The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1898-10-21
THE INQUIRY BOARD.
DR.. Louis Seaman Tells About
Service in Porto Rico.
A LACK OF SUITABLE SUPPLIES.
The Sick Allowed Only tho Army Ration
and an Appeal Had to He Made to tho
Red Cross and National Aid So
oisties for Proper supplies.

req gross ana national Ala 30
oieties for Proper supplies.
Washington. Oct l5.-Dr. Louis L.
Seaman, major and surgeon OF the
volunteer engineers, was before the
war investigation commission yester-
day. He saw service in Porto Rico and
had been quoted as making serious
charges against the manner OF con-
Quoting the war. He asked that he be
permitted to have in the room as
friend Il. +. Ayreault, an attorney of
New York. The request being granted,
he said he would affirm rather than be
sworn. He said he had never seen any
military service before the beginning
of the present war, but he had studied
at Princeton and afterward in London,
Berlin and Paris. After joining the
service and before going to Porto Rico
he was stationed with his regiment at
Camp Townsend. There his requisi-
tions were promptly filed and no regi-
ment went to the front better pre-
| pared to cope with disease or casualty.
| The command sailed south on the
Chester, and there was no serious
sickness going out He had left Porto
Rico on September 30; the regiment
had enjoyed better health in Porto
Rico than had been anticipated, and
there were only two deaths in the
command during the time they were
there.
A regimental hospital was estab-
lished and there was never at any time
deficiency in medical supplies. The
same was also true of the tentage and
the ambulance supplies furnished by
the quartermaster's department. TIL,
commissary department had also fur
nished army rations, but he com
planned of them as being unsuitable
for an army in the tropics and also
that the men at first had been refused
the privilege of committing their ra-
tions. He said the sick were fed only
with the army ration. lie failed to
secure any change of diet for his pa
tients, Notwithstanding he made fire.
quent demands upon the quarter
master of the regiment and upon the
surgeon of the corps lie was told
that it would be of no use to make a
formal requisition in writing. How
ever, the men in the hospitals did not
suffer because the Red Cross society
furnished the desired assistance.
DIR. Seaman said that he had been in
charge Of 200 convalescents on the OBJ
dam returning from Ponce. The ship
was supplied with army travel rations,
WHICH, while plentiful and good of the
kind, were not suitable to invalids and
on appeal to the Red Cross and Nation
al Aid societies he was supplied by
them with what he desired. As a con-
sequence all the patients except one
gained weight and strength during
the voyage. He made no formal re-
QUESTION to the government authori-
ties for different rations because he
was told he could get only the regular
rations and because of the willingness
of the Red Cross to furnish what he
considered better food. This state
ment he reiterated in response to sew
erai questions why he had not secured
other rations.
Returning to his stay in Porto Rico,
DIR. Seaman said there had been uni
versal complaint at the hospitals of "A
deficiency of suitable supply. He had
been told repeatedly that the 60-cent-
a-day ration for the sick could not be
furnished in Porto Rico. 1t was not
even furnished to the general military
hospital While he was in Porto Rico
the hospitals were overcrowded, the
beds being within six inches of each
other. When he left there were be-
tween 5000 and 1000 sick out of an
army of 10000.
DR. Seaman grew somewhat irasci-
BILE under Dr. Connor's questioning,
and finally refused to answer. THE
questions put to me are of a character
calculated TO place me in the false POI
sition of accusing the medical depart
ment of the army of maladministra-
ton. Such is not the case. regard
the conduct of this department by DIR.
Stern berg as above reproach, and
whatever fault there was was in
another department"
Gen. Beaver then asked as to the con
duct of the quartermasters serving
with him or in his icinity. DIR. Sea
man declined to answer, saying that
he understood he was expected To APP,
pear before the war department after
getting through with this Soard
"and," he said, "l do not want TO criti
else my superior officers while | wear
the shoulder straps of an army officer
|
More Troops on Tor MANILA.
San Francisco, Oct. 1s.-Eight hun
dred troops from Camp Merriam
marched through the streets yesterday
to embark on the steamer Senator fol
Manila. They comprised the ThirC
battalion of the Twenty-third United
States infantry, recruits for the SeconC
Oregon and battery d. of the California
heavy artillery.
Big Increase ia shipping.
Washington, Oct Incomplete re
| N,,,.