The record-union., 1899-04-07
INVESTIGATION OF
ARMY RAT|ONS.
"A Letter From Armour & Co. tl
the Comnissary GeneraI
Submitted as Evidence Before the Severn
ment Court Of Inquiry.
Proposed the Use Of the Powell
Process FOR the Preservation of
Beef as the Only Method to
Meet the Requirements Of the
Governments Specifications in
Contracts for Furnishing Meat
\ for the Soldiers.

WASHINGTON, April Elm the
army beef inquiry court to-day the let
ter of Messrs. Armour & Co., proposing
to use the Powell process for the pres
ervation of beef was submitted as evil
dence by Major Lee, acting for General
Miles. 1t was addressed to the Com
plissary General, dated at the firm $
| Washington Office July 13, 1898, and
read as follows:
'-As supplementary and explanatory
of our bid to supply dressed beef in
Cuba we wish to say that we have the
exclusive control of the Powell process
for preserving fresh meats, and that
this process has been tested at Tampa,
| Fla, the test having been completed
with most satisfactory results This
test was made under the supervision of
| Colonel John Weston of your depart
ment, who advised you of the results.
We are advised, however, that he re-
ceived four cases of beef which we sent
him from Chicago, duly refrigerated
and treated according to the Powell
process.
| Part of these carcasses were envel-
opend in sacks or canvas and part were
not These carcasses were distributed
to the Third Cavalry, the Sixth Cav
airy, batteries of artillery and the med
ical department, and were hung in the
air on the upper deck of the transport
| troopships lying at the wharf in the hot
sun, without any benefit of the fresh
air or movement of the ships The
pieces that we recovered or wrapped
kept about 100 hours.
These practical tests made under
the supervision Of your own officer
show that by means of this process
wrapped pieces or carcasses can be kept
longer than the seventytwo hours re-
quired by your specifications. We be-
lieve we may safely say that such re-
suits have never before been accom-
plished in the history of the fresh meat
business In view of the tests which
we have made in the past, and or the
results of the tests made under the su-
pervision Of your own officers, we be-
lieve that We are absolutely safe IN
the assertion that this is the only pro-
cess or method which will secure the
results required by your specifications.
Very truly yours, ARMOUR & co.
Per 7. K. O'Connor, Supt."
| The testimony began to-day with Dr.
L. Clifford Cox, assistant surgeon IN
the volunteers in the District of Column :
bia. He was at Tampa and testified
| that the command was attacked with
diarrhea to the extent of an epidemic
after eating refrigerated beef at this
place. At the second attack of this
| character the regimental surgeon had
ordered that the issue of beef be
stopped This was done, the diarrhea
| ceased. -
| William De Caindrey who has been
Chief Clerk in the office of the Com
missary General of the War Depart
ment for twenty years, related his con-
nection with the work of letting the
beef contracts. AT the instance OF
General Eagan he had first sent out
forty or fifty kilograms to dealers in
beef, asking for bids to supply refrigs
orator beef or for beef on the block,
General Eagan having supplied the
form. Mr. De Caindrey had been IN
structed by General Eagan to prepare
the original draft of the contract for
the beef supply, and after some rear
ranging. submitted it to representa- :
/ tives of Swift & Co., who brought UP
| the question as to the length OF time
the beef should keep after issue. A
memoranda for changes containing the
| twenty-four- hour clause were brought
! to him by Captain Davis, Assistant
1 Commissary General Details were
lacking. and the suggestions as to time
seemed to be conflicting. He had tried
| 70 get details from Captain Davis In
regard to the twenty-four- hour clause,
| and was told by him that the under
standing was that the refrigerators
were to be built on shore and in the
rear of the moving troops, the inten-
ton being to have the beef exposed
for the minimum time only. He had at
the time pointed out the apparent con-
| hict between the twenty four hour and
seventy -two-hour clauses.
| In one other provision General Eagan
had interlined in his own handwriting
/ clause referring to the time reading
as follows:
! (Which shall not be more than sew
/ enty-two hours from the time of Stor-
! ing the same in such refrigerators," the
| change being to substitute the figures
~ for "a.
/ This clause, Mr. De Caindrey said. he
had not at the time understood, but he
had no authority to strike it out. When
| the twenty flour hour clause was IN
serted. General Eagan appeared dubi-
| Gus about it, but said nothing more.
Mr.. De Caindrey said that he had
| been so worried by the apparent in
consistencies in the contract that he
| had kept all the memoranda relating
! to the matter.
"Are they on file now?" asked Major
Lee.
'.They are not in the file boxes.
The witness then stated in reply to
question that Captain Davis was in
charge of these boxes, and that Captain
Davis was the especial confidant of
General Eagan.
| Asked if he had any reason at the
time the contract was drawn to suspect
that any of the data had been with
held by Eagan or Davis, Mr.. De Cain
/ drey replied that he had no such sus-
picion then. and that he had none now.
| His impression was that they were un-
dertaking to do something which they
had not digested sufficiently to know
! lust how they wanted to do it,
Mr.. De Caindrey gave some of the
| particulars concerning the trial of the
fr,ox,,oly v,rocaSS in Florida IJoc cr,f,lxo ,f