Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1898-10-21
WAR DEPARTMENT INQUIRY.

ana ne depended on the Reu cross ana
National Aid societies for the food nee.
essary for the patients. lie would not
criticise the medical department Of the
army. Whatever fuult existed was in
other departments lie declined to
answer questions put by Commissioners
Conner and Brown, saying that after
appearing before the commission he
was expected to appear before the war
department., ana he would not criticize
his superior officers while he wore the
shoulder straps. Lieutenant Hill, an
officer Of the warship Iowa. said the
army would have been unable to land,
ut Santiago. and cna bic to subsist after
landing without the aid of the navy.
because it failed to provide itself with
lighters.
JACKSONVILLE. Fla, Oct. 1S.-Thc
war investigating commission spent
yesterday afternoon in making tho.-
ough inspection of the camps in the
immediate vicinity of Jacksonville
But one complaint was recorded, that
Il,
| objected to the climate.
JACKSONVILLE, Oct. lo.--Colonel
Maus, chief surgeon of the Seventh
corps, testified before the Investigate
ing commission that when the order
came to establish division hospitals
| there had been some delay in getting
supplies. Afterwards acquisitions
were promptly filled. he had never
seen such utter disregard of expense
in caring for sick soldiers The vol
| unteer soldiers We're not 50 efficient as
they should have been. Poor meat
had been issued in Il few eases. He
thought Miami and Tampa unsuted
| for large camps. Col. Wood, chief
commissary at Camp Cuba Librc, said
there had never been any lack of sup
plies. At first there had been
bad bacon and bad bread. but
1t had never been issued.
Captain Baker, chief ouartermaster,
said that at first all kinds of stores were
short. due to the necessity of cquipping
so large an army in SO brief Il time
The first camp selected was low, but
the men were moved when the rainy
season began. Col. Guild, inspector
general, said that ut the beginning
there was a lack OF supplies at the hos
pitfalls, but the department had been
supplied by the Red Cross
JACKSONVILLE. Oct. 2O.-Scvcn wit
nesSrs were examined yesterday
None of these witnesses had any fault
to find except DR.. Frye. ma jor and ex-
rcutive officer of the Third division
hospital. DR.. Frye spoke in a very
nncompimentary term of the men
engaged in the hospital corps, saying
they had been picked up at random
over the country and were generally
Il scabby looking lot" not fit to adorn
any walk of life. Tie spoke deprecat-
ingly Of the contract surgeons, saying
that he would not lie willing to trust
his family or his friends to so per cent
of them. There was, he said, no
proper opportunity for consultation
| with superior officers, as the latter
were, rs rule, so occupied with their
administrative duties rs to prevent
their giving closer attention to pro-
fes sional matters, unless specially
called upon. Col. Bows, of the Forty
ninth Iowa, said there had been no
deficiency in the comnissary supplies.
JACKSONVILLE. Fla. Oct. 2l.-Gen-
eral J. Wilson and Captain Howell,
constituting the subcommittee APP
pointed to visit and report upon the
conditions of the camp at Fcrnandina.
made their report to the full committee
yesterday. The subcommittee reports
that IN its opinion the camp was well
selected and that probably the site
was equal in all respects to any other
that could have been found on the
Florida coast. Miss Copeland, chief
nurse of the Third division hospital,
said that when the nurses first came
to camp there was only one nurse to
each forty or sixty patients, but this
condition has been steadily improved.
Major Pitcher, surgeon Of the Seventh
army corps. said the medical staff was
efficient. but without administrative
ability. Col. Bryan was excused from
testifying. DR.. Kent, of the Red
Cross, said that before the female
nurses were secured the nurses, who
were men of the hospital corps, were
not capa bic. They did not scene to
regard it of consequences if flies
crawlcd in and ont of sick mans
mouth, and he had seen rs many as
six cases of this kind at one time.
Since trained nurses arrived the men
were better cared for than at home.
Physicians failed to make reqnisition
on government for supplies for
fear that their demands would
not be sanctioned. The con-
tributions of his society were gen
orally solicited. and not VOLUNTEERED by
him. Col. Vifquain said the clothing
was bad. although better than that in
the civil war; but the rations were not
US good us then. A dozen others were
examined, all expressing themselves as
satisfied, except that occasionally the
fresh meat was tainted. The COM
mission left last night for Atlanta.
Troops En- Route for Manila.
SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 15.-The steam
sr Senator sailed for Manila. with 500
soldiers on board. All of the steam
whistles on the water front saluted the