Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1898-08-04
WILL INVESTIGATE.
Acting Inspector Heyl Will Learn the
Condition of Afairs on the Trans
port Concho.


New York. Aug 2.-Major Charles $.
IIeyl acting inspector general of the ar-
my, arrived in New York to-day to begin
an investigation OF the condition of af-
fairs on the transport Concho. which
brought wounded and sick soldiers from
Santiago.
Maj. Heyl went to quarantine accompan-
led by a stenographer. After he had a
talk with DR.. Doty. health officer OF the
port the testimony of a number of patients
who had been on the ConchO was taken.
The Concho has been lying Off Siboney
ever since July /. An order from Gen.
Shafter in writing to Maj. Lagarde, sur
geon In charge at Siboney, directed Mai.
Lagarde to have put on board the Con-
cho 175 of the convalescent sick and
wounded, so that the ship could sail for
Fort Monroe on July %. Upon receipt of
that order Maj. Lagarde sent a written
order to DR. Lesser, which the latter has
In his possession, directing DIR. Lesser to
assume medical direction of the Concho,
and to see to 1t that the needs of the
patients confined to the ship were at
tended to.
Dr. Lesser accepted the commission and
went aboard the transport with Mrs.
Lesser. seven female Red Gross nurses,
and n hospital steward. d. c. MCGOWAN.
hospital corps 33d Michigan volunteer in
fantry. The patients began to he brought
aboard shortly after DIR. Lesser took up
his headquarters on board the ship. Az
ter he had received 6s of the sick and
wounded, he sent a note to Mai. Lagnr ride
asking the major to send no more aboa d
| the Concho. DIR. Lesser has no means OF
knowing whether Maj. Lagerde ever re-
ceived his note or not. At any rate the
conNdlesccnts kept coming unit, III had
come aroard.
Or. Lesser does not know whether
| Gen. Shafter. Maj. Lagarde, or any other
persons authorized to do 80 endeavored
to find out whether the Concho was prop
erly equipped for temporary Hospital
ship whether there were board her thoss
supplies, commissary and otherwise
which sick men would need, and whether
there was sufficient quantity of ice ant
sweet water.
| DR.. Lesser was acting as an army sur.
geon when he accepted the commission
from Major Lagarde to look after the pa.
tients on the ships voyage north. He
does not say that he made any stronger
protest against receiving sick men on the
transport than to send the note to Major
Lagarde asking him to stop sending con
valescents after 6S had been put on tho
transport.
| Dr. Lesser does not say what, If any
investigation he made as to the equipment
| OF the Concho for temporary hospita
ship. The fact remains that III officer.
and men were put aboard the transport
and that DR.. Lesser and his staff of nurse.
did the best they could to make the mer
comfortable.
or accommodations, such as they were
there was a plenty. When the Conch,
was fitted out for n troopship, hunks tt
accommodate between 400 and 800 mer
were put into her, These hunks arc OF
either side of the hold. They run iongi
t,,dt ttaol llxrr . he h. L.,
tention that two well, ahe-boded soldiers
should occupy a bunk, one berth bein.
above the other.
1t was in these hunks below the mali
deck, that the sick soldiers had to lie
The state rooms of the vessel were al
occupied by the army officers, regular an,
volunteer, by the officers of the ship an,
by other passengers not in the army
After the first day out from Sjboney al
of the sick men were more or Tess affect
ed by seasickness; many were very Ill. II
n short time few of the men were abl
to help themselves. Besides all the othe
complications. all of tho patients wcr
more or less affected by dysentery. 1t 1
said that the only disinfectant on the shi
was creolin, and of this there were JUS
six ounces The odor from the bunk
which the sick men were unable to leav
was such as to sicken what well person
there were aboard. The Red Cross wome
, ueNOteu tnelT uttSntlOn tne COnultlOn u
the hunks, but they We're so few and tn
hunks so many that by the time they ha
made the rounds the condition was as ba'
as before. While the nurses wero attend
ing to the hunks, they could not ministe
, tn the sick in other ways and the suffering
of course increased.
What Ice there was aboard the ship wa
used up "a hours out of Siboney. The wa
. ter which had been in the storage tank
, for nearly a month. was putr!d. The odo
, of 1t nauseated one to say nothing of tn
: taste OF 1t. Capt John q. Anderson an
Lieut.. ]. II. Pond of the S3d Michigan, tn
latter an aide on the stan Of Gen. Dufred
are the authority for the statement tina
! Capt. Risk of the Concho. several days be
fore she sailed fro Siboney informed Ger
Shafter that he was out of Ice; that h
had no fresh water and no fresh food sup
, plies According to the two officers men
, toned, Capt. Risk asked permission G
, Gen Shafter to run over to Jamaica for a
. least ice and fresh water before the shi
returned to the North. The officers sa
. that Shafter refused the request.
One OF the Red Cross nurses said thai
, when 1t was found that the supposed fres
/, water aboard the transport could not b
! used, sweet water was obtained In sma
quantities by distilling sea water In
small distilier aboard the ship and by col
Ilccting rain water. This was given to tn
men to drink, but It was tepid. The brow
OF the men were bathed In sea water, an
SO frantic were some of them with thirs
that they had to be restrained by mai
force from drinking from the buckets q
water take from the ocean. DR.. Lesse
! and his purses say that the atorys of tn
Concho would have been sadder- than It
had It not been that a great deal of raj
= fell during the voyage
OF food. the ship Was supplied LbyS Gel
Skaters orders st Siboney with 1eO0 al
. lmy rations. The rations were such q
, are dea1t'out to the we'll men OF the arm
: and consisted Of hardtack. bacon. beam
: lrice and coffee. The bacon was rancid.
h said that most Of the bacon scnt froi
there to Cuba is rancid. except that n
Gently shipped therc. The beans wei