Barre evening telegram. (Barre, Vt.) 1898-19??, 1898-10-15

ness going out. He had left Porto Rico
on the goth of September. The regiment
had enjoyed better health in Porto Rico
than had been anticipated, and there
were only two deaths in the command
during the stay there up to the time Of
his departure. A. regmental hospital
was established, and there was never at
any time deficiency in medical sup
plies.
The same was also true of the tentage
and the ambulance supplies furnished
by the quartermasters' department. The
commissary department had also fur
nished sufficient army rations, but he
complained of them as being unsuita-
BILE for an army in the tropics. ut Is
the same ration used in the lake re-
gions when the mercury is 40 degrees
below zero. 1t is not suitable, and the
men do not want it," he said. He added
that the men We're at first denied the
right to commute their rations, and the
men came to him by hundreds COM
planning of the deprivation of this right.
He complained especially of the short
age of rice and declared that officers in
sisted the men should take more fresh
meat than they desired.
Sick Fed on Army RatiOns.
He said the sick We're fed only with
the army rations. He failed to secure
any change of diet for his patients,
Notwithstanding he made frequent de-
mands upon the quartermaster of the
regiment and upon the surgeon Of the
corps. lie was told that no other food
was is"ued to any regiment In that
. 4 4.
to make a formal requistion in writing.
However, the men in the hospital did
not suffer, because the Red Cross fur
nshed the desired assistance.
DR.. Seaman said that he had been in
charge of 200 convalescents on the OBJ
dam returning from Ponce. The ship
was supplied 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 to
the Red Cross and National Aid society
and had been supplied by them with
what he desired. AS a consequence all
the patients, with one exception, gained
weight and strength during the voyage
He made no formal requistion to the
government authorities for different ra-
lions because he was told he could get
only the regular rations and because of
the Willingness of the Red Cross to fur
nish what he considered better food.
When Governor Beaver pressed the wit
ness to explain why there was no reuui-
Sition made for condensed milk and tea.
he replied that Chief Surgeon Snowden
had told him they could not be had.
Retul ming to his story in Porto Rico,
DR.. Seaman said there had been univer-
sal complaint at the hospitals of a de-
tlciency of suitable supplies. There were
times when the Red Cross society did
not have these. While there was no
shortage of the regular rations, he
thought many men had suffered for
want Of proper food. He had been told
repeatedly that the 60 cents a day ra-
ton for the sick could not be furnished
in Porto Rico. 1t was not even supplied
to the general military hospital.
Dr. Conner urged DIR. Seaman for a
statement as to whether he had made
Il formal written requisiton for the
communication of supplies by the commits
sary department. The la ter replied he
had not done so, but insisted that his
reason for this failure was found in the
fact that he was constantly infslmed
that no such exchange could be made.
He said he had only six hours in which
to supply the OLDHAM, and he had Sc
cured from the commissary only the
regular travel rations, but he had made