The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-02-21

a question OF Colonel Davis. General Miles
said he thought his use OF '.pretense of
| experiment was unfortunate, and he dis
claimed any intention 70 impute fraud 20
any one. las far as indicating fraud"
he said II wish to state that no such
inference was Intended It was perhaps
| an unfortunate expression and had my at
tention been called to it. / might have
amended il 20 say-weH. -on the theory OF
| an experiment. As a matter o. fact. IL
was an experiment. and very costly
one"
with that disclaimer" remarked Col
/ oaei Davis. "of course, We viii pass %
the refrigerated beef"
Then, replying 10 a question. General
4 Miles said he first heard complaints
against the beef at Ponce. The first direct
! statement that il had been treated chem
ically came from DR.. Daily. who presented
IT late in September and appeared subse-
| quently before the war commission. He
said he did not recoIlect whether DR. Da-
/ ly's report was volunteered or whether
/ he had been ordered 10 investigate and re-
port on the meat 1t was general talk
among the officers at Ponce. General Miles
continued. that the refrigerator beef musS
/ treatment 70 make il keep for seventy-two
hours. DIT. Days. however. was the first
Official report.
General Niles then read a long sum-
mary OF 100 letters received by him at army
headquarters giving the various terms in
which the army meat was characterized.
I These embraced ''embalmed," 'decom-
posed" injected poisoned spoiled.
and the like In addition he showed
summary OF reports on refr Eerated beef
/ condemned and thrown overheard from
/ transports. c. c .Yesmans from the Yo-
/ semitic. reported the condemnation OF SEQ
pounds Lieutenant Colonel O'Nea. OF the
steamship Chester, 4.Ooo pounds; Colonel
James Hamilton Lewis 10 GO pounds Re
| said that he should fix September q CHE
date of DR.. Days report las about the
I earliest at which the question Of chem
/ icauy treated meat had been brought TO
his notice so as 10 command his fuu at
( tention.
/ Colonel Gillespie took a hand in the In
| quiry when General Miles finished describ-
ing the nauseating qualities Of the canned
| and refrigerator beef.
did you, genera. ever eat any OF this
beef?" Colonel Gillespie asked
! Il presume i did. about the time we were
! at Ponce" said General Miles with some
/ hesitation Yes. I presume / did"
Then" said Colonel Gillespie. lit has
not such Characteristic qualities az would
permit you to detect It of1-hand?''
NO. sir"
! General Miles then left the witness chair
and Lieutenant Colonel Evan Horn, OF
1 inf =
| said he was at the outbreak Of the wor.
major OF the Twenty-second infantry and
/ waA through the entire Cuban campaign.
/ Witness said he had used all kinds. canned
/ corned, refrigerated and canned roast
| beef. He said the criticisms OF the canned
roast beef began early and were made
| often. II was objected to on the score or
its lack of nutriment. its taste and its
! appearance. After the men got cooking
| utensile they stewed their canned beef
, Before that they ate II from the can
| Either way of serving It was bad enough.
! and though none OF II that witness re-
! membered was actually spoiled. II was IN
palatable and the ground OF constant
/ complaint. Witness did not recolect that
the large sick list OF this regiment N Cuba
! had been laid at the time 10 the canned
/ meat The men were very debilitaied.
| but he could not say whether the meat
ought to be blamed or not. When the re-
| frigerator beef arrived a large part Of II
was spoiled and the men continued 20 use
the canned meat. The spoiled refrigerator
beef was laid out on the nil for the buzz
yards Several issues were lost in this
way. Witness had eaten some Of the
/ refrigerator beef which arrived in camp
untainted and found # good. The men
ate II without complaint and he had no
| reason TO believe 1t was any different from
| the beef he had got at army posts in TIE
states.
Lieutenant Colonel Charles Minor, OF
/ the Sixth infantry. was the next witness.
/ His regiment was among the first to leave
| Camp Thomas and 20 camp At Tampa.
| They reached Cuba and disembarked on
! June D. Canned roast beef was Issued
as a travel ration when they left Tampa
and until the end Of the siege. u was
replaced with refrigerated beef after the
! surrender. Meantime, he said. absolute
/ " no other fresh meat could have been
furnished during the siege. Complaints
against the canned beef became general
/ and marked about July 2. He said he was
using It. and when opened 1t was sppsr-
| emily fresh. but stringy and absolutely
without nourishment, and when cut Il
/ fell TO pieces. The men could not and di6
| not eat it. II believed then and believe
now" he said. that that beef had been
used for making beef extract and the nu-
triTnent taken out II appeared 20 have
been boiled 20 pieces" Colonel Minor
said he knew nothing u the canned beefs
( preparation. His regiment was in good
| condition until about July g. after vsich
I Il deteriorated suddenly and generally.
When they became weak and sick the
/ men did not want meat. Asked r. during
+ the etege he had made an effort 20 get
{ other meat. he said be mad not tnat there
was not a piece Of paper IN his command
I and they merely waited Tor what was
brought Up from behind. a distance Of
[ about eleven miles. They had no discrs-
tion-n0 choice IN the matter q raf.ons.
! Examined as 70 refrigerated beef. ~ de-
clared IL was excellent and satisfactory
! and 10 complaints s5ou: g were heard
. Only one quarter vas spoiled y Waz IN
able. he said. 20 detect any difference be-
tween the refrigerated beef Issued .n
! Cuba and tnzt issued a. the posts r this
/ country a. which hs had been stationed
MAJOR Henry jackson 11lF6 cavalry.
I who was WIth ne regiment throughout
I the Santiago Campaign. waE called. Hs
( said MS experience with the canned roast
( heef began aboard ths ;rars79rt sor11te
+ ,1- cuba and continued Untl hls return .
( SI0ntauk- Complaints co1r1snorc Or TIE
way down ard co1ttBUe5 v-rhou. in,s--
T mission. TIE rnea complained % re