The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-11-17

equipments behind at Tampa, and Col.
Jacobs responded that it was his i'm
preston that such was the case. He
had personal knowledge that Gen.
Shafter had given such an order con-
corning the ambulances.
1T was expected there would be an
engagement. was it not2" asked the
doctor.
Certainly" responded the colonel;
we went down there to fight"
Then should there not have been
some provision for taking care of the
wounded?"
II should think these things should
have been taken along"
Then" continued the doctor, 1.-The
medical department was left in the air,
and the quartermaster's department is
responsible"
The quartermaster's department
could not have been responsible. We
We're acting under orders. I would
swear that Gen. Shafter told me not
to take the ambulance, although I do
not recall that there were any distinct
orders in regard to hospital equip
ments'
At the afternoon session Capt VIII
liam M. Ireland, who was associated
with DR.. Lagarde as q surgeon and
executive officer in the Siboney hos
pital, was the first witness. He said
the hospital at Siboney had been suf-
ficiently well supplied for about 200
patients except in the matter Of cots,
OF which there were not to exceed fifty
PATIENTS LEFT ON THE GROUND.
Patients in excess of this number
were compelled to lie on their blankets
on the ground for the first week of the
hospitals history.
DR.. Edward l.. Munson, who for q
time was on duty at Tampa and Cuba,
being for a time on the Olivette and
also adjutant to Gen. Pope, chief sur
geon of the Fifth corps, said he had
understood that medical supplies in
Cuba were short. They were taken on
the transports, but were not landed
DR.. Pope had made application to the
quartermaster's department for trans
portation for this purpose, but was
told there was none to be had. DIR.
Munson had heard OF hospital supplies
going north and on one occasion had
seized from the commissary depart
ment large quantity of delicacies
which had been left on the Iroquois Dr.
Munson said the condition Of the army
before Santiago was lamentable, ow-
ing largely to the fact that the men
were without tents
Col. w. H. Forwood, who was the
chief medical officer at Montauk Point,
testified that there had been some lack
Of transportation facilities, and there
was difficulty in getting supplies from
the station. The hospitals were over
crowded at times.
DR.. Connor-How did It happen.
after receiving an order early in Au-
gust TO get a thousand-bed hospital
ready, that in the latter part of that
month this had not been done and
there were sick soldiers who were not
able to find hospital accommodations?
Surely somebody was at fault, and
you, as chief surgeon of the camp, ought
TO be able to tell US who it was
DR.. Forwood-No, you have not made
a case yet. Our first order was for a
500-bed hospital, and after that an
other of the same capacity. But by the
time you speak Of we had not only
room for the 1000 beds, but for 1000.
DR.. Connor-Even then you had not
sufficient tentage?
DR.. Forwood-Not to cover the whole
earth. but we had all that was neces-
sary to cover the sick; there was never
a moment when we did not have tents
there to put up.
At this juncture DR.. Forwood was
excused for the night.
Gen. Dodge announced at the close
of today's session that the commission
would leave here at II o'clock tomor-
row night for New York.