The San Francisco call., 1899-04-12
SHAFTER COMES
TO THE AID OF
ALGER AND EAGAN
TeStifieS ThatI If Soldiers Lacked
Good Food 1t Was Their
Own Fault.

the acton of July L saving his So troops had
captured from the Spaniards.
IF they did not have food it was their
own fault observed General Shafter
They were ordered to provide themselves
with two days rations."
AS to Colonel Roosevelt's statement that
they did not have adequate food or medi-
cal supplies, that was matter OF opln-
ion. They had their rations provided by
law. If the rations of the Rough Riders
gave out en- route to Cuba it was the fault
Of their officers, who should have drawn
supplies to keep ten days supply on hand,
as he had ordered
Q. From your experience do you regard can
ned roast beef as a suitable meat ration for
such a campaign?
4. I do not know Of any, substitute.
q. Could corned beef be better?
A. Possibly il is not so good bacon, but it
depends upon the individual taste. 1 myself
think there might have been less meat and
more beans and rice. Campaigning in the
tropics was new to US and it was expert
mental food. Certainly all recognize now
that the ratiors were not well adapted to such
a campaign, but it all had and we
did the best we could. Congress provides the
army rations.
General Shafter detailed a conversation
with Commissary General Eagan about
the canned roast beef, which he (Shafter)
at that time believed was genuine roast
beef Asked if after all that had occurred
he considered canned roast beef worthy
of a further trial, General Shafter reiter-
ated his statement that he knew of no
substitute. His own preference would be
for clean bacon, but while uninviting and
not palatable he did not consider canned
roast beef unfit for food. Any canned
meat in such a high temperature that
when opened the grease would run off
would be far from appetizing. But he
would not therefore condemn 1t. In a
cold climate he would regard the canned
roast beef as very good indeed. To carry
fresh beef on the hoof he regarded as
absolutely out of the question
None of the division commanders
Wheeler, Kent or Lawton-had approved
"If there had been Complaints to them, ,"
he said: Il hardly think they have re-
ported it. They were sensible men. 1t
done"
He mentioned the opinion that l per
cent of the refrigerated beef was thrown
Skaters testimony the court took re-
cess.
A. A. Kirk. a. cook of Philadelphia City
that he, saw refrigerated beef aboard the
Massachusetts that had spoiled In
Porto Rico the troop bought its own beef
on the hoof. He declared that one-third
of the canned beef he saw was unfit foL
use.
John w. Springer of New Cumberland,
Pa, who acted as commissary. sergeant
of the Governors troop of Philadelphia.
testified that fully half the canned roast
beef was unfit to eat.
Arthur w Feight of Carlisle, Pa, also
one-fourth of the canned beef was spoiled
and one-half unfit for use. Maggots were
found in the beef aboard the Mississippi.
Lieutenant Alexander Frank of Cincin-
natl, commissary and subsistence officer
of the First Ohio, which was at Port
Tampa during June and July, testified
that the canned roast beef made the men
sick. AS commissary officer he had re-
fused a considerable quantity of the beef
furnished by Armour. 1t was tainted. At
Jacksonvtlle, he said, Armour issued short
weight beef.