The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-02-22
Officers Condemn the
Canned Roast Beef.
USE OF CHEMICALS.
But Little Evidence OF This
Nature Appears.

| Washington, Feb. 21-The court Of
Inquiry engaged in investigating the
beef charges preferred by Gen. Miles,
continued today the hearing OF testi-
mony bearing upon the controversy
| number of army officers who par
| ticipated in the Santiago campaign,
were heard Practically the officers
without exception condemned the cam
ned roast beef furnished as a travel
ration, and reviewed complaints about
which the men generally made declar-
ing it unpalatable, and wanting in nu-
trlment
on the other hand. the refrigerated
beef suffered but little at the hands OF
today's witnesses,
There was very little in today's evil
dence pointing to any use of chemicals
upon beef.
feature OF todays examination was
! the general assertion 81 witnesses that
they would not have felt it their duty
TO men or army organization to make
any special report upon the beef had it
not been for the special orders calling
| for such reports, but rather would have
! pass without further notice as an Incl
/ dent TO warfare, aud TO the peculiarly
/ trying circumstances With which the
! army was confronted at the outbreak
OF the war
The examination Of witnesses will
/ continue tomorrow and perhaps all Of
/ this week in Washington and the tes-
] timony henceforth Is expected to be
4 generally cumulative. Many officers are
to appear, among them being Gen. Joe
/ Wheeler and Gov, Roosevelt. Early
next week the court viii leave for Chi
cago and other western meat centers,
where II Will inspect the packing houses
4 Of the firms who furnished beef to the
army.
The session began with Col w. II.
/ Powell OF the Ninth infantry, VINO WAS
stationed at Madison BARRACKS at the
outbreak Of the war, on the witness
stand
The regiment he said went through
the Santiago campaign and after the
city was captured and the regiment
/ quaftered In the city he received re-
Il quests from mis- men for money to buy
stuff to eat. He investigated the so
called canned roast beef and had some
OF It served at his own table. | could
not eat IT,
1t was a stringy, unwholesome mass,
more like seaWeed than anything else
! can think Of The men We're sick and
debllitated and could not keep it on
their stOmachs.
Regarding the refrigerated beef, Col.
Powell said there was little to be said
against it except that some Of It spoiled
before it arrived.
Yes, | understand said the record
en-
Witness said he had declared to fell
low officers either ut Santiago or Mon
hat tffsfas Il
tasted as though II had come in con-
tact with chloroform or Kerosene. This
was nouceably true Wnen broiled. He
had never entertained an idea at San
tiago or Montauk that the beef had
been TREATED chemically 70 preserve 1t.
Col. Albert T. Smith, Thirteenth in
fantry, testified that at Tampa, re-
frigerated beef was used by his regi-
ment, and continued to be supplied
until the regiment embarked for the
| north
THE beef was good (" he said. Eek
eept on one Cay when II was spoiled /
understand that the beef lad been ly-
ing in the sun on the dock"
lie had no suspicion while using eth
err the canned or refrigerated beef that
it had been treated with chemicals.
! Lieut. Col. Charles D. Vele OF the
First cavalry, followed with a long re-
cital Of his experience with canned
roast beef.
Col Davis: what did you have as a
meat ration going down on the trans
port?"
Witness: Canned roast beef"
Col Davis: What did you have in
| Cuba?"
Witness: Canned roast beef except
for a few days before leaving for home
| when we had refrigerated beef"
Col Davis: what did you have on
| the transports coming nome %
Witness: Canned roast beer
Col Davis: What satisfaction did ii
| give your
Witness: 1T didn't give any salts
faction at all"
Col Davis: What complaints were
made to you as to this becf?"
Witness: There We're no complaints.
| There was no chance 20 get anything
ing"
Col Davis: What did you do toward
/ getting something 20 replace it?"
Witness: 81 did Nothing. There was
nothing 70 do. There was nothing else
to be had" Witness said he had made
many reports on this subject.
| Col Davis: But why IS Il you made
no official report on this subject white
you were in the field
| Witness: For one reason that for
| long time there was not a sheet Of pap
er in the command"
l DiQ you nave any reason 70 suspect
| while you were az Santiago that the
refrigerator beef had been treated with
! chemicals" asked Col. Davis
~ had never heard ur such a thing
at the time" was The ieply and such
an explanation did not occur to me"
Did you eat any Of the refrigerator
meat YOURSELF
Once. that was enough for me-"
Brig Gen. H. S. Hawkins testified
that complaints against canned roast
and canned corned beef were filed on
the transports. He heard no complaints
after landing in cuba and know little
Of the beef question
! Capt. J. w. Duncan, OF the Twenty
fiEst infantry whose regiment was at
Tampa from April % until about Juns
20, testified that the canned beef did not
give general satisfaction, the men gem
Grady complaining He saw much OF u
opened and il appeared coarse. unsed-
soned, tasted Nat was in long strips
and the grease "or whatever IL was"
was I'm globules. Apparently IL was pre-
served well. Refrigerated beef Capt
Duncan said. was satisfactory: he ate
II and saw no difference between Il ana
beef issued at stations in this country,