The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-12-14
BEER FOR The TROOPS
Commissary General Eagan
0efieS Blue Ribboners.
DR.. HARTSUFF TES1IFIE.S
Roasted for Making a Kick
When None Mas Coming.

I
ued his testimony before the war investi
eating commission today. He urged tha
the subsistence department should con
troll the transportation of all its own sup
plies and the furnishing of means fol
cooking and eating. He said the secre-
tary of war today approved a bill author
| izing the subsistence department to build
and furnish bake ovens, mess equipment
| etc, which was much needed. He thought
| the quartermaster generals department
was overburdened with duties innumera-
! BILE. He pointed out that the British army
was not as well fed by any means as our
own and that rations already provided
the United States soldiers are satisfac-
| tory, with the possible addition Of dried
! fruits. He spoke of the constant and
urgent opportunities, which he said some
times amounted to persecution, that vari-
Gus articles Of food be added to the regu-
lar rations. These opportunities were
backed by strong support and heavy cap
/ ital. One well known senator, whose
name he withheld, he said. mad proposed
and insisted on one article article being
added, which, he claimed, would cost only
about one cent a ration. While this might
be 50, for the whole army its cost would
amount 10 an amazing figure.
ABOUT BEER AND BEEF.
He said he believed beer should be fur
nished the men in such quantities as the
commanding officers may decide TO be
best and in the interests of the men he
would be willing to incur the hostility of
the blue ribbon societies.
Referring to a complaint of the beef
given the men in Porto Rico at the out
set Of that campaign, General Eagan said
the Responsibility rested on other shout
ders than his own; that he had purchased
the best of beef but after the contract was
entered into and the beef aboard and sent
from Newport News, General Miles had
Telegram red him that he could get the
beef on the island. Consequen| thu beef
he shipped remained on the snIps except
for a small amount, and was brought back
to New York and thrown overheard. The
beef, of fine quality, was there and should
have been taken.
mo one" ne said, with any sense
could hesitate to favor refrigerator beef
as against native beef He said he had
now sent a refrigerator plant TO San
Juan.
Referring to the ignorance Of the vol
unteer army as to rauons, General Eagan
said there should be one commissary SER
geant with each regiment to instruct the
others as to the use and extent of "a
tons.
CHIEF SURGEON HARTSUFF.
Lieutenant Colonel Hartsuff, chief sur
geon at Camp Thomas, Chickamauga, IN
der General Brooke, was recalled and tes-
titled that the supplies on hand there were
meabre. He went to that camp April %,
at the beginning called for supplies in
bulk, but they were not sent.
He said there was no provision at all
in advance for a large body of troops
there, and that there was no hospital
furniture with the first supplies received
Were the various regiments that ar
rived supplied with such medicines as
they needed in such fantities as were
wanted" DR.. Common asked.
I'm no instance" was the reply.
Witness said that because of the de-
ficlency supplies had TO be peddied very
scantily. giving only just enough to last
from day to day. He said there were in
stances in which his recommendations
were disregarded by the commanding
general. He said all his recommendations
as to sanitary matters were practically
only paper manifestos and that evils COM
planned of were not eradicared.
HATES TO ROAST BROOKE
The responsibility for the unsanitary
condition of the Chickamauga samp rested
on higher shoulders than the medical de-
partment as the department had exerted
every effort, but ne was reluctant 70 name
General Brooke. who was in command as
responsible. though not hesitating to say
his reports and recommendations repeat
eddy were unavailing.
Surgeon Hartsuf testified that though
he had found many cases of overcrowding
he had taken no official cognizance Of this
state of things and had not recommended
removals OF any of the surgeons RESPONSE
bic, because he did not want to do any
injustice to the surgeons in charge, all OF
whom were new to their business and
who might have become efficient men
after sufficient training.
NURSES NOT MUCH ACCOUNT.
The care of the sick by the nurses. as
a rule. was very poor. owing to inexperi-
ence and ineficiency. DR.. Hartsufr denied
he ever refused to honor acquisitions be-
cause they were not technically perfect in
form, but said there was frequently a
great shortage of medicines and supplies.
and in such cases he supplied what ne
had where the need was most pressing.
He was asked why he had not purchased
medicines as authorized by the surgeon
general, according 70 the latter's tssti-
mony. He replied that ne had not been
so authorized. bat mad only besn given
limited authority 70 buy certain things.
and these things were often not 10 be mad
IN Chattanooga Re had no authority 20
telegraph for supplies
WHOLE SCHEME WAS WRONG.
In general terms. witness said the whole
organization Of the hospital camps Ncre
wrong and he had reported his opinion 1