Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-09-21
OFFICERS SPEAK PLAINLY
Tell Secretary Algsr of Mistakes Which
Were Made.
IT ION
Surgeon Generals and Quartermas-
81 I'll
ter's Departments Severely
Criticized.

A special to the New York Herald from
| Lexington, Kentucky, yesterday SAYS:
| Secretary Alger found trouble here today
when he undertook to Investigate the hos
pital accommodate of Camp Hamilton.
After reviewing the troops and making a
| speech to the assembled crowd praising the
officers in charge, the Secretary proceeded
| to General Breckinridge's Headquarters.
| While luncheon being prepared the
| Secretary summoned all the colonies and
brigadier generals and several other army
| officers. .
The officers came together, expecting no
more than perfunctory talk about division
and army matters, but the discussion took
a radical turn at the outset Mai Gen.
Sanger found fault with the surgeon gener-
| ais and quartermasters departments for
not honoring reQuisitions. Colonel Leona I'd
| of the 18th New York condemned the d.
vision hospital system without reserve
Then General Wiley spoke out frankly
He mentioned the shortcomings OF the med
ical department and told of Surgeon Cen
eral Sternberg's failure to supply articles
! that were urgently needed The surgeon
general, who vas present, protested. but
General Wiley named specific cases in
| which he could not get what he wanted.
| General Wiley then attacked the heads Of
| the quartermasters and hospital depart
| ments at Chickama uga as being utterly in
capable.
Secretary Addresses the Omcers.
Secretary Alger said to the officers when
| assembled: 81 have summoned you before
| me in order to find out your views regard
ing the division hospital While we lest
many men at Chickamauga and other
camps from death, we may consider that
| the Santiago campaign, which kept those
| men here, q blessing from God. Had
| It not been for this battle and campaign we
| might have had today in Cuba hundreds Of
| thousands of men dying of disease md
| plague. AS 1t Is we have suffered, but not
| to the extent of the possibilities.
The army was expected to move quickly
| into the fight. and the law, which gave to
| the President the power to make surgeons,
| hospital stewards and nurses, has not given
| him the power to fill their places when TAX
| en- away and placed somewhere else: 1t
| was intended that every surgeon. every hos
| pital steward and every nurse should go
| along with his command.
When the army came to standstill in
! camp 1t became apparent that a general
or division hospital was necessary IN order
that the sick men might be given the very
| best Of care. How it has succeeded 1t is
| for you to say. and L have asked that you
| meet me here and express your views on
this subject.
Division Commander Critfcises.
The first to offer response was Brig
Gen. Sanger, commander of the division.
| VINO SAID ne DellSNeO III INC OlFlSlOh lioo-
pital but he also thought there ought to be
some surgeons left with the regiments, or
| special men should be employed for the
hospital He said there were not enough
| medical assistants left in the regiments
| and the men left in charge were not sufh-
| GENTLY we'll posted to knew what was need
| ed He thought the great trouble lay with
| the surgeon generals and qHartermaSter
| departments in not hon0ring acquisitions.
| Col. Leonard Of the 18th New York was
| opposed to division hospitals5 declaring that
| it stripped the regiments of their necessary
| medical attendants and carried the sick
| men away from their friends
Wiley Talks Frankly OFF Mismanage-
Gen. Wiley said that the taking away Of
the litter bearers. nurses hospital stewards
and surgeons so depleted the regiments that
1t was actually cruelty to the men to make
them work eight days as they did at Chick
amausa. Gen. Wiley said there were no
tstretchers on which to, carry men Ctf the
| field after they had fallen, from the heat
and they had to be picked up by their limp
| forms and carried away.
| There were no nurses or litter bearers,
and when men fell in the ranks they were
! forced to lie in the hot sun for hours with
| no medical attendance. He said 'heo had
made acquisitions for stretchers. but they
| We're not forthcoming. He wanted boilers
to boil the water the men drank, but was
told by the Quartermaster that Uncle Sam
| had no boilers. Some one is responsible
| for all this.
Surgeon General sternberg attempted to
| convine Gen. Wiley that all the reQuiSi-
| lions that came to his office were honored.
| but the general would not have it and
| named telegram after telegram asking for
| supplies which were not furnished.
Attacked Chicknmausa Officers.
| Gen. Wiley attacked Quartermaster Lee
of the Sd Corps. at Chickamauga saying he
was wholly incapable Speaking of DR..
| Hudekoper, the medical director al Chick
| amauga, he said: That man. sir, is a vet
Urinary surgeon, and l doubt If he could
doctor anything above horse. He had no
| military training whatever. When he was
asked for a disinfectant for the sinks he
said disinfectants We're not needed
| Col Leonard said DR.. Huidekoper was
| thoroughly incapable of such work as had
been intrusted to him. Several officers pro-
| tested that the doctor was a graduate of
! one or more medical colleges.
| Surgeon General Sternberg attempted to
| explain the difficulty in securing the prop
| er equipments at the beginning and de-
! clared that he had always instructed his
| men to spare no money in securing what
ever was needed.
| Secretary Alger said he would hold every
man responsible for any neglect in main
| tanning the camps IN perfect sanitary con-
dltion. In the light of past events he
tnOusht the sickness should be kept down.
1t seemed to be the general opinion that
both the division and the regimental hos
pitfalls are a necessity.
! Gen. Ludington says that Gen. Wiley's
| reference was to the quartermaster at
Chickam&uSa. He declares that all requis-
| lions sent to Washington were promptly
| honored.
Alger Says He Has Not Resigned.
| Secretary Alger says there is no truth in
| the statements that he resigned his place to
! President Mckinley two weeks ago when
he asked for an investigation of his office.
He will establish army posts, he says at
no point where 1t is too cold to sleep under
canvas.
MisinfOrmation About Wheat.
| From the New York Tribune
In discussing the worlds wheat supply
before a British scientific association Sir
William Crooke was obviously impelled
rather by a desire to demonstrate the ne
cessity of using nitrates on a great scale