The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1898-10-05
ON THE Stand
tcontlnuea from First Page.)

from officers in his command as to
scarcity of medical supplies, but he
thought there was some such cause,
and he had them supplied as prompt
ly as possible. There has been diff
Guilty in getting transports to lie as
near in shore as was desirable, rem
dering it difficult to get at supplies
promptly. In this connection, Gen.
Wheeler revealed the fact that he had
felt somewhat hurt that this had been
the fourth command ordered to be
landed when he thought his rank enti-
tied him to the first landing.
Gen. Shafter had given the order
which had thus affected him. The
masters of transports claimed to have
their authority from the quartermas-
ter's department, but he thought the
commanding officers should have acted
independently as to how far out they
should lie.
Gen. Wheeler recommended that
there should be well-trained teamsters
regularly employed. The difficulty of
transportation after the landing was
the reason why the tents were not
brought up, why the siege guns were
not brought up and why many other
thlngs We're not done, The roads were
IN the beginning fairly good They
We're grown over, giving them the ap-
pearance Of trails, but this was due to
the rapid growth of tropical foliage and
Inc lfnpediments were easily removed.
During his examination, Gen. Wheel
sr stated that previous to the capitula-
hon of Santiago, Gen. Shafter had
written him a letter asking him his
view in regard to changing the base
ana attacking the front of Santtago.
but he said he had advised strongly
against this course as 1t would have
left San Juan hill, which he considered
inyulnerable, to be retaken by the
there had been any ainbuscade at
kuaSsna
Referring to the sleeping apartments
OF the transports, Gen. Wheeler said
they were quite warm and there was
some discomfort. He had often gone
Gown among the men at night and
found that there was comparatively lit
tie complaint except for the heat. He
recommended that in the future ham
Knocks should be used instead of cots
Tor the transportation of troops
Coming back from Santiago to Mon
tauA he had sailed on the Miami. hav-
ing chosen 1t because ii was said to
be the worst. He had found it very
comfortable. and when they landed
there were only "a sick and only or A
OF these were too Ill to stand up for
inspection. There was plenty of wa
ter on the vessel and a suf1iciency Of
Ice for the sick, though not for others
After the destruction OF CerveFa's fleet
ana there was no danger from nayigat-
Ing the seas the army was more album
dainty supaiied than any army In the
Held had ever been. The various So
cieties had responded most literally to
the needs of the army. Speaking In a
general way Of recommendations for
the future. he said the men should be
kept on the ground and be sheltered
from the rain by good tents.
There should also be much care in
regard to transportation facilities, and
as to medical and commissary supplies.
Asked IL he thought there had been any
negiect in preparing for the campaign
he said he had been 80 busily occupied
that he had not given the matter great
attention, but he had not thought
at the time that any precaution had
been neglected
the tents had been left on board the
transports because of the feeling that
no time should be consumed in remov-
Ing them. I'VE were there for bust
ness" he said, and we felt that
prompt Decentralization and a speedy
movement to the front would impress
the enemy more than anything else we
could do. But, IL they had had the
tents, they would have used them
There was also a shortage at this time
or transportation facilities toward the
front. His own illness had been caused
not been supplied with a tent.
was more shifty than some of the
soldiers" he said; II stretched a little
oilcloth from tree to protect my face
from the dew, but any soldier could
have done the same thing
The examination of Gen. Wheeler
was resumed at 2.30 in the afternoon
He spoke at this session especially of
his experiences at Camp Wikoff, Mon
tauk Point. He arrived at the camp
on the 18th Of August, and by the d.
rection Of the president had taken
command Of the camp, remaining un-
til September 9Th The president had
or expense to make the men
comfortable Upon taking command
he found it necessary to undertake
much preparation to care for the men
properly.
The transportation facilities of the
camp were poor. There was but one
line of railroad, that a single track,
and without adequate terminal facili-
ties The camp could, he said, have
been supplied by water, butunfortunate-
" there was a contract with the rail-
road company owning theland which
gave 1t the control Of transportation,
except on government transports. This
contract had been made, he understood,
In return for use Of the land. He did
not knew who had made the contract.
Gen. Wheeler said that when he ar
rived at the camp from Santiago the
tents were without floors. I'm fact"
he said, we had not I'D to that time
thought of having floors in the tents"
There were good hospitals erected,
but there was scarcity Of nurses. He
had Immediately wired for nurses, and
within five or six days there was an
abundance. He had been in the habit
of summoning the surgeons for a con-
sultation each morning, and when any
of them would indicate the necessity for
an article he would order it immediate.
iy by wire.
The hospital tents were, he said, all
fioored The patients were laid upon
mattresses on the floor and were sup
piled with clean bed linen. From first
to last 10000 patients entered the hos
pitfalls at Montauk. The hospitals had,
when he landed, a capacity of not to
exceed 800 So far as he knew, the
hospitals had up to this time been
equal to the demands upon them. Over
3252 of the Santiago troops had been
reported sick on arrival, but many
Others of the arrivals We're really sick
He stated that visiting ladies had
made frequent complaints to him OF
specific cases in which sick men were
mot properly cared for, but he found
upon investigation in each case that
the physicians said that the ladies
were mistaken.
Describing the general location of
the camp, Gen. Wheeler said it was
charming. The sea almost surround
ed it, the ground was rolling, and the
tents were all ditched. AS a rule, when
the parents or other relatives came to
visit the soldiers, they expressed salts
faction at the care the men were Civ
en-. He knew Of no complaints from
relatives.