The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-08-23
Quartermaster's Department Re-
SpOnSible For Conditions.
OPINION OF DR.. SEM
LACK OF ORGANIZATION AND
INADEQUATE PREPARATION.
Conditions In Porto Rico Will Be
As Bad As at Santiago-Typhoid
Fever Brought From United
States Camps-Postoffice Depart
ment Has Shown Serious Neglect.

New York, Aug. 22.-Lieutenant Col
onel Nicholas Sem, who went to Cuba
as chief of the operating staff of the
army, has just returned from Porto
Rico, and is in the city. Speaking Of
his experience he said:
In, Cuba our army met as it's most
formidable enemy one of the most
dreaded of all acute infectious diseases
yellow fever. The Cuban invasion was
characterized by hasty action, a lack
ration on the part of the quartermas
ter's department, for which the medi-
cal branch of the army was in no way
responsible.
In less than two weeks after our
army landed in Cuba yellow fever made
its appearance. In less than two weeks
from that time nearly 500 fever cases,
most of them yellow fever, impaired the
fighting force and seriously taxed the
resources of the medical department.
Fortunately for the army the type of
the disease was mild and the number
of deaths was small in comparison with
some of the epidemicS in the past. 1t
was extremely fortunate that Santiago
surrendered at the right time. Our
army would surely have met the fate
of the Spanish forces, who lost over
80 per cent of their men during the last
year from sickness.
In planning the Porto Rico invasion
General Miles made the proper ar
engagements for preventing a repetition
of this calamity. Thus far our troops
in Porto Rico have escaped yellow
fever, but soon after landing fever
cases came into the different hospitals
at an alarming rate. After landing at
Ponce on Aug. 8 l found at least $50
cases of typhoid fever. In some of the
cases it was difficult and almost i'm
possible to make differential dag
nosis between malarial and typhoid fe-
yer without the aid of the microscope,
which, unfortunately, was not at hand.
Following the order of Colonel Green
leaf, chief surgeon of the army, 1 in
vestigated for two days all of the fe-
yer cases in the hospital for the pur-
pose of locating the origin of typhoid
fever.
"A careful study of all the cases
showed that 80 per cent were genuine
typhoid fever cases, and that the in
lection in the army was brought di-
rectly from the camps occupied in the
United States. 1 am firmly of the
opinion that if the American army now
in Porto Rico remains there much
longer the loss of life due to sickness
will be as great as at Santiago.
THE order to General Wilson to take
up the march towards San Juan made
it necessary to evacuate the division
hospital. All of the patients were
transferred to the Spanish military
hospital at Ponce, which caused tenn
of the city and the school for girls, in
charge of Sisters of Charity, were also
offered to the authorities for hospital
use and were accepted. 1 want to make
especial mention of the valuable ser
vices rendered by Miss Chandler of
your city, who, night and day, with
untiring energy, administered to the
sick and wounded soldiers. All of the
officers in the club house became very
much attached to Miss Chandler.
Nostalgia, or inconsistencies, in a
large measure, has added to the
wretched condition of the soldiers, not
only in Cuba, but in Porto Rico also.
The postoffice department has shown
serious neglect in forwarding mail. You
give man a letter from home and he
feels like fighting. 1 know as an actual
fact that more than 200 letters were
sent to me while l have been away
from home, but 1 have received only
two of them. Newspapers were in
great demand and were eagerly bought
and read.
1.-The war has again demonstrated
the value of the small calibre bull
let and has shown that it is a most
humane weapon. Contrary to expect
but few surgical operations
were necessary and our attention was
entirely to the proper dressing
of wounds.
II want to correct some of the reports
which have come from Cuba and Por-
to Rico as to the feelings of the Span
iards against the Red Cross. The
Spaniards never purposely fired at the
Red Cross representatives of Our coun-
try, and if any of those were injured, it
was entirely due to the fact that the
Red badge of the order could not be
easily distinguished at distance.
1.-The following touching incident, for
example, shows that the Spaniards are
in sympathy with the work of the Red
Cross organization: While company
of infantry was charging a hill at Gu
AMIGA, a volunteer who had rushed 100
yards ahead of his line was suddenly
Frustrated by the heat. A Spanish Off
Ger nearby ran to him and picked him
up and carried him to our line, amid
the cheers of our troops"
Colonel Sem is enthusiastic about
Porto Rico. and declares the island to
be worth it's weight in gold.
1T is beautiful country, a combina
ton of Italy and Switzerland, and its
resources are incalculable.
What is now needed in Porto Rico
is American civilization with its little
red school house. 1t will take at least
so years to bring the natives of Porto
Rica and Cuba to such state of civil
ization that they can govern them
selves l think the best plan for the
United States would be to establish a
government in the new colo
MES, somewhat upon the plan by which
England governs India. / am of the
opinion that even in Cuba, military oc-
cupation on the part of the United
States will be necessary for a long
time"