The age-herald., 1898-10-15

eral questions why he had not secured other rations.
 Returning to his stay in Porto Rico, pr. Seaman said there had been universal com plaint to the hospitals of a deficiency or suitable supplies. He had been told repeat edly that the 60 cents day ration for the sick could not be furnished in Porto Rico. It was not even supplied to the general mil itary hospital.
 He said in reply to a question that he did not know that the commissary at Ponce had on hand a quarter of a million dollars or any other sum for supplying delicacies to the sick; he only knew they were not supplied.
 While he was in Porto Rico the hospitals were overcrowded, the beds being within six inches of each other. When he left there were between 5000 and 4,000 sick out of army of 10 900.
 l Dr. Seaman grew somewhat irascible under 1 Dr. Connor's questioning, and finally re- l fused to answer, saying: 'The questions put to me are of a character calculated to place me in the false position of ac- cusing the medical department of the army 1 of maladministraton. Such is not the case. I l regard the conduct of this department by | Dr. Sternberg as above reproach and what l ever fault there was, was in another de- partment."
 | After some pretty sharp cross firing the | doctor declared he would ask no questions l of the witness. Governor Beaver told Dr. Seaman that no question would be put to | him that was not proper but he Governor l Beaver) would insist upon his answering, l and if he did not do so he must take the l consequences.
 Governor Beaver then asked as to the | conduct of the quartermasters serving with l him or in his vicinity. Dr. Seaman declined | to answer, saying that he understood he 1 was expected to appear before the war de- | partment after getting through with the 1 "And ' he said "I do not want to | criticise my superior officers while I wear the shoulder straps of an army officer l He continued by saying that he had been | so much misrepresented by the press with | in the past twenty-four hours that he did | not wish to further commit himself. He
 said he had authorized no interview since
 he landed, and that the article in a New | York paper grew out of a conversation be-
 tween himself and his superior officer in | New York, which, reporter of that paper overheard.
 Lieutenant K. Hill, an officer on the war | ship Iowa when the army landed near Sam | tiago and in charge of the debarkation of | the troops said the navy supplied eleven | launches and fifty-two small boats for the | landing. The army brought only one light | CT. The army was entirely unprepared to
 land, and Lieutenant Hill said that as he
 viewed the matter the army would have
 been unable to land and unable to subsist
 after the landing without the aid of the
 navy. A great deal of trouble was experi-
 enced with the captains of the transports
 who had refused to go nearer the shore
 until he secured an order to them from | General Shafter.
 Lieutenant Hill said there was no wharf
 but that he had understood that they talked
 of building on which to land Genera | Shafter
 Personality" asked a member of the
 commission.
 "Yes."
 Had they no derrick?"
 "Yes, but they were not strong enough
 This personal a1lusion to the avoirdupoi
 of the commander of the Santiago campaig
 created general laughter.
 Continuing, Lieutenant Hill expressed tn
 opinion that in case of transportation o
 troops at sea, he thought the vessels should
 be under the command of navy officers un ] til the troops were landed.