The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-06-22
WHY TROOPS WE'RE NOT HURRIED.
MIR. Plant Talks of the situation at
Tampa.


From the New York Herald
Henry b. Plant. president of the Plant
System, VINO returned recently from Tam
pa. threw some new light yesterday on the
conditions attending the transportation OF
troops at that point. He said those who
have criticised the military authorities for
the delay in transporting troops and sup
plies failed to take into account the many
difficulties encountered.
1T was unfortunate" said Mr. Plant to
me, that many OF the army quartermas-
ters were young and inexperienced in the
shipment of large quantities of supplies
and the transportation of thousands Of
men. They lacked the knowledge of cars
and railroad equipment which would have
fitted them for this work. There was
therefore, considerable confusion upon
their arrival.
Port Tampa has ample warehouse ia
cilities for the ordinary purposes of COM
merces. II was extremely difficult, how
ever at that time to find buildings in
which 70 store The supplies and equipments
Of an army Of 5000 men. Freight cars
stood on the tracks for miles, because the
quartermasters and commissary officers
had engaged no place In which to store
the contents. ! do not say that this was
their fault. It was rather their mlsfor
tune Ii was hard to find anything when
II was wanted. The yexatious delays were
due to the fact that at the terminals Of
the railroads the cars were not promptly
unloaded
another cause which contributed much
to The state of affairs at Tampa was the
indocislon with regard to the embarkation
wa a oyfa ion of xUb a. nd yVb
how the troops should be transported to
Cuba. It was necessary TO wait In order to
make sure that the transports could go
without running the danger of being at
tackled by the warships of the enemy.
at must also be remembered that the
mobilization of the troops was done hur-
riedly, and that the soldiers were rushed
from all points of the country. The Of
| ficers had all they could do 10 bring order
out Of chaos. They had a Herculean task,
in which they were ably aided by railroad
officials
LAS to Port Tampa itself no better
place could have been selected for the em-
barkatlon Of troops. The great problem is
| to get troops to deep water with the least
| possible effort. There Is twenty-one feet
| of water at Port Tampa, which Is ample
! for all the transports which may be EN-
ployed Besides chat, the bay affords an
| anchorage ground where there is thirty
| feet of water AS fast as vessels are load
ed at the piers they may be taken out to
| the anchorage.
| Few ports in the country have better
wharfage facilities than Port Tampa. Two
| piers of earth and stone work jut out into
| the bay 1900 feet They are $50 feet apart
| and between them there Is depth of
water from twenty TO twenty-five feet. The
vessels of large size may be placed fore
| and aft along both sides of the piers On
| the south pier are three parallel railroad
| tracks, from which supplies may be load
| ed TO the vessels alongside The end of the
north pier Is used as a coal DOCK and
| there Is room for the storage OF all the
| coal which might be needed for a feet Of
| transports. There are also two railroad
tracks there. AT the head Of the dock is
"a freight yard which extends back for a
mile
Railway and steamship facilities at
| Port Tampa are all that could be desired
! The town is the terminus of railroads.
which form a veritable network through
| the state of Florida Cars laden with sup
| plies can be sent over many lines. re-
member that at one time there were sew
| enteen troop trains closely following each
| other. There was no delay IN reaching
Port Tampa, for the reason that other
| traffic was sent around by different lines
! of the Plant System.
LAS far as the health OF Port Tampa Is
! concerned, 1t Is unexcelled. More than
| twenty years ago Gen. w. T. Sherman
| called my attenLiOn 10 this section as a
| health resort. He said that before the
| Indian war 1t was the custom to send sick
soldiers there from Key West for treat
| ment The water contains a small GUAM
tity Of iron and is very healthful.
! Commanding officers of the troops sent
| there told me that the health of their men
| was better at Port Tampa than at the
| army posts from which they
| came The physician of the
| United States Marine Hospital
! Service stationed there told me the same
| thing No better place either for the en-
barkation Of the troops or as a point for
| the encampment of large body of men
| could be selected especially as the diff
| culties which first attended the transfers
| of troops and supplies have now been
/ overcome"
| Coffee was introduced into the Philip
i L.. ~. Ia - -