The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-02-13

testified that there were very poor ia
cilities for transferring troops and sup
plies arriving at Tampa via the Flori-
da Central railroad to the Plant sys-
| tenn, leading direct to Port Tampa.
4 order was finally brought about
the cars unloaded. the congestion over
come and vast amounts of supplies de-
/ livered at the immense encampment.
/ Congestion also occurred at Chick
amauga, probably with not so serious
results as at Tampa, but complaint was
made that materials of different classes
car, rendering it necessary to remove
large packages of quartermaster's or
commissary stores in order to obtain
the smaller packages of medicines and
medical supplies.
There was also congestion and con-
| fusion In connection with the railroad
| facilities between the 9Th and 18th of
August at Camp Wikoff. ~
Transport Service. 'g
| Water transportation-The testi-
/! mony shows that the first call on the
| quartermaster's department was for
ships to transport 5000 men to Cuba
] and that soon after the call was in
| creased and demand made for steam
ers to transport $4,000 Upon loading
| the vessels, concentrated at Port Tam
| pa, it was found that their capacity had
| been largely overrated and 1t was i'm
| possible to carry upon them without
| great discomfort and danger more than
10000 men with their equipage, artil-
lery, ammunition, subsistence, medical
| supplies and 1926 animals for a voyage
| of 1000 miles. Even with this reduc-
! ton. the vessels, appear to have been
| crowded.
I'm spite of the efforts of the quarter
| masters department many of these
1
| sleeping accommodations the sinks in
| many instances were inconverlient and
| insufficient, and some of the vessels
were badly ventilated and filled with
| disagreeable odors. It has been stated
| that had the fleet encountered severe
| storm while en- route for Cuba the
discomfort would have been intense and
| there might have been loss of life. The
| quartermaster's department ought to
| have been able to more thoroughly
equip these vessels and surely it should
| have been more certain Of their carry
| ing capacity. A sufficient number of
vessels for transporting $4,000 men with
| the required lighters for their disem-
barkation should have been promptly
| furnished, even had such action rem
dered necessary the seizure of every
steamer on the Atlantic and Gulf coasts
sailing under the American flag.
| 'The testimony shows that the YES
sells were not loaded systematically. A
battery with its guns and horses would
| be placed on one vessel and its ammu
| milton on another, The I'd. 7th and 18th
regular infantry were each divided up
and each portion in each case sent on
three different vessels. The fleet of
transports arrived safely at Baiquiri,
but the failure to provide a, full and
| sufficient number of lighters for dis
embarkation of troops, supplies and
artillery caused delay, anxiety, annoy
ance and danger and had there been
| serious storms or had the landing been
opposed by vigilant and well trained
| force of the enemy, the result might
| have been far different.
No Evidence Of Fraud.
"Contracts-contra covering mil
lions Of dollars were made by the quar-
termaster's department during the pc
| Rod between April 1 and Oct 1, and
although indefinite charges have from
| time to time been made of fraud and
collision, no evidence has been pro-
duced before the commission to sub
stantiate these charges, although the
parties making them have been Invited
| to appear.
Transportation of medical supplies
and Of sick and wounded soldiers-It
is somewhat difficult to follow UP the
transportation OF medical supplies.
Large quantities were purchased by the
in New York, st. Louis and San Fran
CISCO carefully boxed. The supplies
We're sometimes sent by express, thus
insuring their more prompt delivery.
The delay in some instances in Sc
curing medical supplies at Santiago
| seems to have been partially due to
carelessness in loading them on the
| transports. This is shown in the cases
| of the steamship La Grand Duchesse,
which left Charleston, s. G.. July /.
| Upon loading the vessel at Ponce on
July %, a large supply of medical
stores We're found upon her, destined
for Skaters army at Santiago. The
vessel was ordered to Santiago July
| 81.
THE steamers Seneca and Concho
were used as hospital ships for the
returning sick and wounded from San
tiago in July. Their conditions for
| this purpose were unsuitable.
Land transportation Of the command
during the Santiago campaign-Owing
| to the lack of necessary transports the
| means of land transportation during
! the Santiago campaign was painfully
| deficient.
General shafter testified he could
carry no more on his transports from
| Tampa; that he realized that he would
have very few ambulances. but that
wagons could be used. for transporta-
ton, both of the wounded and of sup
plies, while ambulances could be en-
| ployed only. for one purpose. General
Humphrey testified that no more land
transportation was taken, simply be-
cause the vessels were fully loaded.
THE testimony shows that the trans
ports arrived off the south coast of
Cuba near Santiago on June 81; that
the pack trains were landed on June
%; that the first wagons were landed
on June 25, and that the landing of the
| raY ho Y,
they could be set upon shore, and that,
in fact, some of those that We're land
ed were never set up at ALL
General Chaffee testifies that on July
l at the battle of FL Caney, 10 days
after the arrival of the fleet, there
We're no ambulancas or wagons avail
able and that the roads were so hor-
rible that they could not reach the
| front.
1T is plainly evident that the army of
| 1900 men, disembarked in the face of
an enemy in a hostile country and rap
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