The Portland daily press., 1898-08-22
ON THE MOBILE.
Sick Soldiers Paid for Food and Drink.

New York, August 20-At Camp
Wikof. Col Forwood, the chief medical
officer and his assistants, as
we'll as Howard Townsend Of the Red
Cross society, were busy today fitting
up additional hospital accommodation
for the sick Of the transports Seneca and
Comanche. The two vessels arrived
with the Mobile late Thursday night.
On account of the II deaths on the
Mobile, she was given preference and the
300 sick on board her were transferred
to the hospital yesterday morning. There
are 200 sick on the Comanche and Seneca
and these men will be tr nsferred to the
hospital as soon rs room can be found
for them. The well men on the Mobile,
Seneca and Comanohe will also be land
ed. On account of the lack of horses ana
wagons to carry equipments, the WORK
or enarglng the hospital has been te-
layed.
Col Forwood has received word tn an
the Catania is on her way here WIN Soo
SICK while the hospital ship Olivette Is on
her way with 200 more sick soldiers. Coi.
Forwood hopes to have the hospital facili-
ties SO increased ky tonight that an the
sick soldiers may be landed withoue 10
lay. The well from the three IRA hs[oros
now here will be sent to the deten0ioh
hospital to stay the. usual time
The good condition Of the Mobile, as
Rpite it crowded state, was due TO tne
Care taken by the physicians and nurses
who were aboard. Most of the men had
hainmocks and so far as was possible
with her crowded condition, she was
aeleanly. ara
The difficulty of quickly unloading her
very sick men vas solved by bringing
her to the lower wharf where the hough
Riders were uploaded. Along the SANDY
stretch leading to the depot and the de.
tention ospital the Red Cross managers
prepared quantity of soup which was
served to those who were able to drink
as they passed. Unloading proceeded
rapidly. Ienderly the men were lifted
into ambulauces and those who were able
to do SO sat on the seats beside the drivers;
Most of the men were OF the Second
Massachusetts,. One of the first to come
ashore WIS Lieut.. Newell of The 23d in
fantry. 1t was at the head OF this reg1-
ment Col Wikoff was killed and after
whom the camp was named.
The I'd Massachusetts seems to have
fallen athwart the number ID. 1t left
Tor Santiago on o transport numbered
10, whose name. Knickerbocker, had ID
letters and it sailed from Santiago on
the Mobile on the 18th.
len of the dead were buried at sea on
the way from Santiago. The 18th man
passed away as the ship was steaming
into Fort Pond bay. He was Henry Q.
Collins of Co. /, I'd Massachusetts. and
though he enlisted at Northampton, was
New York man. One man, whose
name is not known yet, died during the
night. Esf.8s
The hospital on the Mobile is on the
upber deck said one of the Massachu-
setts soldiers. .:There were go of the I'd
Massachusetts men in it. The hospital
was partially sheltered at the sides by
about ten feet of canvass. 1t was open
in the centre 1t rained two or three
lights and the rain came In and drenched
many of the cots, some of us being in the
wet all night.
Joseph D. Powers of Co. D. I'd Massa-
chusetts. said he paid one of the stewards
IS cents for cup of coffee and % cents
for sandwich.
Charles Stone, also of the Cd Massa-
chusetts, said he paid 25 cent for sand
witch and 25 cents for coffee.
Many of the men said that the water
was full of iron rust and was rank.