Evening star., 1898-11-18
DR.. Corners Conclusion Regarding
Failure of Medical Department.
DR.. GREENLEAF ON THE STAND
Tells of Unloading Medical Stores
When at Siboney
SOME PERTINENT TESTIMONY

| NEW YORK. November 1S-The war in
vestigation commission met here today
| All the members were present except Col.
DENLY. who remained in Washington with
Major Mills and Mr.. Waightmaa
DR.. Charles r. Greenleaf chief surgeon
of the troops in the field on Gen Miles
| staff was the first witness called.
In response to questions by nr. Phineas
S. Conner to the fitness of Camp Alger
as camping place for troops. he sail that
| In some respects il was a good camp for a
| small body of men. but there were many
drawbacks. The water supply was poor
| and the region was known 10 be highly
| malaricus
| There was a deficiency of privates in the
hospital corps and OF medical officers. and
at times of medical supplies. The best in
| terests of the sick DR. Greenleaf said were
| rot seriously imperiled, but the efforts of
| the physicians were generally embaiTass-
| ed.
| Why Medicines Were Not UnIoaded.
Taking up the question of the lack Of
tents, surgeons and medical supplies in
! Cuba, DIR. Conner asked DIR. Greenleat how
the medical supplies were delayed at ST.
| honey
DR.. Greenleaf said he did not know.
Who finally unloaded these supplies"
| asked DR.. Conner
| Il did. l captured some pontoons and
| took the law into my own hands"
You unloaded, in thirty-six hours sup
plies that had been lying in the haroor two
weeks. Why did not DR.. Pope, chief sur
| geon of Gen. Skaters corps, iani th5 nj
| within those two weeks?"
| Il suppose he was at the front attending
| to the wounded"
Did DIR. Pope take care of one wounded
| MANI"
Il cannot say" replied Or. Gr,euleaf. Il
! am sure that DIR. Pope did the best he
| could. L had full authority from Gen
Miles to do what L thought best
| In reply % a question, DR.. Greenleaf sail
| he supposed DIR. Pope had authority from
| General Shafter sufficient TO enable him TO
unload the supplies at Siboney, as he MIR.
| GreenleaD had done.
Somebody at Fault.
| There is no doubt" said DR.. Conner,
that somebody was dresdfully at fault.
Can't you help US TO find out who it was
| DR.. Greenleaf said he could not.
| In reply to another question, DR.. Green
| leaf said that it was usual in time of war
| to anticipate the wants of wounded men
| and to expect that there would be wounded.
He could not tell If all proper arrange
| ments had been made in Cuba, but he
knew that the stores had not been landed.
| He declared positively that he found no
evidence OF any neglect or lncompetency
| on the part Of any medical officer.
Questioned to the condition of affairs
on TIE transports, Dr. Greenleaf said he
cid not personally inspect the transports
at Cuba, but those leaving Porto Rico un-
der his personal direction well
equipped in all Resets.
Camp Montauk DIR. Greenleaf considered
an ideal camp for its purpose. Lack of
train service he considered petty discom-
fort. No complaints of any momen; were
submitted TO HIM, and the small grumhings
he heard he investigated and found with
out Justification. Questioned as TO the dis
comforts endured by the furloughed men.
Who, sick ari weak, were compelled TO loi-
ter away fares ard furloughs about the
railway station, he said that all that
trouble might have been avoided by the
establishment of a quartermaster' office
at the hospital
Regarding Women Nurses.
Dr. Conner asked why the large force OF
women nurses who had offered their serv'
ices were not accepted, and DR.. Greenleaf
said there was no way to care for them al
the camp.
DR.. Greenleaf. still replying to questions,
told of the methods of granting furloughs
from the hospitals at Camp Montauk and
of the influence brought to bear upon the
surgeons to grant these furloughs. He said
if man to whom leave was granted died
at his home the surgeons were blamed for
letting him leave hospitals; and where leave
was refused, if the man died there, his
friends declared that home nursing would
have cured him.
Gen Beaver asked Dr. Greeuleaf if sick
men were taken to the battle line, and
when the doctor said no, Gen. Beaver
asked why much stress was laid on the
fact that medical supplies Were taken
to the front unless it was usual 10 send
medicine to the men, and not men to the
medicine
DIR. Greenleaf said that supplies should
have been at the battle line for the men
taken sick there
TO questions from Captain Howell, ex-
Governor Woodbury. and General Wilson,
DR.. Gfeenleaf said that he would not have
selected Camp Alger 2s a camping place for
soldiers, and that in his opinion Camp Mi
ami. in Florida was fitted only for quar-
antine hospital and should not have been
used a camp for 1O,vO0 men awaiting
transportation to Cuba
Ex-Governor Woodbury-"Is 1t proper to
criticise the department for not having en-
pfoyed female nurses sooner than il did""
DR. Greenleaf-"I think not. Gen. Stern
berg. and [ agree with him. did not teiieve
that the firing line was The place for
woman. In the hospital the women nafses
rendered excellent service, but at the front
there was 40 rlace for them"
Transports Overcrowded.
Gen. Dodge asked of the condition Of tho
transports leaving Tampa for Cuba, and
DIR. Greeaieaf said they we're dreadfully
overcrowdef. He could not say that the
oYercrowding not military necessity,
but he was certain it was wrong from
ST Gnitary point of view This concluded the
examination of DR.. GIeenleaf
David J. Goss. a private of the list ReEi-
ment, who was cook for mis- company at
Camp Black, told OF the supplies issued to
the troops. He said they were good and
ample, He went to Siboney from Tampa
on the Nigilancia, transport No %, and
found the conditions aboard pleasant The
ship was very comfortable he said but the
ventilation might have been better.
In reply TO questions by Gen. Beaver.
Goss told of the disembarking at Siboney
and the march to camp. He said some Of
the marching men threw away their haver-
sacks with their rations ard then shared
other mems supplies until the next days
rations were issued. Goss could not tell OF
the experience of the regiment a; the front
because he had been left in the rear to help
care for some sick men. He had a short al
tack of yellow fever in Santiago and later
on the ST. Louis, returning to the United
States, was taken sick again.
He spoke highly Of the attenf-n paid TO
him by the surgeons at The Camp Montauk
hospital. The nurse, Miss Graves, foid
him his trouble was starvation. but lherf