Barre evening telegram. (Barre, Vt.) 1898-19??, 1899-03-29
THE ARMY BIER COURT
Subsistence Commissary Davis Gives
Some Evidence Before 1t.
AS TO SWIFT'S CONTRACT.
Edward Morris Of Chicago Packing
Company Another Witness - Ar.
MOur's Agent ut Lakeland Tess
tifies as to Meat Sent There.

washington, March 80. - Captain
George b. Davis. commissary of SUBJ
sistence, was the first witness to appear
before the beef inquiry court. He was
on duty in the Office OF the commissary
general and assisted in preparing the
Santiago beef contract with Swift &
Co., dealing especially with the prepa-
ration of the clause covering the time
the beef was to be kept in the refriger-
ators on shore. He had talked with
General Eagan on this subject when the
contract was in course of preparation
and had understood from him that the
beef was to be kept in refrigerators
for u hours after arrival and q hours
after its removal from them.
In reply to Major Lee, Captain Davis
said the understanding in the commits
sary generals office was that the beef
was to be kept good for u hours by the
contractors after leaving the ship pro-
vided good care was taken Of 1t. This,
he said. was the extreme limit, but II
was not supposed that the beef would
be kept for more than "a hours"
Major Lee pointed out the apparent
discrepancy in Captain Davis and Cen
eral Eagan's testimony as to the condi-
lions under which beef was to be kept
for u hours after the arrival of the
beef at it's point OF destination. He
read General Icngan's statement saying
1t was his intention that the beef should
be good for 70 hours. mo difference
where taken from," and saying that the
"a hour clause must he a clerical error.
He asked Captain Davis to reconcile
~ a. Ia, oct
the captain responded by saying:
General Eagan had simply forgotten.
Probably he had not seen the contract
for six months. 1t is not customary in
such cases to depend upon the memory,
the contracts being on file and refer
ence to them convenient and usual"
Beef on the HOOf.
The witness said there had been con-
siderable discussion in the office of the
commissary general of the feasibility of
shipping beef on the hoof. but it had
been decided not to try the experiment
because of the d 'tiiculty of getting ships,
of landing the cattle and of taking care
Of them after landed. The subsistence
department had, however. gone so far
as to gather the names of persons who
might desire to bid
Edward Morris of the Chicago firm,
of Morris g. Co. was the next witness.
He stated that his company had for the
past ten years been in the habit Of stor-
ing canned roast beef in the Baltimore
and Ohio warehouses on Saten Island
for shipment to either foreign or do
nestle points. Some of this beef had in
1898 been returned to Chicago Most of
the shipments to foreign ports had
been sent to the English. None OF II
had ever been sold to or rejected by a
foreign government and none had been
sold abroad and condemned and sent
back to the United States for the Amer
lean troops. The goods returned to
Chicago were sold to wholesale gro
Gerry house and by it sold to the govern
ment, 80 per cent going to Manila. The
firm had sold to the government direct
about $3.50, 900 worth of corned beef and
Of canned roast beef.
Charles T.. Smith of Jacksonville, Fla.
who acted as agent for Armour 4 co
in the spring and summer of 1898, testi'
fed concerning the beef delivered to the
troops at Lakeland. He said he hac
been in the beef business for 10 years
and that the beef delivered at Lakeland
was first class. There was nothing tt
indicate that it had been treated WIFI
preservatives, and there was no coat
ing upon it. During his connection
with the business there We're only TWO
reflections of beef and these of very
! small quantities.