The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1899-01-21
EXAMINING TAE BEEF QUESTION
Captain irvine and General Hum.
phreys Testify.

Washington, Jan. 1s.-Captain II. j.
G.. Irvine, OF the Eleventh United
States infantry, testified before the
war investigation committee. Captain
Irvine, who was commissary on the
Panama at the time that transport
was in charge OF Surgeon DAILY, who
wrote u report on the beef, condemn
ing it in the most sensational lam
guage, said that the vessel sailed from
Ponce on September / or 2, and ON the
18th there vas n well marked odor, as
of something that had been CLOSED
up" He was not prepared to say the
odor was like that emanating from q
dead human body injected with so
called pr%eservativcs, as Surgeon DAILY
had reported. AS soon as complaint
was made of the beef it was examined,
found to be very odorous and thrown
overheard. All the beef carried was
refrigerated beet. The ice taken
aboard had not been sufficient to pre-
serve the beef, "even," as the commits
sion asked, eff it had been received, in
good condition." 1t was received in
fairly good condition, however, wit
ness said. After the beef was thrown
overheard, he had thought it must
have undergone some change before
it was brought aboard, or while
aboard before it was put on the ice.
General Humphreys Testifes.
General Charles +. Humphreys, who
was in charge of the water t%ranspor-
tation at Tampa for Santiago, was
chief quartermaster on General Miles
staff, and was with General Shafter
prior to General Miles arrival, the
chief witness of the day, said the con-
gestioH at Tampa was due to the in
ability of the roads to handle the cars.
He said that under the acircum-
stances the transports at Tampa were
as well fitted out as they could have
been.
In reply to questions, the general
said the reason why more wagons and
ambulances were not taken to Cuba
was because the vessels were full, but
he would not admit that it was owing
to Il lack OF transportation.
Aske as to serious complaints that
had been made of improper conditions
of the Senaca, Concho, Breakwater and
the City of Washington, witness in
sisted the responsibility rested with
the medical department.. When the
Ssneca,,sIE0quOis oEth.-City~u1tNnsh-
MelD6nssa smiled frnni home with the sick.
he said they hadsnoSice, unless the Red
Erossys4has1#n little. The first ice
schooner, he said, reached Santiago
JTIy 80.
There was q long wrangle over the
responsibility for the loading of the
transports for the sick.
~ -t1 8 uLfN,,1I h. ~ ,.1.11 = :, FNo,.nr,,<r
Woodbury., was o~vercrowded was it
because the government had not pro-
vided sufficient transportation or
through an error of judgment Of the
medical DEPARTMENT.
"WhY, the medical department, GER
tainly,' replied General Humphreys
emphatically; because there were two
more ships, each as good as the Con-
che, available"
Medical Corps Denied Nothing.
He was closely questioned by DIR. Con-
o us to the supply of medical stores
and the transportation furnished to
convey them to the front. Witness
said that the transportation. the pack
trains used before the wagon trains
were u%nloaded, were under the direc-
ton Of the commanding general, with
orders to get ammunition and stores
to the front, preferably ammunition,
but there was. in his opinion, no reason
why the medical stores should not
have reached the front.
"The medical corps WERE" said he,
denied nothing when it was possible
TO give it to them"
General Humphreys said chests. be-
longing to many surgeons not landed
with the troops should have been. Tons
of regimental property were. landed in
some cases, but not the surgeons med
icine chests. Why, he could not under.
stand. Asked about the failure to un-
load some Of the supplies which IT.
rived at Santiago after the surrender
General Humphreys said that the YES.
sells were not unloaded because there
was plenty of supplies on shore for the
army, ind his orders from Secretary
A.lger were to allow nothing to inter
fere with the movemenEsSof troops
north.
Asked about his experience with re-
frigerated beef, he said the first he
saw wa at Santiago. The trouble was
there was too much of it, said he, shut
what i saw was pretty good. | heard
some of it spoiled"
"How about the timed roast beef"?"
THAT / know did not give sntisfac.
ton, possibly owing to the intense
heat"
Ibid you hear an intimation that ii
might have been chemically treated?"
II did not. In Il joking way I heard
that Armour had extracted the juice
from the roast beef for his beef ex
tract
Place Will Be Left Vacant.
Washington, Jan. l6.--1t has prac-
tically been concluded not to make an
appointment of q commissioner on the
Joint Canadian commission to fill the
place vacated by the death of Repre-
sentative Dingley. 1t is felt that the
committee has progressed so far to-
wards&the end of its work that it
would not be feasible to take in q new
member.
10y ~ - NA1nF rn1tor rNraAr~ &EssBaI