Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1899-01-19
XIV

| NxS|.sa 1t4 f fars of the the G iua.
----l--<---A-2-- gle, blockhouse
and trench, and that with the fever,
this last not fully ended when the camp
broke up. Every narrative Of the CAM
paign, whether from the lips of a private
soldier or those Of a captain, colonel or
general, was prefaoed and punctuated
| by indictments of the fever as the chief
evil encountered in Cuba. Witnesses
needed squirting in order to bring out
details of battle, but the unusual hard
ships of the transports, Of existence in
! Cuba and of the fever were staple top
les.
In general tho breakdown of the
troops began Immediately after the SUI
render. The heat the loss of capacity
to relish and digest coarse, fatty ra.
tions, physical strain and malaria,
were reasons for the collapse The reg
ulars also said that drinking water was
rendered impure by the volunteers, who
washed and bathed in the streams above
camp. Regular soldiers knew better and
carried water away from the streams
for their additions. In every respect the
sanitation of the volunteers was cited
as bad, and Camp Wikoff official in
spection records gave evidence of it.
Weakness due to heat and the lack of
nutriment invited fever. Every effort
was made to stem the evil. From Il o
first cargo Of foodstuffs landed at San
tiago Shafter bought several thousands
cans of condensed milk for the troops.
Cuban win9s and all the farinaoeous
foods availabl were also purchased by
the government or from outside funds.
Two officers of the Sixteenth regulars,
Lieutenant Colonel Mclaughlin and
Captain Mcfarland, expended SO, 900
/ contributed by their wives) in getting
supplies for their commands. The Red
Cross led in noble work, and the one
sentiment in the army about this socie-
ty was, God bless the Red Cross"
July 30 was the date when the first
alarming list of fever patients was re.
ported. Out of /, 800 sick $50 cases were
set down as fever. On the Esd there
were 400 new cases and 500 ON the Gath.
This report was misleading, for on the
Goth there were over 2, 100 fever cases in
camp, 800 Of them new, and only 287
sick Of other complaints. BY the goth
the sick roll had reached $40, nearly
5000 being fever cases About this
time there were 900 to 800 new fever
eases daily, and on the 2Sth, with a
silk roll of 4, 279, over 8, 400 were down
with fever. This exhibit refers to tho
hospital only, Several hundred fever
Cases were returned from the hospital
to the quarters each day, but the vic
tins were not cured, and on the Sd Of
August, when the round robin took the
matter up, General Ames Of Kent's di-
vision declared "a full list of the sick
would mean a copy of the roster of ev-
cry company" in Cuba. Throughout
there were more sick in the quarters
than in the hospital.
The first general relief began about
July "a. That day Clara Barton sent
word to camp that she had supplies at
Santiago dock for the regimental sick.
Tho dole for regiment was sack Of
rice and one of cornmeal. One officer
told me that it cost 81. 80 to get the sup
ply for his regiment to camp, and it
helped all hands. Before the troops left
Cuba they received rations of vegetables
and OF fresh beef. The government sup.
piled beef 20 the officers messes at 10
cents pound. Panic prices prevailed in
the markets. An officer said that he
paid 81 and upward for the canned fruit
and vegetables sold by grocers here at
10 to 10 cents each and was glad to get
them at any price.
On Aug 5 the first troops sailed from
Santiago. After that steamers left daily.
AT one stage 1000 men per diem pour
ed into Camp Wikotf. On the 9TH of the
month there was not bit of shelter
ready, and the same with about every
necessity, so that ON the arrival Of the
first troops from Cuba the accommoda-
lions were inadequate and never up to
The demand until the very last. By the
limo the 1000 new arrivals of "a given
day had been provided for fresh de-
taohment half Of whom were sick, de-
manded attention. Yet there was no ap-
parent lack of wise and energetic action
IN the use Of such facilities as the gov
eminent provided, with the exception
perhaps OF the medical department.
Hospitals grew, but they couldn't beat
the pace Of the fever; nurses came for
ward, but the fever gave ten new vic
Tins to the one they could save, and sup
plies poured in, but not in time to stop
the ravaging famine of nourshment al
ready prevailing.
The cavalry tents were pitched upon
rolling hills, but tho encampment was
surrounded and cut through by swamps
The infantry lay on the low seashore,
where chill night winds and heavy
mists made fall underwear necessity
for well men. Repeated demands failed
10 bring fiannels, even for the sick, I'M
til public generosity came to the rescue,
and even then summer weights were
supplied. Grimes artillerymen made
themselves shirts out Of coarse grain
sacking.
Candidly, words fail to describe the
situation as found it from Aug. 20 to
30, and this not at the hospitals, but in
the quarters of supposed well men.
On every side heard the one ory, some
times equaling in terrible suRgestiveness
those narrowing lines of Longfellow;
Oh, the famine and the feverl
Al.