The times., 1898-11-06
COL. GIBsoN's STORY.
How Relief Work Was Hindered II
CrrI.

How Relief Work Was Hfndereu In
Cuba.
Col. Charles H. Gibson, the representa-
tive of the National Keller Commission,
has gone to Philadelphia, where he has
talked to reporter for the Ledger about
his work at Santiago.
$50 far as my work for the National
Commission is concerned he said, II
was hindered rather than helped by the
officers there Gen. Shafter was Indif-
ferent, and the only help given me at the
time of my arrival was the detailing of
a hospital steward. That was done by
Gen. Wheeler. / carried with me creden-
tials from the War Department, be-
speaking for me whatever assistance lay
in the power of the officers to give. These
| were given to me because of the nature
of the work l was to do. I simply got no
assistance. except that given me by Gen.
Wheeler in detailing Hospital Steward
Roby, who, by the way, was extremely
helpful to me.
Gen. Shafter indicated the greatest in
difference as to whether our supplies
reached the soldiers. He was asked by
| one of the doctors where certain sup
| plies, medical stores, hospital cots, soups.
| and other articles badly needed by the
men in hospital could be left. l was in
| formed by the doctor that Gen. Shafter's s
| reply was: 4 don't care where you leave
| them. / don't care If you drop them In
! the bay.
Notwithstanding the indifference dis
played. 1 was told in the presence of Dr.
| Banister. the surgeon, that / had saved
more lives than Shafter had lost. l have
! letters showing the appreciation of the
surgeons, and one of them speaks of the
| difficulties that were thrown in the way
of the work.
.'The ice plant which was given by in
dividuals through the commission had not
been put up at the time / left, October
s. / am told that since | lert Gen. Law
ton has had II put up. But nothing was
done about 1t while Shafter was there.
though there was no question OF the need
of it. The supplies / carried there were
absolutely needed. yet practically nothing
was done to assist me in distributing
them. The Government should have sent
everything. but 1t didn't. and the officers
there did not aid in distributing what the
commission sent.
lone or two incidents will give an indi-
cation of how the Government supplies
were handled. The Saratoga took down q
lot of potatoes which were sadly needed
They We're landed and then were allowed
to rot. in spite of the need. They were
absolutely ruined. The Berkshire laid In
the bay with tons OF commissary stuff for
weeks before it was landed. Why couldn't
IL be landed? You must ask the power:
there
THE great trouble at Santiago was in
competence among the officers. Tn
! staff of an army is, of course, a YER,
. l inn MT of uhn ln0l
after the material for an army. who at
tend to the matters of transportation an
food should be experienced men, and no
men taken from civil life. The duty o
attending TO the feeding of an arm.
} should not be given into inexperieneet
, hands. A great many of these fellow
cared more for their own comfort tfal
they cared for the men, Then there wer
l boys who went down there to get han
: die to their names. somebody's sons an
nephews, utterly incompetent. The wors
{ officers were the civilian appointees.
Z was a very costly experiment to appoin
. | them. for it cost many lives. There
/ no excuse for making appointments Q
the kind. It is nothing less than crimine
on the part of senators and representa-
E t!ves. who had the appointments made.
I Col Gibson speaks of the difiicultie
2 | which were in the way of getting hi
a supplies to the men needing them. Their
D | was stealing, both by Cubans and b
e soldiers of one of the regiments. Som
: of the supplies turned over to brigad
: medical officers did not get to the me
they were intended for, Col Gibso
states. and he was finally obliged to de
liver the supplies himself direct to tn
surgeons they were intended for. Oh
ficers came to him repeatedly. begin
for whisky that was intended for tn
| sick in hospital.