The times., 1898-11-19
ALGER WORKERS IN NEW YORK
Dr.. Greenleaf the Star Witness at
Yesterday,s Sitting

festerday's Sitting.
New York. Nov. 1s.-The Alger Relief
Commission has transferred its scene of
operations temporarily to this city. 1t
began business by holding a session this
morning at the Fifth Avenue Hotel. All
OF the relief workers were on hand ex-
cept Col. Denby, who is detained in Wash
ington, 1t is said, on important relief
work connected with the investigation.
Gen. Credit Mobilier Dodge, the chair
man, announced this morning that the
commission would probably be occupied
with relief work in this city for the next
ten days.
DR.. Charles r. Greenleaf, chief surgeon
of the troops in the field, on Gen. Miles's
staff, was the first witness examined to-
day. His testimony does not make pleas
ant reading for the defenders Of Alger
and Algerism. Somehow, whenever Mr.,
Alger's commission runs up against any
body connected with Gen. Miles 1t learns
something disagreeable and unpleasant.
In answer to a question as to the fitness
Of Camp Alger as site for a camp, DIR.
Greenleaf said that in some respects 1t
was good camp-for small body OF
men, but there were many drawbacks
The water supply was poor and the region
was known to be highly malarious.
Taking up the question of the lack of
tents, surgeons and medical supplies in
Cuba, DIR. Connor asked DR.. Greenleaf
how the medical supplies were delayed al
Siboney.
DIR. Greenleaf said he did not know.
who finally unloaded these supplies?''
asked DIR. Connor.
II did. l captured some pontoons and
took the law into my own hands"
"You unloaded, in thirty-six hours. sup
plies that had been lying in the harb-r
two weeks. Why did not DIR. Pope, chief
surgeon of Gen. Skaters corps, land
them within those two weeks?''
II suppose he was at the front attend
ing to the wounded
did DR.. Pope take care of one wound
ed MANI"
81 cannot say" replied DIR. Greenleaf
81 am sure that DIR. Pope did the best he
could. 1 had full authority from Gen.
Miles TO do what l thought best
In reply to a question, DR.. Greenleaf
said he supposed DIR. Pope had authority
from Gen. Shafter sufficient TO enab e
him TO unload the supplies at Siboney, a
he Dr. GreenleaD had done.
There is no doubt" said DIR. Connor,
that somebody was dreadfully at fault
Can't you help us to find out who it
was?"
DR.. Greenleaf said he could not
In reply to another question. Dr. Green
leaf said that it was usual in time of war
to anticipate the wants of wounded men
and to expect that there would be
wounded.
He could not tell II all proper arrange
ments had been made in Cuba, but he
knew that the stores had not been landed.
He declared positively that he found no
evidence of any neglect or incompetency
on the part of any medical officer.
Questioned as to the condition of affairs
on the transports, DIR. Greenleaf said he
did not personally inspect the transports
at Cuba, but those leaving Porto Rico
under his personal direction We're well
equipped In all respects
Camp Wikoff DIR. Greenleaf considered
an ideal camp for its purpose. Lack OF
train service he considered a petty dis
comfort. No complaints of any moment
were submitted to him.
Gen. Beaver asked DR.. Greenleaf if sick
men We're taken to the battle line, and
when the doctor said no. Gen. Beaver
asked why so much stress was laid on the
fact that no medical supplies were taken
TO the front unless II was usual to send
medicine to the men, and not men TO the
medicine.
DR.. Greenleaf said that supplies should
have been at the battle line for the men
taken sick there.
To questions from Capt. Howell, ex-
Gov. Woodbury. and Gen. Wilson. DR..
Greenleaf said that he would not have
selected Camp AIger as a camping place
y, l. to. ,frs1 49,,
Miami in Florida, was fitted only for a
quarantine hospital and should not have
been used as camp for 1900 men await
ing transportation to Cuba.
Ex-Gov. Wooodbury-"Is it proper to
criticise the department for not having
employed female nurses sooner than it
did?"
Dr. Greenleaf-"I think not Gen. Stern
berg, and l agree with him. did not be-
lieve that the firing line was the place
for woman. In the hospital the women
nurses rendered excellent service but at
the front there was no place for them
Gen. Dodge asked of the condition of the
transports leaving Tampa for Cuba, and
Dr. Greenleaf said they were dreadfully
overcrowded. He could not say that the
overcrowding was not military neces-
sity but he was certain il was wrong
from n sanitary point of view. This con-
cluded the examination of DR.. Greenleaf.
David ]. GOss, private OF the Seven
ty-first New York Regiment, who acted
as cook for his company, followed DR..
Greenleaf on the stand. Private Goss said
that he observed no mismanagement any
where He had plenty to eat and was
well cared for when he was taken down
with a slight attack OF yellow fever. His
nurse, a Miss Graves, told him that he
was suffering from starvation, but he did
not believe her. There was plenty of
food he added. innocently, for well
men"
Further along in his testimony Goss
told quite different story. Summing up
his experiences as a whole from the time
of his enlistment. he said:
.'It was all pretty rough. Nothing went
right 1t was some ones incompetency.
but l don't know whose. When we left
Camp Black at o'clock we were kept
moving about doing nothing, and then
forced to spend all night in the car sheds
at Long Island City because some one
had blundered, and so it went all the
time"
Questioned by Capt Howell, Goss said
he slept in the open air in Cuba for
twelve days because he had no tent.
There were two hospital tents. Three of
the officers of his company took one of
these tents for their own accommodation.
Henry Hauck. an assistant foreman in
the fire department, who served through
out the war as private in Company L
of the Seventy-first Regiment, WIS the
next witness. He said that there was
never any lack of good food until the
regiment reached Cuba, and then the
fault was due to the lack of cooking
facilities and the necessity for each man
to cook his own, but no instructions were
given to the men. During the :Garoh to
San Juan Hill the men lest tEcir rations,
and there was some scarcity for some
.h.a-o dn,.c IIn,,nlr snid thnt ne lad no