Evening star., 1899-04-19
WESTON DEFENDS THE BEEF
Says That 1t Was Good, but Was Put Up
Rurriedly.
Chemist Taylor Found FormRIdehyde
in the Refrigerated Article on
the Chester-was Made III.

ACtl0S COU1f0lSSdTN telefat "tSN1h az
the afternoon session of the beef court of
inquiry said General Shafter had not desig-
| mated the rations to be carried to Santiago,
| but that he General Weston) had informed
him daily of what he was doing. All San
tiago there was no exact system for giving
out food supplies. They were given to all
who came and in the confusion it was more
than likely that some of the commands re-
ceived all beef and others all bacon.
II believe he said, 'our meat ration is
entirely too big, and l am now arranging TO
cut it down materially, adding vegetables
to supply the deficiency. The people in the
| tropics do not eat much meat. and our sol
| diers do not require much
Would the wealth standing of any
| firm in your opinion Justify any officer in
making his inspection of its meat less
rigid?" Major Lee asked.
No, sir" General Weston replied, en-
phatically. He then said that he had had
| good deal to do with some of the Kansas
City packing firms, and he had found that
they always delivered food of good quail
ity as they had bargained to supply.
Speaking of the canned roast beef Cen
eraI Weston said that when il was spoiled
it emitted a horrible odor. He told of one
instance in which five entire carloads We're
rejected by one officer, which upon inspec-
ton furnished only twenty spoiled cans.
He said that he had made an effort to have
the entire carcass of beeves canned,
| as to do so would greatly improve the
| product: As matter of fact, however,
the beef canned for the army last year was
the best beef ever put in cans, but il had
been put up hurriedly.
General Weston said he did not agree
| with those who believed that il would have
been practicable to land live cattle at ST.
honey.
In conclusion, General Weston furnished
the court with schedule Of the delicacies
supplied to the troops at Montauk. Among
these EhDiNht pounds of rice.
21,U0O dozen eggs, 10000 quarts Of milk,
1000 barrels of pickles and butter, hams,
fruits of all kinds, cocoa, soda crackers, oat-
meal, soup, peas, dressed chicken, lime
juice, olives, lemons and oranges in abund
ant quantities.
FOrmaIdehyde. in the Beef.
George l.. Taylor, sanitary engineer and
chemist of Philadelphia, who went to Porto
Rico last July a lieutenant of the lst
Volunteer Cavalry, said he had discovered
the presence of formaldehyde in the refrig-
orator beef on the transport Chester. The
odor was familiar one, and he had detect
ed it readily. He and many members of the
command had been attacked by gastritis
after eating the meat. This result was
| natural, the article itself could not be di-
geSted. This gas was, he said, the base OF
nearly all embalmiug fluids. When used 5
preservative on organic substances its
presence could not be uetected by chemical
analysis. With 10 cents worth of the gas
| an entire carload of meat could be pre-
served Used in moderation he die not con-
slider the gas injurious to meat.
Complaint Made Last August.
Between sixty and seventy reports from
army officers bearing upon the ration
| served in Cuba were read during the night
| session Of the court, which lasted until
| nearly 1870 o'clock When the court con-
vened Colonel Davis submitted the follow
Inc Int..
CHICAGO, August >, 1888
President Mckinley:
Dear Sir.-A workman from one of the
packing houses told my husband today the
stuff they wc.l packing up for the army
was awful. Now, is not that too bad?
We are living under a generous govern
| ment, with a kind. good man at its head,
willing to give the army the best possible,
and yet theVing conspirators will give the
boys the worst. We see in the papers the
soldiers complain of the canned beef, some
of it not tit to eat, OF course. dear Presi-
dent, you cannot help all the wrongs done
the army. If you will only threaten the
vengeance of the government on the pack
ers the food may be better
This letter was referred to the War De-
partment for investigation, and by the de-
partment referred to Major o. NJ. Smith.
purchasing commissary at Chicago. Major
Smith returned, to the department letters
in reply to it from Armour & Co. Libbey,
Mcneil & Libbey, Cudahy and Hammond &
Co. These letters Colonel Davis put in evil
dence. They were general denial of the
charges contained in the above letter, and
one of them offered an explanation of the
So-called 'SWellers' among the canned
roast beef.
The reports read by Major Lee We're along
the same lines as those heretofore submit
ted to the court. As a rule they were unan-
imouS in condemnation of the canned roast
beef and discussed the general question of
food supplied to the army from the point
of view of their individual experiences.
Colonel Davis also read large batch of
reports among them one from Major Gen
eral Sumner, in which he stated that TO
the best of his belief his command at no
time had suffered for want of food during
fh.al h. le.ra aiurn