The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1898-10-05
Blame for the Campaign Scandals
to Be FOiSted on the
Admiral.
General Corbin Said to Have Prepared an Eiab-
crate Report for the Commission With
This Object in View.
Special Dispatch to The Call.

+ the sun and water alternately and
necessarily there was much sickness.
While thev had the full quota of doc
tors and nurses he thought that = more
: had been furnished the men would
! have been better cared for. AS for ra-
tions, three days supply was generally
issued. Whenever the troops went into
! action they would throw their food
/ away as well as their packs, and they
often did no recover them.
| In reply to questions he stated that
/ he never had heard of any shortage Of
cOmmissary or ordinance supplies at
FSantiagO, but he had been told that the
medical supplies were short, yet he
had no personal knowledge on this
point. He had seen some wounded men
crawling to the rear in the engage
/ ments, but, as a rule, as soon as man
fell in battle he was carried to the hos
pital by the medical corps. He said
that, as a rule, the quality of the hard
tack was good. Where there was de-
terioration 1t was due to local rains
and not to the fact Of original in
feriority.
The spirit of the army was such, he
said, that there was no disposition to
complain.
The men were all proud to be there
and willing to adergo hardships."
Replying to a question from Colonel
DENLY, Gener; Wheeler said the regu-
lars had shown greater ability to take
care Of themselves than the volunteers.
Captain Howell asked to what he at
tributed the development Of disease af
ter the capitulation of Santiago. Cen
eral Wheeler piled that it was due to
the climate and to the necessary ex-
pOsure. All the men seemed to be more
or less affected By the conditions. He
had, he said, known of no instance of
sick or wounded man dying from want
of care from the physicians. SO far as
he knew there VS. general commenda-
tion of the medical corps, except that
on one or two ccasions there had been
some grumbling in regard to the gen.
eraI conditions. He thought there was
a deficiency In the number of ambu-
lances, but this deficiency wss due to
the exgencies Of the campaign.
General Wheeler also said, in reply
to Captain Howell, that he knew of no
confusion IN the securing of supplies
from Tampa.
After recess General Wheeler devoted
his testimony chiefly to his experience
at Camp Wikoff, Montauk Point
The general location and the trans
portation facilities of the camp, he said,
were poor. There was but one line of
railroad and that a single track and
without adequate terminal facilities.
The camp could have been supplied by
water, but unfortunately there was a
contract with the railroad company
owning the land which gave 1t the CON
troll of all transportation except that
on Government transports. This con-
tract had been made, he understood In
return for the use of the land. He did
not know who had made the contract.
There were good hospitals erected,
but there was a scarcity OF nurses
General Wheeler considered the hos
pital facilities ample after the erection
Of the division hospitals. There were
times when they were crowded for
day or two. but on the other hand there
were many times when the buildings
were not filled
Taking up the charges made by the
New York World and by DR.. Jenkins |
in its columns, General Wheeler said |
that if the soldiers had not been landed
at some isolated place such as Mon |
tauk Point the fear of yellow fever
would have caused a general outcry |
Montauk Point, he thought in brief. |
was necessity for quarantine pur-
poses-to prevent the spread Of fever, !
If for no other purpose.
Replying to other allegations made
by the World General Wheeler said he |
did not think the hospitals were crowd !
ed; that If the sick were without blank |
cts or adequate shelter he had not
known the fact, and If he had known
such want he would have supplied it. |
There We're" he said, "undoubtedIy !
individual cases of suffering and neg
lect, but they were the exception" He
had investigated the charge that the
hospitals were overcrowded and he was
satisfied that such was not the case
At o'clock the commission ad-
journed until tomorrow when General |
Wheeler will resmue his testimony.
General Fitzhugh Lee has notified the
commission that he will not be able to |
appear before Thursday