The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1899-03-16
SOLDIERS WE'RE SICK.

beef when issued TO the troops on ,hIp
board and in cuba and it's effect upon the
soldiers.
SOLDIERS WE'RE SICK.
DR. John 3. Shaw. of Joliet. MS, sur
geon OF the third mirots volunteers. tes-
tilted that on the voyage from Newp1tt
News TO Porto Rico canned roast beef
was issued and there was a great deal
of complaint made about u. II was pulpv,
strngy. nauseating and ala not seem -
noursh the men Much sickness followed
the 1se OF IT, The witness testified that
he attributed the sickness TO pt1mainc
poisoning lie believed ptomaines would
develop i'm the hot sun in FIVE or six min
utes after can was opened. If the meat
were properly sterillzed ptomalnes would
not develop. While in Porto Rico twenty
| five miles from Ponce the matter OF ra-
/ lions was taken out Of the regiments
| hand to a great extent. General Graent
seemed to know more about lt than any
one else The witness took no particular
| interest I'm them because OF the action of
/ General Grant
'He cannot violate the law"
Gle did
did he issue orders?'
lie issued whenever ne saw it,"
"The law requires the surgeons % sup
/ ervise The cooking of that which Is lssled
/ Did you interest yourself to ascertain
what was being issued To the enlisted
mem"
we say what was issued and took 81
| because we could not get anything else.
/ We had canned roast beef nearly an the
/ while and the men refused to eat IT, e
was ordered condemned ana we buried
/ a lot of H. one of the men said IL we did
bury it, &c would buryu 8. Aboard of sur
/ vey was ordered but the witness never
heard anything more about 81. As 20 Il e
refrigerator beef very little Of It was used
! as at least htree-quarters of a. would have
to be ca. of / do mott hinK any chemicals
| had been used on the meat 1t was simply
/ spoiled The meat had undoubtedly been
acted upon by the heat which had soften
ed IT, The fat and grease and gelatine
had an intermingled with the fibre"
Under cross-examination DR. Shaw told
about being called out one night to look
after the men OF thee ompany A, who
were reported to have been poisoned by
eating canned roast beef He said they
vomited fearfuuy and 1T seemed that hy-
podermic injections of morphine would
hardly relieve the pain They were sick
! for some days, afterwards with great
deal of dlarrhea and intestinal trouble.
QUIT EATING.
when the men ceased eating the c.ln-
ned roast beef was there any improve
! ment2" asked Haior Lee.
! yes. the canned roast beef generally
/ gave them the diarrhea."
did you, in an official way recon mend
] ffa 1fecoutiuuance2 %
! yes. sir to my immediate commander.
Did the commlssary committee ina
out how these things were%'
HE came several times and told us
| IL was all right. I think Il was Capt. Pi-
per lie told us 1t was all right and we
would have to eat IT, Sometimes we sub
stituied what we cred bacon. but a great
| deal Of that nd maggots in II and nd to
| be condemned II we had depended upon
| the army ratlons the troops would have
been starved to death, They spent all the
money they got to buy things to eat either
az the commissary store or In the city"
was that the brand on this canned
roast beefY"
''I think IT was Libby, McNeal and Lib
/ by. am not sure. ] tried to eat some OF
| It but could not. it was absolutely revolt
ing"
when the beef was opened from cans
did you order It empued out Of the can
Immediately
1--WE tried TO have Il served immedi ltely
but under that intense heat putrihca-ion
would set in almost Immediately after
the opening OF the cans"
"To what DO you attribute the bad ccn-
ditlon OF the bread?'
30 j. u sf4aa
perhaps the ovens; then atives took the
same -four and made II into fair breai'
The next witness called was Colonel
Fred Bennett, colonel OF the third IN
nois volunteers. He spoke OF the voyage
from Newport News 20 Porto Rico
HEARD COMPLAINTS ALSO.
There were a great many complaints
about the canned roast beef" he said
The complaint about the canned toasi
beef was that it was nauseating. speoi'
mems were brought 10 me for eXmiaaticI
1 and found them very repulsiye. The
2 meat mad a disagreeable smell. 1ad'
1 frequent representations 70 General Gr'n
about the caunel roast beef but bee 30
., sisted that the trouble was lack of ,na"
: ledge on the part of the cooks
! Major Joseph Canhorn, major pr mn
[ first Illinois volunteers tesHHtN lnt' II
?. roast canned beef was unpala able. H
q Inspected the refrigerator beef. Two "a
sues out of three were ia dne e1u1iu"
= but the hurd was condemned tee1us
Il decomposition had set in.
(, The witness attributed inc spotin5 q
!, the beei- -to the neglect Of th77e char-'
!. with the duty Of Issuing it TO .hs me7
AN EXPERT on CANNING.
Y! George Lees. Jhe next witness gave p
u Occupation as that ~ packing house 20
n pert. put-.ng up machinery and apparati
h for large packing houses. Tie said he va
: familiar with the classes OF cattle d
livered ia Chicago.
what are canners?' asked Major lie
~ "What are generally termed camel
o arc a very inferior grade Of cattle; thin
one third of them would be condemnf
IN any English market. chuoks and som
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