Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1899-03-09
WAS UNFIT TO BE EATEN
Court Of Inquiry Again Hears
from Volunteers.
FEASTED ON THE VOYAGE.
Capt. CritchieId, OF the Eighth ohio,
Describes His Regiments Journey 10
Santiago Counsel for Gen. Miles EN-
amines Witnesses.

Washington, March Capt. Groom,
of the Philadelphia city troop, was the
first witness before the war depart
ment court of inquiry yesterday. About
two weeks out of four while in Porto
Rico his command lived on canned
roast beef. lie never heard any com
plants of it from his men. 1t was
our food and we ate it,
Capt. y. NJ. Gray, of the Sixth Mas
sachusetts, which went to Porto RICO
on the Yale when she carried Gen.
Miles south, said the principal cause
of complaint among his men was not
as to the quality of the rations, but
because they were short in quantity.
Alfred +. Foote, of Holyoke, Mass, a
sergeant of the Second Massachusetts,,
which served at Santiago, had new
adjective for the much discussed
canned roast beef He said it tasted
''bleached." Some of il seemed to be
simply boiled to death and the other
was absolutely putrid. Probably one
third was spoiled in this way. The
men talked the meat over, abused 1T
privately and some declined to eat 1t,
but they did not complain to their OH
GERS. His command got comparatively
little refrigerated beef, most of 1T
spoilsg before it could be cooked and
failing after it was cooked to keep
from dinner TO supper. The only time
ashore when the regiment was very
short of rations was while digging
trenches on San Juan hill. Here for
48 hours rations 66 men of his COM
pany received only 53 hardtack in all
and half a pound of bacon for each
man. fhe shortage was due to lack
of sportat!on.
Critchfiel1, of the Eighth Ohio,
which served in Cuba, described the
voyage south on the st. Paul as a
feast Of plenty, corned and roast beef
being piled up by the ton on the deck,
where the men could get it for the
taking.
Witness said that from the landing
on July 10 to the surrender on the
18th there was little or no complaint
as 10 the rations. After the surrender
the regiment was camped at Sevilla,
about six miles east of the city. Here
they got AN issue Of refrigerator beef
that the men refused to take. He in
spected the meat, cut the quarter in
half and found that it was apparently
good on the inside, though green and
Shiny on the surface. lie cut some
from the inside. cooked it and was
made very sick by eating it. SO were
other men who tried it. The surgeon
ordered the beef buried and no more
was drawn for a month.
Lieut. Thayer. who was aboard the
Yale on her trip to Porto Rico, sup
ported the preceding witnesses in all
the uncomplimentary things they had
said of the canned roast beef The re-
frioerated beef served aboard the Yale
was 50 offensive that it was repuIsive
even in soup and stew. He described
the canned beef as being in long strips
in the cans. the meat being held to-
gether by long strips of fiber or gristle,
which had to he cut away, being wholly
uneatable. When his command went
ashore Is per cent. of the men were
sick.
Maj. Jesse Lee appeared as counsel
for Gen. Miles. Maj. Lee was so intro
duced to the court by the recorder at
the afternoon session. He began to
croSs-eXamine witnesses at once and
with the first one antagoniZed the court
to the extent of demanding admission
of certain letters as evidence, but was
refused. The proceedings were not
marked, however. by any unpleasant
friction between the court and the new
counsel