The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-10-01

Gog6tner. "A I0W NSd CroSS HurSSo oO oA1S
hospital would have saved hundreds of
lives.
ss"Men died in that hospital every day by
the dozens. Every morning
THE DEAD CART
would come along, stop at the dead house
and haul off the soldiers who had died
during the night. Tneyfalways got good
load of dead men too. L used to see them
hauling the bodies away and it was q
terrible sight can tell you.s The most of
the men died from dysentery or malarial
fever. The death reports said the men
had yellow fever, but heard afterwards
from man who know whatsyellow fever is
like that none of them had the real
yellow jack
"In the tent with Hooper and / were
two other sick men. One of them was
from Michigan regiment, don't know
his name. He was pretty sick and we did
what we could for him, but were too sick
ourselves to do much. He got no more
attention than we did and grew weaker
and weaker ev sr day. About three O'Clock
one morning the poor fellow began to
hiccough and vomit. He vomited all over
me, but felt too sick to get up out of
bed. Gradually the hiccoughs grew WORSE
and then they began to ease up little.
thought the man was much better. but
whens i looked at him again he was dead.
Gin the morning they came in and
carried him away and sprinkled chlorate
Of lime all over me SO that the vomit on
me would not smell SO badly. Then they
went away and left us.
"That night Hooper and made up our
minds that we had had enough of the
hospital. We were mighty sick, but we
knew we would kick the bucket like the
Michigan fellow If we staid there much
longer, SO we got out. In the night we
stole away from the hospital and went to
the station where :some of our fellows
were ON duty at Siboney. They gave us
some hard tack. all they had to eat, and
we started for Santiago, sixteen miles
away. We couldn't stay at Siboneytfor If
we did they would catch us and take us
back to the hospital again.
eve orawled along the road all night
and at daylight hid in the woods. We ate
the hard tack and slept ali day and at
night walked on some more. We were two
nights after we left the hospital before we
got to our station, three miles outside Of
Santiago.
"When we got there it seemed like be-
ing at home. The fellows were very good
to us, and Captain Butler was just as
kind and good as father He bought US
stuR that we could eat and paid for.it out
Of hts own pocket too. We got food here
that we could relish and a hospital
steward there gave US about pound of
bismuth in all. This helped us good
deal. If it hadn't been for that guess
we would have croaked. I am sure that
both Hooper and would have been
planted in Cuba If we had staid at that
hospital much longer.
Hooper and both went back to duty.
We would much rather work than stay in
q hospital and we were happier when we
were doing something. was very much
interested in the work and liked it so
we'll that wouldn't stop working until
I got too weak to crawl around.
Tin two or three days went down in
a heap, and for a week I didn't know
very much of what was going on about
me. There were four of us so sick we
couldn't move but who the other three
men were haven't the slightest idea. I
was too sick to care very much anyway.
"About week after I joined our fell
lows at the Santiago station another corps
came to relieve us and
WE WE'RE ORDERED HOME.
"Four OF us, as have said were too
sick to move. Captain Butler had orders
not to take sick men with him on the
transport, but he would not leave us be-
hind. There wasn't an ambulance to be
found and Captain Butler was obliged to
psy 81 apiece for two hacks to get us into
Santiago. He and the other fellows
struggled us to Santiago and about eleven
O'Clock at night we were put on board the
transport Saratoga.