The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-02-28
MADE THEM SICK.
Men Would Not Eat Canned Beef When
They Could Get Anything Else.

| Ihey Could Get Anything Else.
Washington, Feb. when the army
court of inquiry met Today the first wit
ness was Lieutenant charles f. Dwyer,
9Th infantry. This witness had only Il
| vague memory of what the meat compile
| ment of ration was on the voyage from
| Tampa to Santiago lie knew after the
command landed that The men had bacon,
| corned beef and canned roast beef. There
| were numerous complaints as to the cam
| ned roast beef, but there was no official
! action taken on thos" complaints, as it
| was diffcult to get anything In the way
or rations to the from, and the army felt
| that the commssary department was do
ing the best it could,
After the capture Of Santiago the wit
ness was stationed altogether in the city
and his command getting refrigerator
beef early in the day. it was always
fresh and good, and he heard no com
plants as to its quality, The witness had
been made sick on one occasion by eating
| canned roast beef stew. but otherwise his
health had not suffered
Brigadier General Robert d. McFeliay,
retired, commissary general of subsist-
ence from 1875 to 1890, testified that during
his service he had recommended the in
PRODUCTION of regular travel ration, with
a view of lettering the condition of the
soldiers. Prior to that the men had Otter
suffered on long trips in trying to live for
several days on what was known as the
cooked ration" which usually consisted
OF bread and meat. without even coffee.
Colonel Davis read the record referring to
those orders dating back to 1878 and show
ing that canned frcsh beef was in
cluded as "a part of the travel rations.
party of six enlisted men of the 9th
infantry next appeared.
First Sergeant Howard Alexander testi-
fled that his regiment used both corned
and roast canned beef on the voyage from
Tampa to Santiago. There were many
complaints from the men as to the can
ned roast meat. 1t nauseated the men.
had little taste and apparently contained
little nutriment. The men finally got to
throwing the cans away or not drawing
them, as the meat frequently made them
sick as soon as they ate it. Witness was
not willing to say definitely whether it
was the canned beef or the malaria that
caused most of the sickness in the reg:-
ment. After getting into the city. where
the refrigerated beef was issued, the men
continued to be very sick. nauseated and
suffering from bowel complaints. The
sergeant thought this also came from the
refrigerated meat; the gravy especially
that came from the refrigerated meat
seemed to nauseate the men even more
than the meat Itself.
Sergeant Buckage, also of the 9th, was
called. He testified that the men did
not like the canned roast beef It made
them sick and they did not eat it when
they could get anything else Coming to
the refrigerated beef Sergeant Buckage
said there was little or no complaint
while in Santiago After the regiment got
outside of town about quarter of the
| beef spoiled in transit to the camp. What
| was left after trimming off the spoiled
beef was considered quite good. He did
not know that any man had been nau-
seated by the refrigerated beef. But all
| the regiment was sick on leaving Cuba.
and so per cent. actually on the sick re-
port.
Replying to a question. he said that
| from the 22d of June to July the ration
averaged one-half short. Asked If he
| thought the command actually suffered in
| health from this lack of food, he replied
very simply:
! Il think it did. sir"
| He said. however. that the men were not
| disposed to complain at the time, as they
| felt the officers were doing all they could
| for the men under the circumstances
! The testimony of the others was on the
| same general line. The enlisted men
were ordered to report to the court at :
| p. M Tomorrow.