Evening star., 1898-07-23
RED CROSS CUBAN WORK
Nurse Janet Jennings Relates Experiences
-.e. at the Front.
Sharp Criticism of ORcinls Who Fall
ed to Make Proper Hospital Ar
rangements for the Wounded.

Miss Janet Jennings. the Red Cross nurse
who sailed from Siboney on the Seneca and
did efficient work in caring for the sick
and wounded on board, came up from Hoff-
man Island yesterday with others who were
released from quarantine. She reported to
the Red Cross headquarters and afterward
went to the st. Denis Hotel. where she
talked about. her experience in Cuba, but
she would say little about the Seneca.
1T must be understood now" Miss Jen-
nlnss said, when l saw her at the hotel
last night, that members of the Red Cross
are not permitted to criticise either. cur
Army or Navy Departments What L shall
tell you is simply a plain narrative of the
condition of things We found at Sboney
when we reached there II any blame at
taches to any department 1t Is to the sur
geon generals. Nothing but praise can be
said of the Navy Department AMI its Cfti-
GERS.
THE State of Texas, with Miss Barton
and our party on board left Key West
The vessel was under naval authority, and
wren we reached Santiago Admiral Samp-
sens fleet was there, and we reported 70
him. Admiral Sampson told Miss Barton 1t
would be impossible TO land 1.40D tons
of supplies in that neighbornood at that
tine, and told us to go to Guantanamo
bay, forty miles east of Santiago. The ad-
n:lral believed we could communicate there
with the insurgents. Dur supplies were in
ltHuSQ IOT the refugees, ana, strange as II
may appear. the supplies really went to the
assistance of our own men-that is, the
hospital supplies.
Back to Siboney.
while we were lying in the bay news
paper correspondent came on board the
State of Texas and told Miss Baron that
the hospital at Siboney was in great need
of assistance, that men were sick and need
ed attendance. Miss Barton at once order
ed the State of Texas back to Siboncy.
" hen We arrived there on Sunday evening
Miss Barton sent members of her staff 10
the Siboney hospital to see what was need
ed When Miss Bartons representatives
returned they reported that everything
necessary for a well equipped hospital was
needed. There nothing there for men
suffering with fever, dysentery and other
complaints. Miss Barton ordered supplies
to be unloaded. bedding. clothing and food.
The next morning (Monday) the supplies
We're sent ashore. Cots were left where
they could be taken ashore at a moments
notice Two of the Red Cross surgeons,
with hve nurses, or. as we call them, Sis
| ters, went to the hospital building. 1t was
small affair. When they entered they
found that the four five rooms it con-
tanned were in the ilthest condition imag-
Unable. Seventy of our soldiers were lying
on the dirty floors. The men had on their
uniforms. There wasn't a bed or cot in the
place. Some of the men had been lying
there four days. Some of the men had
fevers and others dysentery or measles.
Two men had been wounded on the day
the Rough Riders had their fight.
THE Red Cross representatives at once
offered the socfety's services. but the
sistant surgeon in charge, DR.. Winters de-
clined the offer. He told our people that he
did not need their services, but perhaps he
should in a few days. He would let them
know. Seventy men were lying there sick
with only army rations for food. The Red
Cross surgeons and nurses urged DIR. Win
n Tn
They wanted to stay and make the place
| comfortable. DR.. Winters would not yield.
Cubnns Accept Help.
Our party then went over to the Cuban
soldiers hospital Here they found some
patients in bed. The Cubans accepted the
offer of assistance at once and very will
| ingly. There were six rooms in this hospi-
| tai, and these the Sisters at once cleaned
They did the work of servants as we'll as
nurses With pals of water and cloths
they got down on their knees and washed
the floors. The place was fixed up and
proper food was prepared That afternoon
l went ashore and went to the Cuban hos
pital. l saw what the Sisters had done.
Il went to the American hospital and
saw the four or five filthy rooms. / found
the hospital steward there. He told me he
had two men to assist him, but nothing
with which to make the patients comfort
able. Then / saw DR.. Harvard VINO is the
surgeon there.
addressing him, l said: You declined
the service Of the Red Cross today. Can
you afford to let this story go back to the
United States, that you have nothing here
in the way of supplies or nurses. and still
refuse the help at hand?' He replied that
he had not declined our services as he
| needed help very much. Then | said there
must have been some misunderstanding.
| and l asked him If the Red Cross could
| come in the hospital to do what II had been
doing for the Cubans. He replied: Yes
hat | r,uEh Ehad
spector General Breckenridge in his tent
near the shore. and told him the story.
He was very nice to me, and L asked if
there were any hospital supplies on the
ships. He did not know. He introduced
me to a colonel on General Skaters staff
He could not answer my question. either
Then l reported to Miss Barton on the
State of Texas, and the next day about
one hundred cots were carried ashore in
small boats.
The Awful Situation.
"The Red Cross nurses had been in the
Cuban hospital two days when DR.. Lagarde,
the surgeon in charge, came back from the
front. He saw the awful situation at once
and sent a formal letter to Miss Barton
asking for the services of the Red Cross.
The order came for The troops to move on
Santiago. and DR.. LaSarde turned over the
hospital to the society. We got a better
building, and the sisters, after cleaning il
thoroughly, put the patients there and the
Red Cross flag went UP.
You remember the attack was made on
July l. In the afternoon of that day the
wounded began to come down. as we call
it, from the front. distance Of eight or ten
miles. Some were in wagons, others were
on foot The only accommodation the army
had in the field was straw thrown on the
ground with blankets thrown over 1t. DR..
Lagarde asked DR.. Lesser of the Red Cross
to come in and take the place of an army
surgeon. Mrs. Lesser, with three sisters,
went in and assisted the surgeons. In
twenty-four hours they operated on and
dressed the wounds of 4T5 men. The nurses
worked without stopping for meals. Coffee
was served to them.
DR. Lagarde came to me on Saturday,
the day after the attack and had an order
from General Shafter authorizing Miss Bar
ton seize any army wagons for the pur-
pose Of sending supplies from the State of
Texas to the front. He said he had no
food for his troops and very few bandages.
1 asked DIR. Lagarde, Where are the hos
pital supplies for the army? Where is your
service? Have you brought twenty thou
sand men to Cuba and hurried them to the
front to fight without any preparation for
the wounded?
DR.. Lagarde's Distress.