Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1899-04-07

MlSSARY DEPARTMENT WAS
COGNIZANT OF AND AIDED IN
EXPERIMENTS.
Washington, April 6.-In the army
court Of INQUIRY to-day the letter OF
Messrs. Armour & Co., proposing to use
the Powell process for the preserya-
ton of beef, was submitted as evidence
by Major Lee, acting for Gen. Miles.
1t was addressed to the commissary-
general, dated at the firms Washing
ton Office July Is, 1898, and read as
follows:
LAS supplementary and explanatory
on our bid to supply dressed beef in
Cuba, we wish to say that we have the
exclusive control of the Powell pro-
cess for preserving fresh meats and
that this process has been tested at
Tampa, Fla, the test having been COM
pleted with most satisfactory results.
"This test was made under the super
vision of Col John Weston, of your de-
partment, who has advised you of the
results. We are advised, however, that
he received four carcesses OF beef which
were sent him from Chicago duly re-
frigerated and treated according to the
Powell process.
part of these carcasses were en-
yeloped in sacks or canvass and part
were not. These carcasses were dis
tributed to the Third cavalry, the
Eighth cavalry, batteries of artillery,
and the medical department, and were
hung in the air on the upper deck OF
the transport troopships lying at the
wharf in the hot sun, without any ben
eft of the fresh air or movement Of the
ships The pieces that were not
wrapped fermented i'll less than Y
hours, while the pieces that were COW
cred or wrapped kept about 100 hours.
These practical tests made under
the supervision of your officer, show
that by means of this process, wrapped
pieces or carcasses can be kept longer
than the ~ hours required by your
specifications.
I'VE believe we may safely say that
such results have never before been
accomplished in the history of the fresh
meat business. In view of the tests
which we have made in the past and
of the result of the tests made under
the supervision of your own officer, we
Lor hot o1ncn1ntp1y Cofo in
the assertion that this is the only pro-
cess or method which will secure the
results required by your specifications.
Very truly yours,
ARMOUR & co.
"Per T. ]. CONOR, Supt."
The testimony began to-day with Dr.
L. Clifford Cox assistant surgeon OF
volunteers. He was at Tampa and in
Cuba, and testified that the command
was attacked with diarrhoea to the eX-
tent of an epidemic after eating re-
frigerator beef at both places. After
the second attack of this character the
regimental surgeon had ordered that
the issue of the beef be stopped. When
this was done the diarrhoel ceased.
Mr. William A. De Caindry, who has
been chief clerk in the office of the
commissary general OF the War Depart
ment for twenty years, related his con-
nection with the work of letting the
beef contracts. At the instance of
Gen. Eagan he had first sent out forty
or fifty kilograms to dealers in beef
asking for bids to supply refrigerated
beef or for beef on the block, Gen. Ea-
~ NJ,
Caindry had been instructed by Gen.
Eagan to prepare the original draft of
the contract for the beef supply and
after some rearranging submitted 4
draft, feeling confident that it was COM
plete. 1t was then that men whom he
understood to be representatives of
Swift & Co. brought up the question
as to the length Of the time the beef
should keep after issue Memoranda
for changes containing the "a hour
clause were brought to him by Captain
Davis, assistant commissary general.
Details were lacking. and the sugges-
lions as to time seemed TO be conflict
ing. He had tried to get details from
Captain Davis in regard to the "a hour
clause, and was told by him that the
understanding was that refrigerators
were to be built on shore and in the
rear of the moving troops, the inten-
ton being TO have the beef exposed for
the minimum time only. He had at
the time nOinted out the apparent con-
fict between the "a and 70 hour
clauses. In one Of the revisions Gen.
Eagan had interlined in his own hand
writing a clause referring TO the time
reading as follows: (Which shall NOT
be more than y hours from the time
of storing the same in such refrigera-
tors" This clause, Mr. De Caindry
said he had not at the time understood
but he had no authority to strike it
out. When the "a hour clause was in
serted Gen. Eagan appeared dubious
about it. but said nothing more Mr..
De Caindry said that he had been so
worried by the apparent inconsistent
cies in the contract that he had kept
all the memoranda relating to the mat
ter.
Are they on file now?" asked Major
Lee
They are not in the file boxes
The witness then stated in reply to ques-
tons that Captain Davis was in charge
of these boxes and that Captain Davis
was the especial confidant of Gen. Eagan.
Asked If he had had any reason at the