The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1898-10-05
LOCATION WAS POOR
And Transportation Facilities Bad at
Camp Wikof Says Gen. Wheeler.

And Transportation Facilities Bad at
Camp Wikof Says Gen. Wheeler.
Washington. Oct. 5.-In reference to
Camp WikOf in his evidence before the
Investigating board, General Wheeler
said that the general condition and the
transportation facilities and the camp
were poor. There was but one line of
railroad and that was a single track
and without adequate terminal facih-
ties. The camp could, he said, have
been supplied by water, but unfor-
tunately there was a contract with the
railroad company owning the land
which gave it control of all transporta-
ton except that on government trans
ports This contract had been made,
he understood, in return for the use of
the land. He did not know who had
made the contract.
There were good hospitals erected,
but there was a scarcity of nurses. He
Immediately wired for nurses and with
in five or six days there was an album
dance. He summoned the surgeons for
a consultation each morning and would
order Immediately by wire any article
needed.
The hospital tents We're, he. said, all
foored. The patients were laid upon
mattresses on the floor, and were sup
piled with clean bedding. From first to
last 10000 patients entered the hospitals
at Montauk. The hospitals had when
landed a capacity of not to exceed 500,
and so far as he knew the hospital had
up to this time been equal to the de-
mands upon it over {, 252 of the Santi-
ago troops had been reported sick on
arrival, but many others of the arri-
walls were really sick.
Visiting ladies had made frequent
complaints to him Of specific cases, in
which sick men were not properly cared
for, but he found upon investigation in
each case that the physicians said the
ladies were mistaken.
AS a rule when parents or other rela-
tives came to visit the soldiers they eX-
pressed satisfaction at the care the men
were given. He knew Of no complaints
from relatives.
Gen. Wheeler explained that the rea-
son there was so much complaint about
the bur1alS was that the burial ground
was so near and SO plainly in view.
Only 260 of the men had died in the
existence of the camp. He knew moth
ing of the details of intermentS and
could not say whether any bodies had
been buried without clothing. Upon the
whole he thought the fact that there
had been no spread of yellow fever
from the camp was quite marvellous.
One Of the greatest difficulties he had
encountered was to properly control the
removal of sick soldiers by their rela-
tives in cases where sympathy and af-
lection often acted instead of discre-
ton.
Gen. Wheeler considered the hospital
facilities ample after the erection of
the division hospitals There were times
when they We're crowded for a day or
two, but on the other hand there were
many times when the buildings were
not filed.
Taking up charges made by the New
York World and by DR.. jenkins in its
columns, Gen. Wheeler said that if the
soldiers had not been landed at some
isolated place such as MOntauk Point,
the fear of yellow fever would have
caused general cutlery. 1t would
have been cruel to send the men home
within five days after landing as DR..
Jenkins had suggested. Many of them
were sick men and Needed attention in
the hospitals. They would have fallen
sick on the trains and attracted general
attention to the situation. The distress
was due to the condition OF the men
and not to the typographical or climatic
conditions. Ninety per cent had the fe-
yer in them and the officers suffered
as much as the men. MOntauk point,
he thought, in brief, was a necessity
for quarantine purpOses-tO prevent the
spread Of fever, if for no other pur-
pose.
Replying to other allegations made
by the World, General Wheeler said he
did not think that the hospitals were
crowded; that if the sick were without
blankets or adequate shelter he had
not known the fact, and if he had
known such a want he would have sup
piled it. There was no red tape; he
mentioned one case in which he had
telegraphed to New York for four car
loads of medicine, and it had arrived
on the evening of the next day. He
had read to the regular soldiers the as
sertion that they had been in an al
most starving condition, and they
laughed at the report. The men as
serted that the only trouble was that
they had too much, and as a matter
of fact no soldier had ever been so well
supplied. General Wheeler asserted
that it was true some of the employees
had used articles intended for the sick,
and he had been told by some ladies
that physicians had used some of the
articles. including apOllinaris water.
provided for the hospitals. He had is
sued an order for the arrest of those
engaged in such a practice.
There We're" he said, ''undOubtedly
individual cases of suffering and neg
lect but they were the exception" He
had investigated the charge that the
hospitals were overcrOwded and he was
satisfied that such was not the case.
I'VE had no red tape about this or any
other matter" said the general, but
we ordered a thing done and it was
done. Our aim at Wikoff was to sup
ply the necessities of the men, and we
attempted to do so without resorting
to the fornalities necessary in times Of
peace"