The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-11-24
PLENTY TO CONDEMN.
But War Investigation Board Cannot
Locate Responsibility.

New York, November %. james +.
Archibald, San Francisco newspaper
man who was with the First Regular In
fantry from California to Santiago was
the first witness before the war inyesigat-
ing commission today. Mr. Archibald
said there was plenty of food in Cuba
There was a scarcity of medical supplies,
of surgeons and Of nurses. 1t appeared to
me that DR.. Wood, believe his initials
are nj. NJ. caused considerable unnece g.
sary suffering by his severe administra-
tion of his hospital near Sitoney. He re-
fused to allow anyone to visit the sick
and once when was trying to find a
wounded man Of tbs first infantry he re-
fused to let me in. When l tried TO reason
with him he said: II am running this
hospital to suit myself
Mrs. johanna Won Wanger of Yonkers,
u professional nurse, established diet
kitchen at Camp Wikoff and served there
for month from August 90. She COM
planned of lack of common hospital help;
| the lack of ambulances; the inexperlence
| OF some of The doctors and the universal
| habit of dying men compiaining of pain
| from drugs. On more than one occasion
| she saw improper prescriptions, and once
she complained to Major FORBES that
4 dose prescribed for a man would kill him.
| The mat ter was referred to the surgeons
of the general hospitals. They were
| friendly to the offending Doctor and
nothing was done, but the dose of
| M tlioine was not administered. Mrs.
/ Won Wagner said she would not attempt
| 10 place the Tesponsi bility. sWhat struck
me- most painfully said the witness IN
conclusion, was tho utter indifference
/ OF the medical men in the regimental
hospi ais to the suffering OF the sick,
some of the doctors in the general
| hospitals also did not seem to care
whether their patients lived or died.
| Knight Hotel, a captain in the Eighth
| New York Volunteers submitted state
ment prepared by the regimen5al board
of officers contradicting testimony pre-
sented to the commission, as to the un-
sanitary conditions OF the camp at Cnlck-
aDiauRa.
Cleveland Moffatt, newspaper man,
who was at Camp Wikoff writing maga-
zine articles and taking photographs,
| testified that while men were lying sick
| az quarters because there was no means
| of taking them to hospitals, he saw
| twenty ambulances in camp which were
never used because they lacked tongues,
| General Dodge real comm unication
| from Lieut.. John M. Thompson, of the
| list regiment, who is sick in st. Luke's
hospital, contra ticting the statements
maie by Private Dasid j. Goss OF his
company that the officers occupied q
hospit tent to the exclusion Of the sick.
Edward A. Sumner of this city. who
went to Cuba and Porto Rico as counsel
| for the Woman's War Relief association,
| said he found the hospital in charge OF
Surgeon Major Bridgeman at Ponce in
| excellent condition. DR.. Bridgeman said
.t,est. cis1t hon
| The men were generally in fair condition.
| At an executive session held just at the
/ close of the morning session, the commits
/ sion decided to adjourn it's New York
| session Saturday night and to proceed to
/ Boston.
| 1t was also decided for the remainder of
| the session in this city to give preference
to civilians wishing to give testimony
and that any officers the commission
| es res to hear, shall be summoned to
| Washington, where the commission will
wind up the inyt s1igation
| Tx Gov. Woodbury. will leave New
| York tonight to spend Thanksgiving day
| in his home in Vermont. General Beaver
and Gen. Cook will spend the day at
| Vest Point.
/ DR.. Elmer Lee, who visited Camp
| Wikoff in September, testified at the
afternoon session.
| Summing up the conclusions he had
drawn he said whatever faults there We're,
we re faults of system and NOT of the
| officials. He said that the crowd of yisi-
tors to the hospitals WAS a detriment to
the sick. DR.. Lee said the women visitors
| we're respor sible for great many men
being discharged before they were fit to
leaye the hospitals. DIR. Lee further said
| there should be United States medical
college to train surgeons for the army and
that schools for army cooks should be
established.
oral of the United States army at the
Nav York depot, followed DR. Lse. He
said there was no lack of medical supplies
and that If there was any delay in the
shinmeut of stores it was notathe fault OF
his department