The age-herald., 1898-11-23
BURIAL OF DEAD TROOPERS
Naked Bodies Placed in Pine Collins With
 No Means of Identification.
COL. ROOSEVELT ON THE STAND
He Testified That Confusion Reigned at Tampa, and That Transports Were Fearfully Overcrowded - How
 Nurses Were Employed.

New York, November 22.-The war inyes- tigating commission decided today that II would not visit Montauk Point, the site ol Camp Wikoff, in a body, but would send committee to prepare report
 Mrs. Susan c. Powell, of this city, was the first witness. She said she did not know why she had been called. as she had never been at an yof the camps and knew only by hearsay of the treatment received by the soldiers.
 "We called you explained Gen. Wilson, "because we heard that you offered to go to camp as a nurse. You were not~accepted because you would not agree to maintain secrecy should you find any dereliction Of duty. We wish to know who exacted such a promise from you
 q wish you would not ask me that ques- tion.'
 But" said Gen. Beaver, "the answer might aid us materially in our investiga- ton. To whom did you make the offer to act as nurse?'
 .To an officer of the auxiliary of the Red Cross society,""
 "Well, had the officer any authority it the camp; was 1t an office in the United States?"
 Ut was an officer in the army. do not know what authority the person had in camp. My offer and its objection were made in private house."
 "Since you have stated that" said Gen. Wilson, would you mind telling us whether you or the Red Cross made the matter pub lic?''
 T do not know who could have told or it. I do not remember having told any one but clergyman. He may have told MT. h. B. Roosevelt"
 Col. A. s. Kimball, assistant quarterma s. ter general, U. 8. A, stationed in this city, was the next witness. He said that all the contracts for supplies were let to the low est bidders after proper notification and advertisement.
 No Crooked Contracts
 He never knew of any money or influence eing used in the matter of awarding con tracts. My records show that from May 12 to June F, my office expended $4,61a,00O for clothing and camp and garrison equip ment."
 Colonel Kimball told of the purchase and hire of transports in this city. He ex- planed that he had obtained list from the owners of all the ships that could be pur- chased or chartered and had submitted the list to Washington. 'When a middleman or broker came to my office I ignored him entirely. I dealt only with principals
 Was the price paid for the charter of those ships fair and reasonabe?" asked Dr. Connor
 "Yes, think so, generally" replied Co., lonel Kimball, "but when ships were wanted badly they were hard to get. In the case of the Clyde and Mallory lines for instance, when the government offered the usual price the companies said they could not spare the ships unless double that price was paid and the government paid the price asked"
 Colonel Kimball told at length of the work of the railroads in transporting troops and supplies He said there was not movement of any magnitude made to or from this city which was not made as the result of open competition.
 Answering General Beaver, Colonel Kim ball said he had heard there was consid- erable delay unloading the supply ships in Cuba. 'I understand" he said "that there was no reef in Cuba where our vessels were to land suitable for the purpose. As an Illustration. I loaded a ship in forty eight hours in New York and 1t took ten days to unload it at Ponce, working the men night and day."
 Miss Mary C. Lowell, daughter of Sid- ney Lowell, said she personally talked to every man of eight regiments of regulars. Many were too sick to go to the doctors tent. There was a great scarcity of doc- tors, and Miss Lowell considered many contract doctors careless and indifferent to the men. She gave names of men she had found sick in their tents, and said that she had reported some of the cases to the regi- mental doctors, and the doctors took no notice.
 She found one man with a temperature of 106 and reported to Dr. Thomas.
 Dr. Thomas said he would see to it, but when she visited the man twenty-four hours later the doctor had not seen him.
 Surgeons Neglected Duty
 Miss Lowell mentioned other doctors who