The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-03-02
THE RESULT OF THE TEST
Soldiers Who Sampled the Beef
" Do Not Agree.
MORE OFFICERS TESTIFY
Colonel Gallagher Says the Canned Beef
Was Fed to the Cuban Troops.
Soldiers Preferred to
Eat Bacon.

Washington, March 1.-The court o
inquiry into the beef charges held lon.
session to-day, examining officers ant
enlisted men and representatives o
Western meat firms. The meat packers
representatives gave practically the
same testimony they had previously
presented to the war investigat ton COM
mission, but it is understood that this
is only to get their general statement
on the court record and that their ex-
animation to-day will be followed by a
much more detailed examination into
specific incidents connected with meat
furnished to Cuba and Porto Rico dur
ing the war. Major Jesse Lee. who has
attended the court for some days, it be-
ing generally understood that he was
present in behalf of General Miles, APP
peared again to-day, taking notes and
formulating questions. He was allowed
to question the men Of his own regi-
ment but his questions TO other wit
nesses were taken under Amusement by
the court and it was understood a de-
cison will be reached tomorrow as to
Major Lees standing before the court.
The programme for to-day as outlined
in advance by the court of inquiry into
General Miles beef allegations was the
examination of commssary officers and
some volunteers who had responded to
the summons of the court. 1t was als)
decided to hear DR.. Bowden's report on
the beef tasting examination of the en-
listed men yesterday. Sergeant Hatch
er. 9th infantry, was recalled and asked
to identify an old and travel stationed
wooden case of canned roast beef which
his regiment had received in Santiago
and brought home with them. He was
then excused and Lieut.. Col. A. L.
Smith was called and questioned as to
the history of the beef on the steamer
Manitoba, which was sent to Porto Rico
during Colonel Smiths service there. AS
Colonel Smith recollected. she was en-
gagged in diseharging beef about six
days. Only so much beef could be taken
off each day as the troops could use.
consequently she did not discharge all
her beef, but she had a large cargo of
other stores, which were much needed
and Colonel Smith succeeded in getting
them all off. He supposed her return to
the states with sick soldiers was under
orders from General Wilson, but he did
not know whether or not General Wilson
knew that she was carrying back 300.-
900 pounds Of beef to the states.
Colonel Gallagher of the subsistence
department., who was field cOnmiSSary
at General Skaters headquarters out
side Santiago, testified that when COM
plants began to come in from the front
against the canned roast beef bacon was
substituted as far as possible. There
were large supplies of canned roast
beef. Colonel Gallagher said, but it was
fed to the Cuban troops and Santiago
residents. who preferred it TO bacon. AS
there We're more Cubans and refugees to
be fed than there We're soldiers, the
canned roast beef did not go amiss. AS
soon as the army arrived in Santiago.
Colonel Gallagher began the issue of re-
frigerated beef under Colonel Westons
direction. There We're some complaints
here as to the refrigerated beef and
about 1000 pounds were condemned to
the knowledge of the witness. He had
no reason to believe that any of the re-
frigerated beef he had seen had been
chemically treated in any way,
Asked by Colonel Gillespie as to his
personal opinion of canned roast beef,
witness said he had eaten it quite fire.
duently while in Cuba. He did not like
it particularly and did not think it was
thing on which soldiers should be
forced to live for any great length of
time. But as an occasional substitute
for fresh beef. to use, say, every other
day, he thought then, and still thought.
it was the best thing that could be
found either in this country or else
where.
Major Guthrie. 18th infantry, who was
wounded during the assault on San
tiago and spent some time in the hos
pital at Siboney, testified that he had
a can Of roast beef with him the night
before the fight and had eaten 1t with
relish. 1t was not so palatable as some
beef he had eaten, but it was whole
some. While he was in the hospital at
Siboney he saw the meat used in stews.
soups and other ways. He was too fe-
rered to eat it himself, but he saw other
officers eat it with relish. When taken
back to the United States on the City of
Washington. one of the first transports
to return. the wounded officers made up
fund and bought supplies from the
commissary. Among these were cans of
roast beef. He was still too sick aboard
the vessel to eat it, but the other Off
GERS enjoyed it.
DR.. W. c. Bowden then reported on
the beef experiment tried on the enlist
ed men yesterday. DR.. Bowden said in
preparing the various sorts of meat yes
,erday one kind of stew was from can
ned meat bought in open market, a sec
ond was from canned beef brought back
from Porto Rico third was Of fresh
beef bought in the market here and
boiled thoroughly while the fourth was
of fresh beef parboiled eight minutes
and subsequently roasted half an hour
The latter was the way in which the
packing houses said their canned roast
beef was prepared. Four other plates
of the same variety of meat were served
cold. As a result of the test, four of the
enlisted men picked out the Porto REQ
canned beef as what they had eaten in