Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1898-11-18
WAR DEPARTMENT. INQUIRY.

before Cne war lnVcSUlSatlOn cOMHlS'
sion yesterday. General Breckin.
ridges testimony dealtwith conditions
ut Camp Thomas, of which he was for
time in command. and he took coca.
sion to say that but for the change
made previous to the war requiring
inspector generals in the field to re-
port to the adjutant general instead
OF to the inspector general, the condi.
t ion of the camp now being developed
by thercommission would have been
developed three months ago. DR..
Hmdekoper, chief medical officer at
Camp Thomas for time. AID sub.
sequently in Porto Rico with
General Brooke, testified that
there were plenty Of supplies
early in the campaign, but there was
A,on a shortage. and he was com.
PEELED to appeal to Gen. Brooke to get
the supplies necessary. He succeeded
ia getting the supplies necessary only
by being the first on hand, as the med
ical depot was run in Il very parsimon-
lous manner. There was not ouly a
great scarcity Of important drugs, such
as Quinine and opium, huta disposition
on the part Of the purveyor to not give
out what there was. He made con.
slant representations to the surgeon
general rs to the shortage Of supplies.
There was never enough nurses. Some
sinks in the camp were excessively
filthy. The regimental officers were
responsible for this condition.
WAsHlNGroN. Nov. 1G.--Generai
breckenridge, before the investigating
committee, testified that the supposed
cooperation between the army and
navy ut Tampa did not prove as effect
i've as expected. lie said the campaign
would have been conducted more salts.
factorily had Gen. Miles been in com
mand. He continued: II think he
has more of spark and genius Of com
mand than any other man in the army
and l am sure if he had had charge he
would have been in the front rank.
10 the suggestion from Governo,
Woodbury. that victory was won with
in eight days of landing, Breckinridgt
said it was won when General Toral's
nerve gave out" While he considered
the result marvclously commendable
he did not feel that General Shaftel
was above criticism in his conduct o
the campaign. lie ascribed the result
to the fact that the army was one
capable of meeting all calls. ''Ne
matter how it was tangled up, it wen
to victory" and he said he had never
known a war without criticism at it:
close. Drs. Magruder and Weaver ties
titled to unsatisfactory conditions a
Camp Thomas. DR.. degrade, a regu
lar army surgeon, said the transport:
taking troops to Cuba were over
crowded and the air was very fetlt
and hot. On his steamer thirtee1
cases Of fever had developed going
over. Laid the responsibility for til,
shortage Of supplies at Santiago OF
the fact that suchsaa battle as wa.
fought was not Anticipated.
yAsnINaToN, Nov. IL Col. Jacobs
who had charge of transportation
facilities at Santiago, said cooking
utensils were left at Daiduiri and tn,
ambulance at Tampa by order o
Shafter Captain Patton, assistan
quartermaster at Camp Wickoff, sait
there had been great injustice in thu
criticisms of newspapers. Captain
Ireland a surgeon at the Siboney hos
pitnl, said the hospital had been suf
ticiently we'll supplied for 200 patients
excepting cots, of which there were bu
fifty. About 1900 wounded mer
came to the hospital for treatmen
within three Or four days after it,
institution. DR.. Munson said tn,
medical department was thrown upor
its own resources at Santiago, The
quartermaster's department failing K
render it any aid. Supplies were lack
ing because they could not be go
ashore. Colonel Forwood, chief medi
cal officer at Montauk Point, sale
there were enough tents for the sick
and there was never 4 moment wher
they did not have extra tents to set up
WASHINGTON, Nov. 1s.-Dr Forwoot
declared that from the beginning tt
the end of the history of the genera
hospital at Camp Wil<off there wa.
never a time when there were no
from fifty to 500 vacant beds. During
the last thirty days of the camp
existence 5000 patients were treated
There had been Il wasteful abundance
of medical supplies at all times. III
said the water was pure. The kitchens
were in expert hands. The fault wa
with the newspapers, who had ordered
their reporters to "roast'' everything
Major General Young declared that ht
had received no aid from the Cuban!
at Santiago. He said commlssary sup
plies were abundant and food enough
had been permitted to spoil to feee
1900 men daily. He was satisfied tina
most of the complaints against CAM
Willoff were unfounded. The soldiers
had played it, on the visitors, max
ing complaints that were withou
foundation in order to get delicacies
''soldiers like to be made babies of,
he said, land some of them soon go
so they would not eat their regular
rations.'
New British Warship Launched.
PORTSMOUTH, Eng. Nov. 1S.-Thous
ands witnessed the launch of the ran
bnttleship Formidable here. She i!
said to be the largest warship in the
,yor11 beipU Of X 600 tons liSDlace