The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1898-08-24
DIR. Semi TALKS.
Boldly BIanscs Gen. Sbaffer and Also
the Governments.

the Government.
The remarks of Lieut. Col. Nicholas
Sem, chief surgeon, of the operating
staff on the hospital ship Relief. may
suggest a reason why no attempt has
been made by the War Department to
place the blame for the sad conditions
at Santiago. To a reporter for the New
York Commercial Advertiser DIR. Sem
said:
Current criticisms upon the medical
department of the army in connection
with it's work at Santiago de Cuba are
untimely and unjust. Everyone knows
by this time that some one Numbered.
and Numbered more than once Who il
was l cannot say. but / will say for the
medical department that IL did all that
could be expected of IL under the circum-
stances and that it oyercame obstacles
which should never have been allowed to
confront 1t, and which should have been
removed by the general commanding in
stead of being entirely ignored by him
1t is a matter of record that practically
all of the suggestions made by the sur
geons with Gen. Skaters army were
n. arrived
from Washington. For instance, the
moment / arrived at Siboney and saw
the filthy. sickly refugees lounging about
the general hospital in communication
with our soldiers. then suffering slight
attacks of fever and other minor all
ments, L realized that unless something
were done at once untold harm would
result l dispatched a messenger 10 Gen
Shafter at once. asking him TO assign a
company of infantry 10 the hospital to
drive out the refugees and to keep our
sick separated from them. This request
was refused. The next day Col. Green
leaf demanded a battalion of infantry for
the same purpose. Gen Shaf-er sent
back word that he needed all his men
and that we must look after the hospital
ourselves. When Gen. Miles arrived he
gave US whole regiment and the camp
was cleared, but too late-the damage
had been done. Another trouble was
those filthy buildings at Siboney, in which
our troops were qua-tered Seemingly
the dirtiest one was selected for the post
ONCE and in a short time the postmas-
ter was stricken with the fever and died
No one knows the extent of the damage
done by allowing the men 10 go in and
out OF those buildings. yet our requests
to have them burned were ignored by
Gen. Shafter and they were not destroy
ed until Gen Miles landed and saw the
conditions which we were forced to con-
front Gen. Shafter was in altogether
too much of a hurry. He gave US abso-
lutely no opportunity 20 get the medical
supplies landed and hurried his mzn
off to the front. apparently with no
thought of the need of a well-equipped
hospital service. He used every boat in
landing mis- men and his supplies and
then turned over one small gig 10 US 10
get our supplies ashore. Before We got
started the transport with our supplies
on board was ordered back 10 Tampa.
Was that the fault of the medical de-
partment2
Then. too. 1 blame the Government
for not providing better mail facilities
for our men at the from. A rich Gov
eminent like ours ccald certainly have
afforded to detail three or four tugs 10
carry mail between Key West and ST.
honey. and II would have made a wonder
full difference 10 our soldiers. I saw a
lot of inconsistencies and noted the men
tai and bodily depression which il
brought on. Ii made the men far more
susceptible to disease. Why, they would
have been willing 10 go without their
rations at any time il they could have
had a letter from home or a newspaper.
Men would watch and wait for the mail.
yet if any one of them received Letter
or newspaper in two months he was
| lucky. Mental starvation has almost as
harmful an effect upon a man as physt-
cal starvation, and the men wanted let
tiers from home and newspapers almost
worse than they did food or medicine.
They would brighten up and seem to i'm
prove the moment they received a letter.
and would read parts Of their letters 10
their comrades to cheer them up as well
The mail for the men in Santiago would
be loaded upon a ship at Key West. Then
I! the ship would be ordered TO come 70
New York and she would put out 10
sea carrying the letters right away from
their destination In New York they
| would be loaded upon a train and sent
back 10 Key West. p-rhapS 70 wait a
mel. -..o.o -r,...L,....