Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1898-10-08
WHEELER TALKS,
The General Testtf1 IS Before the
War Commission.
There Was Some Suffering in the Trsnche'
at SantIago-Pian of Campaign Was
All Right 80 lie Asserts that
Wlkon was Model Camp
Ia Every Respect

Washington, Oct 5.-The war in
vestigating commission began the taxi
ing of testimony yesterday and Gen. |
Joseph Wheeler was en- the stand the |
greater part of the day. The doors |
Of the room in which the inquiry is |
conducted were opened to representa- |
tives of the press. Gen. Wheeler's tes-
timony covered the case of the soldiers |
at Santiago and Camp Wikoff He
said with reference to the conduct of
affairs at Santiago that owing to the
climate, there had been some suffer
ing in the trenches, but that Gen.
Shafter had exercised the utmost ef-
fort to project his men. There had
been, he said, a shortage of land
transportation facilities for time and
there had been no tents for week.
Discussing the plan of the Santiago
campaign he said he doubted whether
any more effective plan could have
| been adopted. Speaking of the med
| ical department, he said that at times
| there were complaints, but that they
were not serious. On occasions there
was a shortage of surgeons, some of
the surgeons being sick or wounded.
| According to Wheeler's belief the
wounded in battle were promptly
cared for by the surgeons.
He said that only two regiments
had reported a shortage of rations and
he had Immediately telephoned to the
rear and the shortage, which was due
to accident, had been adjusted. The
meat was poor and they had no bread
but hardtack. They were forced to
| live in the sun and water alternately
and necessarily there was much sick
ness. While they had the full quota
of doctors and nurses, he thought that
if more had been furnished the men
would have been better cared for.
Gen. Wheeler said the regulars had
shown a greater ability to take care
of themselves than the volunteers.
| The volunteers were more careless, but
the volunteer cayalrymen were not so
negliSent as the other volunteers be-
cause they were generally western
men who had been used to camping.
Gen. Wheeler revealed the fact that
he had felt somewhat hurt that his
had been the fourth command ordered
to be landed at Santiago when he
thought his rank entitled him to the
first landing. Gen. Shafter had given
the OTueT WHICH mus dHtClCu Uliu.
The general contended that Wikoff
was model camp, the climate a salu-
brious one. and the accommodations
exceptional in character. He con-
considered the hospital capacity equal
to the demands upon it, and that no
military camp in history was ever so
well supplied in all respects as was
| this.
The president on giving him COM
mand at Camp Wikoff had ordered him
to spare no pains or expense to make
the men comfortable. He made an eX-
animation of the camp and found it
necessary to undertake much prepara-
ton to care for the men properly.
The general location and the trans
portation facilities of the camp were
poor There was but one line of rail-
road and that n single track and with
out adequate terminal facilities. The
camp could have been supplied by
water, but unfortunately there was a
contract with the railroad company
owning the land which gave it the con-
troll of all transportation except that
, on government transports. This con-
. tract had been made, he understood,
in return for the use of the land.
Only go men had died during the
camps existence. He knew nothing
of the details of interments and could
not say whether any bodies had been
buried without clothing. He thought
the fact that there had been no
spread of yellow fever from the camp
was quite marvellous. One of the
greatest difficulties he had encoun-
tered was to properly control the re-
moval of sick soldiers by their rela-
! tives.
r He considered the hospital facilities
S ample after the erection of the divis-
: ion hospitals. There were times when
r they were crowded for n day or two,
/ but on the other hand there were
: many times when the buildings were
s not filled. Taking up charges made
by the New York World and by DR.
: jenkins in its columns, Gen. Wheeler
, said that if the soldiers had not been
landed at some isolated place such as
: Montauk Point, the fear of yellow
= fever would have caused general
outcry. 1t would have been cruel to
. send the men home within five days
y after landing, as DIR. jenkins had sug.
gested.
Gen. Wheeler said it was true some
:, of the employees had used articles in
u tended for the sick, and he had been
e told that physicians had used some OF
l the articles provided for the hospitals
k He had issued an order for the arrest
4 of those engaged in such a practice
e "There WERE" he said, Undoubtedly
It individual cases of suffering and OF
II neglect, but they were the eXcep
$ ton"
One Hundred People Drowned.
o London, Oct. 5.-A dispatch from
Bombay says that a ferry boat cap
IS sized Tuesday while crossing the In
o dus at Nlittun- Kote, town of the
~ | D,,,,;,,,L ond 100 oF +ba ,,osea,, c,,,,.