New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-04-12
GEN. sHAFTER TESTIFIEs.
HAS LITTLE FAULT TO FIND WITH
CANNED ROAST BEEF.
KNOWS OF NO SUBSTITUTE FOR TUT
TERLY IMPOSSIBLE TO SUPPLY BEEF
ON THE HOOP AT SANTIAGO.

TERLY IMPOSSIBLE TO SUPPLY BEEF
ON THE HOOP AT SANTIAGO.
Washington. April 11.-Sidney Reid OF the New |
York office of The Associated Press. recalled |
at the opening OF the session OF the Beef Court OF
Inquiry to-day, but his re-examination developed
nothing.
Captain Edward H. Plmmer aide-de-camp Of
General. Shafter and brigade quartermaster In the
Cuban campaign. the next witness He was
closely questioned to the facilities for getting
supplies to the front. but no new facts were
brought out.
s. Ochsenschlager the representative OF Armour
& Co at Jacksonville. followed He had heard
few complaints To his knowledge chemicals
or preservatives were used; certainly not there
Major-General william r. shafter was the next
witness He entered the courtroom unaccom-
panied, and all the members Of the court rose to
receive him He detailed the principal occurrences
OF the Santiago expedition in narrative form The
quantity OF supplies taken was largely determined
by the capacity of the ships He bad no discretion
in the matter Of rations He took what was sent
to him by the Commssary Department 1t was ut
terly impracticable to take beef on the hoof He
regarded 1t as absurd to consider. Looking
back at the campaign he still considered II I'M
practicable. Had they encountered an active en-
emy they might have lost beef herd, and In any
event it would have been imperativey necessary
to take the same amount of salt and cured meat to
provide against such a contingency. AFTER the
troops were landed he ordered all forward with
three days rations. The meat ration was not spec
fled Each commander determined whether IL
should be bacon roast beef He heard no COM
plants of the canned roast beef between the land
ing and the surrender. He heard no complaints
until after his return from Cuba. Naturally III
such a climate Il was not appetzing. He ate 1t
every day himself. The troops had full rations OF
meat hard bread. coffee and sugar Tnere were
one or two days when the full ration OF conee ana
sugar did not reach them, but It was made up the
Iofp n
tion Of supplying the troops was the dincult one'
the rest was easy There were no complaints from
Washington The health Of the troops was ldiy
good up the time of the surrender Inc SIGN
report on July is showed only one thousaho men
sick but the troops had been weakened, and after
the surrender went down rapidly. The hrst case OIL
veIIou fever was reported the 6th. He only re-
called one complaint against the refrigerated peei
he thought that from the TIN or stn inIah'ry'
He took great interest in the refrigerated oeel
and from his investigation considered II perfectly
satisfactory Suspicion that It had been chemically
treated was never even suggested AT that ume
tIe attributed the immense amount OF sickness 10
axnosure the exertions OF an active campaign ana
the climate.
Major Lee cross-examined General shafter. In
a renort forwarded by Colonel Roosevelt some COM
plants were made. but he did not regard them as
important the emergency had passed
TAKES ISSUE WITH ROOSEVELT.
Major Lee read from Colonel RooseVeHs report
OF the action of July l. saying his troops ndu ho
food on that day except what they captured from
the S3aniards. ,
.1f tbev didn't have food Il was their own fault.
observed General Shafter They were ordered 10
provide themselves with two days rations
Az N Colonel Roosevets statement that they
did not have adequate food or medlca supphes'
that was matter OF opinion. They had ther
ration provided by law. II the rauons OF the
Rough Riders gave out on the way 10 ,uoa' was
the fault of their officers. who should have Drawn
enough 70 keen ten days supply on hand, as he
had ordered.
From your experience. do you regard canned
roast beef as a suitable meat ration Tor such
campaign" asked Major Lee.
81 do not know OF any substitute replied Cen
eral Shafter Canned cornheef is perhaps oe''e''
Possibly It is not 80 good az bacon OUT una. ue
pends upon the individual taste. myself THINK
there might have been less meat and more Deans
and rice Campaigning in the tropics was new 10
zig and II was an experimental food certainly
we all recognize now that the rations were no.
well adapted to such a campaign but IL was All
we had and did the best we could congress
provides the Army ration.
WOULD NOT CONDEMN CANNED BEEF
General Shafter related conversation win Oom-
missary-General Eagan about the canned roaSt
beef which General Shafter at that time believed
was genuine roast beef Asked II after all hat hau
occurred he considered canned roast beer worthy
., further trial General Shafter reiterated MS
statement that he knew OF no SUBSTITUTE TIE Wv"
nreference would be for clean bacon. but "nle un-
inviting and not palatabe. he did not consider
canned roast beef unfit for food Any canned meat
IN such a high temperature that when opened ,ne
grease would run off would be far from appeufII"s
Rut he would not therefore condemn II, -. ~,
S s t,erv good indeed To carry fresh beef on
the hoof he regarded absolutely our OF VIZ III
tion None of the division cofnndnuetS W ra,ion
tfont and IawtonD had complained or the ihuomm
o@nialI, ar there had been complaints 10 theIn,
said he 81 hardly think they would haNe Iep IA
It, They were sensible men ~ was "' ""
N91l'i,e entioned the opinion that per cent OF the
refrioerated beef was spoiled and thrown AVID d.,
A. A. Kirk, cook OF n the session that he
that had Spoiled In Porto Rico the troop DOUGH- nge
third ~ the canned beef he saw was unht TOT US
John w Springer who acted as 40
geant OF the Governors Troop "a ~ roasi beef was
"a. 20 aat THE refrigerated beef on the MIS-
sIs"inni was spolled and could not be eaten i ns
odor was so offensive that men sckened 49,
h retrn VOYAGE fourteen OF his troop had typhoid
exrt,hur w Feight. also Of the Governors Troop
id I'd one.half UNIT for The refrigerated
beef could not be eaten and was thrown , o.
board on the second Gay, oq b lmssissippi
lieutenant Alexander Frank. commissary ano
subsistence officer Of the LIST ONO, Wyn ,ps
port Tampa I'm June and July. testineu ,.a, co M,
naanned cast beef made the men SICK As com
missary officer he had refused consiuersp ,GIn.ad
tty OF beef furnished ny Ar mourn 20 issued
short weight beef. over ten tnousHn1 pona ,,ye
canned beef issued 10 his regiment al tampa "e'e
condemned.
ItU DECLARED UNCONSTITUTIONAL.