The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1899-02-24
"EMDLAMED BEEF"
THIS md Other Charge. a. tn I'm.
lions Found to Re Untrue.

AS NOuHO To He Untrue
ihe report then takes up the question
OF rations and Gen. Miles "emblamed
beef" charges:
Brig. Gen; Charles p Eagan, commits.
sary general. U 8. A., in charge. The
commission thas carefully invest,pata aS
tno subject Of the condition, ouality and
quantity OF the food supplied to the army
almost without exception It has been
SHOWN by the testimony taken that wher.
ever the troops were ordered, whether
to the various camps in the United States
or IN Porto Rico. Cuba and Manila. the
ratfons prescribed by law were on the
transports and at the camps with the
soldiers -sA- ''s
so far as we have been able to ascer-
tam there was but one occasion. that of
day In front of Santiago, when the
troops were seriously short of rations:
these had been supplied but thrown
ASIDE when the men went into action:
the condition of roads and lack of trans
portat1on prevented prompt reissue. At
eilnes tne vegetable ration was not of
COED quality, the potatoes aad onions
being spoiled. Condemned by a board of
survey such vegetables We're DESTROYED.
! ana an equivalent part of the ration is.
sued. some trouble occurred because
! such vegetables and other damaged food
wore disposed OF by the company without
the warrant of the board of survey. This
was done through ignorance. their Of
ncers not Knowing what was necessary to
be done. ~
Gen. Miles Testimony.
on the 21st of December last. Mai.
!. Gen. Nelson A. Mi $. upon the written
request of the president of this Commits
sion appeared before it. He refused to
; be sworn as all other witnesses had heer
EXCEPT one. who affirmed, stating that he
would make his statements witlout hc;nr
. sworn, ond was responsible for what he
said. He proceeded. ard for the first time
In the history of this investigation, the
allegation was made that refrigerated
beef issued to the troops had been chem.
| ically treated.
I'm the statement revised by himself.
Gen. Miles said: There was sent to Por-
to Rico 337 tons of what is known as So
called refrigerated beef. which you might
call embalmed beef
HE proceeded to read communication
from Or. w. il. DAILY. major and chief
surgeon, U. 8. ". On his staff. bearing
date of Sept. 81, 1893. wherein DR.. Dai1
stated that in the several inspections T
! made in the various camps and troop
ships at Tampa. Jacksonville, Chickamau.
ga and Porto Rico. I found the fresh
cret chemicals which destroy its natural
, flavor and which also believe to be det-
rimental to the health of the troops
although DR.. DAILY swears that he in
formed Gen. Miles about the first of Au.
gust. 1s0s. that he suspected that the re-
frigerated beef was chemically treated.
1t does not appear that the general in
formed you or the war department that
an officer of his staff had made this dis
covery. nor does 1t appear that he at the
time ordered any of the officers under his
command to probe to the bottom an allie
cation that, If true. concerned the health
of 275O00 soldiers of the United States,
It appears from the report Of DR.. Haly.
which he handed to Gen. Miles Oct. 81
last, that he then specifically stated that
the refrigerated beef furnished to the
troops was apparently chemically treat
ed 1t does not appear that when this
charge was made, Oct. 81. 1t had been
already made to him in August, 1898, that
Gen. Miles communicated to you or to
Dereltcti0n of Duty. &,
1T Is true that Sept. 20 he had directed
that an order should be issued asking for
reports relative to meats issued, but the
orders specifically mentions canned fresh
roast beef and nothing else and It was
the reports received in answer to this
that were presented In abstract by the
general at the time of his appearance be-
fore the commission and sine ttY,
1.-THE commission has not confined it,
self to merely verbal or written proof.
Immediately upon hearing the testimony
OF DR.. Daily On the Goth of January. tele-
grams were sent to all issuing commits
saries in Cuba, Porto Rico and at tho
various home camps occupied by troops.
asking that samples of refrigerated beef
be at once taken. placed in glass Jars, SEE
cNrely sealed and forwarded tosthe COM
mission These samples were to, be one
pound weight from the outside and ones
pound weight from the inside Of q quar-
ter. IN response to this request many
samples have been received. and later
sent to the chemists Of the agricultural
ana interior departments Tor careful