Barre evening telegram. (Barre, Vt.) 1898-19??, 1899-02-22
SAY THE BEEF WAS BAD
Army Officers Give Evidence Before
the Court Of Inquiry.
POWELL ON CANNED MEAT.
The Ninth IMfantry's Colonel Says
He Could Not Eat 1t In SAM
tiugU-COlOneIs Smith and
VieIe Also Testify.

| w dSHlUstOIt tO S-.-I ne udy SSS-
sion of the beef court of inquiry began
with Colonel William II. Powell of the
Ninth infantry, who was stationed at
Madison barracks at the outbreak of
the war. He said that he started for
| Tampa on April 10 with a months ra-
| tons and did not come in contact with
| the food from the commissary depart
ment at Tampa till about ready to start
for Cuba. The regiment went through
| the Santiago campaign, and after the
| city was captured and the regiment
| CHARTERED in the city he received re-
quests from his men for money to buy
stuff to eat. He investigated the so
called canned roast beef and had some
of 1t served at his own table,
II could not eat it," he continued. 1T
was a stringy, unwholesome looking
mass, more like wet seaweed than any
thing else | can think of. The men were
sick and debilitated and could not keep
II on their stomachs. We had at that
time 1852 sick Soon after that the fresh
beef began to arrive. and the men ate
readily and began to pick up in health
Afterward 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 If "any other
complaints had been received?"
Il would like to emphasize" said Colo
mel Powell, that the enlisted men Of
the army are not in the habit of COM
planning. They seem to feel on cam
paign that the officers are doing all that
can be done for them, and 1 can't say
that I received anything that could be
termed complaints The officers dis
cussed the matter freely, and the quail
ty OF the canned beef was matter OF
common talk"
No Facilities For Cooking.
Regarding the refrigerator beef. Colo
mel Powell said there was little to be
said against 1t except that some of it
spoiled before it arrived. There were no
facilities for cooking while in the city
except fire in the gutter, and all food
had to be boiled.
The regiment was very hard worked
while In the city, SO being on guard du-
ty daily. Some of these were so sick
that they fell down at their posts and
had to be brought in. Witness thought
the men would be better off in the coun
try, and he directed his energies toward
6tlIluS tucUl OUl VI toWlI IdlICt liidll
to reporting on the quality of the ra-
tons. He had tried to get better quar-
tiers and failed and tried to get medical
assistance to help his one contract sur
geon, but this failed also.
You made no official report at the
time then" said Colonel Davis. nor
any effort to ameiorate the condition
of the men as to their meat ration"
mo, sir; ] made no official report till
after returning to the States, when
was ordered by the war department to
report on the canned roast beef"
Yes; I understand" said the re-
corder
Colonel Davis then produced a report
from witness made from Governors is
land on Sept 20, in which he condemned
the canned roast beef. saying it pro-
duced disorders Of the stomach. Colo
mel Powell said he had made that re-
port on an order from the adjutant
generals office. and it was based on
personal knowledge and reports from
his company commanders
Decrease In sickness.
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 ques- |
tion, he said he attributed the sickness |
more to hygienic causes than to the |
food. His command was overworked |
and badly qUartered and clothed and
appeared a complete wreck. Explain
ing his expression. want of nutritve |
value" lie said the beef gave no pleas
ure in eating nor source of strength to
the body.
In reply to question from General |
Davis he said the issue of fresh beef
was made direct through the regmental
without the intervention of
brigade commissaries.
In reply to a direct question of Colo
mel Davis the witness said he had never
an idea at Santiago or Mon
tauk 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 had to be
done after sunset and all issue before
o'clock in the morning. Reasoning from
his experience in the civil war, when
cattle on the hoof We're slaughtered and
issued at night and satisfaction result
ed, he thought cattle on the hoof in Gu
DH WouW nave Deell p1e1eTdDle TO the
refrigerated beef supply.
Colonel Albert T. Smith, Thirteenth
infantry, who followed Colonel Powell,
testified that his regiment left New
York April Il and went to Tampa, but
he was relieved on June and did not
join his regiment again until late in Jul
~, when he reached Santiago General
Ames was brigade commander. Refrig-
grated beef was being used and contn-
ued to be supplied until Aug. g. when
the regiment embarked for the north.
Had Been In the Sun.
"The beef was good" he said in re-
spouse to query, Except on one day,
when 1t was spoiled. understand that
beef had been lying in the sun on the
dock"
The canned beef, he said, was issued
on the return trip. He did not know
how much was used, but it was en-
oloyed, with toma toes in making soup.
The orders to embark We're verbal. and
the rations were supplied at the COM
nissary's discretion.
Colonel Smith said he had reason to
believe very little canned roast beef had
oeen eaten except in soup. Investiga-
Ion made In September showed that 1t
lad given practically no satisfaction In
either soup or when eaten from the can.
He had never heard of it being issued
)rior to the Spanish war. He supposed
t was intended to be eaten from the
AN. since it was issued as travel ra-
ion.
Colonel Smith said that he should not
AVE felt 1t his duty to make a report