Evening star., 1898-08-01
THE C0NCHO'S STATE
Her Sick Passengers Arrive at New
York After Great Suffering.
CONDITION WORSE THAN SENECA'S
Provision for Comfort of Sick SOL
diers Was Meager.
WHERE THE BLAME LIES

The United States transports Alamo and
the first with twenty-six passengers from
Santiago. and the second with 1872 sick Off
GERS and men of the army.
The Alamo stopped at Hampton Roads
on the way north. but was ordered out to
sea to bury one Of her passengers who had
died. This man was George Patterson, a
stevedore, who went to Santiago from Gal
weston and was employed in discharging
cargo from the transports.
Among her passengers were Sir Bryan
Leighton, George F. Lynch, correspondent
of the London Chronicle, and Steppings
Wright, correspondent of the London Illus
trated News.
Mr.. Wright in conversation said: "It IS
not proper to speak of hardships, inefficient
commissary and hospital service, because
this Is war and all 1t implies. The opera
ton of taking Santiago itself was grand
and brilliant. 1 never saw the like before.
Nothing could stand the rushes of the
American troops, SO full Of vim and eager
desire to dislodge the enemy. But these
men should be relieved as the excitement
Is over and reaction will set in. The men
will lose their stamina when the malarial
fevers spread.
The Concho's Condition.
Among those on board are DR.. Lesser,
surgeon-in- chief of the Red Cross, and the
members of his staff, Mrs. Bettina Hofker
Lesser, Sisters Minnie Rugel, Isabel Ohm,
Annie McCue, Adel Gardiner, Alice Bab-
cock, Grace Peterson and Mrs. Nuttan;
Howbert Billman, Chicago Record; Major
H. I. Allen, A. A. c.; Captain William
Paulding, 10th Infantry; Captain George
S. Young, 7th Infantry; Captain ]. B. Goss
18th Infantry; Captain w. N. Hughes, 18th
Infantry; Captain G. w. s. Stevens, signal
r
gan; Captain Henry Romrin, U. s. A,
retired Chaplain L. R. Grove. U. 8. A;
Lieutenant R. r. StogstaM 40th Infantry;
Lieutenant 8. P. Lyon, 25th Infantry; Lieu
tenant w. S. Vollmar, I'd Artillery; Lieu
tenant L. w. Welch, Goth Infantry; Lieu
tenant, ]. A. Leisen, 34th Michigan; Lieu
tenant Pound 34th Michigan Lieutenant
c. F. Cook, 1st District Of Columbia, and
Cavalry.
Worse Than the Seneca.
The New York Tribune today states that
the stories told by Dr. Lesser. Mr.. Mcmillan
and various officers and men who were on
the transport Concho showed suffering far
greater than that experienced on the Seneca
when she arrived here recently. The ship
vas not overcrowded like the Seneca, but
the men lacked everything which was nee
essary to make them comfortable. They
had no ice, the water was nearly three
ton. There was not enough of medical sup
plies on board the steamer, and the food
for the sick men was the same rough fare
given to the regular soldier when on duty.
DR.. Lesser and the Red Cross nurses did
their best to alleviate the suffering of the
men on the trip north, and none of them in
their statements of the conditions existing
on the steamer would place the blame on
anybody.
Dr. Lesser, as soon as the Concho arrived
at aroy Ifna tn 10
and a relief force of two surgeons and
nurses to take care of the men. He also an
nounced last night that today he would is
sue an appeal to the Red Cross and the
people in general to fit out at once a relief
skip and send it to Santiago to the assist
ance of the men now in the hospitals there.
Mr.. Mcmillan, when seen by Tribune re-
porter said of his experience at Santiago
and his trip north on the Concho:
Il went to Santiago to- look after my son.
who was wounded, and when / reached
there found that he had already been sent
north. then decided to come north on the
Concho. The conditions existing on the
boat were barbarous, and, as an Am merican.
am ashamed to speak of them. DR.. Lesser
and his staff worked hard, but the lack of
food, water and medicine was the real
cause Of the horrible condition on the boat
No Medical Supplies.
For thIrty-eight hours before we reached
Hampton Roads the bodies Of three men
lay uncovered right under the saloon, and
the stencil was terrible. Finally, after the
he aIth officer refused to allow the bodies to
be buried at Hampton Roads. and when we
had orders to put to sea, the men who
sewed the bodies up in canvas were dosed
with brandy before they were able to handle
the bodies. With these three bodies two
others were buried, and believe If the mer
had had proper food and medicines all OF
them would have been alive today
NAV MAJ
vessel. When we left Santiago we had a
small supply of quinine, camphor and sui
phur, but this ran out before we reached
Hampton Roads There was no ice on the
steamer and the sick men were compelled
to drink the stale water taken on board In
the early part of June at Santiago. The
men, all of whom were III, were compelled
to eat the coarse army rationS or StarVe.
never saw such laundering in my HE IRON
beginning to end, and L believe with proper
tod all the men might have been saved
The condition among the men at Santiago
is also very bad
Suffering at Santiago.
In speaking of the condition of the mer
| he said: eat the yellow fever hospitals a
Santiago the suffering is terrible. One
| half has not been told to the condition
of the men. Many of them are lying ou
on the ground with nothing over them ane
are suffering all sorts of tortures.
There Is no ice there, and only small
amount of medical stores. There is the
greatest need to send help to these men a
once. They need medical supplies, proper
| food and clothing. l shall at once make
known to the Red Cross the exact condi
ton Of affairs and appeal to them and tt
the general public to equip a relief shil
and send 1t forward at once. The shiI
should have an ice machine, a water-dis
tiiiing plant drugs and medicines. as wei
as clothing. The men are in urgent need Of
tents But If white tents are sent to then
you will make their existence hell or
earth. Imagine a wounded man lying or
his back in a white duck tent, with the
hot Cuban sun beating down on him. 1t is
enough to kill him at once. When tents
are sent they should be of blue or brown
color"
In speaking Of the trip north on the
Concho DIR. Lesser confirmed the state
ment made by Mr.. Mcmillan, and added:
There was no food for the men on the
Concho. The food given the sick mer
would have sickened well men. We die
not have proper medical supplies We die
the best could under the circumstances
but the men who were just recovering from
yellow fever and other diseases shoulo
have better food than hardtack and beans
The vessel was not overcrowded, although
| she had hunks for only fifty-eight men
| General Shafter ordered 175 on board, and
accommodations were rigged up for them