The herald., 1898-10-25
BEFORE THE WAR INQUIRY
COMMISSION
SHORT SUPPLIES AT SANTIAGO
Accepted by Hungry Soldiers as
Something to Be Expected in
Time of War
Associated Press Special Wire.

Commission will leave for Huntsville to-
morrow night.
The commission began its session to-
day with Major Otto Ii. falll on the stand.
He was the Chief Quartermaster of the First
Division of the Third Army Corps while IN
Chickamauga, and he now occupies the po-
sition OF Chief Quartermaster for this camp
He said the most serious complaint Ill the
early history OF Camp Thomas was from
the First Missouri, whose men claimed that
their trousers were nothing more than rags,
and threatened to appeal to charity at home
to supply their wants. There was also a
shortage in tents which became quite serious
at the time of the rainy season. Previous
to that time men had slept under trees and
under their shelter tents without complaint.
Indeed, he said, there was never sufficient
supply of tentage and it was necessary to put
six men in tent. Continuing, he said the
division had never been completely equip
ped until the present time, especially in the
matter OF transportation facilities. lie said,
however, there had been no refusal to an
swer requistions. He thought, however, on
the whole, that there was too much red tape
in the Quartermaster department.
Il do away with it whenever | can. l
sometimes violate regulations" he said.
Illustrating, he said he had TO sign his
name nine times in the process of paying
bill of twenty dollars.
DR.. Charles M. Drake, in charge of the
general hospital here, and who was in com
mand of the hospital of the First Division
of the Third Corps at Chickamauga, was the
next witness. He told of various improve
ments he had found it necessary to make
in the hospital at Chiokamauga.
There was" he said. such flood of re-
crults that IT was almost impossible to meet
the demand for tentage, and quite impos-
sible to anticipate it..
lie said medical supplies had been ample
from the beginning but the hospital corps
1nntf tfDl.t,
"They were, as a class" he said, "the very
worst material that could have been found
OF which to make nurses"
However, he thought there had been no
more serious results than discomfort to pa
tients caused by the inetiiciency of the
nurses. He was positive there had been no
death from starvation or privation Com
pared with hospitals generally, the percent
age. of deaths from typhoid was phenom-
enally low. He was~bf the opinion that the
patients in the hospital received better at
tention than the average man when sick at
home.
Major John H. Heatwolc, chief commits
sary OF subsistence said the quality of the
Iations had been excellent. As for the
0uautity, n man would have to be a gour.
mandizer to eat it.
Gen. Dodge read letter from DR.. Sea-
man of New DIRK, who was before the com
mission in Washington, in which he cor
rected an error in his testimony lie stated
that he had received only the regular army
ratlons Tor the convalescents on the steam
er Obdam from Porto Rico to New York.
lie says that such supplies as had been re-
ceivcd up to the night previous to sailing
mad been received from the relief societies
Lieut.. Col Bishee, in command of the
First infantry, told the story of the trans
portatlon OF his regiment to Santiago brief
ly described the fighting about Santiago,
spoke of his experience in Cuba of the re-.
turn to Montauk point. and OF the stay at
that place and the transfer south. Asked if
the landing at Santiago could have been
accomplished if opposed. he replied:
Inc facilities We're so poor that I think
not, at least / should say if had been on
shore no enemy would have been permitted
to land. | cannot say how it was with the
Spannrds"
Colonel Bisbee stated that himself and Is
men were the only members of his regiment
who had not been i'll at some time during
the Santiago campaign. "It had been i'm
possible to secure medical supplies" said
the, witness, "and if we had had them we
could not have carried them"
He added that the army was badly browen
up in that respect, and it did not get into
shape promptly for some reason. He said
the men were just beginning to break in
health when Santiago surrendered, and the
capltulatlon came at just the right time
He did not belive there was sufficient
number OF doctors in the Cuban campaign.
lie thought the contract surgeons were
capable doctors, but they were not familiar
with army methods and did not know how
to get the necessary medicines. Speaking
generally of Cuban experiences, he eX-
pressed the opinion that supplies had been
as liberal as could have been reasonably ex. |
pected.
Major Dempsey Of the Second regiment, |
infantry, covered much the same ground |
as Colonel Bisbee. He said that his COM
mand had never, during the Santiago cam
paign suffered for want OF supplies. Men |
had sometimes at night felt the want of |
covering, but not of food. Not more than |
half the men of the regiment were fit for |
duty at the time of the surrender of Santi- |
ago. He had heard doctor say that uui- |
nine and castor oil We're the only medicines |
he could get.
Other members of the two regiments of |
regulars stationed here who We're exam |
ined were Captain Waring of the First |
Lieutenant Lutz of the Second, Quarter !
master Katz of the First, Private Feldus
of the First, Quartermaster Sergeant Stahl |
OF the Second and Private Hounchell of the |
Second. All testified that while there was |
difference in rations issued while the |
troops wede in the trenches in the vicinity |
of Santiago there was no real suffering |
on the part of the men on this account |
They expressed themselves as satisfied that |
they received as good treatment as they |
could have expected under the circum- |
stances.
Col. II. M. Seaman of the Fourth Wis
consin, complained that the supplies his |
regiment had drawn at Camp Douglass |
including shoes and arms, had been poor |
He did not consider the men sufficiently |
well clad for the harsh weather. and said |
they had suffered somewhat on account of |
the recent cold
Col. James Pfyffe, Of the Third Tennes- |
see, whose regiment had been encamped
at Chlckamauga park previous to removal |
mere, SAID the commissary supplies had |
peen excellent in quality and ample i'm |
quantity until within the past month Col |
ffyHe SAID, in reply to questions that a |
canteoh mad been maintained in his repi- |
ment, and that beer in large quantities had |
been sold at it. Most of the recnipts
amounting to $500 or $500 per day. were for |
beer
DENVER, Oct. 2i.-The strike on tbe
Colorado Midland of the freight conductors
ana Dfakemen on what is known as the
First district, has been declared off and
the men have resumed work a large num-
Der OF trains having been sent out TONIGHT
This trouble, which lasted but fortv-ei,rbt
hours, was occasioned by a freipht traip
crew refusing to take out q threa-enpino
train from Colorado City went. There was
no interruption TO passenger business on