New-York tribune., 1900-12-29
THE "EMBALMED" CHARGE.

We're seT1OuS
| imputations regarding canned beef. His alega-
tions, in substance. that the beef furnished
! the Army had been artifcaly preserved by in
| Jecting into 1t chemicals which were injurious
! to health; that he had overwhelming proof that
! this "embalmed beef" had been treated with
! chemicals and that the refrigerated beef. such
| as was furnished our Army, would not be good
| in any country in the stomach Of any man." 1t
is significant to observe at the outset that the
| War Investigation Commission says: "Of the
witnesses examined by this Commission, General
| Miles and DR.. Daily are the only ones who make
! this charge" of chemically treated beef. AS
| founding as this statement may seem, General
Miles did not base his allegations upon personal
| experience or submit any proof in support of
them. His startling and scandalous accusations
appear to have been based entirely upon the
verbal statements of DR.. w. H. Daily. volun
teer major and surgeon upon his staff during the
war with Spain, and upon single letter subse
quently sent him by this volunteer This letter
(. is as follows:
r. u.,. Washington, 2. 9: .september p. 1888
the Army. Washington, d. G.:
he sy9 baf M n 94Sf S in h aS f
in the various camps and troopships at Tampa,
found the fresh beef to be apparently preserved
with With secret chemicals, which destroys its natural
to ,1h;,. the health Of the TROOPS - -.
e MesoR fRe een
h9G aread as @ been heur 81 in
sun without being Percepdbly tainted, so far as the
i is impossible to keep fresh beef so long un-
of deIeterous preservatives. such as borie acid,
Quantities liable @ to be SuPfai to the health of the
Consumer
At Ponce, Porto Rico, much of the beef ak
amined arriving on the transports from the United
States was also Of the same cnaracter being ap, s
deficient cold storage.
porting beef alive is the method that should re
ceve the fullest eonsideration by the Government
| When detailed to take charge of the transport
Panama, for conveying convalescents to the United
I States |
beef from the commissary at Ponce 1t looked well,
body after being injected with pseserSatives,, and
| spection, it became 50 bitter, ,nauseous and un-
H9ge Of tB d * m ID an fnd eR d hs
] Cooked and its mawkish. fiat taste when served
geTs on 6oaFdto organize 1 board M Of survey R con
| board; Consequently the conVaIescents were en-
tirely without much needed fresh beef making the
improved condition a very difficult m matter
In my INSPECTION Of the 4th United states x0un
the same odor and taste upon the fresh beef, but
RSi %ouneer sG Tnanrg at
df esf ns It ssme o That regmen m
and while it looked well it was Of scke9ipg odor
| with preservatives, and when cooked quite un-
paiatabie, consequently likely to prove efficient
! insipid and mawkish flavor, that high seasoning
Believing that the Commissary Department has
been imposed upon by the misdirected commercial
ommend that the matter be investigated by experts
maknE analysis Of the es
sfd 10 By us Betng ang PoFto Rico peer
| If the question arises that report should have
eeee ade by with ali M 11 to
! form myself. by observation of the conditions
oD'ed Of the at
Of the Army to the matter Very respectfully res 6
Major and Chief Surgeon. U. S. Volunteers,
.Dr DAILY claimed in his evidence before the War In In
| dated October 21.
The processed beef at Tampa exhibited by a
! Mr.. Powell referred to in DR.. Daly's letter, was
| brought to Tampa by the inventor of the method
| by which it treated, on his own respon-
| sibility and at his expense. Neither the
| process nor the meat he furnished, nor the in
! ventor Mr. Powell himself bore any relation
| to the contractors who supplied the Army with
| beef then or since. The inventor requested per-
| mission to exhibit his artifcially preserved beef,
! and was allowed to do so in his private capacity.
| He requested and received permission to put two
| quarters of his beef on one OF the trans
| ports 1t spoiled when at sea rev DAYS later
| and was thrown overheard. None or II was ever
| issued to the troops. Mr. Powell never again
| approached the Government in the matter, and
| he has stated under oath that his secret process
| was neither used then since by the contrac-
| tors who furnished refrigerated beef to the
Army Upon this single exhibit, his individual
| experience in eating some of this meat at Tampa
| and some refrigerated beef in Porto Rico, and
| upon the alleged chemical tests made by himself
| of meat claimed to be refrigerated beef, this
volunteer doctor based his opinions and his evil
| dence.
THE BEEF ON THE PANAMA.
The beef placed on board the Panama had been
! taken from refrigerator ship. removed to the
| shore. kept there several days, and then put on
| the Panama with some native Porto Rican beer
Proper had not been used to protect this
| meat from spelling, and when, several days out
/ from Ponce the beef became bad, Board OF
| Survey condemned 963 pounds (not 1,oO0 pounds,
as claimed by DIR. Daly). The Board OF Survey
! consisting of three officers. one of whom was a
| surgeon of the Regular Army, reported simply
| that the beef was rotten and unfit for use
| and that ii was mot in prime condition when
| received in the hurry of leaving Ponce" Dr.
| Dalv approved the proceedings of the Board and
| directed that the tainted meat he at once
| thrown overheard No mention is made in this
! chemicals and DR.. Daily does not refer to 1t In
| his Endorsement the Boards report
! DR. Daily also claimed, in the course of his tes-
| timony before the Dodge Commission that he
| repeatedly tested (only by his two senses al
| ready referred tor the refrigerated beef at some
| of the camps of Porto Rico, and that he got the
| same taste" Yet Colonel Hudekoper sur
| geon upon General Miles's staff, who made re-
| heated observations of the troops. their camps,
and the food used in Porto Rico testified that he
found no complaint regarding the meat; and he
| visited the camps in Porto Rico at practically
the same time as DR.. DAILY did. Dr. Daily also
| alleged that the beef at Chickamauga was ap-
parently artifcially preserved The records
show that 5, 100000 pounds of refrigerated beef
were supplied to the troops at Chickamauga
/ during the war with Spain. Not a single COM
plant made regarding the beef fur
nished, either to General Brooke or to General
Breckenridge, TO any person Whomsoever. In
deed, DR.. DAILY the only witness who ever
testified that refrigerated beef was artifcially
preserved with chemicals or 'doctored" at all;
and General Miles's allegations seem to have
| based nlmEY experience