The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1898-11-17
WAR INVESTIGATORS
A Remarkably Good Showing For
the Hospital at Siboney. ss,s
THE MORTALITY VERY SMALL.

Major La Garde Testifies That of the
Thirteen or Fourteen Hundred Sol
diers Wounded Only Eleven Died,
Being Less Than One Per Cent.
Washington, Nov. 17.-An important
point was developed by the war inves-
tigating commission yesterday through
the examination of Major LaGarde,
one of the surgeons in charge of the
hospital at Siboney. 1t was that of the
1900 or 1,400 wounded men treated in
the hospital only II had died This
was less than l per cent, and DR.. La
Garde ventured the statement that no
war in history showed so small a NOR
tality among wounded men.
The testimony Of Colonel J. w.
Jacobs who was in charge of the trans
portation facilities at Santiago, indi-
Gated that the reason why camp equip
page and cooking utensils had not been
forwarded from the coast to the troops
on the battle line in front of Santiago
was to be found in an order issued by
General Shafter expressly forbidding it.
The order provided that only rations
and forage should be sent forward.
Colonel Jacobs declared the quarter
masters department was not respon-
sibe for the condition of inadequate
camp supplies at the front, as the Of
f1cers merely obeyed the orders of the
commanding general.
Captain NJ. w. Ireland, who was as
ISOLATED with DIR. LaGarde as a sur
geon and executive officer in the Sib-
oney hospital testified that he had gone
to Cuba on the Saratoga, but had not
been able to land for six days, why he
did not know. The hospital at Siboney
had been sufficiently well supplied for
about 2O0 patients, except in the mat
ter of cots of which there were not to
exceed 80. Patients in excess of this
number were. compelled to lie on their
blankets on the ground for the first
week of the hospitals history. About
1,200 wounded men came to be treated
within three or four days after the ini-
tiation of the hospital. There was a
sufficiency of supplies except delicacies
and conveniences. Speaking of the
Concha, concerning which there has
been considerable criticism, he said he
had supervised the provisioning of that
vessel and he was sure that it had re-
ceived all the supplies necessary-at
least there had been no complaint be-
fore leaving.
DIR. Edward L. Munson, who for a
time was on duty at Tampa and in
Cuba, being for a time on the Olivette
and also adjutant to General Pope,
chief surgeon of the Fifth corps, said
he had understood that acquisitions
were promptly approved and that all
the difficulty there was in getting medi-
cines and supplies was due to the lack
of transportation. Each regiment had
been expected to take the supplies that
would be necessary There were no
orders to leave any of the medical sup
plies except the ambulances at Tampa
He had understood that the medical
supplies in Cuba were short. They
were taken on the transports, but II
was impossible to get them landed
DR.. Munson said that the condition
of the army before Santiago was Ia
mentable, owing largely to the fact
that the men were without tents. Fol
the first two or three days, also, there
were practically no supplies on shore
So far as he could determine the quar-
termaster's department had made M
effort to assist the medical department
leaving it entirely to its own devices.