The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-10-15
POOR RATIONS FOR SICK
RED CROSS SOCIETY DEPENDED
UPON FOR ASSISTANCE.
Hospitals Badly overcrowded ana
Official Red Tape Made It Difficult
to Secure Supplies For Invalias--
How Troops Fared On the obdam
-Shafter's Weight In Evidence.

principal witness before the war II -
tigation commission today. He COM
planned that the commissary supplles
furnished the troops in Puerto alco
were unsuited to the demands Oh d
tropical climate, and that they were
especially unfit for hospital use.
lie said he had been in charge OIL tiie
200 cenvalescents brought north Oh Tue
OLDHAM, and had been unable TO secuIe
suitable supplies Tor them from the
government depOts. He confessed
however, that he had made no lorLlle l
written requiSition, but had acted upon
statements made to him informally 10
the effect that no Communication OIL ia
tons would be allowed.
He refused to reply to some ques-
tons, declaring that he had been ms
represented by thu press, and sayIHS
ne would not reflect upon his superior
officers while he wore the shouIoer
straps Of United States officer.
Before beginning his testimony, Dr-
Seaman asked that he be permitted 70
have in the room as a friend Mr.. Z. +.
Ayreault, an attorney of New I ork.
The request being granted, he salo ne
would affirm, rather than be sworn. lie
declined to stand up for this ceremony
saying: I will sit; 1 don't have 10
stand up
No objection was made on the part
proceeded.
DR.. Seaman said he had never seen
any military service before the begln-
ming Of the present war, but he had
studied at Princeton and afterward in
London, Berlin and Paris. After join
ing the service, and before going to
Puerto Rico, he was stationed with his
regiment at Camp Townsend. There
his acquisitions were promptly filled,
and no regiment went to the front bet
ter prepared to cope with disease or
casualty. The command sailed south
on the Chester, and there was no seri-
Gus sickness going out.
He left Puerto Rico on the 18th of
September. The regiment had enjoyed
better health in Puerto Rico than had
been anticipated and there were only
two deaths in the command during the
time they were there A regimental
hospital was established and there was
never at any time q deficiency in medi-
cal supplies. The same was also true
of the tentage and the ambulance sup
plies furnished by the quartermaster's
department. The commissary depart
ment had also furnished sufficient army
rations, but he complained of them as
being unsuitable for an army in the
tropics, and also that the men at first
had been refused the privilege of COM
muting their rationS.
He said the sick were fed only with
the army rations. He failed to secure
any change of diet for his patients. not
Withstanding he made frequent de-
mandS upon the quartermaster of the
regiment and upon the surgeon of the
corps. He was told it would be of no
use to make a formal reqUsition in
writing. However the men in the hos
pitfalls did not suffer, because the Red
Cross society furnished the desired as
sistance.
DR.. 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 Ma
tional Aid society 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 reuuisi-
ton to the government authorities 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 consid-
cred better food. This statement he re-
iterated in response to several questions
why he had not secured other rations
Returning to his stay in Puerto Rico,
DR.. Seaman said there had been uni
n
deficiency of suitable supplies. He had
been told repeatedly that the 6O-cent-
a-day ration for the sick could not be
furnished in Puerto Rico. It was not
even furnished to the general military
hospital.
He said, in reply to a question. that
ne did not know that the commissary
at Ponce hao on hand quarter of a
million of dollars, or any other sum
for supplying delicacies to the sick. He
only knew they We're not sunpIied
While he was in Puerto Rico the
hospitals were overcrowded. the beds
being within six inches of each other
When he left there were between 2 O00
and 1000 SICK out OF an army of 10000
DR.. Seaman grew somewhat irascible
under Dr.. ConnOrs questioning. and
finally refused to answer.
THE questions put to me- are of a
character calculated to place me in the
false position OF accusing the medical
department of the army OF nal-adrnin-
istratiou. Such is not the case. [ re-
gard the conduct of this department
by DR.. Sternberg as above reproach,
and whatever fault there was was in
another department
After some pretty sharp cross-firinc
DIR. Connort declared he would ask no
more questions of the witness.
Governor Beaver told the witness
that no question would be put to him
that was not proper, but that he Gov
ernor Beaver would insist upon his an
swering, and if he did not do so, he
must take the consequences.
Governor Beaver then asked as to the
conduct Of the quarternasters serving
with him or in his vicinity DIR. Sea-
man declined to answer. saving that
he understood he was expecfed to an
pear before the war department after
getting through with this board.
Lieutenant Hill OF the navy was the
next witness. He was in charge of the
landing OF the army at Santiago, and
told the story of that exploit. He said
that, upon its arrival the army was en-
tirely unprepared to land having
brought only one lighter and Lieuten-
ant Hill said that, as he viewed the
matter, the army would have been IN
able to Land and unable TO subsist af- /
ter the landing without the aid of the
navy.
fenced with the captains of tbe trans |
ports, who had refused to go nearer the I
shore until he secured an order 10 /
them from General Shafter Tjel1ten- I
ant Hill said. that there was no wharf |
but that he understood that they were |
talking of one on which TO land Cen
eral Shafter.~
personally" asked member of the
commission
Yes"
had they no derricks?"
Eyes, but they Were not strong /
enough.
rms personal allusion to the avoir-
dupois OF the commander of the San
fiaeo campa 'gn created a general LAUGH
49, inning TieIIfapo ~ TT:I1