The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1899-04-13
GENERALS INDDRSt BEEF.
ARNOLD AND CHAFFEE sAY WHAT
THEY RECEIVED WAS GOOD.
ne Latter Thought the Fact That
the Men Were Sick Had Mueh 10
Dc With Their Complaints About
WASHINGTON,


Arnold. who was In command of the Sec.
end division OF the Seventh army corps DUR
inx the Spanish war, was before tbs, Wade
ecurt Of inquiry today. He statsd that AZ
Jacksonville as a rule, the fresh beef was
acceptable, but that tDsre were occasional
complaints that IL was tainted. especially
during the hot weather OF last summer. lie
az 10. attribute the sickness of his corn
mand 10 the food supply. lie had rot qua
p>cted that the meat was chemically treat
Cd.
Cen A3na X. Chafee. who commanded
4 brigade at Santiago, gave the details Of
the recent condemnation OF canned raaxs
heef a. the latter place. He said the canned
foast beef had been sent there fron ether
points IL the Wes. Indies for distribution
70 the destitute Cubans and that he hal
distributed probably 1.5e.eS pounds OF IT,
He had not heard any complaints against
the meat unit. a few weeks ago when a
Newspaper reporter had told him that 30
co cans had been throHn into lie sea be-
cause Il was bad. He had Immediately re-
ported TO Gen. Brooke and asked for In
speetlon. This was ordered with Gen.
Earnest at the head OF the board This
board found that out OF the spo0 rasions
remaining on hand about i.s5 per cent.
was bad. There was q considerable quantity
Of tomatoes and canned fruit which was
not good.
Ger. Chaffee also testified concerning the
meat supply to his command during the
santiago campaign. He believed the re-
frigeraior beef 10 be perfectly good, bat
while this was true. the officers and men
would not eat IL. They rejected il almost
wholly as being spoiled. II was generally
received In camp by o'clock In the morn
ing ard was almost generally buried few
minutes after 1t was received.
This was due largely. az he thought 10
the fact that the men Sere sick. He had
demonstrated with them because ne
thought they needed thsa change OF diet.
Eut they would not have IT, As fer himself
be kept the meat until the afternoon, and
then found Ii wholesome and sweet Tho
beef was covered, as a rule, with green
ISL tinge. This could easily be Fcrapei of
and when this treated the naeat was goad
He never received bat one quarter which
he believed TO be actually spoiled.
As 10 the canned roast beef. he had heard
neither complaint nor communication. He
had eaten the canned beef but once. He
found IL EnpaIatabie. too fresh in taste. hus
he did not consider II nnwhoiesome.
Al the conclusion Of Gen. Cnafee's tes-
imony. the court recessed
DR.. Rush l.. Huieekeper. OF Gen.
Brooke's staif. a. chief medical officer I'm
Porto Rico. was on the stand AT the aft
ernoon session. He said he had inspect
Cd nearly all Of the troops in Porto Rico,
looking into the kitchens and taking with
the cooks. Some OF the canned beef spoil
Cd. and much or II was OF apparently poor
quality. lie considered the meat unwhoae-
some. as n rule. Tho refrigerator beef
would keep only from two 10 eight hours
he saw 1t often, and found that IL soon
Cecornposed on the surface. DIR. Huida-
keeper said 1t had never occurred To him
that the refrigerator heef had been sub
1ected 10 chemical treatment. yet for M
teen years he had been aware that chem
icais had been used both in tho United
States and Europe In preserving the sur
face OF fresh meats. and that the use OF
such preparations was sanctioned by for
acid. saitpeter and. In some instances.
fluid preparations were ,Hed.
He said he thought the canned beef had
only been boiled before being put up and
beef extract made from II. ana said he ma.
expressed surprise that the firms putting
Il up would risk their regulations on such
q product. II the grades were good tie
thought canned beef would be a usefu.
part Of ratioHs for tho army.
In reply TO Mai Lee he said that forgna-
line had been found TO be- a good prescrv-
alive in the dissecting room. and he sup
posed 1, would serve the same purpose IN
preserving beef.
Capt William II. Williams who was
Quar,ermasser on the transport Panama
conveying convaiescenta from Porto Rico
10 the North, said ;has (; had been neces-
aary 10 throw overheard all the refrtger-
ated beef, about &.eoo pounds. two days
out from Ponce The beef had been
loaded into the lee a-oS ar Ponce, when
the box was warm. and when only one
and half tens 81 tee was soeuresi Il d.d
"a sh..