Barre evening telegram. (Barre, Vt.) 1898-19??, 1898-11-17
SICKNESS DURING WAR
Conduct of Santiago Campaign From
a Medical Standpoint.
MAJOR LAGARDE'S VIEWS.
Voionei Jacobs Tells the War Boora
the Ambulances Were Left Re.
mind at Tampa on General
Skaters Orders,

49,, vol iioin medical point Of
view. ne spoke first of the yellow fe-
yer hospital at Siboney, which was I'M
oer MS charge in a general way. He
salo mat his time had been so fully oc-
cupieo with other duties that he had
NOT visited the institution daily.
he was satisfied, however. that the
hospital was we'll conducted and that
the supplies on the whole were annie
he did not have the complete records
before him, but he was sure that the
mortality in this hospital did not ex-
ceed per cent. There might how.
ever nave been some suffering in indi-
Vloual cases on account of the INSULT
cheney OF supplies and for want of ex
pert nursing.
DR.. Conner asked whether the contin.
gency of yellow fever could not have
been provided against, asking whether
In his judgment it should not have been
tnoWn by the surgeon general that I'M
DER the circumstances there would be
an outbreak of fever.
He should have known that such
were the probabilities, and everybody
should have known that such were the
chances in sending an army into an in
fected region in the summer season.
Evidently the surgeon general did fore
see what would happen, and his words
on this subject written before the expe-
dition set out and giving warning
against the invasion at the time it was
undertaken read like prophecy"
More Nurses Needed.
The witness added that under these
CfrcIIr1 o a ba 4
why more complete provision should
not have been made for supplying i'm
mune nurses, and he did not know but
that the corps surgeons had asked for
this assistance in advance. He knew
only that they had not been adequately
provided. Apparently, however, the ar
my depended upon the yellow fever ex-
pert to say when yellow fever would
break out. However, 1t must be said
that the yellow fever was very mild,
and 1t came to be dreaded less than ty-
phoid. AS consequence the mortality
among the sick in Cuba was less than
among those left in the United States.
Returning to the care of the hospital
for wounded soldiers, DR.. Lagarde said
that between 1900 and 1,400 wounded
men had been treated by the surgeons
at this institution. There were six op-
Grating tables, and more could have
been used to advantage. There were
times when 40 or so men were waiting
outside for attention. OF the wounded
men, there were about dozen deaths,
or less than per cent. There had new
or been a war when the mortality was
80 small This was due largely to the
use of the modern rife and the prompt
methods of rendering aid on the bat
tlefield ito prevent blood poisoning. He
thought that under the old conditions
the mortality would have been 20 per
cent greater
DR.. Lagarde expressed the opinion
that II the soldiers had been fully equip
ped there would have been less sick
ness among them. and he thought that
much Of the trouble was due to the fact
that the soldiers were compelled to lie
out on tie ground without cover
Shnfter and the Ambulnnces.
Colonel Jacobs, who had charge Of the
TRANSPORTATION facilities at Santiago,
was another witness. He EXPRESSED the
on;n'on that there were not sufficient
number of wagons. He thought there
should have been at least one wagon TO
each troop or company in addition to
those at headquarters. Genera Shaf-
ter's first order had been to take only
80 wagons. When General Miles went
to Tampa, he doubled the number but
even this did not secure a sufficient
number. He knew no reason Tor not
sending more, except that there was no
means of getting them from Tampa TO
Santiago.
General McCock developed quite an
,,,ated ep'soda by asking IL there were
INV REASONS why the cooking utensils
and c,mn eouirage of troops should
MT have been forwarded from Baiquirl
IN +he troors in the field. There was
no reason" Colonel Jacobs rephea' eA-
cept that General Skaters o'aer ior-
babe"
Continuing. he said that the oroer
was most positive. 1t did not specify
what should net be forwarded put ~
was most specific in providing that ohiS
forage and re- tons should be forwaroeo
cenaral Skaters orders to TINS eiiec'
wore written, and the general hao given
h,,, strict verbal instructions to see
tho+ the orders were observed. me
,ood had baen sent to the front COOKED
~ no thought the men should nave
80 some facilities for cooking. The or
dor had never been changed during the
month he RENAME at Balqulrl. :,
Dr Conner asked whether orders iis'o
h.an p;vcn to leave all the hospllal
.c,,inments behind at Tampa, anu ooio-
III Jacobs responded that it was MS
ironresslon such was the case. ne nau
nersonal knowledge that General oAai-
~ nod given such an order concerhihs
the ambulances. d;
"rhen" said DR.. Conner. the meoi,
dsnartment was left in the ar anu
49, o,,artermas ter's department IS re-
sponsible.' donartment
,id ,o+ have been responsible. we
were acting under orders. l WIN ~ ~
that General Shafter tolo me nv NJ
take the ambulances, thouen ~ ~.
recall that there were any uislin.
ders in regard to hospital equip''''"
Test Course For Torpedo no's.
philadelphia, Nov. 17.-upon reoo i,,
r,endation of Captain A. 5. Cro" .,a.n
.,,;a,d chief of the bureau Oh haN,ss
sin, ~ the navy department, cou.I.
~. ,yhich to speed torpedo poa's pua,
49, Atlantic coast has been selec.eu
On the delaware river just oe,o" near ear
oA ,,th of the Christana creeh' nc
Wilmington, Del Many tests Oh f, S
W.. NO looked for in the near lu'u ~, y,
Tn me Mackenzie, just completed tee, az hs the
Hillman shipyard, this city, WIN tn " new
first vessel to be speeded over ,enn .n1 be
course and the test will prooaA'
made in two weeks.
,,.rt to Pardon Rioters