The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-07-29
+ oster, Avery e Co.,
SIG CONGRESS STREET, PORTLAND.

matter of the charge against the Relief
that it did not furnish supplies to the
Seneca, Gen. Sternberg said that this was
not So Major Torney, com manding the
Relief, said that he sent the Seneca all
that was asked for. He also mentioned
that the Seneca accidentally fouled his
ship, and drove her out of her anchorage.
About noon the Surgeon General went to
the Relief with Major Torney and gave
orders that the hospital ship go to Belle
yue Hospital and transfer half the pa
tients there.
Later he went to Montauk Point to in
spect the place and returned in time to
take late train back to Washington.
Health Officer Doty had p talk with Gen.
Sternberg yesterday about the quarantine
regulations and the SurgeOn-Genersl
agreed that troopships and hospital ships
should be subject to the quarantine regu-
lations and disinfected If it was deemed
necessary.
Gen. Sternberg's open opposition to the
| Red Cross nurses at the front on the
ground that it was no place for them and
thai. they could do no good In field hospi'
tails caused very little surprise among the
Red Cross off cials yesterday. They said
that bis remarks had no reference to the
governments acceptance of nurses for the
Government hospitals, but applied to
the presence of women in the immediate
rear of the invading army.
At a recent conference with mem bers
of the Red Cross Society in this city the
General agreed to take some nurses for
such hospitals as Fort Monroe and Chick
amauga, and Red Cross nurses are already
at work in these places At the same coil-
ference Gen. Sternberg strongly advised
that no more Red Cross nurses be sent to
Cuba, but his reason for this, he said,
was the danger of their catching yellow
fever. He agreed, however, to accept any
immune nurses that could be secured for
the work at Santiago,
The Red Cross officials, when they
heard of Gen. Sternberg's statement yes
terday, were of the opin Ten that ne had
done them somewhat of an injustice in
his assertions that Red Cross work on the
battlefield was of no value. Miss janet
Jennings said last night that Gen Ster n
berg had been prejudiced for a long 6lme
against women nurses. She ADDED:
"Just before starting for Tampa on the
way to Cuba I visited Gen. Sternberg
twice in Washington. On both occasions
he told me that In the present war there
was absolutely no need Of women nurses
at the front and that it was no place for
them. When I poi nted out to him the in
valuable services that the women nurses
had rendered on the battlefields of the
civil war, he said, the army was without
any regularly organized hospita! corps
and had to accept the services OF every.
body. At the outbreak of this war, he
said, the army bad splendidly equipped
hospital service ready for work on the
field and adequate for any emergency.
This hospital corps was organized ten
years ago. and it is undoubtedly true thag
what there is of it is OF high grade OF
efficiency.
"When I reached Tampa 1 went
through some of the camps there and
was shown by army surgeons the prenara-
tions the hospital corps was making.
They showed me boxes in which in the
matter of appliances for the siok and
wounded there was absolutely nothing
lacking. All Of the men, just as Gen.
Sternberg had told me, We're able 10 give
and were somewhat instructed in medi-
cine and surgery. 1t WAS the firm belief
| of all the surgeons that they would bn
able to COPE with any situation. The re-
suit, both in their opinion and my
opinion, was quite different. When the
first days fighting began Mr; george
Kennan, who was with the Red Cross
party and is yice-president of the society,
went up in the rear of the firing lines to
investigate the work of the hospital corps
with view of offering any aSslsCancs
Gbat might be in our power. Iie repoi 'oa
to US that from careful investigation ne
learned that working in the rear Oh cue
soldiers there were only i've ooctors anu
| twenty assistants. The wounded ana
sick in the first twenty-four hours nSht-,
ing he estimated at 600, and they Were an
supposed to have their wounds ATTENDED
to by the hospital corps just in the rear
Of tho firing lines before going BACK TO
| the hospital at Siboney.
The whole Red Cross party know as
well as The surgeons who were down there
| that many of the wounded died on the
neld simply because they had no one 10
attend to them and were not reached in
time. The surgeons and assistants
worked like heroes, bur to say that the
| hospital corps was found equal to the