The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-03-16

Board How the Men in His Charge
Suffered After Having Partaken
of Canned Roast Beef-Nauseat-
ing TO Taste and SmeII-Expert
Packer Testifles.
CHICAGO, March 15-The last witness
called before the army beef court Of in
quiry today proved to be sensational.
He was an officer of the regular army,
First Lieutenant L. NJ Davis, of the First
cavalry, called at the request of Maj.
Lee, the representative of Gen. Miles.
Lieut.. Davis testified that in Cuba one
halt the canned roast beef issued to the
. soldiers was thrown away because it was
unit to eat. He testified that he had
opened one can himself and found mag
gots in it.
Maj. Lee asked: How did the mag
gots get in there?"
They were canned in there" the wit
ness replied
Col. Davis: Are you aware that In the
process of canning this meat undergoes
such an intense heat that no animal life
could survive in it?'
they were dead"
Inc evidence brought out today was
largely cumulative in Its nature mainly
with reference to the condition of canned
and refrigerated beef when issued to the
troops on shipboard and in Cuba and its
effect upon the soldiers.
Dr- Shaw a regimental surgeon, who
was the first witness, said that he was
called out one night to look after the men
OF Company A, a company who were re-
ported to have been poisoned by eating
canned roast beef. They were sick for
some days afterwards He expressed the
view that the men who ate the timed
roast suffered from ptomaine poisoning.
When the men ceased eating the
canned roast was there any improve
= nent?" asked Maj. Lee
Yes, the canned roast beef generally
gave them diarrhoea and gastro-enteri-
It's"
Did you, in official way, recon-
mend its discontinuance2'
Yes, sir, to my immediate comman-
der"
Did the commlssary come around and
ind out how these things were?"
ORDERED TO EAT IT.
He came several times and told US it
was all right. 1 think it was Capt Piper
He told US it was all right and we would
have to eat it. Sometimes we substituted
what they called bacon, but a great deal
of that had maggots in It, and had to be
condemned. If we had depended upon the
- army rations the troops would have
starved to death. They spent all the
money they got to buy things to eat,
either at the commissary store or in the
city"
when the beef was eaten from cans
did you order it taken out of the can i'm
mediately."
I'VE tried to have it served Immediate
ly, but under the intense heat putrifica-
ton would set in almost as soon as the
can was opened. 1 think ptomaines were
developed almost Immediately after the
opening of the cans
The next witness was Col Fred Ben
nit, colonel of the Third Illinois volun-
teers. He spoke of the voyage from
Newport News to Porto Rico. There
were great many complaints, he said.
BEEF WAS NAUSEATING.
THE complaint about the canned roast
mems were brought to me for examina-
ton, and L found them very repulsive.
The meat had disagreeable odor.
made frequent representations to Gen.
Grant about the canned roast beef, but
he insisted that the trouble was lack Of
knowledge on the part of the cooks"
Maj Joseph A. Sanborn, of Chicago,
major of the First Illinois volunteers, tes-
titled that the roast canned beef was I'M
palatable. He inspected the REFRIGERATED
beef. Two issues out of three were in
fine condition, but the third was con-
demned because decomposition had set
in. The witness attributed the spelling
of meat to the neglect of those charged
with the duty of issuing 1t to the men.
George Lees, the next witness, said he
was familiar with the classes of cattle de-
livered in Chicago.
What are canners"" asked Mai.
Lee.
What are generally termed Gamers
are very inferior class of cattle. 1
think one-third of them would be con-
demned in any English market. Chucks,
and some times meat scraped off the
plates, are used for canning"
About what per cent of nutriment
would be left in the meat that goes in
the camp
Little or none"
The board left for Omaha tonight. In
spection of the stock yards will be made
at Omaha and Kansas City, and at the
latter city some evidence will be taken
The intention of the court is to return to
Chicago by next Tuesday to proceed with
the examination of witnesses here.