Evening star., 1898-11-22
SERGEANT DOBSON
Major Borden's Report as to His
Treatment on the Shinneoock.
STEAMER Was NOT 0VERCROWDED
Abundant Accommodations and
Medical Supplies.
NURSES AND ATTENTION

N y hSES AN u AIIEN I4ON
Surgeon General Sternberg of the army
has received a rapCrt from Major w. w.
Borden, brigade surgeon, United States Vol
unteers, in regard to the case of Sergt.
Henry A. Dobson, Company d, 1st District
of Columbia Volunteers. which has recent
ly been the subject of investigation by the
board investigating the War Department.
The report is dated the United States
General Hospital, Washington barracks, D.
c., November 2l, 1898. and is as follows:
Testimony given November 10, 1898, be-
fore the war investigating committee in
the case of Sergt. Henry A. Dobson, Com
rany D. 1st District of Columbia Volun-
teers, makes certain direct and inferred ac-
cusations relative to the treatment he re-
ceived while being carried sick from Mon
tauk Point, N. Y, to New York city on the
transport Shinnecock. From reports of the
testimony given by Sergt Dobson's mother
1 gather the following allegations:
First. That Mrs. Dobson-his mother
had great difficulty in obtaining permission
to accompany her SoG.
Second That thera were four hundred
patients on board, interrirg that the boat
was overloaded.
Third. That the female nurses slept all
night inferrinS that her son did not receive
proper or sufficient attention.
Fourth. That the surgeon on board did
not see her son. and that he (her SOM re-
ceived no medicine other than one tablet,
inferring that ne did not receive proper
medical attendance.
THE evidence as given and the differences
frCm it are so erroneous that they infer
inoapacity or negligence on The part of
persons Immediately responsible and in
farentially upon the heads of departments
al lou -,r,h -tt.t
this reason l consider it proper 10 submit
the following statement for sucn use as
you may deem DrOper:
Accommo oda lions and Supplies.
"Thc Shinnecock was a modern. steel
sound steamer, of the best model. fitted ir
the most modern manner, with space FOR
400 passengers. She was chartered for the
sole purpose Of Transporting the sick from
Montauk to New York city. 81 ,00D a day be
ing paid for her use.
Il was In command, with three acting
assistant surgeons, two hospital stewards
three acting hospital stewards, eighteen pri-
Yates and five female nurses. | had on
board nearly $1,000 worth Df extra 1elica
cieS. nearly the same amount in cash. to
be expended for the sick If necessary. and
with authority from the chief SurgrGn at
Wikoff to call upon him foc anything l
might need. The department, therefore
had not only made ample, but almost eX-
travagant, provision for the comfort of the
sick and if there was any faIlIre the blame
necessarily rests upon rne and The assist
ants under me. That there was such fail
Iire | deny. and, relative % the testimony
of Mrs. DObsOn, submit the following
Il. AS to Mrs. DCbson's alleged difficulty
in securing passage with her son: Hundreds
of requests for transportation were made
by persons whose only reason for the re-
quest was desire to obtain free massage
to New York Such requests were obvious
ly improper and no persons other than rel
atives of the sick or those INN ediItcly in
charge OF them were carried. None Of these
we're refused passage and Mrs. Dobson 5
Gitf1cultieS, therefore, consisted in inforln-
ing me that she was with her son. receiving
a pass and paying the purs2r "a civII.&n)
for her meals while on BOARD. provisions
being provided by the government for the
sick only.
80. AS to there being 400 sick on board in
ferring that the boat was o"erCrowded: Tho
boat could accommodate 400. the highes;
number carried on any trim was SIS. On
the trip when Sergeant DOb5on was carried
the official record shows that IN ere were
eXa ntly 1SS on board.
sd. As to the female nurses sleeping ut
night: Thesa nurses were on duty from
pm. when the loading of patients began.
uEtil 10 pm, when all had been fed. cared
for and settled for the night. At pm. the
male niSlt ELrses went on duty in three
hour reliafs. until Is m. and as there were
three decks. there We're three night nurses
to each deck; an ample service, which
would have Keen increased if necessary.
and was, "a some trips, by the female
nurses also doing night duty At 8 d. III.
the female nurses again went on duty to
assist in feeding the patients and preparing
II EN- for transfer to the hospitals in New
York, and they remained on duty until the
last were embarked. generally from |
to 3 pm. The work was systematically di-
vided and assigned, that the besr work
could be gotten from all, a nurse utterly
worn out not being capable of giving the
best service
Medical Attendance.
18th. AS to Sergt. Dobson not having been
seen by the surgeon during the trip and
having received but one tablet in the wav
OF medicine: 1t is probable that 1 did not
see Sergt. Dobson. My duties were those
of general supervision. and We're so multi
fGrious that ii was impossible for me to
care for every individual case. and | made
no attempt to do so. l had three able as
siStants, one of whom was assigned TO
each deck, with one acting hospital stew
was therefore ample, and, in addition,
rounds were made of the entire ship by a
&C ctor every hour during the night, with
strict orders to every patient. Sergt
DObson was not only seen by doctor
uhough not myself but he was seen every
hour during the night from 8 pm. to s
am, aud W to and after those hours all
the doctors were on duty. AS to the med
icine given, that was, of course, in the dis
cretion of the attending surgeon and if
Sergt. Dobsor received only one tablet il
was for the reason that trained graduate
in medicine considered it the only neces-
sary treatment
During the service of the Shinnecock
2,450 patients We're transported from Camp
Wikof to New York city without a death
occurring on board"
A copy of this report was forwarded by
the surgeon general to the war investigat-
ing board today.