Evening star., 1899-04-01
THE BEEF INQUIRY
Medical Officers Testify to Its Use in
the Hospitals.
EAGAN WANTED REFRIGERATED ONLY
Would Not Consider Bids for Beef
on the Block.
MR.. SIMPSONS STORY

The army court of inquiry to examine
into allegations Of Gen. Miles regarding the
meat contracts made during the late war
this morning resumed the examination of
army medical officers regarding the char
actcr of the rations furnished the soldiers.
Mi b. f. Taylor. in charge of the hos
piJal at Fort Mcpherson. was the first
witness. All the beef furnished his hos
pital. he said, was Of lrst-class quality.
Maj Chas. l.. Heiznann. who in
command OF the general hospital at Mon
tauk Point, said that malaria. and not the
food, WAS looked upon rs the cause of in
trstinaI troubles there. They had no cam
ned meat at Montauk Point in the hospi-
I'll.
Major w r. Hall, who in charge of
the general hospital at Key West, Fla,
had had no experience there with either
refrigerated or canned meat. Exposure in
tropical climate he looked upon as the
cause for stomach troubles.
Canned Beef at Ponce.
Major II. 7. Birmingham was in charge
of the general hospital at Ponce, and had
used canned roast and refrigerated beef,
well as the native beef. The refrigerat-
ed beef was preferred to the native beef.
He haG found the canned roast beef salts
factory in stews and had no complaint
about it. The diarrhoaa and dysentery
from which the men suffered was looked
upon as caused by the fruits of the coun-
try, and not by the meat. The refrigerator
meat taken from the Manitoba was good,
though it was necessary to trim it,
Major George II. Torney. who was in
charge ri the hospital ship Relief. did not
attribute any Of the sickness they had to
improper food or to the want Of food. He
had not used canned beef. They had used
refrigerated meat and were satisfied with
IT, lie did not believe that chemicals had
been used on the refrigerated beef. and eX-
piained that the steaming TO which such
beef Is subjected gives it a whitish appear
ance. which, he said was merely a ''coagu-
iatl0n Of the surface albuman of the tissue
of the meat.
Major D. NJ. Appel had been in charge of
hospitals at Mobile and Miami during the
war He had heard Of coInplaiuts about
The canned beef. but he regarded them as
the result Of the mems sickness.
Eagan NonId Use Only Refrigerated
Beef.
Mr.. GTeenleaf W. Simpson of Boston. a
merchant and contractor interested in stock
yards. was placed on the stand. Mr. Green
leaf had visited Cuba as a United States
i"od commissioner in December 1897. to
md out about the supplies Of cattle there
He had before the bids were opened wired
General Fagdu that he did not think it
possible t. use refrigerated! beef in Cuba.
He came here uH June L. and had con-
v-rsatiOn with General Eagan on the sub
jrcJ OF ueei supplies on the l4th he was
told 10y General Eaggn tha. he would use
refrigerated beef and that no other bids
" puld he considered. For that reason he
'!id not hld ON beef az he hlnck. He said
some Investigations we're being made into
ht e preservative$. and he talked with Cen
raj Eagfn about them. and the latter told
lhe witness that some man N the south
had a process - keep the meat sweet sev-
rnty-tw0 hours The witness told General
Eagan that if that could be done the ques-
lion OF caring for the refrigerated beef was
- very different one. On January he was
awarded contract for furnishing beef on
the block in cuba. and IS now carrying
out this contract. His cattle are received
from United States Of Colombia, Venezuela
and Texas.
Object of This Testimony.
Col. DAVIS objected 20 the witness review
ing the cattle business. Maj. Lee said he
wished tbs testimony To show that it had
been possible AZ any time to supply the
troops in cuba with beef on the hoof
Gen. Wade said such testimony should
be limited TO Santiago, the only port in
which cattle could have been landed dur
ing the var.
Mr.. Simpson said if ne had secured a
contract for beef on the hoOf in June he
would have secured cattle in Texas and
have them slaughtered IN cuba. He did
not think IL was possible 10 keep beef in
good condition outside Df a refrigerator for
Twenty-fJur hours in cuba. In a couple
"t hours. he said. the meat would change
appearance Al the end Of tWenty-four
hours It Nigh; be used with a good deal Of
trimming. Before the letting of contracts.
he witness said he had had a cOnye-sa-
zion with Gen. Eagan. who told him he
would Use refrigerated beef, and that Swift
X 70 would give bond to protect them
against loss. He told Gen. Eagan that
while that wHDI5 protect the government
II would not furnish the soldiers in Cuba
with sweet beef.
BAD Beef the Indiana.
Second Lieu,. I'm. \. Conrad of the 23d
Infantry. VINO was in Manila testified to
the character of refrigerated beef on the
Indiana. on which he sailed from San Fran
cisco August / Two weeks after they left
= Francisco the meat in cold storage be-
San to show signs Of taint. The Indiana
e.. rriea provisions for Admiral Dewey's
fleet On the trip they threw $500 pounds
"f it overheard. The canned roast beef
made the men sick.
Mr.. Thomas y. Hendricks. a meat dealer
of Lakeland Fla. during July and August
delivered the Cleat fpr Armour < Co to the
army commiSSary from the railroad station
~" said the meat waS be}tcr than meat that
could be bought in the butcher shops there
The whole consignment waS rejected three
times. The first Tot of rejected meat the
witness said. he sold In his own shops as
h.. also did on occasions when portions OF
lt were rejected. He did not know of a
charge tha, chemicals were used ol beef at
Lakeland uru! ne read Of it in the news
apers yesterday.
Maj. W m Williams Of New York who
was ComUiSsary of subsistence in charge
81 transport b when If sailed for Ponce in
the early part Of August and was COM
missary al Ponce. testified concerning re-
I,iscrated beef that came to Ponce on the
Manitoba
Lieut. CAMPER was recalled and again
questioned regarding delivery OF refric-
ridted beef a. Lakeland Fla
The court adJourncl until 1880 o'clock
Monday 'N ~ N''S'N