The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-02-25
Suspended Army Officer Speaks
Highly of His Meat.
NOTHING WAS EMBALMED
THE CANNED BEEF REPULSIVE,
BUT STILL 1T WAS GOOD.
Refrigerated Beef Was Thrown
Away When It Was Perfectly
Good-Had No knowledge of the
Use of Chemicals = Never Con-
suited Miles or Shafter.

Washington, Feb 24.-After session
of little more than two hours, the court
of inquiry investigating the beef
charges adjourned until Monday, pend
ing the arrival of witnesses who have
been summoned.
Former Commissary General Eagan
| today concluded his testimony, explain
| ing the provisions of contracts for beef
supplies to the armies in Porto Rico,
Cuba and the Philippines He vigor-
ously denied any knowledge of any
chemical treatment of beef TO preserve
it, and disavowed any Connection what
\ ever of the government with any such
| treatment
General Eagan was followed by Ma
| jor General S. b. NJ. Young and other
| officers who were in the Santiago cam
paign, and bv officers of the subsist-
ence department. The refrigerated beef
| was commended, while the canned
roast beef, on the whole. rather suf-
| fered as a sequence to the days tes-
| timony.
General Eagan wore the fatigue uni
form of a brigadier general. Recur-
ring to the contract requirements, he
explained that Swift G. Co. were wholly
| responsible for the beef until delivered
| to the government officials at the
points designated by the department.
| The clause requiring beef to keep sew
enty-two hours after leaving the re-
| frigerator was inserted he said, at his
instance, after the concerns declared
! they could prepare it so as TO keep
that long. Explaining further, he said:
Suppose a commissary should make
requisition at Santiago for 10000
pounds of beef, should secure it from
! the ship and take proper care of 1t, re
y H., - hon
| spoil within seventytwo hours, the
contractors would not be paid for it.
Many vouchers for beef had been
paid, he said, and he presumed deduc-
| ti0ns for spoiled beef had been made.
| though he did not know He under
stood through Colonel OsgOod that beef
had been rejected by commands when
in fact it was sweet and perfectly
good.
NEVER CONSULTED MILES.
Speaking of arrangements for the
/ Porto Rican expedition, General EaSan
said he understood General Brooke was
to command it, and he, accordingly,
consulted with General Brooke, reach
| ing complete and satisfactory under
I standing as to refrigerated beef Sub
sequently he learned that General
Miles assumed command, but he never
consulted with him, and he did not
know that General Miles knew of the
| beef arrangements. Replying to Col
onel Davis. he said that Colonel Sharp,
| chief commissary for that expedition,
was furnished something like S25OOOO
credits on the United States, and an
| offer to send such was made, but de-
clined. This statement was Intended
/ to bear upon General Miles statement
that funds for the purchase of sup
plies in Porto Rico We're not available.
Here were read kilograms between
General Eagan and Colonel Weston,
/ the latter in Tampa. relative TO the
sending by a packing firm of refriger-
| ated beef to Tampa, to test how long
| il would keep after removal from the
| ice boxes, with a view to the making
of contracts after the breaking out or
the war The beef when removed from
| the ice box and hung up was declared
serviceable within forty-siX hours,
whereas that left in the box after ice
/ disappeared could not be used after
eighteen hours. Frozen beef was de-
| clared by commissiary officials at TAM
pa the best solution of thief resh beef
problem until circumstances were such
as would admit the prompt delivery
and use of refrigerated beef
Ample and complete declared Gen
eral Eagan. was the authority of the
commissaries in Cuba and Porto Rico
to purchase beef on the hoof for any
EMERGENCIES, OF DIT iIlt Will VI tiASli IL
spectiVe commanders. Reports received,
he said, showed without exception that
the native beef was not nearly so sat
isfactory as the refrigerated beef.
AN EXPENSIVE EXPERIMENT.
Were any rations of any kind,
asked Colonel Davis, sent TO the troops
at any time as an experiment?
Five thousand pounds of roll beef,
responded General Eagan, "a canned
preparation that made nice nam
| burger steak We're sent. II found its
way to Porto Rico, was used and every
body was delighted with it. 1t was
very expensive and was not purchased
any further
He then reviewed the first shipment
of refrigerated beef to Santiago, which
( he considered as experimental because
| the value of refrigerated beef had not
been established finally. Aside from
these, absolutely 70 other experimental
shipments were made, General Eagan
declared with great emphasis. ON the
contrary" he added, L fought all the
time against it,
WAS anything furnished on the pre-
tense of experiment." asked Colonel
Davis, suggesting General Miles nota-
Bile allegation.
| NO. sir. never, not to the value of a
| penny" replied General Easan, with
out Indicating consciousness or the
! querys suggestiveness.
| General Eagan then said many per-
sons had offered alleged preventative
processes, but he never entertained any
such propositions, and the department
never had any connection whatever
with any method of preserving beef
other than the ordinary refrigerating
process.
! He said he received on Aug. General
Miles telegram from Porto Rico, ask
| ing that no more refrigerated beef be
sent as he could secure native cattle.
At that time a cargo OF refrigerated
beef was on the Manitoba consigned to
Porto Rico: freight was paid and it
was allowed to proceed. Had that not
been the case, said General Eagan, it
would not have gone. After that no
more was sect TO General Miles forces
Here witness detailed the supplying