The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1898-10-26
illnesses Are
Examined.
SUPPLIES SHORT.
DR.. Boss and Others Testify
About Camps and Hospitals

Admission, Oct. 25.-Dr. r. D. Boss,
assistant surgeon in the first infantry,
was the first witness before the war
investigating commission today. He
was with this regiment and with the
4th infantry in Cuba. He arrived at
Santiago. on the 10th of July. He
found the medical supplies short and
was unable to secure any of them for
few days until he learned how to get
them from the division hospital.
He was able to secure hospital stores
such as food, delicacies, etc, getting
them first from the Red Cross and then
going to Santiago for them. He made
a requistion on the chief surgeon for
| these supplies, but had been unable to
secure them because they We're not
| there. However, he had no serious ill
ness In the command.
DR.. Conner asked if the government
could not have gotten these supplies to
| Santiago as promptly as the Red Cross,
and DIR. Ross replied that while he had
no information he thought it could have
done so.
Col. Fife of the Sd Tennessee gave some
his regiment He said they were very
near the tents, and that it was impossible
to remove them farther, owing to the
proximity of other regiments. six of them
being within a stones throw. In one in
stance the sinks of another regiment
were within 20 PAGES of the tents of the
! line officers. Nevertheless the sinks were
carefully looked after, and his regiment
had been commended by the brigade com
mander for the condition of it's camp.
Capt. Caball of the I'd Arkansas said.
| in reply to questions put by DR.. Conner,
that he had observed a condition of af-
| fairs at the hospital of the I'd division of
the Sd army corps in June which he con-
sidered horrible. He had himself seen
one sick man lying in the rain without
had been. informed by other officers that
several others had been left in the same
way. He thought the doctors were hon
est enough, but that they did not know
| how to get supplies.
| Mule drivers had been used for nurses.
and he had been reliably informed that
many of them were in the habit of get
ting drunk and on this account neglect
| ing their patients.
! Mai. Charles F. King, surgeon of the
! fourth Wisconsin regiment, was one of
King said the medical supplies of his regi-
ment were insufficient and that there was
much delay in getting acquisitions filled.
| He thought there was a sufficient guam
would not eat it. preferrlng to buy food
for themselves.
Gen. Wilson asked if the men had ever
complained to him as surgeon of the regi-
ment. and Mr.. King replied that they had
| What did you say to them" asked the
/ general. Il told them to go to the devil
and eat what they had he replied.
II think that a very improper reply fol-
you to have made" said Gen Wilson, and
q he declined to continue the examination
| Mai. Benson, who was Inspector general
of the LIST division, Sd corps at Chicka-
manga, said 1t. had been impossible to en-
force sanitary regulations at Chickamau-
ga, because when men were arrested they
would not be punished He thought the
camp site good, but said that some of
the camps had been poorly located. He
considered the men who had located the
camps responsible for this state of af-
fairs. Maj; Woodbury., an engineer on
; site of Camp Thomas suitable for a per-
manent camp. He said he had, after a
rain, seen water from the creek draining
the camp, running into the intake pipes
of the camp pipe supply system.
After the examination of several other
witnesses the commission adjourned to
meet at Huntsville tomorrow leaving
here at 6 p. m.