The Red Cloud chief., 1899-02-24
NILES court OF INQUIRY.
Testimony Of Army officers Con-
corning the Beef Rations.
COLONEL POWELL TESTIFIES.
Commander of tho Seventh Infantry Tells
OF the Troubles of q Regimentai Com
msnder After tho surrendsr-Men Fell
ut Their Posts

WASHINGTON, Feb. 2..-The session
OF h Miles court Of inquiry began
to-day with Colonel William II. Powell
Of the Seventh infantry, who was sta
toned at Madison barracks at the out
break OF the war. lie said that he
started for Tampa April 10 with a
months rations and did not come in
contact with the food from the COM
missary department at Tampa till
about ready to start for Cuba. The
regiment ven through the Santiago
campaign. After the city was cap
tured and the regiment quartered In
the city he recei we'd requests from his
men for money to buy stuff to eat.
He investigated the canned roast beef
and had some Of 1t served at his own
table.
II could not eat it," he continued.
ut was a stringy, unwholesome look
ing mass, more like wet seawced than
anything else l can think OF. The
men were sick and debilitated and
could not keep 1t on their stomachs.
We had at that time 1862 sick.
o after that the fresh beef be-
gan to arrive and the men ate readily
and began to pick up in health. After
wards we were moved out of camp
near the San Juan battlefield. Here
much of our meat spoiled before we
could get It."
Colonel Davis inquired IL "any other
complaints had been received"
II would like to emphasize" said
Colonel Powell, that the enlisted men
OF the army are not in the habit of
complaining. They seem to feel in a
campaign that the officers are doing
oil that can be done for them, and l
can't say that Ircceived anything that
could DO termed complaints. The off.
GERS discussed the matter freely, and
the quality of the canned beef was a
matter of common talk"
Regarding the refrigerated beef
Colonel Powell said there was little to
be said against 1t except that some Of
1t spoiled before IL was received.
There were no facilities for cooking
while in the city except n fire in the
gutter. All food had to DO boiled.
You made no official report at the
time, then?" said Colonel Davis, NOR
any effort to ameliorate the condition
of the-men as to their meat ration?"
mo, sir; I made no official report
until after returning to the United
States, when I was ordered by the
war department to report upon the
canned roast beef"
Eyes, l understand" said the re.
corder.
Colonel Davis then produced a report
from Colonel Powell made from Gov
ernor's Island September 90, in which
he condemned the canned roast beef,
saying it produced disorders of the
stomach. Colonel Powell said he had
made that report on an order from the
adjutant generals Office and that was
based on personal knowledge and re-
ports from his company commanders.
Colonel Powell concluded by review
ing the decrease In sickness after the
Issue of fresh beef and removal of the
camp to the hills. Replying to a qucs-
tion, he said he attributed the sick
ness more to hygienic causes than to
the food. His command was over
worked and badly quartered and
clothed, and appeared a complete
wreck. He expressed inability to es-
innate the percentage of sickness due
to the food. Explaining his express
sion, "want of nutritive value" he
said the beef gave no pleasure in eat-
Ing nor source OF strength to the body.
Colonel Davis piled a number of
questions to develop, IL possible, the
responsibility for the fresh beef reach.
ing the regiment in spoiled condition.
Colonel Powell said to Colonel Giles
pie that the fresh beef was generally
wholesome, but never thoroughly good
when issued in the morning, and often
all was putrid when delivered late in
the afternoon.
Replying to another question he
said he had declared to follow officers.
either at Santiago or Montauls, that
the refrigerated beef tasted as though
1t hao come in contact with chloro-
form or kerosene. This was noticably
true when broiled. For years, he said,
he had not personally used refrigcr-
, ated beef upon his own table, because
!, he felt it would nauseate him.
In reply to a direct question Of
!. Colonel Davis, Colonel Powell said he
had never entertained an idea at San.
tiago or Montauk that the beef had
been treated chemically to preserve it.
|, Replying further he expressed the
belief that had a herd of cattle
been about the camp in Cuba
all killing would have to be done
after sunset and all issued
before 8 o'clock in tho morning. Rea-
soning from his experience in the civil
, war, when cattle ON the hoof were
slaughtered and issued at night and
satisfaction resulted, he thought cattle
upon the hoof in Cuba would have been