The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-08-05

are Captain J. B. Goe, Thirteenth Infan
try: Captain William Hughes, Thirteenth
Infantry; Chaplain l. P. Grover, Lieu
tenant M. A Batson. Ninth Cavalry; Liel
tenant ]. H. Pound, Thirty-Inird Michigal
Volunteers; Captain John @. Anderson
Thlrty-tSlird Michigan Volunteers, AM
Lieutenant Willard Case, Thirty-ThirC
Michigan Volunteers.
All are In very bad shape. Chaplain
Groves. who ate too heartily soon after
his arrival at the hotel was taken yerJ
in yesterday afternoon with a recurrence
| Of malariaa fever His temperature ross
rapidly to los degrees, and DR.. Lesser was
telephoned for. DR.. Lesser was not able
| to go to bhe sick mans bedside but sem
one Of the Red Cross nurses instead.
Lieutenant ]. H. Pond. of the Thirty
| third Michigan Volunteers, was an aid
| on General Duffield's staff. He was out
| spoken in condemning General Shafter
! for sending the Concho north without
fresh supplies. He said:
1.-THE captain reported to General Shat
! ter when the order came TO sail, that he
| had been lying in the harbor for amonth
| and suggested that he be allowed to go
| to Kingston, Jamaica, for supplies, add
| ing that the trip would only consume
thirty-six hours and that the results thus
attained would be of incalculable benefit.
He dwelt especially upon the fact that the
water supply was putrid."
The only answer he received to this
petition was q curt reiteradon of the
order to sail Immediately. Even then
he did not give up, but repeated his remon
e ra NO n "a DeVunitt cd
to go TO Jamaica for fresh water. His
request was refused the second time, so
there was nothing 10 do but to obey orders
and go.
Perhaps we would all be lying under
Cuban siol now If General Shafter had
had his way. He didn't want to let any
of the convaIescents go, declaring them
to be immune, and insisting that they
ought TO stay. j was only when one of
the army surgeons went to him and assur
ed him that we would all die if we were
not sent north, that he consented to let
US go, and then, I suppose, ne determined
that we should go quick. Why, Gen. Duff
field, himSelf-he was recovering from the
yellow fever-applied TO Shafter personally
to be sent north. and Shafter wouldn't
listen to him. 1 believe General Dufield
has appealed to Washington.
I WAS told that the order to send the
Concho north came from Shafter direct.
He wouldn't listen to the captains re-
mOnstrances, but issued second prenlp-
tory order that the boat must start with
out delay.
Il had the yellow fever myself. and If
it hadn't been for the Cuban doctors I
would have died. One Cuban doctor is
world. The American physicians couldn't
stand the pressure, but the Cubans know
how TO treat che disease, and to their
efforts and those of the Red Gross many
of the stricken soldiers owe their lives"
Captain John Q. anderson of the Thirty
the officers who returned on the Concho
said:
The conditions on the ship was intol-
cradle and there WAS absolutely no ex-
cuse for them. The blame rests with Gen
eral Shafter or those who delivered his
orders in sending her north under those
conditions.
The Concho had been lying in the s1ar-
Dor of Siboney since June 1, when she
arrived from Tampa. She got her supplies
of water at Tampa, and those supplies
were not IHPleIIlSfleu at SlDODGN. NHen
we were put aboard the water was al
ready putrid utterly unfit for even well
men to drink. The captain explained this
fact to General Skaters subordinates
He begged for permission to go to Jamaica
for fresh food and water before starting
north. The subordinates of General S{iaf-
ter, I believe, communicate ted with the com
mander, but the only answer they re-
ceived was that the ship was TO proceed
to New York at once.
when We got to Hampton Roads, the
Captain telegraphed Washington for help.
He received no answer for more than
twenty-four hours and then got an order
directing him to put out to sea and bury
mis- dead. The dead were lying on the
deck. We went out twenty miles and
dropped three dead men into the sea-
Then we put back to Hampton Roads.
There another man died. We had TO put
out to sea again in order TO bury him. On
tae way back another man died and we
went out and buried him. Finally, after
lying around the Roads for two days
more, we got a little fresh milk and fruit
with premptory orders to get to New York
as fast as we could.
Il do not blame the captain for these
things. They are due to the gross mis-
mana cement of the officials at the front
We officers ara in a quandary as to what
we shall do We can get no satisfaction
from Washington. We are sick and unfit
fro duty. but We have received no leave
to go to our homes. went down to the
army building today and drew two months
pay due me. hoping there might be some
orders for me there, but there were none
I asked Major Romeyn, who has gone to
to inquire about my case
there and wire me the result"
Captain C. S. Young. of the Seventh |
United States infantry: Lieutenant l. W. !
WEIGH. of the Twentieth United States |
infantry, and Lieutenant r. r. StogsdalI. |
Of the Fourth United States infantry,
are stopping a the Murray Hill hotel |
Captain Young, in speaking of the Concho |
affair. said:
1T would not ba prOer for me to criti- |
cize the management of the Concho. OF |
course, the conditions were very bad. |
There was no ice and the water was |
abomible. 1 believe, however, that If the !
Concho had waited to take on supplies /
there would have been more deaths |
Those who died were very weak when |
they were brought on the Concho. l be- |
lieve that the men who participated in the /
battles in and about Santiago should he |
sent North and their places taken by 1
others detailed for that purpose"
Lieutenant r. r. Stoysdall, of the
Fourth infantry, visited the Army build |
ing yesterdays He Is recovering from the
effects Of ysSw fever and is stlu very
weak. WhGh asked about his trip he