The daily morning journal and courier., 1898-08-31
SAD CONDITIONS AT MONTAUK
SICK SOLDIERS STARVE FOR WANT
 OF PROPER FOOD.
Result of the Investigation of Repre- sentatives of the Merchants Associa- tion of New York-An Effort Will be Made to Fix the Responsibility After the Sick Are Attended To.


 New York, Aug. SO.-The directors of the Merchants association held a special meeting to-day. The meeting was called for the purpose of hearing the report of the assistant secretary, H. c. Mead, and William Corwine, who had charge of the cargo of food sent to Camp Wikoff, Montauk Point, for dis tribution among the suffering soldiers of the regular army. These gentlemen went with the cargo and personally saw to it's distribution and they made a report in detail of what they had done, seen and heard. After hearing the re- port, the directors continued the com mittee in power, authorizing them to make arrangements for another ship ment to the same place not later than Thursday night.
 '"The food, however" said Messrs. Mead and Corwine, in their report. was not enough to last, but it helped a great many, and did a lot of good, but | more is needed. We saw the conditions as they existed there and know what they are. There, are shockingly sick men in the regiment, who are not in the hospitals, who had not, until some | charitably disposed people came to their aid, received anything but army rations. Those rations are good enough for well men in active service, but they are not such as sick men can eat and digest. It is not too much to say that
 these men are literally starving and
 their wants are only relieved to the
 extent of the provisions received
 to the extent of the provisions receiv- ed through charitably disposed per sons. Last Saturday MT. Astor's yacht the Normahal, came into the harbor at
 Montauk, having on board three tons of delicacies, which we induced them to distribute to the regulars. The gum boat Vicksburg also came in with some delicacies contributed by the people of Newport. The Red Cross people are doing herculean work but their hands are full with the sick and in distribut- | ing medicines and medical supplies. l Mrs. Valentine Mott Is, at her own ex- pense, giving sandwiches to the men
 as they come off the transports, and SC
 are other charitably disposed people. Tt was pitiful to see the men grab | the sandwiches and eat them as though 1 they had not tasted food for several | days. More food is needed of the kind we took down and it is needed at once
 Said one surgeon to us, bring us if you will, eggs, eggs, as many eggs as
 you can possibly get hold of, they are l easily handled for the men in camp and are nutritious. Some whiskey
 would be good, that is to be given out | by the surgeons in certain quantities | as the men come from the transports
 and they know just what man ought
 to be able to stand. They want nour-
 ishing soups, such as beef soup, mutton
 soup, broth etc., but not mock turtle One thing they cannot get too much | of is extract of beef. Some people have written us in response to our ap- | peal that the proper thing for us to dc 1 is to place the responsibility where it | belongs in the different departments But that would take a long time and
 does not reiefe the present needs. The
 sick men must be considered and after they are attended to we will then find
 out where the responsibility belongs ''