Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-10-11
RATIONS WERE SHORT
SO TEsrrFrEs A COMMssARY As TO
SANTIAGO CONDITIONS.
CIVILIAN OFFICERS INDIFFERENT.
Their Names Given by the Com
manga Searching Examination
from Medical Standpoint.


Investigating Commission had three wit
nesses before II to-day-captain Culver,
of the Grigsby Rough Riders; DR.. Hysell,
chief surgeon OF the Second Division, To-
Gated at Camp Thomas and Major Gal
lagher, who was In charge OF various
commissarY deDots.
Captain Culver had been stationed at
Camp Thomas. Chickamauga, from May
until he was mustered out, September
18th. The food, he said, was generally
abundant and good. On one occasion the
meat was tainted. but It was condemned
and rejected. He stated. however. that
the tainted meat was not badly ~poiled,
and he would have been glad enough to
have used 1t in the civil war.
Captain Culver mentioned an instance
when the bacon received was wormy, and
when the command first arrived there
there was a shortage of tentage, but these
defects had been speedily remedied.
CAPTAIN Culver stated that at one time
twenty-five Of his men were sick. lie
thought the proportion not excessive,
no greater than during the first days OF
the civil war. and until the men learned
TO go outside for foot. He thought the
pies sold to the men were unwholesome,
and also said that much stale fried
chicken was sold TO them.
In conclusion. Captain Culver said he
had no complaint to make OF the treat
ment accorded him, except In the location
of his troops in the woods. He had pro-
tested against this location.
THE ILLNESS AT CHICKAMAUGA.
DR.. Hysell testified that he had been
surgeon in the civil war, and since then
had been In general practice. All the
early cases Of typhoid-fever were treated
in the regimental hospitals, and the pa
tients were not isolated until after the
construction of the division hospital
where typhoid and suspicious cases were
isolated and the men were well attended
by physicians and nurses, though at times
one nurse would have charge OF thirty
men.
The sinks were kept covered with earth
but DR.. Hysell said that no special pre-
caution was taken to disinfect vessels
going to and from the sinks. In his
opinion. the men in his division had not
as much water as they should have used
though they made no complaint. This
was due TO the fact that he was sus-
picious of the water from Chickamauga
river springs, and had water hauled 10
the camp in barrels from outside.
He had DIR. Martin, OF the First Brigade,
examine the intake Of the pipe line, ana
this surgeon had reported that II was lSO
feet below the mouth OF Chickamauga
creek, which received the drainage from
the camp. DR.. Martin had also reported
that the men were in the habit OF path-
ing in the river above the intake.
had
been imported into the camp from the
outside. and that the increase had been
due to the failure to properly cover the
sinks. and 10 the prevalence of flies.
The examination of DIR. Hysell was con-
Quoted by Dr. Conner. Of the commission,
and was very searching, from medi-
cal standpoint.
COMNuSSARY AT SANTIAGO.
At the afternoon session the commits"
| sion examined Major Hugh j. Gallagher
He had served as depot commissary az
! Siboney, San Juan, and Santiago, and
recently occupied this position at Mon
tauk Point. having been made chief COM
missary of General Skaters corps. The
! rations were. he said, forwarded almost
| as rapidly as they were landed. lie
| heard no complaint Of lack OF rations al
the front At first they were able 70
| forward about 5O,OOV TdtipnS SdSh ua3'
From Siboney the depot was moved "a
FL Goose. seven miles inland, and at this
point there were never enough rations
for even day ahead, and ii was I'M
possible to fill all the acquisitions. Thert
was a shortage in coffee and sugar, when
| continued for two or three days. rms
was due to the difficulty in landing sup
niles because Of the high surf at Siboney
Major Gallagher said there was one
| instance where the canned roast-Deer
snoiled. and IL was destroyed. Some po-
| tatoes and onions and tomatoes were
| also thrown away at Santiago, for the
same reason Indeed, when 1t was dis
covered that any article of goods was
defective, It was destroyed.
| ON one occasion II had been necessary
| IN issue green coffee to men on the
| firing lines, but the issue had only been
for day, and the emergency was I'M
| usual.
SHORTAGE OF COFFEE AND SUGAR
Colonel DENLY pressed for information
nc 70 the shortage of coffee and sugar
and Major Gallagher stated that there
! were probably two days when the men
were without these articles. He said the
| store was the immediate cause of this
deficiency. but that If there had been a
sufficiency of lighters this deficiency
would not have occurred. The Majol
| said there was not, to his knowledge, a
shortage in any other article of food
during the campaign.
suppose" asked General McCook.
"this shortage of rations had lasted for
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