Evening star., 1898-10-15
LANDED BY THE NAVY
The Army on Reaching Cuba was Compare
lively Helpless,
Lieut.. HIPS Testimony Before the
War Investigating COmmissiOn-
Supplies for 20 Days Put Ashore.

Lieutenant Frank X. Hill, United States
navy, testified before the war Investigate
ing commission yesterday afternoon after
The Stars report of the proceedings was
closed, concerning the landing of supplies
and troops at Baiquiri for General Shat
ters army.
Lieutenant Hill had charge of the land
ing of supplies while the navy was doing
that work, and when he finished his work
and turned it over to others he was told
by Colonel Weston, a commissary officer
of the army that he had enough on shore
to feed the army for twenty days.
The witness also said that arrangements
for the navy to do this work were not
made until after the transports had ar
rived though Admiral Sampson had rec
commended previously that the navy be
placed in charge of it. Army officers, he
said did not like to take the responsibility
of having the transports ordered closer to
shore. and he had gone to General Shafter
to get such authority.
Ex-Governor Beaver asked Lieutenant
Hill whether the boats of the navy used
for landing the men and supplies for Cen
eral Skaters army were especially adapted
to that use.
we had the men-of-war When he got
there the only way to land the boats was
with lighters-sort of fiat boats. steam
lighter called the Laura came later
Ex-Governor Beaver-"What was the ca
pacity Of these fat boats?'
Lieutenant Hill-'The fiat boat would
carry from fifty to seventy men. This fiat
boat was not to be used to carry people.
II was to be at the dock so that the men
might debark II"
Ex-Governor Beaver-'Did the army go
to Cuba properly equipped for landing an
army of that siZe?"
Unprepared to Land.
Lieutenant Hill-'They did not go pre-
pared to land it at all, so far as 1 saw"
Ex-Governor Beaver-'Then. except for
the navy, there would have been no land
ing?"
Lieutenant HiIl-"General Shafter said
that himself. l might say they had GER
tain number Of lighters which they lost on
the way
Ex-Governor Beaver-"Was a detail made
from the navy for landing purposes before
the transports appeared, or was 1t made in
deTerence to request after the transports
arriVed?"
Lieutenant Hill-"It was made after they
arrived The details were not arranged un-
I'll the night of the 21st. l received my
instructions at 10:3O or II o'clock on the
night of the 21st, and / had to make my
detail of officers and men and get provi-
, sions after that, and / left the ship at
ABOUT o CLOCK IN the morning.
EX-GoV. Beaver-"At what time did YOU
reach the point Of debarkation and begin
operations in landing these troops?"
Lieut.. Hill-"At $50 O'Clock on the 22d
We practically finished on the 26th 1t
was done in four days"
Ex-Gov. Beaver-"Did the navy render
assistance in the landing of stores, well
as troops?"
Lieut.. Hill-"We landed all the stores
that were landed
EX-Gov. Beaver-''Then, as I understand
without the assistance of the navy the
army could not have been landed and could
not have subsisted after landing?"
Lieut.. Hill-'"That Is the way L look at
it,"
Ex-Gov. Beaver-"Do you know whether
or not the navy continued to render assist
ance after the time of which you have
spoken? Did they continue rendering as
sistance in the landing of stores?''
Lieut.. Hif-"The day / left Col. Weston
said we had landed provisions on shore
quest we left two sailing launches to aid
the Laura. He said he would furnish
enough provisions in that way for 80 900
people in Santiago"
Ex-Gov. Beaver-"When the navy left
did they leave individual details with the
quartermaster of the army for use by the
army?'
Lieut.. Hili-''They left some men to han
die these boats. 1 do not know how long
they stayed"
The witness said that the boats were too
small to do the work rapidly and that the