Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1899-01-19

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 reach
ed the front. The medical corps We're"
said he denied nothing when it was pos
sble to give it to them. Gen. Humphreys
said medicine chests belonging to many
surgeons were not landed with the troops
as they should have been. Tons and tons
OF regimental property were landed in
some cases, but not the surgeons medi-
cine chests. Why he could not under
stand. 70
Asked if all the supplies were landed by
July 10, Gen. Humphreys said he could not
say. II don't know what was brought
with the expedition" said he and
don't think anyone knows. This was the
result of the confusion when everything
went by the board. In the first instance |
directed all the hospital stores to go on
the Santiago, Iroquois and Seneca but
when they did not come we loaded what
came to the piers at Tampa. No one
knows exactly what arrived" He said
he had seen only one order directing u
signal division hospital to join the eXpedi
ton. Gen. Humphreys explained that al
most everything during the first fortnight
after the landing was done in verbal or
ders or telephone. There was little paper
at hand. Asked about the failure to un-
load some OF the transports which arrived
at Santiago after the surrender, Gen.
Humphreys said that the vessels were not
unloadcd because there were plenty of
supplies on shore for the army and his or
ders from Secretary Alger were to allow
nothing to interfere with the movement
of the troops north.
Asked about his experience with refrig-
Grated beef he said the first he saw was
at Santiago. 1.-THE trouble was there was
too much of it," said he, but what | saw
was pretty good. ] think it was all good
when landed at daylight each morning
but | know nothing about its condition
when it reached the troops. l heard some
of IL spoiled"
How about the timed roast beef?"
THAT l know did not givo satisfaction,
possibly owing to the intense heat"
Did you hear an intimation that ii
might have been chemically treated?'
II did not. In joking way l heard
that Armour had extracted the juice from
the roast beef for his beef extract
CAPT ASPINWALL'S TESTIMONY.
Capt. Homer +, Aspnwall, quartermas-
ter of the Manitoba which carried the re-
frigerated beef that was dumped over
board on the return voyage from Ponce,
testified that the beef was tested when 1t
was placed aboard ship. His engineer he
said, was familiar with the shipment OF
beel in the trans Atlantic trade and wa,
little nervous about the temperature of
the refrigerator. 1t was new business to
him (AspinwalD. The engineer said ii was
impossible to get the temperature OF the
boxes" below SO Fahrenheit. The aver
age temperature on the trip was 81, He
arrived at Ponce Aug. 10 and ran aground
While aground one of the pipes choked
and the temperature in the boxes went up
to 49, The pipe was chicken four hours.
At Mayaguez he opened the boxes for the
first time. There were 1900 troops there.
The beef was good. At Ponce Col. Smith
chief Quartermaster agreed to take 50
pounds a day. By mistake the lighter
came for the first instalment of meat at
O'Clock in the evening instead of
o'clock in the morning. 1t was kept
ashore over night and issued
There was one complaint that a portion
of the meat had spoiled. 1t was buried by
order OF the surgeon. But the rest Was
good. Major Birmingham of the hospital
at Ponce said it was the best beef Issued
to the hospital. No further beef was is
sued at Ponce, with the quantity used
aboard ship, about 80 900 of the coo 900
pounds of beef We're issued. Two days be-
fore he reached New York the Steward
reported that he was obliged to cut away
a third of each quarter in the boxes which
had spoiled and throw 1t overheard.
lie said the officers aboard ship contin-
ued to use the meat. He heard no COM
plants although he would not have been
surprised had there been complaints. At
New York he reported the beef spoiled. A
board of survey was appointed and con-
demned the beef Sept IT, He received or
ders not to dispose of the beef until he got
instructions from Swift and Company. Ho
thought there was more beef aboard than
could have been consumed by the troops
in Porto Rico before some of 1t spoiled. He
heard no intimation that the beef had
been chemically treated. Gen. Gilmore
had told him when he arrived at Ponce
that they did not want the beef, that they
could get plenty of beef in Porto Rico.
He heard many complaints among the SOL
diers about the character Of the fresh beef
issued to them, 1t was slaughtered In the
morning and often issued while the flesh
still quivered. lie felt annoyed because
the beef from his own country was being
refused and the bulls of Porto Rico accept
ed.
VERMONT POSTMASTERS.