Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1899-02-24
One and All Contend that the Beef
Was Good,
MEN HAD ENLARGED LIVERS
They wanted 10 be Fed on Dciicncics,
says General O-uood-bagnn
on the stand.

Of Col. ]. +. Weston. who at the break
ing out Of war was assistant commits
snry general. and now II the successor
" Gen. Eagan. together with the APP
pcarancc OF Gen. Eagan. was the fen-
turc Of today'a proceedings " the court
" inquiry investigating the charges
~ Gen. Miles as TO the beef supplied TO
the army. while In cuba and In Porto
Rico.
Each contended that the roast 1ccf
was "a wholesome and nutritious come
poucnt OF the army ration and took Is
sue with those who have criticised H.
Regarding the refrigerated beef the
testimony 81 today tended to show that
IL was satisfactory.
Gen. Eagan took Issue with Gen.
Miles In regard Co the beef on hpof be-
Ing the best supply OF fresh beef 10
tho army. Insisting that such source
was impracticabio In cuba and especial
~ undesirable In any country where
the animal heat In the beef could NOT
disappear before cooking.
Tho work ~ the court In washington
will be- finished for the time being about
tho middle u next week. when tho court
Will adjourn to chicago 10 look over tho
packing Industry In that city and cA-
anime such Witnesses uH may De rln-
vrnicntly reached at that point. rom
chicago the court win proceed 10 Oma.
ma. whether their duties VIII carry
tho matter elsewhere before returning
10 Washington VIII depend On luturu
capt. Alex Piper OF the suhsis'cnc,
dpuartmeut ~ tho volunteers was
called. ilo was assigned aH cnmmi9-
anry u the second brigade. Flint army
corps. embarkinr with Gen. liru"kre
H|
that In Porto Rico beef ON tho aUuf,
native cattle. IN connection with canned
corned aud roast beef. were iHfuUl.
Native bee: was Issued. he thought. nyo
days out ~ ten. until August i'm. on
which day. under Instructions frUu col.
sharp, department cummlfrary. Nc rc-
cured refrigerated beef from the Nnssa-
Gen. J. +. Weston. who was Gen.
Skaters head Of commirHnry IN the
Santiago campaign and ruCcrudcd Cen
EuFun no cummlrfnry general NJ the
army. was called. and testified that tho
whole Hubjuct u fresh beef was r.u'
pidered thoroughly IN Washington prior
To- the army going 10 cuba, and tho
conclusion reached that canned roast
beef was the best thinF obialnablc. lie
was then and II Htlll Of the opinion that
next 10 refrigerated beef ana beef on
the hoof. canned roast beef II the best
meat supply.
Conditions In the Santiago campaign
made, refrigerated beef aud live cattle
Impossible. Under Cubn'a trying heat
canned beef became uninviting In ep-
pearnncc but remained very paintnblc
| In stewH. The complaints he attributed
TO tho fact that the men were run down
hy the time they reached Santiago, ana
were kept up by excitement. When tho
| campaign ended. the excitement tu-
Taxed. and they went TO pieces.
Gen. West reviewed ~ some length
the difficulties attending the cmhnrl,n-
tlon at Tampa. Tie then reviewed The
first arrival of refrigerated beef nc Sib-
oncy. the Mississippi bringing 100000
pounds. Immediately after the Hurrcn-
dor. lie saw the beef ON the Mlsslulp-
nj. and replying 10 Col Davis, said u
was not 40 inviting In appearance ~
the beef az Tampa. II was slightly
dlacoiorcd hut not bad.
pREsERVATGvE EXPERIMENT.
Speaking II the Ponce prcseryatlvc
experiment. Gen. Weston said the COM
missary department had nothing what.
ever To do with a. Mr. Edwards. h'
Hnid. representing Armour a Co, came
10 him ana said some beef was coming
that would be- treated. and he asked
witness n he would put Il on ship aud
see how long " would keep. The hcgf
arrived, and witness asked Mr.. Powell
what had been done to the beef end
the latter replied that nothing Injurious
was In tho treatment; he had furnished
beef Tor years to Florida hotels, and h.
believed the beef In question would keel,
twcnty-four hours, and " no. and tho
government would contract, the full
process would he explained. six or
fovcn quarters were taken out ana put
on the ships. Some were In canvas aud
some were not. The former held out
fcVenty-odd hours. while the uncan-
vusacd beef event up pretty quickly"
| col. Weston declared emphntlcally that
the government had no connection with
the experiment
Canned roas, beef In cuba was not
spoiled. but the heat made II uninvitlng
In appearance. However, II was whole.
some ana excellent Tor stew purposes.
| Geplylng 10 Col Gillespie. winners said
| he ala not know whether any beef fur
nshed the army had been treated
| chemically.
Mai. Henry osgood. acting as assist
ant commlssary general prior q the
outbreak OF the war. and subsequently
assigned 10 duty with Gen. Miles. and
who went 10 Santiago early IN August.
where he looked after the issue ~ beef.
said he had 10 use some beef on the
hoof. but II never became firm and did
not compare fav0rably at an with the
refrigerated beef. nor ala II give such
| Satisfaction, Mai, oSgood said he for.
merly favored beef-on-tne-hoof sup.
ply for the army In cuba. hut he was
forced Ia take water on that" nfter
seeing the use OF refrigerated beef.
Responding 10 Gen. Davis, witness de-
elarcd his opinion that many OF the
claims ~ officers that refrigerated beef
was spoiled We're false. The beef. he
said, often appeared offensive when
| merely viewed, whereas II u knife was
used to cut on tho outside. the best
beer you could lind anywhere" would
be- found. "Snap Judgment was taken
| often ON that beef" the witness de.
| clnrcd.
Speaking ~ the men and their COM
| plants, he said AN their livcrs were
out OF whaok. | estimated that 30 pcr
cent ~ them had enlarged llVer- and
they We're ready TO complain at every
thing-wanted to be fed all the timo ON
delicaciea,'
capt q. l.. Scott. Sixth Infantry.
served In Porto Rico, and declared tho
native beef was unsatisfactory, Will.
the refrigerated beef was highly pleas
ing,
II was nearly o'clock when Former
| Commlssnry General Pagan. who had
| arrived from New York, was presented
to the court. Proceeding. In response
90 questions, he snid that IN Introduce
| Ing puuugl rOaat beef ID VIVA tho lnten-