The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-02-13


shirts and other articles of apparel
This was noticed even as late as Oc-
tober in the camps at Admission, Hunts.
vile and Lexington, while at Hunts
vile, Ala, and Fort Monroe, Va, in
spite of cool nights, there was a laci
of stoves in the hospitals and at Hunts.
vile the supply of wood was short
With some of the troops sent from Sar
! Francisco to Manila, the deficiency III
shoes of proper size continued even III
to Aug 81.
"At Santiago the deficiency at the
front appears to have been caused
/ rather from lack of transportation from
| the coast than from the lack of cloth
ing and tentage, a supply of which was
on the transports.
Great complaint was made of lack of
| transportation facilities at Camp Mon
TAU, Point. N. Y.S
Many complaints were received in
reference to unnecessary delays and
! lack of promptness on the part of the
quartermasters department in moving
regiments and in the care of sick and
convalescents.
TAMPA BLOCKADE.
Great complaint was made of the
! railroad congestion at Tampa and the
| absolute Task of ability to bring order
out of chaos at that place during the
carly part Of the period of its occupancy
by troops. The major general COM
manding has stated that supplies for
10000 men for ninety days were ordered
there, and the confusion on the railroad
when he reached Tampa was very
great, 1000 cars being sidetracked,
some Of them as far back as Colubia,
S. c.
1T is stated that in the hurry and
rush attending The commencement of
this work the contents of cars were I'M
known at Tampa; that bills of lading
were not forwarded and that it seemed
impossible for a time to determine
where absolutely necessary articles
were located.
Colonel Bird of the quartermaster' S
department testified that this was cor
rected later on, when the contents of
bills of lading promptly forwarded.
THE condition of the railroad conges-
tion during the early portion of the
time Tampa was occupied by troops
seemed unparalleled showing an al
most ineXcusable lack of executive abil-
ity on the part of those charged with
the loading, unloading and handling of
the trains go.
Colonel Bird and General Humphreys
testified that there were very poor facil-
tiles for transferring troops and sup
Central railroad to the Plant system,
leading direct to Port Tampa.
Order was finally brought about, the
cars unloaded, the congestion overcome
and a vast amount of supplies delivered
at the immense encampment.
Congestion also occurred at Chicka-
manga, probably with not so serious re-
suits as at Tampa, but complaint was
made that materials of different CLASSES
f1a
rendering it necessary to remove large
packages of quartermaster's or commits
sary stores in order to obtain the small
packages of medicines and medical
supplies.
There was also congestion and con-
fusion in connection with the railroad
facilities between the 5th and 18th of
August at Camp Wikoff.
WATER TRANSPORTATION.
1.-The testimony shows that the first
call on the Quartermaster' department
was for ships to transport 5000 men to
Cuba, and that soon after the call was
increased and demand made for steam
ers to transport $4,000.
Upon loading the vessels concentrat-
ed at Port Tampa it was found that
their capacity had been largely over
rated and it was impossible to carry
and danger, more than $1,000 men with
their equipments. artillery. ammunition,
medical supplies and 2,295
animals fer a voyage OF 1000 miles.
Even with this reduction, the vessels
appear to have been crowded.
In spite of the efforts of the quar-
termaster's department, many of these
vessels We're poorly equipped with
sleeping Accommodations; the sinks in
n, nv inS ye7.e incOnUppiarf and
and some Of the vessels /
were badly ventilated and filled with
odors. 1t has been stated J
that had the fleet encountered a severe !
storm while en- route for Cuba, the /
would have been intense /
and there might have been loss of life /
The quarteTmaster' department ought /
to have been able to more thoroughly /
equip these vessels. and surely it should /
have been more certain of their car /
ryinS capacity. A sufficient number of 1
vessels for transporting 1000 men, with /
the required lighters for their disem !
0arkation, should have been promptly .
furnished. even had such action rem
leeed necessary the seizure of every /
steamer on the Atlantic and gulf coasts
sailing under the American flag.
Testimony shows that the vessels
were not loaded sysr eTnatically. 4 bat
laced en- Gre ye-sel and its ammunition
IN ar5their. The Secend. Seventh and
seventeenth regular infantry were
zach divided up and each portion in
ach case sent on three different yes
els. The fleet of transports arrived
;afeiy at Baiquiri, but the failure to
provide a full and sufficient number of
lighters for Decentralization of troops,
supplies and artillery caused delay.
fotr
lad there been serious sEorms. CO had
he landing been opposed by a vigilant
md well-trained force Of the enemy,
he result might have been far differ
mt
Contracts covering millions of dol
aTs We're made by the quartermaster's
department. during the period be-
ween April l and Oct l, and although
Indefinite charges have from time to
ime been made of fraud and collision,
10 evidence has been produced before
he commission to subStantiate these
harges, although the parties making
hem have been invited to appear.
MEDICAL SUPPLIES.
1T is somewhat difficult to follow up ]
he transportation of medical supplies. ]
Large quantities were purchased by ;
he surgeons in charge for medical de- /
OTIS in New York. st. Louis and San ]
francisco, carefully boxed.
THE supplies were sometimes sent {
Y express, thus insurinS their more {
rompt delivery {
THE delay in some instances in /
ecuring medical supplies at Santiago
GEMS to have been partially due to
IN Loading them on the
transports. This is shown in the cases
f the steamship La Grand Duchess,
-hich left Charleston, S. c., July l. Y
pom unloading the vessel at Ponce |
n July %, large supply of medical I