The San Francisco call., 1898-12-22

WASHINGTON, Dec. 21. - General Nelson A. Miles, commanding the United States army, and General Wes- ley Merritt, commander of the Amer ican forces at the capture of Manila, were the principal figures before the War Investigating Commission to-day. General Miles responded to the sum mons of the commission only after days of consideration. His exami- nation was comparatively brief and not sensational. He spoke with some bit terness as to the "embalmed beef" and the canned beef supplied the army in the field. This he characterized as an experiment for which some one in Washington" was responsible. He said that the landing facilities of the Santi- ago expedition were inadequate, and that the men were short of rations and medicines and might have been better protected from exposure to fever con- tagion.
 General Merritt told the commission that he regarded the Philippine expe- dition as a decided success and would conduct it on the same lines if he had it to do over. He spoke in high terms of the troops under him and said hls army was we'll supplied with medicines and food.
 Are you willing to be sworn?" Gen. eral Mics was asked.
 T think" was the reply, that l can say what 1 have to say without being sworn"
 General Miles was fortified with a large package of papers and had his own stenographer. He gave hls evi- dence in a clear, unhesitating way and went into details regarding both the Santiago and Porto Rican expeditions. He opened by describing the railroad confusion in getting the war munitions to Tampa, pointed out the lack of Gov ernmenU StOrehOuSe facilities there and said that the cars at one time were held back as tar as Columbia, $. C. He said that when the troops were loaded it was found impossible to put more than l5,0O0 men aboard and they were equipped as well as possible under the circumstances.
 Tt was most fortunate" he said, that the transports had good weather. If they had encountered a severe storm the loss of life or the suffering, at least, must have been fearful. As it was, with fair weather, the men below, crowded in with the mules and sup plies, could get on deck, which would nave been impossible otherwise"
 The commissary stores taken, he said, were sufficient, but the medical supplies were inadequate. He had left the load ing, except for general directions, to the commander, General Shafter. He found, just before sailing, that there were number of pontoon boats being taken which would be utterly useless, and he himself had secured two barges from the owners there and had taken other steps, but the supply of such boats was very inadequate.
 The expedition, he continued. ''cbOnl6 have boan furnished with launches, naphtha or steam. or tugs. for towing barges from the ships to the shore. We relied largely on the en- gineer officers and the engineer de- partment for these. In the second ex- petition to Porto Rico these were fur nished, but they arrived too late to ren- der assistance"
 He said that before the first fleet sailed from Tampa estimates had been definitely made of the number of boats to be furnished the transports and the number to be furnished by the navy to assist. The most cordial assistance. he added, had been promised on the part of the navy.
 At Santiago the supply of tentage and food was very limited.
 Were the medical supplies at that time sufficient for the needs of the com mand?" was asked.
 In reply he read a dispatch from General SnaIter, sent on August 4. which referred to a chronic scarcity of medicines, and stated that four men had just died from the lack there of. There twas at no time. said Gen eral Miles, sufficient medicine for the troops. He remembered seeing one train for the sick in a drenching rain with no covering over the wagons.
 General Beaver-From what you learned and observed while there, do you think there was at any time a sufficient medical supply?
 General Miles-Of medical men and ma terials2
 General Beaver-Yes.
 General Miles-No, sir.
 The witness stated that the hos pital accommodations were only of temporary character He said that the shelter was bad. The shelter tents did not shelter. Questioned as to the char acter of the facilities for transporting the wounded he said that they were taken in wagons.
 General Beaver-Do you know if any of the wounded were lying exposed to the weather?
 General Milestone were exposed in being sent down to the hospitals. I saw one train of wounded men driving along in the drenching rain with noth-