Evening star., 1898-08-02
GEN.SHAF TERBLAMED
Two Army Officers Tell of the
Coneho's Horrors.
THEY HOLD HIM RESPONSIBLE
Transportin Unprepared State Sent
by Him, They Say.
MEDICINES RAN SHORT

gan Volunteers, both of whom came north
On the Concho, in which they state plainly
that the order for the Concho to proceed
north in her then unprepared condition
emanated from General Shafter direct.
Lieut.. ]. H. Pond of the SD Michigan Vol
unteers was outspoken in condemning Cen
eral Shafter. He said:
THE captain reported to General Shat
ter, when the order came to SAIL that he
had been lying in the harbor for a month,
and suggested that he be allowed to go to
Kingston, Jamaica, for supplies, adding
that the trip would only consume thirty
six hours and that the results thus at
tanned would be of incalculable benefit.
He dwelt especially upon the fact that the
water supply was putrid.
The only answer he received to this pc
utIon was curt relteraIlon or the order
to sail Immediately. Even then he did not
give up, but repeated his remonstrance,
asking earnestly to be permitted to go to
Jamaica for fresh water. His request was
refused the second time. 50 there was moth
ing TO do but obey orders and go.
Skaters Refusal.
Perhaps we would all be lying under
Cuban soil now if General Shafter had
had his way. He didn't want to let any of
the convalescents go, declaring them to be
immune, and insisting that they ought to
stay. 1t was only when one of the army
surgeons went to him and assured him
that We would all die if were not sent
north that he consented to let us go, and
then. l suppose, he determined that we
should go quick. Why, General Duffield
himself-he was recovering from the vel
low fever-applied to Shafter personally to
be sent north. and Shafter wouldn't listen
TO him. [ believe General Duffleld has ap-
pealed to Washington.
II was told that the order to send the
COnchO north from hat
He wouldn't listen to the captains remon-
strances. but issued a second peremptory
order that the boat must start without
delay.
Il had the yellow fever myself. and if it
hadn't been for the Cuban doctors 1 would
have died. One Cuban doctor is worth all
the major generals in the world. The
American physicians couldn't stand the
pressure. but the Cubans know how to
treat the disease, and to their efforts and
those of the Red Cross nurses many of the
stricken soldiers owe their lives
Captain Anderson of the 33d Michigan
Volunteers said:
The conditions on the ship were intol-
erable and there was absolutely no excuse
for them The blame rests with General
Shafter or those who delivered his orders
in sending her north under those condi-
tions.
The Captain Not Blamed.
The Concho had been lying in the har-
Dor of Siboney since June 1, when she ar
rived from Tampa. She got her supplies
of water at Tampa, and those supplies
were not replenished at Siboney. When
we were put aboad the water was already
putrid, utterly unfit for even well men to
drink. The captain explained this fact to
General Skaters subordinates He begged
for permission to go to Jamaica for fresh
food and water before starting north. The
subordinates Cf General Shafter I believe,
communicated with the commander, but
q fhaU fy-a1 hot
the ship was to proceed to New York at
once.
When we got to Hampton Roads the
captain telegraphed Washington for help.
He received no answer for more than
twentyfour hours and then got an order
directing him to put out to sea and bury
his dead The dead were lying on the deck.
We went out twenty miles and dropped
three dead men into the sea. Then We put
back to Hampton Roads. There another
man died. We had to put out to sea again
another man died and we went out and
buried him Finally, after lying around
the roads for two days more, we got lit
tie fresh milk and fruit. with peremptory
orders to get to New York as fast as we
could.
Il do not blame the captain for these
things They We're due to the gross mis-
| management of the officials at the front.
We officers are in a Quandary as to what
we shall do. We can get no satisfaction
from Washington. We are sick and unfit
for duty, but we have received no leave to
go TO our homes. l went down to the Army
building today and drew two months pay
due me, hoping there might be some Or
ders for me there, but there were none.
| asked Maj. Romeyn, who has gone to
Washington, to inquire about NV case
| there and wire me the result
Capt. G. s.. Young of the 7th United
States Infantry, Lieut.. L. W. Welch of the
goth United States Infantry and Lieut. R
r Stossdall of the 4th United States In
attry, are stopping at the Murray Hill
H tel. Capt. Young, in speaking Of the
&C 1cho affair. said:
1T would not be proper for me to criticise
the management of the Concho. OF course
the co editions were very bad. There was
no ice and the water was abominable.
believe, however. that if the Concho had
waited to take on supplies there would have
been more deaths. Those who died were
very weak when they were brought on
board the Concho. l believe that the men
| who participated in the battles in and
about Santiago should be sent north and
their places taken by others detailed for
that purpose"
A Death Ship.
Lieut.. r. r. Stoysdall of the 4th Infantry
visited the Army building yesterday. He
is recovering from the effects of yellow
fever and is still very weak. When asked
about his trip, he said:
THE condition of the Concho was awful,
| but the sick were put aboard of her be-
cause to leave them in Cuba meant their
| certain death And yet fever experts at
Santiago said that in their then weak con-
| ditfon the men were subject to typhoid
| malaria1 and other feVers. and that their
| death was in any event almost a foregone
conclusion This being the case, the for
| lorn hope of shipping them at once was
| undertaken. Had it not been for DIR. Les
| ser and the Red Cross nurses there would
l probably have been over fifty deaths on
| board. OF course it was known at Santiago
| that We Were short of medical supplies but
| they We're short themselves and gave US
| what they could"
| Col. Charles c. Byrne, chief medical Off
Ger of the department of the east and sta
| toned at Governors Island said yester-
| day that he had not received any instruc-
| tions to investigate the Concho and Alamo
| affairs, and that whatever investigation
| there might be would be made from Wash
| ington.
| Il went through the Concho," said Col,
| Byrne, and found that she was not fitted
| as a hospital ship The food on board was
not of the kind invalids could eat. l asked
| DR.. Lesser why he did not get enough sup
| plies, and he replied that he could not get
/ them. He said there were plenty down
| there. but he could not get them. The re-
| sponsibility for not fitting these ships out
properly would rest upon the hospital de-