Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1899-02-23
TESTlFIES IN 'EMBALMED" BEEF
INVESTIGATION.
HEARD MANY COMPLAINT
First Direct Statement That the Meat
Had Been Chemically Treated Came
to Him Late in September from DR..
Daly-Disability of Men at Montauk
Point Made Him Suspicious.

start in its work Calls of ceremony
on the president and the general com
manding the army occupied large
part of the forenoon, and Immediately
thereafter Gen Nelson A, Miles APP
peared as the first witness. He and
three other army officers summoned as
witnesses were examined and disposed
Of before the court closed its session at
o'clock Miles testimony of course
was the feature of the days proceed
ings 1t was said after the court adj
journed that Or, DAILY, whose original
"embalmed beef" report was the begin
ming of the meat controversy, probably
would appear at todays session
In speaking of the beef used in Cuba
and Porto Rico, Gen, Miles said he was
much in favor of feeding the troops
hoof beef and said the native beef
killed at night could be very well
fed to the men next day He said that
native beef would keep as well as the
refrigerated beef, in the absence OF
cooling apparatus on shore, unless the
refrigerated beef was chemically treat
ed with preservatives.
Asked how long he was in Porto
Rico before he advised the department
against sending more refrigerated beef
Miles said that he learned of the large
supply of native cattle soon after
landing and he advised the war depart
ment the next day after getting ashore.
Referring to canned roast beef as dis
tinguished from refrigerator beef, Col
| Davis read a portion of Miles war
commission testimony condemning It
in severe terms. Miles said canned
roast beef was issued to volunteers and
regular troops alike on transports
and in Cuba. till the arrival
Of refrigerator beef II was fully test
ed by both the regulars and yolun-
teers, The first complaints Of 1t, Miles
said he heard at Tampa from some OF
the rough riders from San Antonio,
but he paid little attention TO 1t at the
time, not realizing fully that there had
| been any change from the standard
/ ration He again heard Of It aboard
/ the Yale when the men declared that
! they could not eat 1t and he ordered
/ the inspector to inquire into it, Again
he heard Of il in the trenches at San
tiago but he was stlll largely occupied
/ with the campaign aud thought moth
/ ing more of the complaints than he
would Of hearing some man kicking
/ about his coffee or his hard-tack.
What finally drew his attention seri-
/ . I1 ON ~.
port that the whole ffth corps was
weak and Frustrated This was in Au-
gust when the question Of
parade through New York
was preached Gen. Bates at
that time reported only about one
a condition to march through New
/ York. Miles said this seemed TO him
remarkable, as there was no yellow
! fever at the Point, and he thought that
/ the men certainly ought to be over
/ their malaria, He therefore ordered
an inquiry into the beef about which
/ there had been so much complaint.
/ did you report this matter at the time
| to the commissary Officer asked MIR.
! Davis Miles leaned forward, drawing
/ his brows to a furrow, and replied
! fOrcefully: 81 am not required. sir to
/ report to the commissary general.
well, did you report It 10 the secre-
/ tary Of war;" asked Mr. Davis. Miles
/ in reply went at some length into an
! explanation Of the routine Of army
! headquarters, showing why he pre-
I ferred to conclude his inquiry so that
! he might have something tangible
/ to present to the secretary.
Davis asked why the commanding gen
eral delayed definite action in the beef
/ matter and Miles responded that he de-
/ layed because he did not want 70 act
| until he secured the best authority
which was information from the most
/ reliable sources. Finally he issued an
order to the officers to report upon the
quality Of the beef furnished He did
not report directly to the secretary OF
/ war because under the rule Of 1890 The
4 order should 20 from the adiutant
general to the secretary.
His attacks upon canned and refrig-
I Grated beef before the war commission
we're then taken up specifically, Davis
/ reading the testimony of the com
/ handing general in which he referred
/ 10 &c as "embalmed beef" and said that
4 10 had been sent as a "pretensc Of ex-
+ pertinent" Miles was asked II
/ he knew when the wa
I began that canned roast beef
/ was part Of the army ration. This
question brought out a partial explain
alton of his using the phrase. "a pre-
tense Of experiment lie said that he
/ ala not know that canned roast beef
+ was a part Of the army ration, though
/ In 1888, an order had been issued in
4 GLIDING canned corned or fresh beef.
/ lie did not understand that the canned
4 beef now In question WIS meant When
/ his attention was finally attracted to
4 the canned roast beef recently Issued,
/ he assumed he declared, that 1T was
+ being issued as an experiment since
/ 81 was not understood by him that the