The San Francisco call., 1899-04-01
ALGER COMPELLED
EAGAN TO CONTRACT
FOR "PROCESSED" BEEF

'If," he added. General Eagan referred to
when he said he had forbidden some one
admission to his office, the statement was nn-
true
J. Hall sypher attorney for the Texas cattle
men, confirmed what Mr., Giddings had said.
He said that while he had not visited General
Eagan with Mr.. Giddings, he had seen him
frequently and talked fully with him on this
subject in the interest of the Texas men.
General Eagan, said the witness, con
veyed the impression to me that he distinctly
and positively preferred beef on the block to
refrigerator beef and 1 so informed my peo-
pie sending for some of them to come here.
Sypher said that he had first discovered a
tendency to change his mind on the part of
General Eagan soon after the bids were opened.
He disclosed to me them" said the witness.
that the refrigerator beef men had volunteered
to give a bond for the preservation of their
meat for seventy-two hours after leaving the
refrigerator. / asked him If he thought it
possible to do this, and he replied 4 don t
believe it unless they put up cold storage
plants "
Continuing. sypher said that something was
said by General Eagan at this juncture con-
cerning a preservative process, but that he gave
1t very little attention.
Eagan informed me that owing to the great
difference in price, he would have TO give the
refrigerator beef trial. Trial was the word
he used
The witness said in reply to a question put
by Major Leo that General Eagan had said
something about political pressure" as the
reason for the necessity for making the trial,
and that he had said something about his con-
ference with the Secretary of War. AS to just
Nllat ne nau sald on tnlS ldtler polnl WITNESS
could not remember, but he thought Mr.. Gid
dings had stated it correctly.
Major Philip F. Harvey. who was chief sur
geon OF the first division of the army at San
tago, and Major A. H. Appel, who was in
command of of the division hospitals, both
testified but neither had given especial atten-
tion to the beef used
Major Appel said he had never heard good
word said for the canned beef.
Colonel Charles r. Greenleai, chief medical
inspector of the army. who was the chief sur
geon in the field during the Spanish war, and
who with General Miles in Porto Rico tes-
titled that while in Cuba on his way TO Porto
Rico he had been able to give no attention to
the food supplies of the troops. but while in
Porto Rico he had looked into the question of
food incidentally. He then heard no COM
plants of Importance except as to the charac-
brought to any complaints concerning either the
canned or refrigerator beef. He had eaten
some of the canned roast beef and did not
relish it,
1T was not pleasing to the sight" he said,
'and 1t was mawkish to the taste without con-
diments such as salt and pepper.
In reply to a question as TO what effect the
use of this meat food would have upon the
health OF the troops DR. Greenleaf said the eff
feet of it would be similar 10 the use OF all
canned meat If good and prepared with con-
diments and vegetables, and not used too
spoiled. it would produce sickness or probably.
if used steadily. the system would not accept
il. It would, if used daily and without condi-
ments or vegetables, pail on the appetite,
which would at last revolt against 1t.
He had found that in the hot climate of
Porto Rico the meat did not keep long when
opened. He had not taken the food question
into account in connection with the health OF
the troops. attributng the sickness solely to
the climate.