR..
DAILY was then excused.
Colonel Charles NJ. Woodruff. assistant
cOmmissary general, purchasing agent
and depot commiSsary at Governors
island. who was prominent in army sup
ply purchases, testified that he bought
Il total of $2,256. 900 worth of supplies in
the first six months of the war. He
of canned roast beef at u cost ranging
from 11la to IA cents per pound. cord
irg to the size of cans. Principal dealers
would bid monthly on it, and when he
received orders to ship canned beef he
would sample the beef in the market.
accept and order II in his discretion. Ali
{ ontracts contained clauses providing
contractors should replace any beef that
proved unfit for use without fault of the
army officials. Each box contained a
certificate of inspection and approval
from an official of the agricultural ds-
partment. approving the cattle on hoof
and after slaughter. Most of the beef
was shipped to Tampa. The entire sup
ply in New York and in the entire coun-
try. together with $50, 900 pounds brought
from Europe. where it had been shipped,
was exhausted, ard the factories, Colonel
Woodruff understood. We're running
night and day to meet the extraordinary
demand. Witness said he understood