The evening times., 1898-10-12
SOLDIERS BADLY TREATED.
Col. Gibson Promises some Startling
Revelations.

nctclatIOH8s
New York, Oct l2-From Santiago, Gu
ba, the. United States transport Obdam
arrived last night at Quarantine. Among
the passengers who came ashore was Col
Charles III. Gibson, field commissioner of
the National Red Cross, who was also
special commissioner OF President Nc
Kinley. He had been nearly three
months in Santiago province, investigat-
ing the treatment of the i'll. He intimated
that he would have something to say in
his report that would turn this coun-
try upside down."
Il have a story that will open their
eyes," he said TO Gov. Hastings, of
Pennsylvania, as the two met. To the
reporters he added:
Il don't dare open my mouth now. If
| did would have TO use profanity in de-
scribing what 1 wish to tell on paper"
Il cannot divulge the contents of my
report he said. 81 will say this much,
however that the health of the troops
in Santiago during July and August was
| bad. Ii is now much improved.
Santiago is very unhealthy city.
Now the streets are being cleaned, under
the direction OF Gen. Wood and Major
Barber. and the health of the troops has
much improved. The sickness there is
not so nearly general as it was
Col. Gibson left the Astor House early
this morning, saying that he would go to
Washington. after first visiting the Ar
my building.
Gov Hastings. of Pennsylvania, was
also seen this morning. ~ merely came
here TO welcome home the Pennsylvania
soldiers" he said. II want TO say that
i found the boys in pretty fair health"
Col. Gibson refused to further forecast
his report
Glad to get back, I suppose" said
TJ1ct 20 %.
mia Volunteers last evening, as the
troops came scrambling down the gang
plank of the Obdam TO the deck of the
river steamboat William Fletcher,
! crunching alongside.
Glad to leave that replied the SOL
dier, with jerk of his thumb toward
the sullen looking transport, which was
riding al anchor off the Quarantine sta
don
That appeared to be the sentiment of
all the rest. There We're 3G5 returning
convalescents, furloughed soldiers and
discharged employees on board, and their
experience afioat seems to have left
deeper impression on them than their
hardships afield.
There was row between Capt Pugsley
and the army quartermaster in charge of
the ship, resulting in the removal of the
| captain and the substitution OF another
| commander Then followed complaints of
/ bad and insufficient food.
/ Three times on the homeward voy-
! age fire was discovered in the vessels
] hold. Fire was still smoldering in her
/ hold when the OLDHAM reached port yes
! terday
To meet the transport the steamboat
! William Fletcher, chartered by the War
/ Department, stood down the bay last
evening. On board were Gov. Hastings,
! Col Ripple, commissary general of the
/ pennsylvania National Guard: DR. NJ s.
/ French, general secretary of the Nation
! al Relief Commission of Philadelphia:
! Major Appel surgeon in charge of the
transfer of the i'll; w. NJ. Perrine whose
/ son was on board the transport; L. F.
! Seaman, brother Of Surgeon Major Sea-
man, in charge of the i'll. and Lieut. and
Mrs Sharp, whose son, Il member of the
! Fourth Ohio, was on board the Obdam.
| There were cheers when the Fletcher
! ranged alongside. After a brief consul
tation, Ii was decided to remove on the
! Fletcher only the Pennsylvanians the
few members of the Fourth Ohio aboard
and the regulars of the Thirteenth In
fantry. Gov. Hastings said he would
| PROVIDE the Pennsylvanians with lodg-
ings, and that after their furloughs were
arranged for today they would be sent
| home
Speaking of the vicissftudes of their
! Journey north, the men said the OLDHAM
| sailed from Santiago homeward bound on
october 2, Rounding Cape Maysi fire
was discovered in the 700 tons of coal
which the vessel carried in her hold
Matches Were put on and live steam
was Turned into the hold. Meanwhile the
| vessel kept on her course Two hours
later the fire had gained such headway
that the vessel turned about and ran for
santiago where she arrived at daylight
next morning
Lighters and native roustabouts came
! alongside, and the work of removing the
burning coal was commenced. The deeper
J the toners delved the hotter the coal be-
! came, and threats were used to keep the
men at work. About 500 tons of coal were
taken out, and then the hold was flooded.
after which the water was pumped out
and the coal ballast restored
The ship put to sea again on October G..
The first night out Private J. L. Swee-
ney, Company /, First Illinois Volunteers.
! dled on deck. unnoticed and unattended.
His body was found next morning living
face downward and soaked with rain,
4 The body was buried at sea.
There were few days and nights of
/ quiet, during which the men grew indig-
I nant over the sort of food that was given
| them, and then, on Saturday night, there
was a little blaze in the saloon. This
| was quickly extnguished, but a few
hours later the fire bell was changing
! again.
Fire had again appeared in the hold It
| glowed in the coal until the bulkheads
were so hot that one could not bear his
! hand upon them, and from the outer
| plates the paint fell in blistered flakes
4 Eighty thousand rounds of small arm
ammunition slowed near the fire were
removed TO a safer place. Day and night
efforts were made TO keep the fire from
bursting into flames. 1t is probable that
the hold will have to be flooded again be-
/ fore the fire is exetinguished
The Obdam returns in charge of Can't.
| j. H. Bomb, who succeeded Capt Pugs-
| ley when that mariner was removed
from his command by Capt. Allen, the
military officer in charge of the trans
| port Before sailing from Porto Rico
| Third Officer Robbins was Knocked over
board by swinging boom and severely
I friI Hn laf.