The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-10-26

Admission Ala, Oct. 25.-Dr. r. D.
Boss, assistant surgeon in the First in
fantry, was the first witness before the
war investigating commission today.
He was with this regiment and with
the Fourth infantry in Cuba. he ar
rived at Santiago on the 10Th OF july
He found tee medical supplies short,
and was unable to secure any of them
for a few days, until he learned now
TO get ther from the division hospital.
There was d sufficient quantity OF
quinine but a shortage OF morphine;
however, he had all OF this latter rem
edy that was absolutely necessary lie
was able to secure hospital stores Such
as food delicacfes, by 'rustling" for
them. getting them first from the Red
Cross society and then going 10 San
Jiago for them. He had made requl-
sition on the chief OF the division Tor
these supplies. but had been unable
10 secure them because they We're not
there However, he had no serious III
ness in the command. Or. Connor
asked if the government could not have
gotten these supplies to Santiago as
promptly as the Red Cross, and DR..
Boss replied that while he had no in
formation, he thought it could nave
done so. BE left Santiago with the
Fourth infantry and had gone to Mon
tauk Point on the second. When they
left Cuba he said the command was
call broken up" and every man OF the
command was sick on the way north.
The doctor himself was sick and at the
detention hospital at Montauk he tes-
titled to the careful conduct of that in
-stitution. saying the supplies were am
pie and the attention was all that could
have been desired.
BAD SANITARY CONDITIONS.
.colona Fife Of the Third Tennessee
having made request to supplement
his statement of yesterday, gave some
of the particulars concerning the sinks
used by 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 regl-
ments. six of them being within a
stones throw. In one instance the sinks
of another regiment were within 20
PAGES of the tents of the line officers.
The character of the soil had also rem
dered it impossible to put the sinks
down more than four feet, rendering it
necessary TO renew the sinks every two
or three days. Thus the soil became
noneycombed with sinks Neverthe-
less, the sinks were carefully looked
after, and his regiment had been es-
peciaIly commended by the brigade
commander for the condition of its
camp. He characterized as false and
malicious some charges made against
his regiment by a Chattanooga must
clan named Hunt, who had been with
his regiment for time
Other witnesses examined were
Lieutenant Reed of the Fourth Wis
consin, Lieutenant West of the Third
Alabama and Lieutenant Haley of the
Third Tennessee. West is the commits
sary and qUartermaster of this regi-
ment, and Reed was cOmmisSary for
his regiment for a time. West said the
supplies were ample and excellent
Lieutenant Haley is cOmmissary for his
regiment. He said there had been a
few complaints where rauiOns were not
sufficient, bur he thought the complaint
was caused by the return Of men on
furlough.
Other witnesses at the forenoon ses-
sion were Fountain Ragland and Ed
ward simmons, colored of the Third
Alabama; D. c. Lemke, a Quartermas-
ter sergeant of the Fourth Wisconsin,;
Congressman Colson. colonel of the
Fourth Kentucky, and Lieutenant Col
onel Cabell OF the Second Arkansas.
HORRIBLE CONDITIONS.
Colonel Cabell said in reply to ques-
tions put by Or. Conner that he had
observed a condition of affairs at the
hospital staff of the Second division of
the Third army corps in June which
he considered horrible. He had him
self seen one sick man lying without
the protection Of even a tent, and had
been informed by other officers that
several others had been left in the
same way He thought the doctors
were honest 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 III the habit of
getting drunk, and on such occasion
neglecting their patients. He said DIR.
Schocler was the division surgeon at
the time. Colonel Cabell is a lieuten-
ant in the regular army, and his tes-
timony had an evident impression upon
the commission.
FOOD WAS UNFIT.
Major Charles F. King. surgeon Of
the Fourth Wisconsin regiment, was
one of the first witnesses this after
noon. DR.. King said the medical sup
niles of his regiment were insufficient,
and that there was much delay in get
ting acquisitions filed. He thought
there was a sufficient quantity of food,
but said some of the men would not eat
il. preferring TO buy food for them
selves. General Wilson asked if the
men had ever complained to him as
surgeon of the regiment, and DR.. 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" replied he.
II think that a very improper reply
for you 70 have made said General
Wilson. and he declined to further con-
tinue the examination.
Dr.. Henry H. Lee, major and surgeon
of the Third brigade. First division,
Third CORPS, said he had urged the re-
moval of the camp from Chickamauga
because he considered the water bad
and because Of the impossibility of get
ting deep sinks.
Major Benson, who was inspector
general of the First division. Third
CORPS. at Chickamauga, said il had been
impossible to enforce sanitary regula-
tions at Chickalnauga, because when