The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-10-15
FOOD UNFIT FOR INvALIDs.
DR. SEAMAN's TESTIMONY REGARD
ING CONDITION AT PONCE.

as CriticisinR His SuperiOrs--Hnd
the Greatest Confidence In Gen.
StcrnberE's Administration of Az
fnirs-Lient HiII of the BattIeship
Iowa before the War Commission.
Washington, Oct. 4.-Dr Louis s. Sea-
man was the principal witness before the
war investigating commission to-day He
complained that the commissary supplies
furnished the troops In Porto Rico were
unsuted to the demands of a tropical
climate and they were especially unat for
hospital use. He said the sick men we're
fed only with the army ration. He failed
TO secure any change of diet for his pa
tients. Notwithstanding he made frequent
demands upon the quartermaster of ths
regiment and upon the surgeon Of the
corps. He was told that no food was is-
sued to any regiment In that service and
that 1t would be Of no use to make a for
NAL requisition in writing. However, the
men in the hospitals did not suffer be-
cause the Red Cross Society furnished
the desired assistance.
DR.. Seaman said that he had been i'm
charge OF 200 convalescents on the OLDHAM
returning from Ponce. The ship was sup
piled 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 10 the Red Cross
and National Aid Society and had been
supplied by them with what he desired.
AS a consequence, all the patients, except
one gained weight and strength during
the voyage. He made no formal requisi-
ton TO the government authorities for
different rations because of the wiling
ness OF the Red Cross to furnish what he
considered better food.
When Gov. Beaver pressed the witness
to explain why there was Tequisitton
made for condensed milk and tea, he re-
piled that Chief Surgeon Snowden had
told him they could not be had.
Returning to his stay In Porto Rico, DR..
Seaman said there had been universal COM
! plant at the hospitals of a difficulty OF
suitable supplies. There were times when
the Red Cross Society did not have these
while there was no shortage Of the regu-
lar rations he thought many men had
! suffered for want of proper food.
He had been told repeatedly that the GO
/ cents a day ration for the sick could not
| be furnished in Porto Rico. Il was not
even supplied to the general military hos
pital. DR.. Connor urged DIR. Seaman for
a statement 10 whether he had made
a formal written requistion for the COM
mutation of supplies by the commissary
! department The latter replied he mad not
done SO, but insisted that his reason for
this failure was found in the fact that
! he was constantly informed that no such
exchange could be made. He said he had
only six hours In which to supply the OBJ
| dam, and he had secured from the COM
missary only the regular travel ration, but
| he had made no formal demand for other
suitable foods for the sick. He said in
| reply to a question, that he did not know
that the commissary at Ponce had ON
hand quarter of a million dollars or any
9th r sum for supplying delcacies to tho
sick; he only knew that they were not
| supplied.
! In reply to questions by DR.. Connor, Sur
| geon Seaman said that while he was In
! Porto Rico the hospitals were overcrowd-
ed, the beds being within six inches OF
each other When he left there were be-
! tween 5000 and 1900 sick ont of an army of
! 10000. DR.. Seaman grew somewhat irasci-
! BILE under DR.. Connor's questioning, and i'm
reply TO an inquiry insisted upon putting
a question 10 his questioner. When DIR.
Connor attempted to repeat the question.
DR.. Seaman said he had given his reply
and would not answer again, adding, "The
questions put TO me here are of charac~
ter calculated to place me in the false POI
/ sition of accusing the medical department.
| of the army OF maladmnistration. Such
/ Is not the case. / regard the conduct OF
! this department by DR.. Sternberg as
above reproach, whatever fault there was
| In another department"
After some pretty sharp cross-hring, DR..
Connor declared he would ask no more
questions Of the witness
Gov Beaver told Dr. Seaman that 10
questions would be put to him that was
not proper, but he (Gov. Beaver would
| insist upon" his answering, and If he did
not do so he must take the consequences.
Gov Beaver then asked as to the cons
! duet OF the quartarmaster's serving with
him or in his vicinity. DR.. Seaman de-
| cllned 10 answer, saying that he UNDER
stood he was expected to appear before the
war department after getting through
with this board, and" he said II do not
want TO criticize my superior officers whila
! wear the shoulder straps of an army Of
| ficer"
He continued by saying that he had been
SO much msrepresented by the press
! within the last twenty-four hours that he
did not wish to further commit himself.
| He then detailed the circumstances Lead
| ing the representations concerning his
| views in the newspapers. He said he had
authorized no interview since he landed
| and that the article in a New York paper
| grew out OF conversation between him.
| self and a superior officer in New York.
which a reporter Of that paper overheard.
| He also denied having read the article be-
| fore II was printed as had been repre-
/ sented. lie concluded his testimony and
| he was followed by Lieut. r. X. Hill OF
! the navy
Lieut.. Hill was an officer on the war
| ship Iowa when the army landed near
| Santiago and was In charge of the de-
| barkation Of the troops at Baquirl. He
said the navy supplied eleven launches and
! ffty-two small boats for the landing but
the army brought only one lighter He
| gave the details OF the landing which he
| said consumed four days. The army was
| entirely unprepared TO land. and Lieut.
1 gNi1 ttye
the army would have been unable to land
| and unable TO subsist after the landing
| without the aid Of the navy. A great deal
| OF trouble was experienced with the can
tains Of the transports who had refused
| TO go nearer the shore until he secured
| an order to them from Gen. Shafter Lieut..
| Hill said there was no wharf. but that
| he had understood they talked Of building
one on which to land Gen. Shafter.
| Personally" asked member of tha