The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-11-22
NO LACK OF SUPPLIES
Major Ives Found No Distress at
Chickamauga.
PARADE INSPECTION
That L. What Mckinley Got at Camp
wikoff-Disgracefui Conditions. but
Few Complaints-A Lack of
Foresight.

New York. Nov. 21.-Major r. ].
Ives. chief surgeon of the Sd division of
the 5th army corps. was the first wit
ness before the war investigating COM
mittee to-day. Ives said that while at
Chickamauga he saw no distress
among the soldiers and no lack of
medical supplies. He left Tampa on
the transport saltwater. with the 2d
cavalry. The transport was fairly
comfortable. Ives told of experiences
in attending the wounded of the FL
Caney fight.
'In view of those experiences" asked
the condition of the men in the Cuban
| campaign as compared with that IL the
| men I'm the Indian warsy'
| 81 think Il was good could have
| been expected under the circumstances"
WAS anything left undone that would
have alleviated the condition of the
| men?"
There should have been more ambu-
| lances. There were only three at the dis
posal of my division. l do not know IL
more could have been obtained. and I
| cannot think of anything that could
| have been done for the men which was
left undone."
He said that at first he was opposed 10
the employment of women as nurses. but
| changed his mind later, as the women
| did excellent work.
| In closing his testimony the major said:
| MY personal opinion is that the army
| was well equipped in every respect, ex-
| cept that at times there were not enough
| ambulances and at times there was a lack
| of medical supplies. l never knew a time
when, IL a surgeon took the trouble to
| hustle for medicine. that he failed to get
| all that was needed. When l wished for
| supplies / mounted my horse and rode
after them, and when i could not get
| things which were not at headquarters l
bought them, with the permission OF my
| SUPERIOR"
DIR. Louis A. samson of New York tes-
| tifed that he had made two visits to
Camp Wikoff 20 investigate the results of
lack of provisions against an epidemic of
| typhoid fever. He told of unsanitary
| conditions he found I'm the general hos
pital. The surgeon In charge of the gen.
| eral hospital told him he recognized the
| situation, but was unable to obtain the
| necessary help 20 carry out his orders.
IF 1 want thing" the surgeon told
| him, 81 have to take a man by the ear
| and make him do it,"
All of the surgeons told DIR. Stimson
that they suffered from lack of compe-
| tent male help. DIR. Connor asked DIR.
was impossible to obtain male help at
the hospitals. that many men sent frCm
| New York city were drunk and decln-
| ed to obey orders. DIR. Stimson said he
| had heard some such reports. on Sept.
| 4, DR.. St'mson said he went again to
Montauk Point to investigate a report
| that soldiers were starving, there.
Il found many of them" the doctor
said. who told me they had had moth
| ig to eat for "a hours. OF course. there
was enough food in the camp for well
| men, but there were a great many in
camp who were sick and were not
cared for. and not in hospitals. I know
| of 40 men in one regiment who were
| put on a milk Diet when there was no
milk in the camp. Except in the case
of the few men in charge, and an oc-
| casional robust negro, all the men in
| camp were I'm very poor condition.
| find no fault with the physicians who
| yielded to the pressure and permitted
patients to leave before they were well.
i criticize the system that permitted
such a condition of affairs"
What can't understand" DIR. Stim-
son said, lis why the United States
| government should have suffered them
| to leave the hospitals before they were
cured. seventy-four typhoid cases
picked up in the streets of this city
were treated in the Hudson Street hos
lowed to leave Montauk until they
were well"
What do you think could have tean
| done at Camp Wikoff that was not
| done?' asked Ex-Governor Woodbury.
Il think the whole conception of the
camp was wrong. 1t should have been
called a hospital camp and conducted
as a hospital camp entirely. The bur-
| den OF proof rests upon the authorities
to show why the proper things were
| not done"
AS DR.. Stimson concluded his testi-
mony, a message was brought to Cen
eral Dodge from Robert B. Roosevelt
10 the effect that he knew nothing OF
interest TO the commission except as
a matter Of hearsay. On motion of
Ex-Governor Woodbury. IL was decided
| To invite Mr.. Roosevelt TO appear and
place himself on record to that effect
Mr.. Roosevelt SAID a meeting OF the
| soldiers protective committee is 10 be
held tomorrow and at that meeting a
list OF Witnesses and the subjects on
which they will testify is to be pre-
pared for presentation.
Miss Julia Halstead Chadwick one OF
the women who worked for the sick at
Camp Wikoff. submitted a written
statement OF the conditions she found
there in the latter part of August. and
told OF the distribution of food and
drink 10 the rough riders, negro cav
airy and the sth and 22d infantry. She
told Of the inefficient supply OF bed
clothing and underclothing. She heard
there was plenty OF both in store, but
she knew the soldiers did not have
them. She said the regular soldiers
suffered the same as the volunteers.
but made no complaint and declined
| proffered aid. Miss Chadwick told OF
the length of the work done and at
| tempted at Camp wikoff by the volun-
| teer visiting women.
Samuel L. Parrich. a lawyer of this
city. who visited Camp wikoff several
times. said that the great drawback to
the camp was the lack of one active.
| continuous. intelligent directing mind.
| Everybody in authority did his best.
| but there were too many changes.
| One day General Wheeler was In
| charge. When he became familiar with