The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1898-10-15
ARMY RATION FOR SICK
SEAMAN'S VAIN EFFORT TO PRO.
CURE CHANGE OF DIET.
RED CROSS SOCIETY CAME TO HIS AID
No Accusations of Medical Department of Army.
0vercroWded Hospitals in Porto Rico.
..., 80. Seaman Says he has Been
Much Misrepresened.
Much Misrepresenied.

Washington, ID. c., October 14.-Dr
ness before the war investigating com
mission to-day. He complained that the
commissary supplies furnished the troops
in Porto Rico were unsuited to the de-
mands of tropical climate, and they
were especially unfit for hospital use.
He said the sick were fed with only
the army ration. He failed to secure
any change of diet for his patients, not
withstanding he made frequent demands
upon the quartermaster of the regiment
and upon the surgeon of the corps. He
was told that no such food as he called
for was issued to any regiment in that
service, and that it would be of no use
to make a formal requisition in writ
ing.
However the men in the hospitals
did not suffer because the Red Cross
Society furnished the desired assistance.
FURNISHED BY RED CROSS.
DIR. Seaman said that he had been in
charge of 200 convalescents on the OBJ
dam returning from Ponce. The ship
was supplied with army travel rations.
which while plentiful and good of the
kind were not suitable to invalids. He
refused to give this food to his patients
and appealed for a different variety =.
the Red Cross and National Aid Soci"ts
and had been supplied by them with wi:,
he desired. As consequence al the
patients except one gained weight and
strength during the voyage. He made
no formal requisitiOn to the Government
authorities for different rations because
of the willingness of the Red Cross TO
furnish what he considered better food.
When Governor Beaver pressed me
witness to explain why there was NJ
requisition made for condensed milk aad
tea. he replied that Chief Surgeon Snow.
den had told him they could not be had.
Returning to his stay in Porto Rico.
DR.. Seaman said there had been univcr-
sal complaint at the hospitals of der
cheney of suitable supplies. There Were
times when the Red Cross Society did
not have these While there was no
shortage of the regular ratiols, lie
thought many men had suffered for want
of proper food He had been told re.
peatedly that the sixty cent day ration
for the sick could not be furnished III
Porto Rico. 1t was not even Supplled to
the General Military Hospital.
SUPPLIES FOR THE OBDAM.
Dr. Connor urged DR.. Seaman for Il
statement as to whether he had made Il
formal written requisition for the com
mutton of supplies by the Commissary
Department. The latter replied he had
not done so. but insisted that his reason
for this failure was found i'll the fact
that he was constantly Informed that nc
such exchange could be made. He said
he had only six hours in which to supply
the Obham, and he had secured from the
commissary only the regular travel
ration, but he had made no formal de-
mand for other suitable foods for the
sick. He said in reply to a question that
he did not know that the cOmmissary al
Ponce had on hand quarter Of IA millior
dollars or any other sum for supplying
delicacies to the sick he only knew thai
they were not supplied
In reply to questions by DIR. Connol
Surgeon Seaman said that while he was
in Porto Rico the hospitals were over
crowded. The beds being within 81,
inches of each other. When he left ther