The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-01-17
BEEF THAT SPOILED
Particulars Regarding That
That Went Overheard.
GENERALLY PRETTY GOOD
General Humphreys Testifes
as to transportation.

Washington. Jan. 16-General Charles
F. Humphreys, who was in charge OF the
water Transportation at Tampa for san
tiago. who was chief quartermaster On
General Miles staff. and was with Cen
eraI Shafter prior to General Miles ARRIVAL
was the main witness before the war III
vestigating commission today.
Prior to his appearance, Captain K J.
c. Irving, Eleventh United States infantry
commigsary at the Panama at the time
that transport was in charge OF surgeon
DAILY, who wrote report on the beer con-
demning it in the most sensational Ian
guage. testified that the vessel sailed from
Ponce on September or and on the Tth
there was a well marked odor as OF some
thing that had been CLOSED up" He was
not prepared to say the odor was like that
emanating from dead human BODY IN
iected with chemical preservatives, as Sur
geon DAILY had reported. AS soon as com
plant was made of the beef he said II was
examined and found to be very odorous.
The beef was then, thrown overheard Inc
men were then put on the rest OF the ra-
tons, living without fresh beef The WIZ
ness said the lack of il was not felt by
the men. All the beef carried was retrig-
Grated beef. The ice taken aboard had not
been sufficient to preserve the DeeI'
! "even." as the commission asked, IF it
had been received in good condition.
REFRIGERATOR NO GOOD.
1t was received in fairly good condition.
however. witness said. After the beef was
thrown overheard, he had thought it must
have undergone some change before it was
brought aboard, or while aboard, before
it was put on ice. The board of survey
examined the beef, condemned it because
it was spoiled, nothing to any other ehecr
being adduced. Its report said that the
beef mas not received in good condition and
it exonerated Captain Irving from respon-
sibllity therefor. Despite this finding, wit4
ness said he insisted that he believed the
beef was in condition for immediate use
| when received and was used for three or
four days. He cited the absence of refris-
Grating facilities aboard and admitted the
beef was not as good as could be got at
! frst-class restaurant as it had not the
| fresh flavor.
| TRANSPORTATION FROM TAMPA.
General Humphrles, the chief witness OF
the day, said, the congestion at Tampa was
! due to the inability of the roads to handle
the cars. -..
/ did you assign the troops in advance
of their arrival at Tampa to the different
/ vessels" asked General Wilson.
"No, sir
i when these troops came to you were
they then assigned for the first time?"
Eyes, sir; because that was necessal
ayes, sir; because that was necessary"
He said that under the circumstance:
\ the transports at Tampa were as wei
] fitted out as they could have been. Eacf
i vessel carried its full complement Of ord
/ nance, quartermaster' and commissary't
stores; in fact all that could be taken
II There were ia mule wagons and seven am
A balances taken.
i 'FVV.hy were no more wagons and ambu
lances taken?" queried General Wilson.
i because the vessels were full" was tn,
answer.
Would your reply then be, lack of trans
portaton?"
81 would not like TO say that"
All the wagons, said the witness, wer
landed tSantiago. but all were not Sc
up. Litters, he said. should have bee
landed before the battle of FL Caney, be
cause they were regimental, and ne be
ueved they must have been. Witness wa
aboard the Seneca for two days and sal
she looked all right to him.
WHAT ALLIED THE CONCHO.
'T know there were people aboard tn
Concho who ought not TO have BEEN h
said in reply to queries as to passes 70
outsiders TO come north on these vessel;
He thought duplicate issuance OF passe
FOR foreign attaches and others Nigh
overcrowd the vessel. and had proteste
that only one person should furnish passes
After the vessel was turned over to tn
madical department he said he had moth
ing TO do with these ships.
Asked "a to serious complaints that ha
been made of improper condition of tn
Seneca, Concho. Breakwater and City
washington. witness insisted the respoI
sihilty rested with the medical depar
ment. When the Seneca, Iroquois, or ii
; CITY of Washington sailed for home wit
: the sick, he said, they had no ice, uule:
! the Red Cross had little. The first K
schooner, he said, reached Santiago Jul
: S0th.
} There was a long wTangle over the =
E sponsibility for the loading of the tran
ports for the sick.
IF the Concho." asked ex-Govern,
Woodbury.. was overcrowded. was It b
= cause the government had not pTovid,
e sufficient transportation or through an =
o ror OF judgment OF the medical depar
: ment?'
why, the medical department, certain
?, "" replied General Humphreys. empha
/. icalIy, because there were Two more snip
). each as good as the Concho. available. g"
: AMMUNITION WAS FIRST.
~ General Humphreys resumed his test
nony at the afternoon session. SpsakiI
Of the Santiago expedition, he said Il "
4