The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1898-10-14
N EW FACTS
The Santiago
Campaign.
MILES ANDALGER
How They Differed in the
Conduct of War.

Washington, Oct. 1S.-After devoting
the forenoon to hearing the testimony
of Dr. Hoff. a chief surgeon Of the 80
army corps, stationed at Camp Thorn
as, the war investigation committee
gave the remainder of today to the
reading of papers, submitted with Sec
rotary Ayers statement concerning
the conduct of the war. The papers
include orders for the movement Of
troops, communication to the secretary
of war from officers in the field and
from the secretary of the navy, and
various other documents bearing upon
the subject Of the investigation.
The documents reveal the fact that
Gen. Miles. recommended the occupa-
ton Of the Isle Of Pine, about the time
of the battle of Santiago, and that Sec
rotary Alger disapproved the sugges-
ton. 1t also appears that Gen Miles
recommended that some point between
Santiago and Porto Rico be taken pre-
vious to the beginning of either cam
paign. The correspondence also deyel-
oped the fact that there was an ap
parent conflict of authority between
Gen Miles and Gen. Shafter at Tampa
before the Santiago campaign was in
augurated-
1t also shows that orders were issued
by the secretary Of war that, in the
event that Gen. Shafter should be dis
abled by sickness or other cause, the
command of the troops at Santiago
should devolye upon Gen. Wheeler and
upon the next in command, in case OF
disability of both Shafter and Wheeler.
The commission has summoned Maj.
Louis l.. Seaman, & surgeon in the LIST
volunteer engineers, to appear, and 1t
is expected he will testify at tomor-
rows session. He has recently been
quoted in New York as saying that 200
men had died daily because Of the mai
administration Of the quarternaster S
department.
DR.. Hoff said he did not consider the
camp to have been in the best sanitary
condition, but expressed the opinion thai
it was the best under the circumstan-
ces. The men were eneampeds some
what closer to each other than they
should properly have been, and it has
been impossible without blasting to
make the sinks as deep as good sani-
tation required, owing to layer Of
limestone, which lay two or three feet
beneath the service Of the ground
throughout the camp.
DR.. Hoff said that in the beginning
the camp was deficient in medical sup
plies. He said the capacity Of the d.
vision hospitals was often doubled and
trebled.
1t sometimes occurred that there were
eight men in tents which were intended
should accommodate six, because OF
delay in securing tentage to care for
the increase Of disease, which was I'M
expectediy rapid.
On one or two occasions patients
were necessarily placed in beds made
upon the floors, because Of a Temporal
~ deficiency in cots. The orders pro-
vided for careful disinfection in ty-
phoid cases. AS a rule the nurses were
without training and this fact occas-
toned some difficulty in dealing with
typhoid cases. Yet he knew of no spe-
cific cases of suffering on this account
He specified the case Of man affiict-
ed with an infectious disease, who had
been compelled to lie in the open ali
one night on account of the lack OF
tentage.
He was sure that no injury resulted
as the weather was pleasant. DR.. Hofi
said that the shortage in medical sup.
plies had continued for several weeks
but there was generally sufficient tc
meet the immediate demands.
He also said that some acquisitions
had been returned to the WASHINGTON
authorities because improperly flied
and he was under the impression that
there had been complaints Of some sur
fering on this account. There was
considerable delay in securing flooring
for the tents.
Was there any deprivation on ae-
count Of the shortage of tents and
medical supplies? asked Gov Wood
bury. 1T was so reported" responded
DR.. Hoff. Whose failure was it, wax
asked.
mot mine,'' he replied. II did al
that ! could do" The troops of the &c
corps were more closely crowded thar
they SHOULD be, but he understood that
the crbwding had been supposed to be
military necessity in the beginning
DR.. Conner stated that the governor
of Arkansas had complained Of the
neglect of the troops from that state
The witness replied that the Arkansas
troops received the same medical care
and attention that had been given tx
other soldiers under like conditions. He
knew Of no case in which men Ia hos.
pitfalls had been compelled to lie on the
ground, but he thought there were
probably cases in which sick men HAD
been kept under flies for several days
He was asked if it was true that al
night there was an average Of only one
nurse to each 40 patients in the hospi-
tai of the I'd division Of the 3D. corps
and said this could not be true DR.
Conner read an extract from the letter
Of the Arkansas governor, saying thai
he had made a personal investigation 0.
the conditions in this hospital, and tha-
he had found "the conditions deplora.
ble-simply disgraceful.'
He charged that the doctors in the
institution We're all northern men, un.
familiar with diseases incidental t
the south; that, there were cases Of fe,
yer in which patients had gone withou
water for "a hours, and in which sicl
men went without attention from
surgeon or without receiving a dose OF
medicine for a week.
Replying, DR.. Hoff said that severa
southern physicians were engaged al
the hospital, and that he did not thinl
it possible that men could have beer
neglected as indicated by the govern.
or's letter. He had heard of no sucf
cases A statement in the nature Of Z
report was read from DIR. Samuel d
Hubbard surgeon Of the 9th New York
rejecting to some extent upon the %
division hospital. He charged that tn,
water for the hospital was bad, COMING
-