The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1898-08-10
WHAT DR.. MocoOx SAYS.
An Awful Condition Of Affairs in ssnti-
ago.

PHILADELPHIA, Aug. 6.-The Rev. Drs.
Henry C. McCook and Joseph Krsuskopf
arrived yesterday morning in New York
on the transport Iroquois, aud in the af-
ternoon returned to their homes in this
city. Since leaving Philadelphia for San
tiago as commissioners Of the National
Relief Commission they have had excel
lent opportunities to judge of the g'est
hardships through which the army of in
vasion has passed, and last night DIR.
McCOok told interestingly the story OF
what he saw in Cuba.
''The army was in an awful condition.
The medical supplies were almost ex-
hausted, some of the most important
remedies being completely run out.
Many of the doctors were sick. OF the
sick men in camp there was not one on a
cot. There were no supplies. not even a
change Of clothing for these men that
were stricken. They lay on the ground
in their blankets, which the rains kept
continually in a damp or soaked con-
ditiOn. Once or twice a day came the
torrential rains to drench them and make
them even more miserable than they
would be from the sickness alone. Hun
dreds of men with dysentery and ty-
phoid lay in this wretehed condition.
With one-quarter of the army on the sick
list and large part of the remainder
convalescent, with pestilence among
ihem. with the sun shifting them by day,
and the rains keeping them damp in
spite of the sun, with nature exhausted
after the prolonged battle. with made
quacy of supplies and hospital equip
ments and clothing. aud with lack OF
variety of food, the army was facing a
terrible situation.
1T was but the natural result of this
awful condition Of affairs that. as we went
among the soldiers, we heard this appeal
| on all sides: DO you know the President
or the Secretary Won't yon tell him for
Gods sake TO take US away from here ?
We are worn out, broken down, and we
will never get well until we get breath
of other air. They were all anxious to
get away, for they felt that to stay there
would be death.
''Yet there was remarkable resolution
leff in tn men, for all that. l believe il
there had been call to fight, the troops
would have been found ready. The con-
ditiohs that surrounded them appalled,
them more than the prospect Of battle
could have done. They were discouraged
and dropping. but if they had heard the
bugle they would have gone in with a
good deal of vim.
1--WE at once went about the work OF
relieving the suffering that existed. Too
great credit can not be given TO Major
Summers, the surgeon, who went with
US on the Resolute. He simply threw red
tape TO the winds. No sooner had we
landed than surgeons OF the various COM
mands came to the ship for medicines
and other supplies. The Government
stores were in charge of Major Summers,
bat he told the surgeons to take what
they wanted. He eomprehended that the
first thing was TO relieve distress, and he
didn't stop to consider acquisitions and
other forms Of red tape. He told the sur
geons he would take their receipts the
following day, and they helped them
selves 10 what was needed AS for the
relief stores sent by the commission, we
allowed them to take at once what they
needed. We were grstified to fnd that
the articles we took were especially de-
sired by the physicians :"