The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-10-12
Explains Plan of Campaign to the
Investigation Commission.
DEFENDS HIS CONDUCT
WHY THE ORIGINAL PLANS
WERE ALTERED.
Backs the War Departments Course
By Quotations From Official Cor
respondence With Army and Navy
Offiicials-Major General Graham
Only Witness Before Commission

Washington. Oct. 1.-THE war inves-
tigating commission devoted the fore
noon session today to the examination
of Secretary Ayers statement and the
papers furnished by him in reply TO
the commissions inquiries. the ac-
companying papers include the reports
from the various bureaus of the war
department and also various letters
and kilograms bearing upon the con-
duct of the war.
Secretary Alger, in his report, replies
to the various questions propounded py
the commission, but he gives eSpeclal
prominence to the plan of campaign
and to the changes that were made IN
the original plans.
He SAYS that Tampa was chosen as
the base of operations because OF It's
proximity to Havana, at which point
it was originally intended the landing
should be made. The determination TO
make a change was due to the develop
ments on the southern coast of Cuba
and to Admiral CerVera's course in To-
eating his fleet i'm the bay of Santiago.
When it became quite certain that he
was securely entrapped, Admiral
Sampson wired the fact TO the secre-
tary of the navy, asking that troops be
sent Immediately. He said that he had
silenced the batteries which were ac-
cessible from the sea, and that lO,UOO
men could capture the town within As
hours. The text of this message is
given, as is the text of various other
kilograms, showing the cause OF delay
in getting the expedition off.
The report shows that General Miles
advised in the beginning that the first
movement should be made against
Puerto Rico, and that after that island
should be subjected, the American
forces should be landed on the north
coast of Cuba at some point from
which they could move conveniently
either to the east or to the west.
Major General William M. Graham
was the only witness before the war
investigating committee today. He
was first commander at Camp Alger,
Va. There was, he said, only one rail-
road running into the camp, and the
station was about one and one-half
miles distant. He thought the water
supply was sufficient when the camp
numbered no more than five regiments
of troops, but as the troops increased
it\became necessary to dig wells. There
was delay in digging the wells. 40 of
which were sunk, one for each. regi-
ment. The supply then was ample for
all purposes except bathing.
1t was his impression that there had
been some complaints of sickness on
account Oh the water famine, WHICH
had continued from May 20 until June
%, with varying degrees of intensity,
but he had been through campaigns
before in which the water supply was
not equal to that at Camp Alger. He
was inclined to attribute much of the
sickness at Camp Alger to the fact
that the soldiers insisted on taking the
water from the little streams running
through the camp.
There had been considerable typhoid
fever at the camp. but it did not orig
mate there, and the first cases were
isolated. During his entire stay at the
camp less than 4 per cent of the COM
mand was sick. There were 50 deaths,
five being those of officers. Much of
the sickness, in his opinion, was due to
delicacies sent to soldiers from home,
and he had issued an order prohibiting
the sale of ice cream. pies, etc, in the
camp. When typhoid fever began to
be considered an epidemic, he issued
strict orders for the detailing of guards
for the care Of the sinks, making any
neglect an offense punishable by ar
TnC