The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-04-08
REPORTS READ IN COURT
COURT DECIDES TO ADMIT SOME
MILES TESTIMONY.
Men Who Were at the Front and Ate
the Meat, Declare That Canned
Roast Beef Is Not Fit For Ra-
tion-Officers and Their Testimony
Drawing to a Close.

as evidence the OI1claI reports OIL army
| officers concerning the beef supplied to
the army during the war with Spain,
as requested by General Miles.
The public forenoon session of the
! court was only of sufficient duration to
permit the. preferment of this request.
Major Lee stated that he considered it
important that the matter should be
definitely determined as soon as pos
sible. He also asked for consideration
of General Miles supplementary re-
quest that large number of addition
al witnesses be summoned.
It was learned that all the reports
were brief and that the court in secret
session decided to allow them to be
read. There are 147 of them, and they
were generally prepared by their au-
/ thors after the close of the campaigns
in Cuba and Porto Rico and in response
to a circular letter.
With reference to the application to
have more witnesses called, 1t is I'M
derstood that the court will adhere to
its determination not to summon any of
the list whose testimony would be
merely corroborative of that already
given.
At the afternoon session Major Lee
read the reports, all of which pertained
&c canned beef.
Brigadier General Viele pronounced
the canned beef "a miserable apology
for food"
a large number of reports were made
from officers Of the First cavalry,
among these the following:
Major James NJ. Bell-It is better
than no beef but I cannot recommend
it as a component of the field ration.
Lieutenant Clough Overton-It is an
undesirable portion of the travel ration.
Major w. S. Scott heard no COM
plant of the canned roast beef.
Lieutenant C. Is. Williams-The beef
as an occasional substitute for bacon
was acceptable.
INJURIOUS TO THE MEN.
Lieutenant Walter NJ Whitman-The
prolonged issue of the beef on the
transport was injurious to the men.
Lieutenant NJ. f. Davis considered
the beef as of poor quality, and said he
had found four maggotS cooked with
! the beef in the cans.
Lieutenant H. D. Berkeley-No more
unpalatable article of food could be
issued.
Lieutenant W. C. Rivers-It was an
unsuitable article of food.
Lieutenant z. S. Wright-It was a
distinct failure.
Lieutenant Colonel w. A Rafferty, of
the Second cavalry stated that he
agreed with the report of his commits
sary officer, who pronounced the beef
non-nutritive, and said the men soon
tired of it. 4 large number of officers
in this regiment pronounced a similar
verdict.
Major Jackson of the Third cavalry
pronounced the quality of the beef
used in canning, poor. 1t had served
very well in hashes, but as q separate
article of food it was nauseating.
Lieutenant Colonel Carroll of the
Sixth cavalry said that most of the
meat issued to his troops on the trahs-
port had been thrown overheard, as it
made some Of the men sick.
Captain f. West of the Sixth cavalry
had preferred going without meat to
, eating the canned beef. 1t made his
men sick.
Lieutenant r. B. Paddock-The men
would go hungry rather than eat it..
Captain G. S. Grimes, Second Artil-
lery-The meat was soft, watery and
unsatisfactory to the men.
Captain Ellis of the Fourth Artillery
1t was stringy and tough, and l and
others found it unpalatable.
Captain Walter L. Finley of the Ninth
Cavalry-The beef was tough and de-
void of flavor.
Captain NJ G. Hughes Ninth Cav
alry-The meat became distasteful af-
ter a few days.
Captain Philip B. Rowell, Ninth Cav
alry-Almost wholly devoid of the fla
vor of beef.
Captain Hutchinson, Ninth Cavalry
1t should be alternated with other meat
Had heard of no bad results from its
use.
Lieutenant I. NJ. Nance had found il
tasteless and the men would not eat it.
Captain McLain and Lieutenants
Hardwick, Barber Stattler, Mccormick
White, Cavanaugh. Lyman and Everett
| made reports very similar to those pre-
| ceding. Lieutenant Barber thought ii
good as a change Lieutenant Hamilton
pronounced it a good food.
MEAT CONTAINED PTOMAINES.
Captain Albert Cummins of the Sec
ond artillery thought some of the meat
contained ptomaines and caused a great
deal of sickness. AS a ration it was a
failure.
Captain H. ]. Reilly of the Fifth Ar
tillery-It was palatable with vegeta-
bles, but not otherwise desirable.
| Colonel Sinclair of the Seventh Ar
! tillery-The meat used was of poor
grade If better grade of meat was
secured it might prove proper food.
Lieutenant Benton, Seventh Artillery
| 1t was more wholesome than the fresh
| beef.
Lieutenant Browne, Second Infantry
1t was unfit for use. Many of the
men said it had been "doped," mean.
! ing that chemicals had been used in it,
| preparation
Captain J. Warning, Second Infantry
! 1t was not fit to be issued.
Major Baker of the Fourth Infantry
! The canned beef was of an inferior
| quality anything but palatable.
! Lieutenant Colonel Miner. Sixth In
fantry-The canned beef was utterl!
unfit as an article of diet. Hungry meI
left it on the ground. Much of it ap
peared like meat from which extract O
beef had been prepared before it Was
put up.
Major Cortiss Lieutenant Quentin
and Captain B. l.. Howe of the Seventh
infantry all reported the canned bee
was not fit for consumption, and tina
| the same was true of much of thu
fresh beef.
Lieutenant Colonel B. H. Ellis of thu
Eighth Infantry-It was openly con
demned by the men and general!
thrown away.
Captain w L. Pitcher of the Eight
Infantry-The canned beef was just a.
bad as possible, short of being rotten
COlOnel w. IL GOWell, N1ntn lntantr.
The use of the canned beef was no
attended with any good results. 1t pro
! duced disorder in the stomachs.
Captain r. II. Anderson, Ninth In
fantry-The canned beef was fairly sat
isfactory.
Couldn't Keep Hotel.
st. Louis, Mo-. April IA special Il
the Republic from Ell Paso, Tex, says
Mrs. Grant G. Gillett, wife of the Kan