Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1899-04-13
MEN OFF THEIR FEED
The Way Gen. Chaffee Accounts
for Their Rejection of the
Refrigerated Beef.
SAYS 1T WAS PERFECTLY GOOD.

| Yet the Soldiers Would Bury 1t Nearly as
Soon as It Came to Camp-Ate It Him.
self Hours Later-Heard No Com plants
of the Canned Article-His Inspection
of Some of the Latter-Dr. Huidekoper's
Views of the Food Question.
Washington, April 13.-General A K.
Arnold, who was in command OF the
Second division of the Seventh army
corps during the Spanish war. was be-
fore the Wade court of inquiry yester-
day. He stated that at Jacksonville
as rule the fresh beef was acceptable,
but that there were occasional COM
plants that it was tainted, especially
during the hot weather of last summer.
These complaints came at times every
two or three days. There was also some
complaint concerning the potatoes. on
ions and other food He did not at
tribute the sickness of his command to
the food supply. He did not remember
that Lieutenant Colonel Currie, of the
Second New Jersey. had ever made
complaint of the food supplied. He had
not suspected that the meat was chem
ically treated.
Tells of Condemned Canned Beef.
General Adna r. Chaffee. who COM
manded a brigade at Santiago, gave
the details of the recent condemnation
of canned roast beef at the latter place.
He said the canned beef had been sent
there from other points in the West
Indies for distribution to the destitute
Cubans, and that he had distributed
probably 100000 pounds of it. He had
not heard any complaints about the
meat until a few weeks ago when
newspaper reporter had told him that
10000 cans had been thrown into the sea
han hoA 10 hn6 fr11rT n lat tol
ported to General Brooke and asked for
an inspection. This was ordered with
General Ernst at the head of the board.
This board found that of the 100000
rations remaining on hand about 1.S5
per cent was bad. They also found a
considerable quantity of tomatoes and |
canned fruit which was not good.
Says They Rejected Good Food.
'I was very earnest in the matter of |
this inspection" said General Chaffec. |
for / did not think it would do to |
have it go to the world that the United |
States was issuing bad meat to a desti- /
tute people" General Chaffee a so testi- |
fed concerning the meat supply to his /
command during the Santiago cam
paign. He believed the refrigera tor Il
beef to be perfectly good, but while this
was true the officers and men would
not eat it. They rejected it almost
W "
ly buried a few minutes after it was
received. This was due largely, as he
thought, to the fact that the men were
sick. He had demonstrated with them,
because he thought they needed the
change of diet. but they would not have
1t. AS for himself. he kept the meat
until the afternoon and then found 1t
and sweet. The beef was
covered as a rule with a greenish tinge.
This could be easily scraped off, and
when thus treated the meat was good. |
FIe had never received but ope-quarter
which he believed to bsactually spoiled.
His Opinion of the Canned Article.
AS to the canned roast beef he had
heard neither complaint nor commenda-
ton The men ate il, 50. far as he
knew, without comment. He had eaten
he canned roast beef but once. He
had found 1t unpalatable-too fresh in
he did not consider it un-
wholesome