Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1899-02-21
COL. POWELL TESTIFlES.
REGULARS DID NOT MuRMUR
several omcer. who Sampled ,b,
Ration. During the cabsn CAM
psign Furnish Evidence.

Warrington. Fob si.-Tho session ~
the MlicH court of Inquiry began today
with Col. w. ~. Powell ~ the Seventh
infantry. who was stationed at Madl-
son barracks az the outbreak OF the
war, ON the stand. n. Investigated
the 'so'callcd canned roast beef and
had some OF It served at his own table.
Il could not eat H." he continued.
II was strinFy unwholcsonc look
ihE mass, moro like wet usaweod than
anything else ! can think of. The men
wcrr sick and drbIiltatcd and could not
Keep u on their stomachs We had
az that tim" ~ sick soon after that
the fresh h'cf began To arrive and tho
men ate readily and began to pick up
Ia health.
Afterwards We moved out OF camp
near the san Juan battlefield. Here
much of our meat upoilca before wc
could gut H."
Col. Davis inquired II any other
complaints had been received"
would like to emphasize" said
ool. Powell. That the enlisted mel OF
W" army are not Ia the habit OF CONF
Plaihihk. They seem 10 feel In CAM
hhlfn that the officers are doing all
mat can be done Tor them. and can't
say that ] received anything that coull
D. termed complaint The ofilcers
discussed the matter freely and the
quality of their canned beef was a mat
ter of common talk"
Regarding the rgfriEcratcd beef,
Col, Powell said there Was little 10 be
Hnid against 10. except that some Of IL
WNNIHNNHn NufnFH
There we're NO facilities for cooking
Mhle IN The city except a nro In tho
gutter, nnd all food had 10 be boiled.
Ihr regiment was very hard worked
while IN the city. ~ being ON guard
dhty daily. Some of these We're - sick
mat ihry tell down at their posts and
had 10 be- brought In.
witness thought the men would b.
b'tior on IN the country and he d.
t"ctrd his energies toward getting them
OUT ~ town rather to reporting on the
quality rations. he had tried 10 get
bvtirf quarters and failed.
You made no official report at tho
time then" said col. Davis nor any
ountt 20 ameliorato the condition u tho
men az u their meat fntlonf'
M, III, I made no Official report un-
III after returning o. the states when
l was ordered by the war department.
10 report on the canned roast beef"
n
from witness made from Governor.
Island, sept 20, In which he condemned
thu canned roast beef. saying Il pros
ducod disorders Of tho stomach. Col.
Powell said he had made that report
on az order from the adjutant Rcnor-
ais ONCE ana that was based on per-
ronal knowledge and reports from his
company commanders.
Col, Powell concluded 10y reviewing
the decrease In sickness after the iEnu.
~ fresh beef ana removal u the camp
90 the hills, After replying 10 u duca-
tiun he said lac attributed the sickness
more 60 hygicnlc causes than 20 tho
food. Explaining his expression want
uf nutritlyo value" he said the beef
gave 40 pleasure IN eating nor source
VI strength 20 the body.
Replying "a another question he said
he had declared 90 fellow officers either
NJ Santiago or nt M0ntauk that tho re-
frgefator beef tasted aH though It had
come in contact with ohlorofotm or
kerosene. THIS was noiiceably true when
bruilrd.
For years he said he had not person.
ally used refrigerated beef upon his own
table because he felt II would nauseate
hin.
Ia reply 10 q direct question OF Col.
Davis the witness said h. had never en-
t~fihinrd an Idea al Santiago or AZ
Muntauk that the beef had beet treat
ed chemically O. preserve II. Replying
further b. expressed the BELIEF that had
"a herd ~ cattle been about the camp In
cuba an killing would have 60 be done
after sunset and all issued before s
o'clock In the morning, Reasoning
from his experience IN the clyll war
when cattle on the hnnf were rlaugh-
tered ana Issued az ulght ana satlsfac-
ton resulted he thought cattle ON the
honf In cuba would have been preferred
To- the refrigerated beef supply.
col. Albert Smith. Fifteenth Infantry,
followed Col Powell and testified that
his regiment lett New York April 10.
aud went 10 Tampa, but h. was relicy-
ed ON June &. and did not Join his reg
imcut again until IN July, when h-
reached santiago.
Gcn. Amrs WAS brigade commander.
Refrigerated beef was being used ana
continued 90 be- supplied until August
s. when the regiment embarked Tor the
north
''Thr becf was good" he said.
"eNcept enc day when u was spoiled.
| understand that the beef had been
lying iu "a, sun on the dock"
col. Smith said he had reason 10 be-
lipyr very little canned roast beef had
been eaten except In soup, lnvcstiga-
ton made ~ September showed that
IL had given practically no satisfaction
Ia either soup or when eaton from the
can. iir had never heard OF rs be-
ing received ITlor 10 tho spanish war,
lie NuppuFtt 10 was Intended 20 be
eaton from the can since 10 was Issued
AS travel ration.