The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-10-02
RECORD OF ABUSES
AT MONTAUK POINT
Sick Soldiers Suffered From Neglect
and Starvation.
A Terrific Array of Charges, Accom-
panied By the Names of Witnesses
The World Asks That Its Re
porters and Correspondents Be
Permitted to Testify = Soldiers
Had No Water Except That From
q Foul Pond.

tigating commission ueVOteu 1lS llhe
today largely to the consideration OF a
statement filed by Nelson Herseh, on
behalf of the New York World, giving
what he styles "a record OF facts con-
corning the establishment Uf Camp Wi
koff and its management, together with
specific instructions of abuses charged
to have existed, dates, number OF SICK
in hospitals. deaths, ETC."
The statement was made in response
to the general invitation from the COM
mission. The specifications cover Il
pages of typewriter matter, taxing
up the movement OF the Santiago
troops after the surrender OF the Span
ish at that place and before the break
ing out of yellow fever there in July.
It is asserted at the time Montauk
Point was selected as the site for the
camp it was "a barren waste. Inc
details of the selection of the camp are
given, as are also those OF the trans
portation of troops, and II is asserted
when the first detachment OF 80 troops
arrived on the Sth of August, tine
camp was not ready to receive them,
and that they slept under their blan-
kets and in the open air, as no tents
had arrived. This" it is added, was
II days after it had been decided to
establish the camp.
Continuing, the assertion is made
that by the 10th of August the sick
were reported suffering from want of
proper accommodations and food; that
their tents were without floors, and
with only their blankets between sick
men and the ground, and that glass
of sour milk apiece was the only nour-
ishment they received in "a hours.
The war department is charged with
frequent changes of plans, and 1T is
asserted that General Young was given
only six days for the preparation of
the camp before the arrival of the
troops. when two weeks time was
necessary, which caused great confu
Sion.''
FOUL WATER.
On the 18th of August DR.. Edison
visited the camp and found that the
1400 troops there were almost wholly
dependant upon body of water with
out inlet or outlet, and known as Fort
pond, for their drinking water. This
pond received the drainage from the
camp. and the doctor found the water
to contain 80 grains of salt to the gal
lon. This condition. he said, caused
disease and rendered the pond a con-
slant menace to the men.
Bv the Goth of August there were
20. 900 men in camp and 1900 in the
hospital, with many unable to secure
admission from the transports. The
regulars were reported to be suffering
for the necessaries of life and had re-
ceived no pay for three months. Con-
tract surgeons were reported living at
the expense of patients.
after the doctors had lunched,"
says the account ''25 empty apollinariS
bottles were countedIon the table, said
to have been diverted from hospital
stores
PRIVATE PARRETTS DEATH.
Particulars are given of the death
in his tent of Private Hugh Parrett on
August 2S, and it is asserted that DR.
! Tabor refused him permission to enter
the hospital on the ground that he was
not sick.
The assertion is made when, on the
5th of September, DR.. Lee went to
Camp Wikoff with a special train to
take sick soldiers to Brooklyn hospit-
ais, he was unable to get more than
10 men to the train on account of the
lack of ambulanceS. which We're being
used to carry sight-seers around the
camp. While hundreds of sick soldiers
We're waiting to be transferred to boats
and trains. dozen ambulances stood
at the depot, filed with laughing men
and women, who were seeing the camp
with officers friends
After this incident General Young
gave orders that the ambulances were
to be used only for the transportation
Of the sick.
A list of witnesses is as follows: Cen
eral joseph Wheeler, General Young,
Colonel Forwood. Major Brown, Sur
seon; Chief Surgeon Sem. From the
Red Cross. Miss Helen Gould, Mrs.
Walworth, DR.. Cyrus Edison, DR.. S. H.
Doty, health officer of New York City;
DIR. w. I. Jenkins, health commissioner
OF New York; William Smith, banker;
Surgeon Linn, Thirteenth infantry;
Surgeon Ames. Tenth infantry.
A large number of names of wit
nesses is also suggested in the Parrett
case, and there is a general request
that correspondents and reporters of
the World shall be called.
The commission directed that a reply
be forwarded to Mr.. Hersch, informing
him that the communication Should
have careful consideration.