Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1899-01-24
NOT FIT FOR ISSUE.
PENNSYLVANIA TESTIMONY TOUCH
ING REFRIGERATED BEEF.
IT WAS TOO BAD TO Be EATEN.
All That Was Sent 10 the Keystone
state Artillery Had to he Burieh
Ipimedintely on It's Receipt NJ
the Camp.

WASHINGTON, January 23.--The Board
Of Survey appointed by Secretary Alger
20 pass upon the question OF the proper
condemnation Of large quantity Of beef
destined for the troops in Porto Rico
has received from Captain Barclay II.
Warburton. Of the Pennsylvania Volun-
teer Battalion Of Artillery. sworn state
ment of the condition Of refrigerated beef
on board the transport Manitoba, which
transport was al Ponce from August 10Th
TO 18th. In the course of this statement
Captain Warburton says:
Il ate OF the beef which the transport
Manitoba brought to Porto Rico. II was
served to the officers mess on the United
States transport Mississippi, which
brought my command back to New York.
When | say / ate the meat / must
qualify my statement 10y saying ] tried
10 eat the meat. II was so bad that it
was impossible to swallow IL. In my
opinion. the meat was not good, nor was
it fit for issue.
BELIEVED IT DECOMPOSED
81 had no idea that this meat had been
subjected 10 any chemical process but
| believed the beef 20 have decomposed on
| account of the lack of proper refrigerat-
! ing facilities. caused boy the clogging or
! the machinery used for that purpose on
! the Manitoba. j was informed by cap
! tain Gates who was then I'm command OF
! the Manitoba, that said machinery hau
! been clogged with sand as q result OF our
having run ashore which necessitated
the reversing OF the screw when thre"
| sand into the water-pumps.
I'm reply 10 your request 10 give the
| board any other evidence or Information
| I'm nv possession or knowledge. my an
| swer i'm general is that all the beef issue.
to my battalion was bad, and had TO ID
| hurled Immediately on delivery at on
! camp. which was about two miles De
| yond Ponce. 40 q place called banoS 90
Ouintana. which neccssitated IT'S transpor
tati0n a distance Of six miles from IN
commissary depot
a TERRIBLE DOOR.
"On the day in question, Private Hack
of Light Battery G., Pennsylvania Nolun
toer Artillery. was sent for an issue U
beef which his captain had been notiie'
would De- issued ON tie morning OF TN
dav on which he was sent ON his retur
| / met the wagon, and while IT was ye
some 10 yards from me ] noticed III
/ most terrible odOr which seemed 10 m
to be somewhat like the odor OF cdrIlOl
1 was mounted, and when ! got alongsid
the wagon 1 looked into it and saw th
meat. which had been issued TO him 10
the light infantry. IL looked white am
! Shiny. 1 instructed him To present IN
compliments TO his commanding once
with instructions 10 have the same Duile
on its arrival at camp.
] CAPTAIN Warburton gives the names
witnesses whose testimony may be
value.
SYSTEM OF INSPECTION.
Trrr rlrfrrH
~ The War Investigating Commission ne
two sessions To-day. but both were larg
- IN executive considering the coming 7
: mort of the commission 10 the IresldeI
Dr. ID. r. Salmon chief of the Bure'
j of Animal Industry, Agricultural Depai
ment. "a peared before the commltlee
its afternoon session.
DIR. Conner led in questioning the WI
- ness. ...,
e,( Dr salmon explained the system
W meat inspection conducted by the uepa'
70 ment. The cattle are lnf 'c'ed Delu
be- i,aing slaughtered and also afterwar'
j. only a small percentage Or caltie q
found 10 be unfit for use. Inc AbIlCul'
val recruitment had recommended ID
- mono but inspected meat should De p,
p chased for the army during the war WI
8 cn.iu Witness understood that oru'
o had been issued that such course shol
y he followed. except in emergencies.
e no REPORT OF CHEMICALlIlNG
.e Inspectors of the department, he ,,o, sa
~ ,-ere stationed at the packins-hous
W These inspectors. he said. have access
r. all parts of the packing-houses. No
20 ports had ever been made mat In I,1
.r these places was treated chemicaiiy ~.
g. me inspectors had been aware OF Su
- treatment taking place, reports VIZ
F.
l- ,o',,o,.er were very large buildings a
~ a. vas nossible that things might be &c
tbore would not come to the knoWlee
~ 90 tbe fneuCctOrs.