Evening star., 1898-12-08

chief surgeon there. but from outside or
other parties
Value of TrRiard Nurses.
Surgeon General Sternberg said that It
would have been possible in time 10 have
trained fairly large number Of nurses,
but to have done it would have been at the
expense of the patients He acknowledged
the valuable service rendered by the Vol
unteer Aid Association and the Red Cross
in furnishing trained muses.
some OF the female nurses were very
good faithful, and generally efficient, he
added. although some reports To the con-
trary We're received
''Were acquisitions for men TO act as
nurses cIIeerfulIy and quickly met by COM
manding officers of the regiment2
There was u general inuispnsition to
furnish men for nurses.
Touching the !acn OF medical supplies, Dr.
Conner invited the witness TO Iei all he
knows regarding -.
Il will tell al 1 know, and it is as fol-
lows said the witness In the first place.
viii admit that there was a denciency OF
supplies at times. Out onIy at times 1hls
true Of the condition at Santiago sup
lies had been oIusred TO Tampa. nut the
-XigeucIes Of the LuUan landlnS ant condi-
tiuns there mace il .mpUSsIoIe 40 get All the
Ine.iiCai stores ashore III tine ms Is All
matter of record At Camp Thomas and
other places there mas Been at times q
failure 70 get supplies when needed. some
time due to 1auuTc TO Apply prompt
~ There has been very IltJIe real nted of
such supplies. -..e great d.ffcuIty mas been
in the anllity 10 get tuem deliVtTed
promptly by the raliruads. 1nen. too. often
when reQuisiuoUS We're deemed by us,
gained 10y experience IN the CIviI war, to be
excessive. aud were nniJed To wnat was
considered necessary, Complaint NdS mace
of a shortage tnaJ uId not, N TACT, exist.
He said tnat In any gwen case the tail
rue To account for neGIcai suppmes not de-
iivered VIXEN sent, OWING 10 mistakes Or
other cause. could not be laid at Inc door
of the Receiving officer of the medical de-
DaTtment at the point Of destination. The
ludTtyrmastcr' department, 10 which was
sent such supDues Tor transportation.
should see that they were properly deiiY-
cred.
The medical department has the ship
ping Of supplies, hut the quartermaster
department looks after the transporta-
ricn,' witness explained.
Fitting Up Hospital ships.
Passing to the matter of the purchase
and fitting up Of hospital ships Surgeon
General Sternberg was led TO detail the fit
ing out OF the ship John English. after
ward called the Relief, purchased May IS
He said that the vessel lay idle for three
weeks afterward aud nothing was done
upon her. She sailed for Cuba on the eve
Of great battle. Had she started i've davs
carrier She could have furnished ample sup
plies at the time most needed. He refused
10 say that the delay was unnecessary or
10 name the person responsible in the mat
ter He was asked il it had ever been
ohcrilly reported to him that surgeons
were employed AZ Montauk who vyere nm
htted by reason Of their habits
mere was one man. now at Jefferson
barracks He was dispatched to Montauk
iiom Fort Monroe. There had been COM
plant about him He was Young hripb,
and skiiifui On his way he stopped here
and | talked pretty plainly to him. He
said | would hear no more complaint about
MIN But after he reached Montauk I
learned that he had relapsed into former
mlsc0nduct- The matter was referred to
the commanding officer of the camp. under
whose command he was"
The chief Of ordnance of the army testi-
hei after recess to the purchase of
guns and ammunition