The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-03-28
TOUGH TIME AT QUARANTINE.
GEORGIA OFFICERS CALLED IT THE
WORST OF THEIR SERVICE.


the stay of the Third Georgia at
the Quarantine station and the
Treatment the GeOrgians say They
Sustained and the Failure Regu-
lar Officers said They Made TO Aid
in the Work of Disinfecting the
Men-It Was Claimed baggage
Was Destroyed and Property Bad
Iy Damaged by the Unloading ana
steam Process-B giment Got
Away for Augusta, Where 1t VIII
BE Mustered out.
The Third Georgia Regiment passed
through Savannah yesterday on the way
10 Augusta, to be mustered Out Of The
service. The trip from the quarantine sta
ton was made on lighters in tow OF tugs,
and the regiment was landed at the Cor
don wharf and at one of the piers of the
Ocean Steamship Company. Trains were
IN waiting, ana the command was soon
on its way to Augusta, the city of its
choice.
The personal effects of the officers and
men of The regiment were dislnfected night
before last al The quarantine station, ana
the whole command seemed TO be mad
about treatment received at the hands OF
the officers in charge there. They com
planned that the worst thirty-six hours
of their entire service in the army were
those spent at the station, and compl-
ments of a very adverse sort were paid
literally TO the management and the
method at quarantine.
Maj Marcus Beck was seen and asked
for the story of the treatment of whicn
the regiment was complaining. He gave II
readily, and said they had all had a very
hard time undergoing disinfection they
knew to be absolutely unnecessary, as
there was no yellow fever in The district
I'm which the Third was and had not been
for several years
"They began by unloading the baggage
of the regiment" said the major NO
care was exercised about this, and the
way the effects of the men were handed
was a shame A lighter was run along
side the vessel and the stevedores ran
the stuff down on ropes, and would yen
net 'er CO. when anywhere IKE Iour OF
five feet Of the deck of the lighter h2d
been reached. Boxes were broken and
valuable property was destroyed. The
mems effects had been put UP IN boxes
and trunks that were expected 30 be tax
en- right on home and there was no pos
sible way of getting into them except oy
breaking them open. Some were broken
in unloading, and the rest viii be when
they get to work fumigaung them. 1
suppose there was, or will be Slo,OD worth
of the property of the officers ana men
destroyed in this way and by the tuml-
eating process.
.,I'hen they started us to coming down
the steps that had been swung over the
side. They were slippery, and IL Is won
der some of the men were not killed. we
looked on in fear that some OF them would
fall and possibly be drowned or manned,
but they for a wonder, managed TO make
the descent without accident. or course
we could have taken the matter into our
own hands and managed by force to get
the proper treatment, but this we did not
want to do. We could have become mas
tiers of the situation, but felt as II we
should submit to- whatever the officers
might demand.
when a certain number of men and
officers had gotten on the lighter il put
off for the pier. The tide was low and the
question was as TO how the men could
ever get up to The wharf ten feet above
them without accident. There was a rick
ETY. ladder that looked as IL il was ready
TO break at any moment, and with the
bottom of this planted on a swaying boat
It did not offer very safe or stable means
of ascension to the wharf However, there
was nothing for it but to make the at
tempt, and up some OF US went. | climbed
with a sword in one hand and a grip in
the other, ard IL was a dangerous piece
of business getting the men up. for all
of them had something to carry in their
hands and were loaded with their packs.
Finally the ladder was lost in some
way, and then other means had to be re-
sorted to. Planks were run down, and
the men swarmed up them as best they
could, carrying their packs, guns and other
equipment. II was barbarous for the men
who had been sick on the trip, many OF
them being in a weakened condition and
unfit to make such an effort
I'VE were then put in some sort of or
der and told TO put our effects into a
rack each company having one We then
had the things disinfected After they had
been through the steam box we were
marched back in and told to get our STUFF
We old 1t the best way we could, but the
results were not fattering to the plan
The men got all sorts of things that were
not theirs. Some were despoiled of theil
clothing, other men getting It in the mix
up. Men whom l know TO be absoluteI,
truthfui told me they had put in two suit.
ana had got out none. We had to leav,
all our baggage, and l suppose II viii
be In fine fix when we get It. 1 hav,
lot Of valuable relics down at the sta
ton that l know will not be worth !
cent when / get them, If 1 ever do ge
them And the steam process ruined ;
lot of the things. Leather was burned t,
such crisp that IL turned to dust at N,
touch, and l was told that the bra
buttons on overcoats were melted nv IN,
heat. Officers swords were damaged an,
any quantity of the commands propert,
suffered.
we had effects that would not bav
needed disinfection, and the auarantjn
officers were asked to examine them +
see If they could not pass without II
They would not do a thing along this line
though. When we got our things the
were all wet, and the little chance III
men got for sleep was with wet blanket
and clothing wrapped about them.
They did not strip the men and dlsin
feet their clothing at all. That was tn
most important point of all, but it wa
neglected. They let the men wear IN
clothing they had worn In Cuba. thu
making the whole thing futfl
and useless. After they ha
finished with us they nut !,