New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-09-03
TROOPS TERRIBLE ORDEAL.
MICHIGAN REGIMENTS SUFFER AGoNIEs
ON THEIR JOURNEY FROM CAMP.
PENNED IN sTIFLING CARS WITHOUT RAT1oNS
OR ICE-HEARTRENDING SCENES IN LONG
ISLAND cITY-ONE MAN DEAD
AND MANY FRUSTRATED.

The sections Of the train carrying the 33d and
the 34th Michigan regiments started from Mon
tauk Point at Q a. m. and began to arrive In
Long Island City at 3 O'Clock. 1t was we'll into
the evening before the last OF the sections ar
rived During the long ride through Long ISL
and the men suffered terribly In the hot cars
The healthy even painted for breath. and
stripped themselves Of almost all their clothing.
hanging their heads out Of the windows In an
effort to get little Of the breeze created by the
movement Of the train. But this breeze was
like the one which comes from furnace. and
only seemed to make the men want water
Men who thought themselves strong and able
to stand the trip home TO Michigan soon col
lapsed and sank down in the aisles OF the cars
or curled themselves up in the corners completely
worn out by the hot march to the train and still
hotter experience in the cars
STARTED WITHOUT RATIONs
The men started without rations. Why. some
one may be able to say. II was understood py
the men that they were leaving army rations
behind and that their meals would be purchased
along the road, but there are few places along
the Long Island Railroad where anything can
be purchased On the South Shore Road almost
every village is from a mile to three miles from
the nearest station that when the trains
stopped as they often did, all the refreshment
the men could get to crawl from the cars
and stretch themselves under the nearest shade
only to have to crawl back on the cars minute
later when the train moved forward. Some tried
the experiment Of riding on the roofs of the cars
but the fierce sun. worse than any they found
in Cuba the men say, made the tin burning hot
and drove them back into the sweltering cars.
Of1cers and men suffered alike. The trainmen
he
the supply In the cars renewed. but this afforded
little relief as the water was usually warm
While the strong men suffered the condition Of
the sick became frightful. Men weak and wasted
from dysentery and fevers moaned and begged
for aid which could not be given to them. Men
who had smiled and rejoiced when they left the
camp behind them cursed the day they went to
the war and raved and wandered. The doctors
and nurses did everything they could for the
sick but when they were themselves suffering
tortures from the heat which made life almost
uncomfortable they could do little TO assuage the
suffering Of the sick.
FRIGHTFUI. SCENES AT THE STATION.
When Long Island City was reached at last
and the trains were unloaded. the most frightful
scenes that have been seen there since the war
began witnessed. Men climbed and
crawled from the and threw themselves
down wherever they happened to be. Men stag
gered from the and out into the streets
only to fall 70 stagger along until aided by
some one TO a place to sit down or onto the
boats that were TO take them to Weehawken.
The Red Cross relief station had Its full force
on hand. in expectation OF something OF the
kind, but its force was swamped In ten minutes.
The railroad company ordered all OF its en-
ployes who could be spared to help In the work
nff fbA
lent their aid.
Mrs A. O. Hammond. Mrs. Appleton. Mrs
Paul Dana. Mrs Chauncey ard Miss Reid who
are now In charge OF the relief station directed
affairs Lieutenant Bricker, Of the 18th In
fantry. and two men who have been detailed
10 the station at Long Island City. worked hard
Dr. Valentine and Or. Carpenter, the railroads
physicians were also on hand, as We're Drs Hall
and Powers. Of ST. Johns Hospital. Many cit-
zens aided led by George Clay and J. H Smed-
ley business Of the neighhorhood. who
called on their fellow -tradesmen TO AID
Ambulances were summoned from St Johns
Hospital In Long Island City and from he
Presbyterian Hospital in Manhattan.
HELP TOO LATE FOR ONE MAN.
One or the first men found to need the SER
vices OF an ambulance was George Allen. pri-
vate in Company F Of the 34th Regiment. His
home was at Milan Mich. He was completely
exhsusted and when the volunteer nurses were
carving him from the train to the ambulance
he said their help was useless, and asked TO be
left alone az he was dying As the stretcner
was nlaced In the ambulance he died. and his
bodv was taken out that the ambulance might
he used for-some comrade who was alive. Al
lens bodv was carried to the baggage-room ard
laid out on a blanket pending removal 70 the
morgue
Then the ambulances from Manhattan arrived
Those men unable to go further with the regi-
n,ent were sent across the river. IL was decided
n send none but those in immediate danger 10
81 Johns Hospital for IT is considered gooo
polcv to hold this hospital always ready for
emergency cases. because 1t is not far from the
railroad station
ANOTHER BABE HIS FRIENDS GooDBf.
Edward Reeves Of Company A. Of the sam
pasiroant was also taken 10 the Presbyterian
Uosnital While in the relief station ne op-
tained naper and wrote a letter home. He said
q was nrobably the last letter he would ever
urits and he bade his friends goodoy lie Ell
tered the Army strong man. but ne Is ''o" i"
tha last stages OF consumption. HIS preuic''o"
that he will never see home again VIII p'o'"'''
be verified within few days
One private. who went on with the o.he' so'-
d,ers toward home. was carried from 'ne ',"
70 the boat by hospital steward ana 10 s'io"
his gratitude the man. who is suffering .ion'
.a,suun,,on and ls weakened by fever besides
gave him little book made out OF me n.on parn q,
the tree under which the exchange Oh iiooSo"
and his men took place. The SICK man sau II.
wanted TO take the book home TO MS io'NS' anu
,,,.oa an doing so when he made the book. out
- -, -oo,i,ad that n his body reached Mcnl-
ran he would be fortunate. He did not want 70
so sa't to hospital in NewYork to die but wanted
70 get as near home as he could so HIS CUM
rades took him along
POLICE RESERVES CALLED OUT.
,,ss Fischer and Miss Clark. who are In