The times., 1899-02-28
MORE WITNESSES
CONDEMN THE BEEF
Was Revolving and Unfit for
Human Food.
RatiOnS Were Short and Many Suf-
fered From Hunger.
Governor Roosevelt, Has Been SUM
moncd I" Appear Before the
Board of Enquiry.

1ne testimony OF several l0n-cOiilfl.S-
sioned officers was taken before the Beef
Court of Enquiry yesterday. All these men
swore that canned roast beef served to
them on the transport on the voyage to
Cuba and during the operations against
Santiago was revolving, nauseating, and
unfit for use as human food.
These men told the court that their ra-
tions OF coffee, bacon, bread, salt. pepper.
and sugar were short by one-half and
that they suffered from hunger during the
siege of Santiago
The first witness called Lieut..
Thomas NJ. Dwyer of the Ninth Infantry.
He stated that canned roast beef was
component part Of the meat ration on the
voyage from Tampa TO Cuba, and that the
men OF his company complained loudly
against il. They claimed that it made
them sick. They declared that it had been
boiled. and that the nutriment had been
pressed out OF it before it had been put
in the cans. Il was stringy, tasteless. and
IL was only in cases Of extreme hunger
that the men would eat ii at all-either
cooked as stew or hash, or straight from
the can. The Witness said that he had
eaten little OF il on three or four oC-
casions. The first time ii was served at
his mess he did not like it, and the last
Tine II llade MN 80 SICK ALldt III lAiA
not recover for two days. He said that in
Cuba il was issued 10 the men. the meat
component of their ration being, he
thought about onc-half bacon and one
half timed roast beef. Some of the meat
was, OF course, consumed by the men, but
much of il was thrown away. There was
4 great deal Of sickness in the company,
and he thought that much Of it was due TO
this canned fresh beef. He had not heard
il suggested in Cuba that the meat had
been treated with chemicals.
Gen. Robert MacFeeiy, retired, was called
and testified that he was Commissary
General in 1873. Up to that time the
ICops while travelling were dependent on
what was known as the cooked ration"
That is. when a body of men was ordered
10 a distant point the cooks OF the com
mand would cook some meat and bake
some bread and the departing troops
would pack this in their hayersacks. II
was thought in 1873 that something bet
ter than this might be devised, and the
travel ration was created. 1t consisted
Of canned corn and canned fresh beef,
canned beans, and cheese. Later the
cheese part of the ration was discontin-
usd as II lacked keeping properties. par
ticUlarIy in hot climates or in warm sea-
sons. He testified that the new ration
was commended by the men then in the
service. and he had never had any COM
plant against the timed fresh beef. He
advised this ration after consulting with
General sherman. who was then the Gen.
eTal Commanding the Army.
The next witness was First Sergt.
Howard Alexander of the Ninth Infantry
He testified that the canned beef was not
fl 10 eat: that it disgusted the men, and
that when they did eat it they became
sick. He attributed much of the sick
ness in his company TO the fact that hun
ger compelled the men to eat this food
He thouslt that before being canned the
beef had been boiled and pressed. The
refrigerated beef was not good Though
il was not tainted and appeared to be
sound and fresh, it had a curious taste
which he could not describe. never having
tasted anything like it before. He testi-
fled that full rations we're the exception
rather than the rule. He had kept memo
randa showing the shortage in his COM
p3ny Of bacon, bread, sugar. coffee, salt.
pepper, soap, and candles He testified
that al the battle OF San Juan hill he
was hungry.
Sergeant Buckage, of the Ninth Infan-
try. testified that the timed beef was bad
and the rations short. The shortage in the
rations often amounted. in his company. TO
one-hai The men could not keep the
canned meat on their stomachs The meat
he declared, was stringy and sIushy He
thought it was unwhoiesome and that il
caused a great deal of the sickness from
which the men suffered. II was his opin-
ion that the beef had been boiled and the
nutritiye properties extracted. He had been
IN the service for eighteen years. and had
been nOncommissioned officer for twelve
years. He had suffered more in that San
uaso campaign than in any other
Sergeant Hatcher, OF the Ninth Infan-
try. testified that the canned roast beef
slckened the men and that they would
let eat except under stress OF hunger No
formal complaint was made because the
men felt that everything must be borne
and that there was 10 time Tor making
complaints. They felt that everybody vas
doing The best under the circumstances.
Sergeant White, Of the same regiment.
gave testimony which was neither favor
able nor unfavorable 10 the meat He said
that at times it was good and at other
times 1t was bad. Some men liked il aud
some did not
Sergeant Casey. Of the Ninth. told the
Court OF Jhe repugnance which the men
felt toward the canned beef and testified
that it was responsible for much of the
sickness.
Sergeant Mitts of the same regiment,
testified that the meat was bad
Major Jesse Lee, Of the Ninth Infantry,
sat at the table by the side of Colonel
Davis. recorder of the Court, and aided in
the examination OF the witnesses who
in their capacity as soldiers. are under hi:
command
II was annuonced that Governor Roose-
velt had been summoned TO appear before
the Court. No answer has as vet been
received from him, the summons having
probably reached Albany on the day he
left for Washington.