Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1898-12-03
ROUGH RIDERS HAD NO DIFFICULTY
IN EMBARkATION.
DID NOT SEIZE YUCATAN
NO WANDERING PROcLIyrTIEs DIS
PLAYED BY THE TRANSPORTS.
Testimony Before War investigating
Committee Shows No Fraud in
Contracts-RaiIrOad Rates
Owls to Congestion
mt Tampa.

WASHINGTON, Dec. 1.-The war investi.
eating commission resumed its sittings In
this city to-day.
Captain James Mckay. a civilian and an
old sea captain in Florida and Cuban
waters, who, under General Humphrey, had
charge of the details of the transportation
or the troops to Santiago, proved an i'm.
portant witness. He said that complete
rations had been put on each ship and that
the vessels had not been overloaded. This
was contrary to previous testimony as was
also a later statement that the vessel which
each was to occupy had been des-
lgnated before embarking. He emphasized
TINS fact, aging the designation had been
made by General Shafter and the colonel
or each Of the regiments was evidently in
formed in each case. He said there was 10
confusion when the troops went aboard.
Il say emphatically there was no disorder
and no confusion" he said. land tha in
all cases the regiments found. their quar-
ters without trouble or delay"
How about the rough riders, the Roose-
welt regiment" asked Governor Beaver.
They were assigned TO the Yucatan. and
there was no difficulty in their embarka-
tom
1t has been reported TO u.s." continued
Governor Beaver. that they seized the
vessel. Was that true?'
N'' II WAS mol true, the Witness replied,
The Yucatan was placed in the canal and
the rough riders walked in and took their
places on the vessel according TO directions.
They did not seize the vessel because there
was no necessity that they do so.r
Captain Mckay also said there had been
no confusion in loading the stores. He testi-
ned that they had been loaded in an order
ly manner There was a list showing what
articles were in each vessel, and there had
been no mixing of the various kinds Of
stores. 1t was true, as had been charged.
that some OF the stores had never been un-
loaded, but this was due in the main to the
fact that the stores were not needed. The
tents were not unloaded for lack of storage
room on shore and because they could not
be gotten to the front.
Captain Mckay said there had been no
disposition on the part of the masters of
the transports to disobey orders or TO keep
their vessels unnecessarily far out at sea
as had been charged. There were a great
many men giving orders who had no au-
thority TO do so and who knew nothing of
the sea or the local conditions.
1t was not safe to hold sthe ships close
10 the shore. He also denied that there had
been a refusal TO land medical. stores. 1t
had been impossible to secure labor as
sistance in Cuba, the natives refusing even
TO assist in landing food for themselves.
He was satisfied that ample facilities had
been provided for handing the troops and
supplies and that there would have been
no difficulty. if all the lighters had been
available; AS II was. four lighters had
reached DaiGuiri and not one only, as had
been reported.
Captain Mckay took exception to n ref
erence in Admiral SIMPSONS report to
what he called the wandering proclivlties
OF. the transports" las Il matter of fact"
he said; IF the transports developed any
wandering proclivities this fact was due
to the navy"
He then related that a naval vessel had
made the rounds the first night after ar
rival TO allow the officer in command to
notify the transports that q change had
been made in the directions for landing.
lie thought Captain bunker had given
they were to pursue a south-southeast
course; He said nothing as to how long
they should steer in that direction. This
course pursued indefinitely would carry
them six points off the coast. This order
led the transport officers generally to con-
clude that they were to sail TO Porto Rico,
and as a matter of fact the Knickerbocker
did sail thirty-fve miles and get lost for
twelve hours on account of the order. only
coming back when he found that none of
the fleet was with him.
Colonel Crosby T. Miller, OF the quarter
master generals Office. having charge of all
the army transportation except that by
rail and by water, followed Colonel Bird,
He said that over 1900 wagons had been
purchased for the use Of the army. and 1t
the war to secure any without some delay.
As a matter OF fact, all the orders had
not been filled yet. Even greater difficulty
had been experienced in getting ambu-
lances. Colonel Miller said there had been
occasional delays in the performance of his
duties in. getting decisions from the quar-
terfnaster general. but there had been no
attempt TO change contracts. So far as he
knew. there has never been any private
influence in operation to control contracts
in the interest of individuals.
Colonel Charles Bird took the stand. He
was on duty during the war in the quarter
master generals office. having charge of
The ira nSnOrtHtiOn division. He had nhDrpa
in the beginning of the war of the pur.
chase of mules and he believed the prices
paid to have been reasonable, the average
price for leaders bing 500 and for wheel
ers Sl20. He said tina: contracts for rail-
road transportation were made in Chicago.
81. Paul and other centers before the be-
prices secured were lower than ordinarily
given to individuals. hut IL had been found