The record-union., 1898-08-31
One Thousand of the American SOL
diers on the List,
With the Outlook That the Number VIII
Vastly Increase.
Prompt Measures Will Have to Be
Taken by the War Department
to Prepare Necessary Barracks
For the Soldiers anad Provide
Transports to Transfer the
Sick Home.

| PHILADELPHIA, Aug. 30-The
yacht May, which arrived in this city
| to-day from Porto Rico via Newport
| News, brought the report of the repre-
sentatives of the National Relief Com
| mission, eX-Minister to Italy william
| Potter, William Van Rensselaer,, Louis
c. Vanuxen and DR.. G.. G.. Graft, who
went to Porto Rico to superintend the
! distribution of the supplies sent to the
/ sick soldiers by the commission.
! The May, which was loaned TO the
| Government by Mr.. Van Rensselaer,
left this city on August 9TH and reached
Ponce, Porto Rico. August 11th. The
! report states that the Commissioners
reported to General Miles and were by
him referred to Colonel GreenIeaf, Chief
Surgeon of the army in the field. Col
onel Greenleaf ordered the seventy tons
of medical supplies to be taken from
| the May and placed on the lower floor
of the custom house. which is now be-
ing used as the headquarters of the
army in Porto Rico. After giving de-
tails of the distribution of supplies, the
report says:
| In almost every instance We found
| the army surgeons most anxious 20
have at their disposition money for the
! purchase of needed luXuries for the
sick such as fresh milk, ice (when OBJ
/ tainable) and canned goods, and we
are happy to report that in every case
we have been able to meet the de-
mands made upon us.
There are about 5000 American
soldiers in Porto Rico, and on the day
of our departure, August 22d, there
were over LOCO men ON the sick list.
| OF this number one-half were cases re-
quiring prompt and careful treatment.
There was a large number of typhoid
cases, but on the 22d inst this disease
was not on the increase, a fact which
| indicated that the malady had been
| carried from the camps at home and
| is not Indigenous to Porto Rico. How
! ever, there was a very large increase
| in diarrhea, dysentery, dengue or
break bone fever and malarial diaor-
ders, due TO the hot, unhealthy rainy
season just commencing, which causes
the water supply to be filled with ma
larial germs from the constant decay
ing vegetation.
"All medical authorities with the
army at Porto Rico agree that the sick
list is increasing, and that an alarming
condition may be expected unless the
War Department primptly arranges
barracks for the army of occupation
and provides additional transports (the
hospital ship Relief being insufficienO
to remove such of the sick as can be
safely transferred home, the conval-
escents and those enervated by cli-
matte changes. 1t is impossible for men
from the northern climate to recup-
crate in a tropical country during its
most unhealthy season.
I'm conclusion we are glad to report
that we reached Porto Rico with our
medical and hospital supplies just at
the time when they We're most need
ed as, owing to the lack of steam
launches with which to unload the yes
sells in the harbor and those hard
aground on the coral reef, the medical
department could not obtain its sup
plies promptly, and our supplies had
been most carefully selected, containing
most useful articles not contained III
the hospitals of the army.
1--WE cabled to the National Relief
Commission on the 22d to forward to
Porto Rico q consignment OF light
groceries, such as condensed cream,
cereals, canned supplies, clam BROTH
etc. also pajamaS and undercloth1ng,
all of which are much needed at the
the island"
Attached to the report is letter
from General Miles, thanking the
Commissioners ON behalf of the army
for the supplies and for the consign-
ment of American flags, also letter
from Colonel Greenleaf, expressing
thanks for the gift of an ice-making
machine. in which he says:
II cannot adequately express the sat
isfaction with which the result of this
donation will be received by the sick.
Ice in this country is an expensive
luxury, costing $50 per ton in Porto
Rican money, which necessitates the
exercise of rigid economy on the part
of our medical officers in it's use. To
have the output of such a machine at
our disposal is blessing, the benefits
of which can only be appreciated by
those who have served in these hospi-
tails"
In addition to the Commissioners,
the following officers and men returned
on the May: Colonel John w. Clous,
Deputy Judge Advocate General. L.
S. A; Colonel John Biddell, of General
Wilson's staff, who, with Captain Har'
ry Alvan Hall of the Sixteenth Penn
eylvania and Lieutenant E. Fullerton,
also Oh GeH6Tdl w llSOH Sldll, are COIi-
manded by the commander to present
to the President the first Spanish royal
ensign captured on August 9th in the
engagement at Coano: Hon. James
Wolcott Wadsworth, Congressman from
the Thirtieth New York District; Maj
or Clayton Parkhill Chief Surgeon,
First Division, First Army Corps, on
sick leave; Lieutenant John Workiser,
Nineteenth United States Infantry
Lieutenant w. Howard Pancoast, with
Privates A r. Chester and Wilson Pot
ter, all of Light Battery A, Philadei-
phia; James G. Clark and Herbert
Chlds, of Troop A, New York, on fur
Tough; Addison Kelly, Ploverfield;
Joseph Knight and Samuel Boyle. all of
Battery A, and Myron r. Stowell war
correspondent of the Pittsburg
Times
DR.. Graft will remain temporarily in
Porto Rico and will cable from time TO
time of the needs of the Commission
in the island.