The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-11-28
ROBERT RoosEvELr's LETTER.
HI says che soldiers were wilfuliy Nal
treated.

treated.
| New York, November 26.-When bnSI
war Investigating commission met toeas
DR.. M. r. Terry, surgeon general OF vac
national guard Of the State Of New io,A
was asked to tell all he knew abou' si'e
various camps he visited. DR.. Terry pe-
gan withsCamp Alger. The site was q
good one and everything appearedi1o W -
good condision. The water was oi0si
in appearance but it had odor. Dr. 1eris
then went on to detail the condition
of camps Thomas and Chickamausa
He found the camp of the Sth New 1oiA
regiment in very unsanitary condl0ion.
The camps of the 9th and 12tn New aofA
wers in good condition. DR.. Terry 'nen
said that the Sternberg hospital unuer
the charge of Surgeon Major Hon, was
In excellent condition and the best Oh or
der prevailed. The sick were givan every
attention. In speaking of the camp at
Huntsville, Ala, DIR. Terry said that ne
met Col Duffy of the Goth New York, ana
both he and the officers and men OF MS
regiment appeared to be in excellent con-
dition. Col. Duffy, he said, did all ne
could for his men and there was very
| little sickness
| DR.. Terry said he visited the hospitals
| in Porto Rico-the government hospltais
and those conducted by Miss Chanler anu
other charitable women. Except at one
government hospital at Poncs, Whsre
thsre was one physician to do the WORK
of several, all the hospitals were In good
condition and well served.
| A NURSES STORY.
Mrs T.. W. Quintard. who was at Camp
Wikoff from August II to September 10,
in charge of the paid trained nurses at
the general and division hospitals. testi-
fed as to such conditions at the hospitals
as had come under her observation. AT
first she said there were not sufficient
nurses but later there were plenty. There
was very little food for the sick in the
early days, but that, she understood, was
! the fault of transportation. Mrs Quln-
tard said she considered the many dis
comforts experienced by the attendants
10 the hospitals due to the rapidity with
which the sick poured into the hospitals.
| Some OF the doctors did their best. bHt
there were many of the contract doctors
who had not much previous experience
"You found no lack of medicine or
medical supplies?''
s.1here were very few supplies of any
sort at first a.
The sanitary condition of the hospital
| was far from perfect. There was scarci-
| ty of water aud the hospital orderlies-
| the detailed men-were lazy. inef11cient
and careless.
THE WIKOFF SITE.
W. 81. Baldwin, Jr., president of the
Long Island railroad. which had con-
tract with the government for the trans
portation of troops between Long Island
City and Montank Point said there was
nothing in the contract to limit the gov
ernments right to carry its men by its
own transports Mr.. Baldwin told of
interviews with representatives of the
war department. in May last to consider
q proposition to establish recruiting
camp there. The capitalists of the Mon
tauk company who had intended to make
a summer resort Of the district, were
opposed to the scheme and it was not un-
| til June that it was decided to let the
governments lease the ground for a hos
pitaI camp. Mr. Baldwin declared that
| There was no real scarcity of water. The
scare TO that effect he said, was started
maliciously by o newspaper reporter who.
he added had since boasted OF having,
.made the government hustle. The
witness told of his individual efforts in
| establishing a relief station in Long ISL
and City for the sick soldiers. he ex-
planned tine system of fumigation adoIted
on the railroad cars and said that every
thing possible was done for the soldiers
travelling on the line, many OF whom,
he said were discharged from the hos
pitfalls before they We're in lit condition
Mr.. Baldwin said everything was
handled as express matter, although at
| freight rates and what delay there was
in the handling of supplies was due to
the inability of the government to take
the. supplies when delivered at the rail
road station. MI. Baldwin denied that
| the Long Island railroad had any soruld
motives in it's dealings with the govern
nent.
4 Miss Eleanor T. Coe a volunteer nurse
| at Camp Wikoff, from August to sep
| tenn Der 80, testified that there was scar.
| city of hospital supplies and utensils IN
| the early days of the camp, but later
| everything was supplied that was neces-
sary and the sick rec, iyed the best OF care.
ROOsEVELT'S VIGOROUS COM
MENT.
Capt. Howell read letter addressed tc
the commission by Robert 3. Roosevelt
secretary of the committee of thessSooietJ
for the Protection of Soldiers. Inc let
ter was in part as follows:
ssTo the Presidential Commission OF I'm
| quiry: 10,
i fGentlemen--I have noticed in this
| mornings press that one of your mem
/ bers criticises the witnesses who have
! testified at the request of the commission
formed in this city TO protest the soldiers,
for the reason that while establishing
i the fact that much groundlsss and mex.
cusable suffering was inflicted on the
army, they do not fix the responsibility
nor show who is to blame. II the views
CT your commission are correctly report
ed there seems to be a misunderstanding
between us. We supposed that all the
witnesses were to do was TO prove the
facts and that the commission would NJ
the responsibility; indeed was appointed
for the express purpose Of fixing the re
sponsibility.
1.-THE heroic boys may forget then
sufferings; may even refuse to testlfy 20
them, hut their mothers will not ane
their fathers will not. Nor will IT 90 q