The times., 1898-12-15
THE BITTER TRUTH TOLD
Aiger's Relief Board Listens to
Major Ii. F.. Pope.

Major ID. f. Pope.
Testimony given yesterday was again
discouraging to the Alger Relief Com
mission. That of Major Benjamin F.
Pope, who was chief surgeon for Gen.
Skaters forces at Santiago. was espe-
ciaily unsatisfactory. Before going to
Cuba, Major Pope was in charge of medi-
cal affairs at Tampa.
e As in the case of other regular army
people and Government employees, there
was an apparent desire on Major Popes
part TO say nothing derogatory to the
Alger interests, but where ii was neces-
sary to defend those interests by the vio-
lation of facts, the facts came out.
After speaking in communicating terms
of the camp grounds at Tampa, Major
Pope took up matters concerning medical
men, medical supplies. and the hospital
service. About Is, coo volunteers arrived at
Tampa while Major Pope was there. Not
one regiment brought anything in the
way of medicines. When these troops
came they were in excellent health. Soon
typhoid fever, measles and other all
ments beset them. The regulars supply
of medicines was not sufficient to share
with the sick men, They needed what
they had for the treatment Of their own.
y medical depot was established at
Tampa before the volunteers began to
arrive. 1t had a limited supply of drugs.
He did what he could for the welfare of
the recruits by having their requisitions
nlied in preference To those of the regu-
lars. When he organized division hospi-
tails. before the coming of the volunteers.
he had no idea that n vast number OF
them were TO be sent there. He looked
for something like 5000.
Especially absorbing was Maj. Pope's
narrative concerning the fitting out of
the Santiago expedition. lie said that
an effort was made 10 send a supply of
medicines. surgical Instruments and doc
tors in sufficient numbers to properly
care for an army of 1890 men for thirty
days. The division hospitals were well
supplied. but of the regimental hospi
tails said Maj. Pope. there is another
story to tell
The regimental medical outfits were
abandoned on landing at Santiago. on
whose authority this was done, he could
not say. But such a wholesale abandon
ment must have been the result of a gen.
eral4 order Maj. Pope did not believe
this order emanated from Gen. Slafter.
He left the inference that 1t came from
Washington.
Af;erward, Maj Pope asked for a
launch 10 recover these supplies. They
were still on the transports. He finally
secured the steamer Cumberland. He.
with much difficulty. succeeded in get
ting about one-third OF them ashore.
When asked why he did not apply to
Capt Mckay, whose duty It was to get
supplies ashore at Santiago, Mai. Pope
declared that he never had heard of
Capt Mckay as an officer entrusted with
such work. Describing his troubles in
getting the regimental supplies. Mai
Pope said the transports were the most
exasperating lot he ever saw. They were
here one minute and away TIE next.
Before leaving Tampa, Maj. Pope or
ganized two ambulance trains. One had
twenty and the other twelve ambulances.
He supposed that as matter of course
they would be taken with the expedition.
When the order come for embarkation he
was told there was not enough room on
the transports for them. AS conse-
quence the ambulance service was cut
down to thirteen. After the fight at San
tiago, these ambulances were worked
every hour night and day. They could
make only four trips day and each
wagon would carry four wounded men.
AS there We're something like LOO
wounded they We're entirely inadequate
TO perform the work, and army wagons
had TO be resorted to. Many seriously
wounded men We're jolted around In these
vehicles over rough roads and their suf-
fering greatly increased by this treat
ment. He tried to make the cumbersome
army drags as comfortable possible by
bedding them with hay, but on the first
day OF the fight he had none.
When Tho exttetifioO sailed Major pOnn
said, he had thirty-six regular army. if
teen volunteer and twenty contract doc
tors with him to look after f1,o0O men
He wanted twenty more. but cou'd not
get them. He wanted two surgeons for
each regiment, but the War Departments
policy was to allow only one. and he had
TO be content. He asked Gen. Shaf;er to
apply for forty more medical men. As he
anticipated, there were not enough doc
tors to take care Of the army. When the
fever broke out at Santiago the number
was wholly Inadequate. The ap9eara ce
of the epidemic brought doctors on each
transport, but the newcomers did not
more than make up for those who broke
down from overwork and other causes.
A mistake. and n serious one, was made
in spreading the notion that 10 900 m n
could take Santiago in week This 4
to the error of looking on the conflict
one that would amount TO but little, ana
the number of sick and wounded result
ing from il far exceeded all expectation.
After the first days fight, the gravity of
this assumption became apparent. Trench
digging began and with 1t came trench
fever. The medical department may not
have based its action in the supply of
doctors on trifiing engagement at San
tiago, but there was. for some reason. a
failure to provide the service the amy
should have had to properly look after
the sick and wounded that followed.
Major Pope said that on the Sth of July
he received word that the Relief was on
hand with 100 tons of drugs. msdicines
hospital furniture, etc. He was delight
ed He began removing them. He had
three wagons at work. Suddenly the in
formation came that the medicines and
drugs were exhausted. He was stunned
He knew that he had not. and cou d not
possibly have taken off the quantty of
supplies reported to have psen on the Re
lief He could give no explanation of its
disappearance. He left the assumption
that II was never there.
DR.. Bird, who had medical charge of tn >
Seneca, testified that the sick on that
ship were we'll treated. The Seneca was
unclean-dirty-but that was all.
A RECEIVER. MAY BE NAMED.