The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-11-17
GEN. SKATERS ORDERS
Responsible for the Suffering at
Santiago.
WAS A HAPHAZARO AFFAIR
Colonel Jacobs Said Shafter Ordered Hos
pitai Equipment Left at tTampa-Med-
icai Supplies We're Not Landed.
A Lamentable Condition.


point was developed by the war inves;i-
CATION committee to-day through the
examination OF Major Lagarde. one of
| the surgeons in charge of the hospital
at Siboney. 1t was that of 1900 or 1. 40
wounded men treated in the hospital.
only IL had died. This was less than
one per cent. and DR.. Lagarde ventured
the statement that no war in history
showed so small a mortality amor :
| wounded men. The testimony OF COL
onel J. w. Jacobs. who was in charge
of the transportation facilities at San
tiago. indicated that the reason why
camp equippage and cooking utensils
had not been forwarded from the Soa Il
| TO the troops on the battle line in front
| of Santiago was TO be found IN an order
issued by General Shafter. expressly
| forbidding IL. The order provided that
| only rations and forage should be sent
| forward. Colonel Jacobs declared the
| quartermaster's department was not re-
| sponsible for the condition of made
| auate camp supplies at the frcnt. as
the officers merely obeyed the o.ders
OF the commaau.as general.
Major Lagarde continued his tes-
| timony before the war investi-
| CATION commission to-day con-
| cerning the conduct of the war from
medical point of view. He spoke first
OF the yellow fever hospital at Siboney
He was satisfied the hospital was well
conducted and supplies on the whole
were ample.
DR.. Conner asked whether the con-
tingency of yellow fever could not have
been provided against. asking whether
IL, i'm his judgment. II should not have
been known by the surgeon general un-
der the circumstances, there would be
an outbreak of yellow fever.
Lagarde answered the surgeon gener-
al did foresee the outbreak. Under the
circumstances the witness could not
understand why more complete provis-
Ion was not made for supplying inn
mune nurses. Lagarde expressed The
opinion IL the soldiers had been fully
equipped thers-would have been less
sickness. and fhe- thought much of the
trouble was due to the fact that the
soldiers were compelled to lie on the
ground without cover.
Colonel ]. w. Jacobs. who was chief
quartermaster of the 5th corps at Tam
pa and in Cuba, testified that General
Humphrey had been in charge OF the
embarkation of troops at Tampa, and
no orders specifying what vessel they
We're to occupy were issued. In reply
TO a question from Governor Beaver. he
said the embarkation had been a hap
hazard enthusiastically So"
Colonel Jacobs had charge of he
transportation facilities at San
tiago and he expressed the opinion that
there was not a sufficient number of
wagons. He thought there should have
been at least one wagon to each troop
and company in addition to those at
headquarters. General Skaters first cr-
ders had been to take only so wagons.
When General Miles went to Tampa
he doubled the number. but even this
order did not secure a sufficient num-
Der. He knew no reason for not send
ing more except that there was no
means Of getting them from Tampa 10
Santiago.
General McCook developed quite an
animated episode by asking il there
was any reason why the cooking uten-
sils and camp equippage of the troops
should not have been forwarded from
Baiquiri to the troops in the field.
There was no reason" Colonel ia
cobs replied. except that General Shaf-
ter's orders forbade"
Continuing, he said that the order
was positive. 1t did not specify what
should be forwarded, but was most
specific In providing that only forage
eral Skaters orders to this effect were
written and the general had given him
strict verbal Instructions to see that the
orders were observed. Food had been
sent to the front cooked. but he thought
the men should have had some facili-
ties for cooking. The order had never
been changed during the month he re-
mained at Baiquiri. Dr. Connor then
asked whether orders had been given TO
oil hA tar
hind at Tampa, and Colonel Jacobs re-
sponded that IL was his impression that
such was the case. He had personal
knowledge that General Shafter had
given such an order concerning the am
balances.
Captain p. y. Patter. who. as assist
ant quartermaster. had made the con-
tracts for the construction Of the quar-
termaster's commissary building for
Camp WikOff, gave the particulars OF
this transaction and other occurrences
at that camp. He said the camp was
not entirely ready for the troops when
they began TO arrive. the time not being
sufficient.
Captain Patter was also depot quar-
termaster and he said that all requisi-
tions. except possibly in trivial matters.
were promptly filled.
The witness said that there had been
cisms in the newspapers concerning the
delay OF sick men at the depots going
or on furloughs. The men were pro-
vided with seats and cots while they
waited.
At the afternoon session Captain Ire
land. who was associated with DIR. La
garde as surgeon and executive officer
in the Siboney hospital. was the first
witness. He said that he had gone to
Cuba on the Saratoga. but had not been
able to land for six days. why. ne did
not know. The hospital at Siboney had
been sufficiently well supplied for
about 200 patients. except in the matter
of cots. or which there was not to ex-
ceed 30. Patients in excess of this
number were compelled to lie on their
blankets on the ground for the first
week of the hospitals history. About
!. 200 wounded men came TO be treated
within three or four days after the in