Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1898-11-20

New YORK, November l9.-Wnen the
war investigating commission met to-
day, Gen. Dodge, the chairman, an
nounced that the sessions in the city
will probably continue ten days. Gen.
Dodge declined to give in advance the
names of those he expected to examine,
but it was said that invitations had
been sent to Col. Roosevelt and other
members of the Rough Riders.
Mrs. Edwin C. Allis, of New York.
who went to Camp Wikoff September
to help nurse the sick, was the first
witness called. She told of the condi-
lions prevailing there and said that
some OF those hospital wards were
oyercrcwdsd while others were entirely
empty and shut up. Mrs. Allis' state
ment referred principally to the annex
hospital and the sick of the Twelfth
infantry. She complained that the
food was poor AID badly cooked, that
the sanitary conditions were bad and
that as a consequence the sick and the
well suffered from plague of flies.
Cross-examined by ex-Gov. Wood
bury, Mrs. Allis told of the carelessness
of the hospital nurses and orderlies in
attending to the complaints of the
sick
Summing up her conclusions, Mrs.
Alis thought there were not enough
attendants in the hospital and that no
care was taken to separate the dying,
the delirious and the convalescent pa
tents.
Captain Edward H. Plummer, of the
Tenth cavalry, now an aide-de-camp
on Gen. Skaters staff who was brig
ade quartermaster with the fifth army
corps at Skaters headquarters near
Santiago, told of preliminary work in
massing his regiment at Mobile and the
march to Tampa and the voyage to
Daiquiri. He explained that as brig
ade quartermaster it was his duty to
take food to the front.
In reply to d direct question if the
transportation was satisfactorily &C
complished, Captain Plummer explain
ed that the transportation was limited,
but he did not believe that more wag-
ons could have been used because of
the limited facilities for loading the
wagons in Siboney and the narrowness
Of the roads over which the supplies
had to be drawn. From motives of
prudence, Gen. Shafter ordered that
wagons should not go to close to the
trenches.
Was there any serious distress
among the men in the trenches on ac-
count of their inability to get sup
piies?'
Il heard of none"
Major Lorigan, Ninth New York,
said he served as a private in the
Eighth New York in the civil war. He
considered the supplies served to the
Ninth fairly good and sufficient. He
had heard complaints of the food, but
considered them due to the inexperi-
ence of the men and their lack OF sense
to use properly the food issued to them.
1t was only by accident, when a cook
or a waiter was member of the COM
pany, that the food was properly cook
ed at Chickamausa,
"How about the medical treatment"
There were many complaints of DR..
Hubbard. He treated officers pleasant
ly, but he was rough to the men.
1.-The only case l knew of was when
a sergeant broke his leg in getting off
he train at Chattanooga. Instead of
taking the man to the hospital in the
city. Dr. Hubbard insisted that the
man be taken to camp, twelve miles
further away. The man died on the
way"
"How about the statement that T. G..
Lynch. a graduate of Yale, and B. F.
Renner were pronounced 'fakirs' in the
regimental hospital, when they applied
to DR.. Hubbard for medical attention,
J and that both died few days later in
a division hospital?"
81 never heard of those cases.
Captain Powell asked: WAS the
want of proper food the cause OF the
sickness in your regiment"
mo- sickness was due to the early
want of sinks, and later because they
were aug lUSlue me pipe Inc anu Wllu-
in ten feet of the tents, whence they
drained to the tent their trenches"
Miss Margaret Garrard, of Norris
town, n. j., a volunteer worker among
the sick at Camp Wikoff, was the first
witness at the afternoon session. She
visited the camp for the first time
after the arrival of troops on Septem-
Der 10. Before then she had visited the
train carrying soldiers from Montauk
Point and found many evidences of
neglect. Men too weak to help them
selves were found lying unconscious on
the streets of Long Island City. and
in every instance where she made in
ouiries she learned that there was
neither doctor nor nurses on the trains
! of the convalescents.
Medical attention and nursing. Miss
Garrard said, were very good during the
ten days she was at Camp Wickoff.
WAS the nursing adequate?" asked DR..
Conner
Il think thore were plenty Of good
nurses after September Is. but the man
ner in which the sick. convalescent and
dying were moved about. apparently in
discriminatory. was responsible for much
loss of life. When man was to be re-
moved from one ward to another he was
carelessly handled /"