The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1899-01-21
EMBALMED BEEF WAS FOUL
SERIOUS CHARGES BY GENERAL
MILES, CHIEF SURGEON.

He Made Experiments That Disclosed
the Characteristics of Boracic and
SalicyIic Acid-The Beef Had the Same
| Peculiar Odor as That of Human
Body Injected with Personalities.
| Washington, Jan 20.-A most Vigorous
and sensational denunciation of the
"embalmed'' beef furnished the soldiers
during the war was made before the
war Investigating commission to-day by
Major w. FL. DAILY, chief surgeon with
General Miles, whose field service
stretched from Tampa to Porto Rico
and whose report condemnng the beef
also caused sensation but short time
ago. In his early testimony the witness
stated that at Tampa, on shipboard, he
had noticed a quarter of beef hanging
| free in the SUN on shipboard, and he be-
came interested in the experiment of
| having fresh slaughtered beef placed
| under such moist climatic conditions to
| see how long it could stand it. Il OBJ
served" he said, that the flies, espe-
cially the bull flies, did not affect it; die
not alight on it, or if they did they got
away from it very quickly"
Mr.. DAILY said he would say the at
tempt to preserve the beef by cheml-
Gals was not a success. That had been
his experience on the transport Pana-
ma in the beef carried by which sh p
he was pretty sure chemicals were in
volved." That beef he said. was very
foul. He thought the government beef
requirements of the contractors We're
very unreasonable. Everybody knows
that beef exposed to moisture and
warmth for twenty-four hours will be
very much dried" He said most Of the
bsef carried by the Panama was refrig-
Grated. They had secured a ton of bAef
and for this they at first had one and
Cne-half tons of ice, later increased to
eleven and one-half tons of ice. The
beef, however, had decidedly peculiar
odor
AT Ponce" he said, Il observed the
refrigerated beef taken from the trans
ports. 1t had peculiar odor | OBJ
served the examination of spoiled bsef
on one transport 1t was done by
butcher down in the hold. He thrust
his arm in every direction into the
putrid meat trying to find solid pieca
This meat had the same peculiar odor"
he added, that the Pamana's beef had
and warranted his report that it's
odor was like that of a. dead human
body injected with preservatives. He
also depicted the strong odors aboard
the transport Chester. General Beaver
asked If the witness did not think his
examination purely superficial and
without any substantial knowledge.
mo, L would not like to say that"
witness replied. He believed the beef
on the Panama had come from the
transport Manitoba. On the Panama,
coming over from Ponce. he had made
some tea or soup, from the refrigerated
beef the same that had been condemn
ed, had filtered it and sealed it hermet-
ically in can and when he reached his
home at Pttsburg had analyzed it.
From this he got a light reddish sedi-
ment.
DR.. DAILY urged that he be permitted
to demonstrate the test. Or. Conner OBJ
der the witness brought as the residium
of this beef with the commission to he
examined by a government chemist
Witness pleaded not to have the matter
taken out of his hands, but a compro-
mise was effected by deciding that DR..
DAILY be present with the official chemist
and it was arranged to have Professor
Clarke of the geological survey here ex-
anime the powder this afternoon. This
was not carried out. At
the afternoon session DR.. DAILY under
went a rather severe cross examination,
on the subject of the data
on which he had reported as to his sus-
picions in regard to the beef and why
he had not reported sooner.
DIR. Daily said he had never discussed
with any officer the question of bad
beef. Instead of commenting on such
matters he had attempted to allay dis
content among the men. While at
he had found meat which
to have been treated as indi- |
Gated in his report. Dr. Daily was ques-
torrd closely in regard to the examina-
ton of an extract of baef which he said
he had made and which he said resulted
in disclosure of the characteristics of |
borax and salicylic acid. He stated that /
the kettle from which the extra was
taken was perfectly clean and the fluid /
was transferred to a clean glass bottle /
The beef used in making the extract !
was of the refrigerated variety. At |
Jacksonville he had inspected meat |
which had an unmistakable odor. The
cooks there said that much seasoning
was required to overcome the unpalata-
blencss of the cooked meat.
The weather in Cuba and Porto Rico
was always warm, said DR.. Daily in an
swer to another line of interrogatory.
This, however, did not mean that sim
liar means would be necessary to pre-
serve beef in those places at all seasons
Of the year. Beef decomposed much
more rapidly during the raing season
than when the weather was merely
warm. The "beard" referred TO in this
Investigation, he said, could only grow
lpon meat containing putrescant germs
Many persons preferred to eat game
slightly decomposed or high" but such
persons almost invariably drank wine
II other spirits afterwards. Such spir-
is, the doctor said, would kill any
germs collected in the meat. 1t was
mother question, however, when it came
% feeding soldiers on meat in such
condition
DR.. Daily explained the process of
Ilf 1J,a