The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-08-05

lied that ne could not get them. He said
| there were lenty down there. but he could
| not get them. The responsibility for not
| fitting these ships out properly would rest
rest upon the hospital Departments"
None of the suffering enlisted men who
came from Cuba on the horror ship
| Concho have yet been released from quar-
antine. One hundred and twenty-five OF
/ the men have been removed TO Hoftman's
Island, where they will be thoroughly dis
| infected. After that there is no certainty
| that they will DE allowed TO land. Dur
ing their voyage from Cuba, up to and
| including the day they reached New York,
every man who made the trip has un-
| doubleday been exposed to the contagion
| of yellow fever.
The authorities at Quarantine have
made little fuss over the matter, but the
fact remains that until the disinfecing
plan OF the James M. Wadswortn was put
to work the transport ship Concho fairly
reaked Of yellow fever. That none of
those who came TO New York with the
ship actually contracted the disease wf1lle
on the boat is held to be due to the fact
that they were immune.
Before the Concho can possibly be used
for any other purpose than a hatchery
for cultures Of yellow fever bacilli, it will
be necessary to scrape and disinfect every
part Of the ship. 1t is probable that all
the wooden bunk partitions in the ship
will be torn out and burned. At present
they are sodden with filth. Large guam
titles Of powerful disinfsctants have bonn
placed in the water tanks of the trans
port, and the water will be pumped out.
Before this treatment 1t was practically
liquid sewage, but it was all that tia
sick men had TO drink on the voyage.
There remains on the Concho thirty
two men who are too sick to be re-
moved. The condition of every one Of the
men is considered critical. DR.. Lesser,
the Red Cross surgeon who accompanied
the ship, says that three or four Of them
will die. Captain Paulding. who is also
on board the Concho. was reported as
being very low last night
The crew of the disinfecting snip James
NJ. WadSworth have cleaned and distn-
fected some pretty dirty ships since che
plant was put in operation, but they say
chat the Concho is the most horrible boat
they have ever had to do with The
stencil from the ship is noticeable forty
yards from the gangway.
The Concho, which formerly belonged
TO the Mallory line, had accommodations
for ffty-eight passengers. When the ves-
sci was purchased for transport purposes
carpen ters were set TO work to rig up
temporary sleeping quarters. This was
done by building tiers of hunks In the
after portion OF the ship and in the bow.
The hunks were of the 'four-story" pat
tern and ran along the sides of the ship
A double tier of hunks similar in construo
ton, was arranged down the center of the
ship.
There were over five hundred of these
hunks. TIL yereew-aeddfsfm etaoinetaoin
hunks. They were occupied by troops for
a keek ait Tampa before the transport
sailed, and afterwards during the voyage |
When the troops were disembarksd no
attempt was made to clean the quarters
that had been Occupied by the troops, and
no alterations were made in the fittings.
1t was upon this ship, and in the same |
who sailed on the Concho were expected |
to recover their health.
When the ship left Cuba there were IT'S |
seriously sick men on board. To look after |
them there was one doctor and seven |
nurses.
The doctor and five of the nurses were |
themselves Commissioning from yellow |
fever, and were really weaker than some |
Of the patients for whom they were ex-
pected to care.
showed that the nurses had been utterly |
unable to cope with the conditions which |
obtrude themselves in any hospital in
which a number of persons suffering from
enteric diseases are being treated. 1t
had been impossible TO keep the men
clean. They wallowed in filth Even now,
though the disinfecting corps has been at
work, the vessel is as floating latrine.
Another light on the horrors of the
trip and the reasons for it was furnished
yesterday by Captain Risk, of the Concho.
Captain ]. Q. Anderson, of the Thirty
fourth Michigan regiment, said that Cap
tain Risk told him that he had three times
asked General Shafter to be allowed to go
to Kingston, Jamaica. to get fresh water
and provisions. Permission had been re-
fused. Captain Risk was asked about this
yesterday, and in telling a friend that it
was true, added some details;
We reached Cuba June l." said Cap
tain Risk. land the water we had taken
aboard at Tampa was pretty rotten even
then. After we had landed the troops
and lain in the harbor for several DAYS,
1 asked TO be allowed to pull out for
into the tanks. The stuff we had
was making the crew sick. General Shat
ter refused permission.
Two weeks later l made application
again, saying that my crew was suffering.
for food and good water. General Shat
ter again refused to allow the Concho to
go TO Kingston.
When I received orders to sail with
these sick men, l again informed General
Shafter of the condition of the ship.
said that the water was rotten and the
food was bad. 1 asked 10 be allowed to
60 by the way of Kinssaon, 50 we could
get water. General Shafter sent me
orders 10 sail direct for New York.
Il have done my best to help these POOR
fellows on the way and my crew has given
up everything it possessed"
Two correspondents of London news
papers arrived from Santiago on the trans
port Alamo. and are now quartered at the
Hotel Martin. They are Gearge Lynch Of
he London Chronicle. and Seppinss
Wright Of the illustrated London New
Both were worn out with the deprivations /
IF the trip north. Mr. Wright took 10
his bed at once. and was still sleeping
asst night. Mr.. Lynch was not quite so
and last evening told something
IF MS impressions of the trip. He said:
The Alamo was IL provided with food
supplies and totally lacked comforts for
he sick. When the Alamo arrived at |