The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1899-04-12
THE COURT OF INQUIRY.
General Shafter Says Beef on The hool
Was Impractlcablc.
NO COMPLAINTS UNTIL AFTER HIS RtIuRl
~ the Uonph Riders Were short oi
Rations IL WINS the Fault
of Their Officers.

Washington. April ii--Maior General
Shafler. who conducted the campaign
against Santiago was the principal Wit
ness before the beer inquiry board today.
His statements differed little from his tes-
linony before the war Investigating com
mission Some OF the Pennsylvania volun-
ieers gave direct testimony ~ TO the tatnt'
cd character of the refrigerated beef and
tie canned roast beef one Of them tcsti-
fled that beef aboard the Mississippi had
maggots In H.
~ the opening of The session today s..
ochsenschlager tho representative OF Ar
nour & 60. at Jacksonville, Fla, tosti-
ned that he had heard very few complaints
and to his knowledge no chemicals or pre-
seryHives were used. certainly not there.
Major General Shafter was the next Wit
ness. He had no discretion in the matter
oil ratlons He TOOK what Was sent him by
the commlssary department. II was utter
| ly impracticablc to take beef on inc nJot
| he regarded II as absurd to consider Ii.
| He noard no complaints until amer bis
return from Cuba. Naturally in such d
climate it was not appetizing. lie ate It
every DAY himself.
There were no complaints from Washing
ton. The health OF the troops was falfiy
good up to tine time of the surrender the
sick report july III would show but 1000
men sick, but the troops mad been weak
ened and after the surrender went down
! rapidly. The f1rst case Of yellow lcNet was
reported on the 9Th. lie only recalled
one complaint against the refrigerated
| beef; he thought that came from the sew
enth or Ninth infantry. He TOOK great
interest in the refrigerated beef and tram
| his investigation pronounced II pertoctly
satisfactory. Suspicion that 1T hal been
chemically treated was never even sus-
| gcsted at that time. He attributed the
immense amount Of sickness to exposure
the exertions or active campaign ahd the
! climate.
Major Lee cross-eXamined General
| SKATER In a report forwarded by Colonei
Roosevelt some complaints were made,
but he did not regard them as important
as the emergency had passed. Major lie.
read from Colonel Roosevelts report OF
the action OF July H. saying his troops
had no food on that day except what they
captured from the Spanlards
III they did not have food 1t was their
own fault" observed General Skater.
They were ordered to provide themselves
with two days ratlons'
! As to Colonel Roosevelt's statement
| that they did not have adequate food or
medical supplies, that was matter OF
opinion
General Shatter detailed a conversation
with Commissary General Eagan about
the canned roast beef which he (Shafterl
at that time believed was genuine roast
| beef Asked IL after all that had occurred
he considered canned roast beef worthy OF
further trial. General Shafter reiterated
his statement that he knew OF no substl-
tute None Of the division commanders
| (Wheeler Kent or Lawton) had COM
planned OF the rations officially.
III there had been any complaints 10
/ them" he said 81 hardly think they
would have reported 1t. They were seusi-
I BILE men. II WAS all we had. Nothing
could have been done
! At the conclusion of General Skaters
! testimony the court took a recess.
A. A, Kirk a cook Of the Philadelphia
city troop testified at the afternoon ses-
sion that he saw refrigerated beef aboard
the Massachusetts, that had been spoiled
In Porto Rico the troops bought their
own beef on the hoot He declared that
one third of the beef he saw was unfit for
use.
John w Springer of New Cumberland
! Pa. who acted as commissarv sergeant
OF the Governors troop of Pennsylvania.
testified that fully half the canned roast
/ beef was unfit TO cat. The refrigerated
beef on the Mississippi spoiled and could
7 not be eaten, The odor was so offensive
that men sickeued After the return
voyage fourteen OF his troop had typhoid
fever.
! Arthur W Foight Of Carlisle Pa, also
1 OF the Governors troop. said maggots
were found in the fresh beef brought
aboard the Mississipp
Lieutenant Alexander Frank or Cincln-
natl commlssary and subsistence officer
OF the First Ohio. which was at Port
Tampa during Juno and July, testified
that the canned roast beef made the men
sick AS commisssry officer he had re-
fused a considerable quantity of tho beef
: furnished by Armour, II was tainted. At
jacksonville, he said, Armour issued
short weight beef Over moo pounds Of
canned beef issued 10 his regiment at
Tampa was condemned