The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-10-14
A CONFLICT or AUTHORITY.
SECRETARY ALGER DIsAPPROVED
PLANS OF GEN. MILES.


Wheeler Should BE ia Command
in Front of SantiagO-Maj. Lenman
to Appear Before the Commission
TO-day-Lieut. Col. HOG Gave Tes-
timOnY at Yesterdays Session.
Washington, Oct. Batter devoting the
afternoon 10 hearing the testimony of DR..
Hoff, a chief surgeon of the Third Army
! Corps, stationed at Camp Thomas, the
war investigating commission gave the re-
mainder of the day TO the reading of pa
pers submitted by Secretary Alger with
his statement concerning the conduct of
the war. The papers include orders for
the movement of troops, communications
to the Secretary of War from the officers
in the field and from the navy to them,
! and various other documents bearing upon
the subject of the investigation.
The documents reveal the facts that
! Gen. Miles recommended the occupation
| of the Isle of Pines about the time Of
! the battle of Santiago and that Secretary
! Alger dsapproved the suggestion 1t alsO
| appears that Gen. Miles recommended that
some point between Santiago and Porto
| Rico be taken previous TO the beginning
| of either campaign
The correspondence also developed the
fact that there was an apparent conflict
of authority between Gems Miles and
Shafter at Tampa before the Santiago
campaign was inaugurated. 1t also shows
that orders were issued by the Secretary
of War that in the event that Gen SHAFT
ter should be disabled by sickness or other
cause, the command of the troops at San
tiago should devolve upon Gen. Wheeler,
and upon the next in command in case Of
/ the disability of both Shafter and Wheeler.
] The commission has summoned Maj.
Louis ]. Leaman, a surgeon in the First
Volunteer Engineers, to appear before It,
and he is expected to testify at to-mor-
rows session. He has recently been quot
ed in New York as saying that 200 men
| had died daily because of the maladminis-
tration of the quartermaster's department.
Lieut.. Col ]. G. Hoff was a regular army
officer and was chief surgeon in the Third
Army Corps at Camp Thomas, Chicka-
mauga Park. He said he did not con-
slider the camp to have been in the best
sanitary condition, but expressed the opin-
1
the circumstances.
The men were encamped somewhat clos
er to each other than they should properly
have been and it had been impossible
without blasting, to make the sinks as
deep as good sanitation required, owing to
| layer of limestone which lay two or
| three feet below the surface of the ground
throughout the camp Furthermore, it
was impossible to compel the men to use
the sinks, and he thought 1t probable that
this difficulty had led to injurious results
Every effort had been made to have the
sinks properly covered and disinfected and
to have the men use them.
DR.. Hoff said that in the beginning the
camp was deficient in medical supplies.
| There were at this time many cases of
diarrhea, and 1t had not been possible TO
| meet all the demands for remedies.
The shortage was due to the fact that 1t
had been expected the troops would come
to camp supplied with medicines, but
some of them failed in this respect, max
ing a greater demand than had been count
ed u0on.
Continuing, DR.. Hoff said the capacity
of the division hospital was often doubled
and trebed. 1t sometimes occurred that
there were eight men in tents which were
| intended should accommodate six, because
of delay in securing tentage to care for the
increase of disease which was unexpected
| ly rapid On one or two occasions patients
We're necessarily placed in beds made ND
| on the floors because of a temporary diff
| hculty in cots. The orders provided for
| careful disinfection in typhoid cases. AS
RUE the nurses were without training
and this fact occasioned some difficulty in
dealing with typhoid cases. Yet he knew
| of no specific cases of suffering on this &c
| count. He specified the case of a man in
flicted with an infectious disease who had
| been compelled to lie in the open air one
night on account of the lack Of tentage.
| The captain was sure that no injury result
ed as the weather was pleasant.
DR.. Hoff said that the shortage in med
ical supplies had continued for several
weeks, but there was generally eufioient
to meet the immediate demands. He also
said that some acquisitions had been re-
turned by the Washington authorizes be-
cause improperly filled and he was under
| the impression that there had been COM
| plants of some suffering on this account
| There was considerable delay in securing
the flooring for the tents.
WAS there any deprivation on account
| Woodbury..
at was SO reported" responded DR..
Hoff
Whose fault was it?" he was asked
"Not mine" he replied. II did all that
| / could do"
The troops Of the Third Corps were
more closely crowded than they should
have been, but he had understood that
the crowding had been supposed TO be a
mild necessity in the beginning
DR.. Connor stated that the Governor Of
Arkansas had complained of the neglect
of the troops from that state The wit
ness replied that the Arkansas troops
received the same medical care and at
tention that had been given to other SOL
diers under like condition. He knew of
no case in which men in the hospitals had
! been compelled to lie on the ground but
he thought there were probably cases
where sick men had been kept under flies
| several days
DR.. Connor read an extract from the
letter of the Arkansas governor saying