Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-08-31
General Wheeler's Effort to Save the
Men at Montauk.
PIfEOUS STORIES OF THEIR HARDSHIPO
Insanity From Starvation and Deaths
From Neglect.
THE HORRORS OF WAR

@''-Eeherai Joseph Wheeler has set out TO
cut more OF the red tape that has been re-
spons1ble fo- the misery in Camp wikoff
he began today by calling down the sur
seehs VINO have been letting men die be-
cause they would not or could not get medi-
cihes. 1t was reported to General Wheeler
that there was a scarcity of medicines in
camp me report came from DR.. Wood
OF General Ames division hospital Cen
eral Wheeler rushed up to the general hos
pltal and had a talk with Colonel Forwood,
who is in charge of the medical DEPART
ment.
How about this?" he said, sharply. eff
you have no medicines here it is your own
fault These doctors say they can't ge.
medicines"
There's plenty Of medicines here" re-
piled Colonel Forwood. but the doctors
won't send for them"
We'll see about this right now" said
the general, and he summoned all the di-
vision surgeons to the general hospital.
Ihey all said they were getting medicines
in better shape now.
We'll, Colonel Forwood has plenty of
medicines" said General Wheeler, "and
don't want any surgeon to say tomorrow he
is without proper supply
He summoned all the surgeons together
again this forenoon DIR. Wood was the
only man who said he had been unable to
get medicines. He had made acquisitions
on Colonel F'orwood but the medicines did
not come.
How about that Forwood?" asked the
general sharply.
The requisition was all right, sir, but
Dr. Wood would not send any horse to
take the medicines away" Dr. Wood ad-
mitted this. but said he had only one horse,
and needed three to carry the medicines.
See here" said General Wheeler, IF you
don't know enough to send your one horse
three times for the medicine, then you
have business here - The general
ed to his feet and pounded the table with
his fist.
This nonsense has got to stop. There
are supplies enough of all kinds right here
in camp, and il the soldiers don't get them
it's your fault. Men are dying for lack of
medicine. because of your petty ways of
doing things. If it is not stopped at once.
L shall hold you personally responsible for
every death that occurs from lack of care.
/ will eccept excuses about lack of medi
cines from no one
Worse Than at Siboney.
The Rev. J. H. Sage, chaplain of the 33d
Michigan. says that the conditions he found
existing in the detention hospital here dis
count that infamous hospital back of Sibo-
ney. He says
1T Is shamefully worse than at Siboney
I found typhoid patients there simply well
tering in their own filth. There is a shame
full lack of nurses. When l came in with
my men on the Catania l wanted to send
detail of the well men to look after the
sick. This was refused 1 went to one of
the men in charge and said: This thing
must stop. There Is God in heaven
President Mckinley is in the White House,
ard Secretary Alger will be appealed to If
l don't get my men looked after better.
Alger is interested personally in this regi-
ment, and he will not see the men abused
That day / got my detail sent to assist at
the hospital
Grave Charge.
Grave charges are made against certain
officers in the hospital at Montauk by a
gentleman who visited the camp on Sun
Gay. In a lester to the Journal ne says:
Il have sean such sights today as l never
saw before, and doubt if any one else ever
did; men, sick into death, stretching out
their poor, bony arms to attract attention.
One poor fellow a member of the 9Th Ohio,
gave me scrap OF paper with the address
o. a friend in New York upon 1t, which it
had taken him four hours to scribbie, and
said. weakly:
For Gods sake, young man, write to
them and tell them to come and get me.
Tell them not to send me anything. l
went get it. for the officers take all those
things. But tell them to come and take me
away from here. / don't mind dying, but
1T is hard to die like this
Beside the poor fellow there sat a small
tin cup filled with hon1ny. / could see live
maggots in it. This was the food given to
q sick soldier of the ration. l saw a cap
tain of the regular army, with an orderly
beside him-I had no way CT learning his
name-break open a box which was ad-
dressed to one of the Michigan men In the
hospital and, after tasting the rich grapes
and wine which topped off the little bundle
OF delicacies, tell the orderly to take the
box to the officers quarters.
There are fifteen men who will make
affidavit to :imiiar offenses.
The men of the Signal Corps are slowly
starving to death. They have no meat
1O hJ1t rod hoy ,ivltv
water meant for coffee. All this three times
each day, and they are forced to dig refuse
wells and sinks and to clean horses"
Spoiled Supplies Sent.
From the New York Herald.
A lot of supplies was being loaded on
board freight cars In Long Island City yes
terday for Camp Wikoff. A large part Of
the goods was spoiled. According to men
who worked on the loading of ,923 bags of
oats from lighters to cars at the foot of
Sd street, the oats were useless and not
worth the lost Of handling them. They
were moldy and musty and smelled so bad
that no horse would eat them. They ap-
peared to have been wet al some time, and
some of them were wet yesterday when
they were reloaded into the cars.
AT the same pier $50 large cans of beef
were being loaded into the cars. Some of
these had been burst open by rough han
ding and rough usage and the meat in the
loaded in with the rest. Tho stencil from
the spoiled cans made the longshoremen
sick. The oats, and also the meat, it Is
said, had been to Cuba on the Vigilancia,
were unused and brought back.
Lighters in Newton creek were yesterday
unloading hay into freight cars. The hay,
like the oats, vas ruined. 1t was musty
and mildewed, and some of 1t which had
been soaked continually was decayed. This
hay had also been sent out on one of the
troop ships and brought back. The hay |
was covered with filth. Apparently the
men on the ship had used the hay stored in
the hold a sink. Oats, beef and hay,
bad as they are, will go to Montauk.
More Horrors of War.
From the Philadelphia Press. |
NEW YORK, August 29.-The return of |
the list Regiment brought the war, the |
hardships of the soldiers and the incom-
potency of either system or of some per- |
sons In authority controlled by system,
home to the people of this city as no de-
scriptior, nor the occasional appearance of
Weak-limbed and pasty- complexioned SOL
diers upon the streets has been able to do |
Its experiences while on the way from
Camp Black to the Pennsylvania railroad |
station gave a hint OF what was to come
Through some msmanagement ii was |
stalled in Jersey City for thirty-six hours.
without any rations, and much s,Irprise