New-York tribune., 1899-01-17
THE INQUIRY CONTINUED.
TESTIMONY BY GENERAL HUMPHREYS AM
OTHERs-COMPLAINTS AGAINST i'H
REEF FURNISHED.

REEF FURNISHED
Washington. jan ls.-General Charles f. hum
chreys who was in charge OF the wafer 'rdispo'' "a
,,on a, Tanna FOR Santiago was chief quartermas.
a.. - co,eraI Nress staff and was with GeneraI
sbaf,er before General Miles arrived. was the prh
cpal witness before the War lnvesngauhs No"'
mission to-day. .
,ro tho Nelson Morris Packing Company ana vice
nresident OF the Fairbanks Canning COMPANY 'e'
ead thar his concern had sold about sloo"c worm
~ canned roast beef TO the Government "h'cn
was used at Chckamauga. He SAID IL was an %
good quality. No complaints ever had peeh "au0
20 him. had any beer prouuC's VI "'' N
been chemically treated.
Cants.n p ! C. Irvine lith Infantry. commits
.arv on the Panama when that transport was IN
charge OF Surgeon Daily. who wrote report o
the beef condemning It in the most sensa'.ona' ~
language testified that the vessel sahed i'oi"
Ponce on September / or ?. and on the 7th tnefe
was a well-marked odor as of something tha' hau
hem CLOSED up" He not prepared 10 say
the odor was like that emanating from huIIia"
body injected with chemical preservauVes' as sur
reon DAILY had reported. AS soon as Complaint was
made Of the beef he said II was examined ana iounu
70 be very odorous The beef was thrown over
board The men were then put on the rest OF 'he
ratlons living without fresh beef The witness
said that lack of 1t was not felt by me men. an
the beef carried Refrigerated Inc Ice taAeil
aboard had not been sufficient 10 preserve the peei
even" as the Commission asked. III II had oeeh
,aoe,,ed IN GOOD condition" II was received IN
fairly good condition. however. After the peer
was thrown overheard ne had thought 1t must
have undergone some change before 1t was proueh'
aboard. or while aboard before II was pu' on 'he
Ice The Board of Survey that examined the beer
condemned II because it was spoiled. Its report
said that the beef was not received in good condl-
tion and it exonerated Captain Irvine from re-
eponsibty Despite this finding. witness sad ne
insisted that ne believed the beef was in condition
fxeA md
used for three or four days. RE cited the absence
of refrgera;ing facilities aboard. and admitted that
the beef was not as good could he got at first
class restaurant 1t had not the fresh favor
EVIDENCE OF GENERAL HUMPHREYS.
General Humphreys said the congestion at Tampa
wss due TO the inability OF the roads TO handle the
Did you assign the troops in advance Of their
arrival at Tampa the different vessels" asked
General Wilson. 81
NO sir" .,..J
when the troops came 10 you. were they then
assigned cor the first tme?
''Yes. sir because that was necessary"
He said that under the circumstances the trans
ports at Tampa were as well fitted out as they
could have been. Each vessel carried its full com
plement OF ordnance. quartermaster's and commits
earys stores: in fact all thar could be taken.
There were ia mule wagons and seven ambuances
taken.
"why were no more wagons and ambulances
taken" asked General Wilson.
because the vessels were full the
.'Would your reply. then. be lack Of transporta
tion?''
81 would not like n say that"
All the wagons. said the witness. were landed
n Santiago but all were rot set up. Litters he
said should have been landed before the battle
~ FL Canev because they were regmentsl and
he believed they must have been Witness was
aboard the Seneca for two days. and said she
looked all right TO him.
Il know there were people aboard the Concho
who ought not 10 have been he said in reply
20 questions as TO passes for outsiders TO come
suance Of passes for foreign attaches and others
might have overcrowded the vessels. and had
protested that only person should furnish
passes After the vessel turned over to the
medical department he had nothing to DO with 1t.
Asked as 10 seriols complaints that had been
made Of improper condition Of the Seneca. the
Conoho, the Breakwater and the CITY Of Washing
ton General Humphreys insisted the responsibility
rested with the medical department When the
esnecs the Iroquois aud the City of Washington
sailed for home with the sick they had no ice un-
less the Red Cross had had little The first ice
schooner reached Santiago July 80 There a
long wrangle the responsibility for the load
ing Of the transports for the sick.
III the Concho" asked Ex-Governor Woodbury..
was ovsrcrowded. was # because tho Govern
ment had not provided sufficient transportation or
through an error Of Judgment OF the medical de-
partment?"
Why the medical department, certainly" re-
piled General Humphreys, emphstically, because