The Indianapolis journal., 1898-11-16

General McCook asked General Breclkin-
ridge X he had visited General Shafter IN
his tent when the latter was i'll at Santiago,
and General Breckenridge replied that he
had done so.
Did he then offer the command Of the
army to you, as has been reported in the
press?v
General Breckihridge replied: Il very
much prefer not to answer that question.
You should ask General Shafter. Such a
conversation as occurred between General
Shafter and myself on that occasion is not
Of character tC be spoken of lightly. l
Iall 10 see how reply from me would pro-
mote the object OF your inquiry. Nou want
10 know what General Shafter did, not
what he may have thought of doing. II
General Shafter has not repeated the con-
versation ] ought not to do So
AS a matter OF fact he did not turn the
command over to your suggested General
General BrecIinridge responded: mo, he
did not. and / do not think there Is any I'M
propriety in my saying he could not have
done So
Dr. Conner questioned General Breckn-
ridge about the condition of the sinks at
Camp Thomas when the troops left there,
saying that il had been represented to the
commission that some three thousand of
them had been found TO be uncovered. The
general replied that necessarily some Of the
sinks lad been left uncovered; that 1t was
difficult to clean up after large army eVac-
uated Z. camp. He said, however. that he
had for cen this and had asked $3.50 from
Washili. eon for the purpose of putting the
einks L proper condition. This money mad
not srl we'd before MS departure, but he sup
posed I had been received later and had
beer used by his successor for the purpose
Tor winch + was iatended.
With this the matter was allowed TO drop
anC General Breckenridge was excused.
CAPTAIN DOWDY'S TESTIMONY.
Cart Robert w Dowdy, who was master
u transportation at Montauk Point, stated
that at the beginning of the history of the
camp the supply of transportation facilities
was inadequate though they were after
wards improved. While there had been
much criticism of the railroad running to
the camp, ne thought it had answered the
demands upon it very satisfactorily. He
Said there was not a sufficiency of ambu-
lances, but there were enough of them to
carry all sick soldiers who were not able
to walk. 1t was not true that these We
hicles had been used for purposes other
than those for which they were intended,
and the newspaper stories to the contrary
were made out of the whole cloth He de-
scribed the strike of the carpenters at the
camp and said that many of the men at
lirst employed were tramps and utterly
Northless.
Jr u. l.. Magruder. a local physician,
testified to visiting Camp Alger on three
different occasions. He said he had 1ound
The tents too near each other, and the sinks
very near the kitchens in many instances.
The surface water was bad, and he also
thought the presence of so many nucksters
shout the camp WAS Responsible LOT dDOul
90 per cent. of the sickness. He mentioned
one regiment which was compelled to maui
water for several miles and the o1tcers OF
which said they often were unable 10 get
what water was necessary even Tor drink
Dr. William G. Weaver. of the Ninth
] pennsylvania Volunteers. was the first Wit
ness at the afternoon session. and he proved
an important witness, as he gave detailed
information concerning the conduct or
Tegimental hospital at Camp InomaS 1T.
Weaver said that typhoid fever mad Droken
cut about the 18th of June, ana that II
lad increased from that time until the 10Th
tf August There had been about Geo cases
Uf this disease in the regiment and twenty
eight or thirty deaths. The doctor sald
end that at times he failed to get what was
ueeded Quinine was one of the articles
OF which there had been a scarcity, ana IJO, :.
GOO pills were secured from home. he sald
that at one time there were hfty-six pa
tsents in the regimental hospital because
there was no accommodation Tor tnem IN
there were sixty-seven fever patients IN
the company tents, for whom admission
could not be secured In any hospltal, u.vi. w.
sion or regimental In summing up the
causes of disease in the camp. DR.. Weaver
included overwork OF men as one. The lirst
reveille sounded at 4:3O, and after that tlme
the men were kept quite constantly engaged
With drills and other exercises until o:lo,
Notwithstanding the weather was IN
that the water from Chickamauga creek
Was polluted He considered the water IN
this stream as hardly fit to hathe ln mucIl
less to drink. His information was lnat
ttlasAe We're possible sources of contamination
above the intake pipe OF the pipe-hllnee e
system. The doctor admitted that he had
never visited the creek at the pumping sta
AN OUTRAGE.
:Dr. Weaver related his difficulties in Sc
caring tents for the regimental hospital.
aid he said that in one case Chief Quar-
tgrmaster Lee had refused to allow the
regiment to have a tent which was stored
ahd which was its property. Colonel Lee
said the tent could not be taken out except
in the proper military manner, but the reg
ileent had never been able to ascertain
what he requiI ed and had never secured the
tent The defect was supplied by taking
the officers mess tent for hospital purposes.
Il. this connection Governor Beaver ex-
MESSED the opinion that this conduct on
the part OF Colonel Lee was an outrage, ana
no said the only mistake that the doctor
ard his colonel had made was that they
had not taken the colonel by the nape of
the neck and kicked him out of the camp.
sDr. Weaver said he had been the only
surgeon on duty with MS regiment, the other
two being detailed TO other service. He had
bken on duty as long as forty-two hours at
a time, but he had never made any COM
piaint, because 1t was generally known that
lie surgeons in the regiments were over
NsOrked. The witness expressed the opinion
tRat the hospital facilities should be fur
al article of property in his hospital had
been thus supplied, the citizens of Pennsyl-
vania buying beds, blankets, sheets ana all
tie food ice and milk that had been used
there They had expended $500 on the hos
pital alone.
Maj Louis A. Lagarde, regular army
surgeon, who was in charge of the division
hospital at Siboney, said the transports taxi
iIg troops to Cuba were overcrowded and
tile air was very fetid and hot. On his
steamer, the Saratoga, thirteen cases OF
fever had developed going over. He had
reeeived his first patients on the lst of July
frbm Aguadores and El Caney, and by the
4ta of July 4G0 or 500 patients had been re-
ceived. The majority of them were shipped
north as rapidly as possible. The men sent
north were supplied with all that could be
spared, but the hospital authorities felt thae
those who went north, even though short of
attendance and supplies, were taking fewer
chances than those who remained, as yellow
fever was even then beginning to make its
appearance. The orders We're to send only
such men as could wait on themselves. Two
physicians had been detailed TO go or the
Seneca as well some nurses. The doctor
said If there were any very sick people
placed on that vessel they were transferred
from the hospital ship Relief, and this was
done without his sanction or knowledge.
Referring to the charge that the sick on
the Seneca had no change of clothing, he
said he presumed this was true, as nobody
in Cuba seemed to have more than one suit
of clothing Furthermore, the hospital had
nc ice to spare 20 the transports. Ice was
a scarce article The gentlemen of the press
had furnished the chief supply TO the insti-
tuition.
The witness said that he had recommended
the burning of the town of Siboney to Sc
cure immunity from yellow fever and to
secure q site for hospital. DIR. Polk, the
corps surgeon, however, had been misled
by the assurances of the natives that there