The San Francisco call., 1899-04-01

WASHINGTON, March S1.-All but two
witnesses before the Army Beef
Inquiry Court to-day were members of
the medical staff who were on service in
Cuba during the Spanish war. The other
two witnesses were George II. Giddings
and General J. Hale Sypher, who had
been interested in securing contracts for
supplying beef on the hoof and on the
block for the army in Cuba. They testi-
fed that General Eagan had told them
that the Secretary of War had asked him
to give the refrigerator beef trial. while
Mr. Sypher said that General Eagan had
created the impression upon him that he
preferred beef on the block to refrigerator
beef. Their testimony throughout was
contradictory TO General Eagan's testi-
mony. Mr.. Giddings said that Congress-
man Hawley was present at several of
his conferences with General Eagan.
A majority of the army surgeons ex-
pressed he opinion that the canned beef
was " atisfactory as food for the troops,
but some of them thought it no more
harmful than other meat In the Cuban
climate.
Captain Ashton B. BeyI. chief surgeon of the
paign. testified to being made violently sick
on three different occasions by eating canned
roast beef and on one occasion several others
who partook of the meat with him also became
very Ill. Soon after this experience he had
found piece OF bacon lying by the roadside.
This he had taken up, cleaned and cooked and
had found it very palatabe. This meat had
not caused any inconvenience. The beef had
occasioned vomiting each occasion. The
surgeon of the Tenth Cavalry had reported
similar experiences among the men of that
regiment a result of eating the canned beef.
Others had eaten it without apparent III effect.
The beef tough, stringy. tasteless and de-
void OF nutrition, and DR. Heyl thought its
had promoted disease in the army
George II. Giddings OF San Antonio, Texas.
who had put in a bid to supply the beef for
Cuba the hoof, testified. In reply to a re-
quest from Major Lee, Mr. Giddings detailed
era Eagan concerning the letting of the con-
tract for beef. His first conversation had re-
lated to the specifications for bids at which
Mr.. Giddings had called attention to the fact
that they vague. General Eagan had then
said that the specifications were necessarily
vague, as ne could not at that time give any
specific information General Eagan had at
that time said his preference would be for re-
frgerator beef. If he had any confidence in it;
but he did not think the refrigerator beef
could be made available in the Cuban climate.
II had been in Cuba about this time my
self" said the witness. and agreed with
him that it would be impossible TO keep the
refrigerator beef in that climate without re-
frigerators
Mr.. Giddings then told Of his visit to the
the latter told him that the Secretary of War
had sent for him the night before and had
said that owing to the difference in price they
had better give the refrigerator beef trial
and that he would have to do this.
II then asked General Eagan If he had any
confidence in the proposition and he replied
that he had very little. but that the refrigera-
tor were prepared to give bonds to keep
the beef good for seventy-two hours after
leaving the refrigerators- He also stated that