The Portland daily press., 1899-03-03

His colonel was Charles 5. Woodwar1.
| Witness said there was . great deal on
sickness In his command on shore, but ne
bad attributed 1t ut the time to tne M
climate rather than TO the food. On
shore, the ration was usually short no"
much 80 he could not say
he had been Rroc er ten years and nho
handled caausd roast beef, but 10 was Z
better article than be had seen In the
army. His trade In canned beef, how
ever, was very small.
| NJ. o. Dwyer, OF the ninth Massachu'
setts volunteer said that on the trip %
Cuba. they had been served fairly good
brand Of canned roast beef, much the
same as he had seen at home. After land
Ing at Siboney. on the night Of July LIST,
| the company had canned roast besf issued
them for the three days ration. bat lost II
all on going into action. Thereafter they
had about half canned meat and hall
bacon. Some of the canned roast beei
was not absolutely spoiled until when
opened, but It was all uneatable and did
not satisfy tue hunger nor keep up tns
| siren zth. One of his experiences with tns
canned beef was on San Juan hill when
| his mess was out of rations. He found
can OF roast beef In one OF the abandonsd
camps of the 9TH cav Try.
II thought IL was going to be q Geo
send to the mess," said he feelingiy.
land Put IL in my shirt. ! was smoking
o cigar at the tins, but when the cigar
went out ! smeilsd something awful and
when found out what was ths matter it
was the can OF roast beet In my shirt
found the can cracked In one oorner-and
oh sir. 1t WAS awful"
His first experience with the refrigerator
beef was on the san Juan hill July 20
1he beef was nearly all of IL mouIdy and
most Of 1t tainted SO that the men were
sickened BY eating 1t. On the voyage
ka hs,t rd-
tack, and coffee.
Then we started home sick" said
Dwyer In conclusion, land when we got
to Montauk Point the Massachusetts Aid
society rescued us from the eoInmisssary
department"
Lieut.. Newton Putney, another 9Th
Massachusetts, man followed. His story
of the voyage OF the Yale to Porto Rico
agreed substantially with that OF Lieut.,
Taylor. the tomatoes being bad. the
canned meat worse and bacon being
issued with hout an facilities to cock It So
far as he knew the line officers CON-
plained to their colonel, but nothing
came of it
On shore the men complained Of the
canned roast beef, but they We're In the
habit Of kicking and witness paid little
attention to it till going into the inter ior
with six men on detached duty, lie took
two-thirds of their meat ration In canned
toast beef and had to throw 1t all away. "
Sergeant NJ. W. Lethbridge Of the
second New Y ork, Whose service had all
been in the U nited States said his ex.
perience with the refrigerator beef had
been quite satisfactory.
OF the canned beef a large quantity was
condemned by a boardlof survey ana of a
large number of apparently perfect cans
he had personally opened, about one in
five was absolutely putrid, while none OF
1t was wholesome and Ut to use.
Lieut. John s. Sewell of the regular
army. who served as major of the first
volunteer engineers. and was aboard the
transport that carried Clarence Walters tn
Porto hico, testified tlat there was nc
canned roast beef aboard this transport to
his knowledge There was canned corDed
beef In cans such rs were described by
Walters as containing canned roast beef
He recollected Walter, but the latter Ee yer
bis treatment while in the service. 40
the contrary Walters said he had been
very well treated.
DR.. Maxwell Christine Of Philadelphia,
the witness who was supposed to have
seen the chemical preparation Of meat 10
the packing house of Swift a. Co., In
Omaha testified that while in Omaha
last year. he had been through the
slaught house of the Swift firm and had
u
q flexible tube. showing 1t into sections Of
meat and injecting them with fluid. He
did not know at the time what the fluid
was or whether the meat being treated
was cornsd beef pork or refrigerated beef
The meat was out in IS or 20 pound pieces
and was not in sides or quarters- He paid
little attention to the matter at the time,
but when the discussion over "embalned
bef" arose, he deemed 1t his duty to write
to General Miles, telling him what ne had
seen. He did not say In his letter that II
was "besf" which was being infested,
but merely that 1t was meat. He had re-
gar ded this communication as contiden-
tial, but 1t had got out and brought him
great many letters. Among others was
letter from q man In New York sign
ing himself Wentz, aud asking II Dr.
Christine knew that the Injection process
be had witnessed was the regular way OF
corning beef and hams, as the injection
with pickling fluid eduoed the period Of
picking the meat 5y several weeks
He received another letter from one
James Farian, whom he had never seen.
rarian said he had been stationed In
Omaha and knew all about the embalm-
log of beef and could give information
very damaging to the packers On the
strength of this letter Farian was sum
moned to appear before the war investi'
gatiug commission but never responded.