The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-12-03
TRANSPORTS HAD NO TROUBLE
CAPT MAC KAY ASSERTS THAT
THEY WE'RE WELL HANDLED.


Gen. Shafter Was Supplied With
Lighters-WaRons secured as Rap
idly as POsSibIe-Complete Rntions
said to Have Been Put on Each
Vessel and Nome of Them Over
Ioaded-Nnvy Responsible for
wandering ProcIivfties" OF
Transports.
Washington, Dec. 2-The war investi-
eating commission resumed its sittings in
this city to-day.
? Col. Charles Bird. who had charge of the
transportation division of the quarter
master generals department. during the
war, testified in regard to purchase Of
mules chartering of transports and con
tracts with railroads for carrying troops.
He denied that exorbitant prices had been
paid. The congestion at Tampa. he said,
was due to the fact that more supplies
were sent to that point than could be
handled. When they learned of the con-
gestion an order was issued for the mark
ing of the cars and a quartermasters
agent was sent with each car.
Col. Bird said that the transports oc-
cupied between Tampa and Santiago had
been fitted up only to carry the men and
supplies to Havana and this was the rea-
son they proved inadequate for trip of
much longer duration.
Gen. Dodge questioned the witness about
the deficiency in the matter of lighters
hf-fnpfpo ant bA haf
gested to Gen. Miles the use of pontoon
trains. When Gen. Shafter sailed he was
supplied with six lighters. but he had
failed to take more than two.
Col. Crosby Miller, also of the quarter
master generals office, having charge of
all the army transportation except that
by water and rail- testified that over 1900
wagons had been purchased for the use
of the army. At the beginning of the war
IL was impossible to secure any without
delay. AS a matter of fact all the orders
had not been filled yet
Capt. James MacKay a civilian and an
old sea captain in Florida and Cuban wa
tiers, who, under Gen. Humphreys, had
charge of the details of the transporta-
ton of the troops to Santiago, proved an
important witness. He said that complete
rations had been put on each ship and that
the NstuStiS HdQ not DtNH ONtAhOdttb- Inns
was contrary to previous testimony, as
was also a later statement that the vessel
which each command was 10 occupy had
been designated before embarking. He
emphasized this fact, saying the designa-
tion had been made by Gen. Shafter and
the colonel of each of the regiments was
informed in each case. He said there was
no confusion when the troops went aboard.
Il say emphatically there were no dis
a. l..
that in all cases the regiments found their
quarters without trouble or delay"
How about the Rough Riders, the
Roosevelt rigiment?" asked Gen. Beaver.
'They were assigned to the Yucatan
and there was a difficulty In their I'M
barkation."
Capt MacKay also said that there had
been no confusion in unloading the stores,
He testified that they had been loaded In
an orderly manner. There was list
showing what articles were In each YES
sci and there had been no mixing OF the
various kinds of stores 1t was true, as
had been charged, that some of the stores
had never been unloaded, but this was due
in the main to the fact that the stores
were not needed. The tents were not I'M
loaded for lack of store room on shore.
and because they could not be gotten to
the front
IL.
position ON the part of the masters OF the
transports to disobey orders or to keep
their vessels unnecessarily far out at sea
as had been charged. There were a great
many men giving orders who had no au-
thority TO do So and who knew nothing
of the sea or the local conditions. IT was
not safe to hold the ships very close in.
He also denied that there had been any
refusal to land medical stores. 1t had
been impossible TO secure labor assistance
in Cuba, the natives refusing even TO as
sist in landing food for themselves. He
was satisfied that ample facilities had been
provided for landing the troops and sup
plies, and that there would have been no
difficulty if all the lighters had been avail /
able AS it was, four lighters had reached
Daiquiri and not one only, as had been
reported.
Capt. Mckay took exception to a ref
erence in Admiral SIMPSONS report TO
what he called the wandering proclivi-
ties of the transports"
"As a matter of fact, he said, IF the
transports developed any wandering pro-
cliyities this fact was due to the navy"
He then related that a naval vessel had
made the rounds the first night after arr
rival to allow the officer in command 10
notify the transports that a change had