The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1899-05-13

sknOWn ana unfaInlllnr canned fOA
beef eaten direct from the can, and be-
lieyes that there was no better food
available OF procurable than refriger-
ator beef.
The opinion is. expressed that it
would have been impossible to land
beef cattle on the hoof in Cuba.
: Exonerates Packers.
An instruction of the president to
the court was, IF the packers of the
country are guilty, IT must he known"
Replying to this direction the court
says:
The methods of packing the canned
beef were the same us those habitual-
~ employed in the preparation of the
meat as an article of commerce, and
the court does not find that they I'M
derwent any change during the prog
ress of the war. The large purchases
for the use of the military forces dur
ing the months of May and June. 1898.
were made--not ut the solicitation of
the packers, or in consequence of eff
forts put forth by them for that pur-
pose-but by the order and upon the
initiative of the commissary general of
subsistence, such purchases being
made in every ease by officers of his
department in the usual manner"
On another point connected with the
packers the court said:
ut appears from the testimony that
whenever any cans have been found to
be defective subsequent to their orig
inal delivery to the subsistence depart
ment, such cans have been replaced in
every instance"
Replying specifically to other ques-
tons set out by the president, the
court says:
"tThat the canned beef was described
as fresh because it was not sailed, but
that the meat was not old or stale.
THAT the refrigerated beef fur
nished the army was not 'doctored or
treated with any other agency than
cold air.
That the meat purchased for the
army was the meat of commerce.
that both kinds-refrigerated and
both hemispheres as commercial prod
ucts of which there is and has been
very large consumption not only by
the trade generally, but by the United
States navy and by the armies and ma
vies of Europe.
"That no report of untitness or un-
suitability of the beef were forwarded
to the war department until more than
one month after hostilities ceased.
''That barring some defects in meth
DDS of inspecting the beef on its deliv-
cry to the subsistence department the
deterioration of the meat in shipment
was due to the fault of no one"
Report OF Courts Chemists.
Summing up.the result of the exam
nations of the chemists employed by
the court, the report says:
1.-THE contents of all the cases, which
consisted OF boiled rather than roast
beef, We're found.to be perfectly sweet,
with an odor of cooked meat. The
beef in nearly all the cans appeared to
have been softened by exposure to
heat, but apparently without injurious
effect as to its quality. Apart from
this the meat contents We're found to
be in a good state of preservation in
every case. No trace of pr~eseryative
acids were found in any of the cans.
y = y There is III testimony to the
effect that any of the canned fresh
beef supplied to the subsistence de-
partment since April 25. 1898, has been
chemically treated or subjected to the
action of preservatiyes of any kind
save q small quantity Of common salt,
that had been added as seasoning to
the product of certain packers.
Tn no cast did the number Of
swelled or tainted cans discovered
greatly exceed III amount of ! per cent
of the entire number examined"
Several pages of the report are de-
voted to the consideration of the al
legation made by General Miles that
the refrigerated beef was treated with
p~reservatives, but the. statement is
made upon the threshold of this
question that but little testimony was
submitted by him in support of this
contention"
Considerable attention is given to
DIR. Days testimony concerning the
refrigerated beef on the transport
Panama and also to his report con-
corning the beef supplied to the i'm
mnnes stationed at Chiclamauga.
Regarding this the court says:
"Thc testimony shows that the beef
treated by the Powell process, which
was declared by DR.. Daily to contain
boric and s~alicylic acids, was, in fact,
treated by fnmigation, and the ma
terials employed contained neither
boric nor salicylic acids"
Asto the cause of the sickness in the
army in the Santiago campaign, the
court finds it impossible to include
that either the canned fresh beef or
refrigerated beef appeared to any APP
preciable extent as causes of intestinal
Diseases"
Speaking of the ration as a whole
the court says:
Not a Good Tropical Ration.
AS to the effects of the food supply,
having regard to both sut1icieney- and
quality, 1t seems to be clearly established
that the army ration as supplied. With
out modification to the troops serving In
the West Indies, was by no means we'll
adapted for use in 4 tropical climate.
If this be true, the uniitness of the ration
should have manifested itself By. Its fall
ure to keep the troops. who subsisted up
on 1t, in the best possible condition for
service In hot climates. This. In the
in the evidence. The insuticiency of the
food supply in Cuba and the irregularity
attending upon Its. distribution, due pri-
narily to a marked deficiency In trans
portation facilities and the condition of
the weather and the roads. appeared. to
some extent, as causes Of disease among
the troops who were thus insufticiently
and ~irregularly subsisted."
The conclusion of the court; adverse to
further proceedings based upon tie
charges. Is as follows:
"lt has been developed in the course Of
the inquiry as recited in his report that
In some instances. some individuals failed
TO perform the fun measure of duty or 10
observe the proprlettes which dignity high
military command, but the court is of the
opinion that the mere statement in the
meets the ends of discipline: and that the
interests of the service will be best SUBJ
served IL further proceedings be not
The document is signed by J. F. Wade.
major-general. United States volunteers,
president. and Geo. B. Davis. lieutenant
colonel. deputy Judge advocate. general
recorder.
The foregoing report having been slIb-
mitted with the proceedings to the presi-
dent. the following are orders therein:
Executive Mansion. Washington, ID. CT
6. 1s99.-The findings OF the court of
inquiry are approved.
.Wm. Mckinley"