The times., 1899-05-08

| that he ordered the purchase OF such enor-
| nous quantities of food that was prac-
| tically untried and unknown, and the Court
| so finds. The Court also finds that there
| is no ground for any imputation of any
other actuating motive. on the part of the
! Commissary General, than the earnest de-
sire to procure the best possible food for
! the troops. The Court pronounces this
| act of the Commissary General of Subsis-
tence a colossal error, for which there
is no palliation."
The Cause of sickness.
In treating of the causes of sickness
among the troops in the tropics, the report
continues:
THE principal causes of disease were
exposure to extreme alterations OF daily
temperature, to incessant downpours of
rain. and to the malarial influences pecui-
lar to the most dangerous portion of the
! island of Cuba at the unhealthiest season
| of the year. Lack of shelter from sun
and rain. irregular. inadequate. and insult
| ficient supplies of food, fuel, and clothing,
| due to want of transportation, also entered
as contributory causes of the sudden and
alarming increase of the sick report. which
all accounts agree as having taken place
| between July and 10, after the command
had been subjected for some days to the
fatigue and exposure incident to the dig
| ging and manning Of trenches. the main
tenance Of an outpost service, and the
conduct of siege operations.
THAT the sickness was due to particular
articles of the ration rather than to the
| character and components of the ration it
self and its general unsuitability to ex
| isting conditions is not clear. This is
| shown by the fact that although there was
a very marked difference in the meat COM
| ponents of the ration issued to and used
! by the different commands in the army, the
| sick rate was very much the same in all
| Lawton's division. for example, which sub
sisted largely upon bacon and used no
| canned beef and but little refrigerated beef
suffered as seriously from sickness as
| Kent's division, which used the canned
fresh meat and received also considerable
| quantities of refrigerated beef. Having re-
| gard. therefore, to the testimony adduced
| as to the causes which are admitted to
| have operated to produce intestinal dis
orders, such as the eating of tropical fruits
the use of unboiled and unfiltered water,
malarial poisoning the exposure to daily
rains, and the considerable diurnal varia-
tioDs OF temperature and the like, the
Court finds it impossible to conclude that
either the canned fresh beef or refrigerated
beef appeared to an appreciable extent as
causes of intestinal disease.
LAS to the effects of the food supply
having regard to both sufficiency and
quality, it seems to be clearly established
| that the army ration as supplied. without
| modification, to the troops serving in the
West Indies was by no means well adapted
| to use in a tropical climate. II this be
| true the unfitness of the ration should
| have manifested itself by its failure to
| keep the troops who subsisted upon 1t in
| the best possible condition for service in
hot climates. This, in the opinion of the
/ f.,11. - IL.
| The insufficiency of the food supply in
| Cuba and the irregularity attending its
| distribution, due, primarily, to marked
| deficiency in transportation facilities and
| the condition of the weather and the roads,
has already been remarked upon. 1t is
| only necessary to say that both of these
| appeared, to some extent, rs causes of dis
| ease among the troops who were thus in
sufficiently and irreguiarly subsisted.
Tropical Campaigning.
I'm concluding this portion of the sub
| ject it is proper to observe that the his
tory of two centuries teaches the lesson
| that troops accustomed to serve in tenn
perate climates can be employed in the
tropics only at great risk of loss from
diseases incident to the locality and lati-
| tude in which military operations are car
! ried on; if sent in the sickly season the
becomes alarming. The experience gained
and the losses incurred by the English ex-
| petitions in the West Indies in the last
| century and those undertaken in india
! China, and Africa have been repeated in
| those sent by France to Santo Domingo
| Mexico, Cochin China, and Madagascar
| In General Scotts campaign in Mexico the
losses from disease alone exceeded SO per
| cent of the effective strength OF the forces
| under his command. In a single regi-
ment of Indiana volunteers which entered
| the service GOO strong, and which was not
/ engaged in battle, but 400 returned to the
! State for muster out.
| During a certain period subsequent to
the capture of the City of Mexico Ameri-
can soldiers dying of disease were buried
at the rate of 1000 per month; 5000 were
| buried at the Castle of Perote and the
| total loss by disease alone has been esti-
mated as 10000. In July, 1741, an English
| force of 5000 men under Admiral Vernon
| landed at Guantanamo and attempted to
| advance in the direction of Santiago, with
view to its capture. The resistance en-
countered was stubborn, but might event
ually have been overcome Not So how
ever. the fatigue. exhaustion. and disease
to which the troops were exposed from
| the moment of their landing in conse-
quence of which the expedition was finally
| slndoned, leaving over 1000 English dead
in the vicinity of Guantanamo. The ex-
perience of the United States troops in the
same theatre of operations. and under the
same adverse climatic conditions, forms no
exception to the inevitable rule that ar
mics sent into the tropics must pay the
price of the invasion in human life II it
was the popular will that the wrongs suf-
fered by neighboring people were so
! grievous as to make it necessary to en-
ploy portion of the military forces of the
United States in obtaining their redress,
the experience OF this campaign will be
sure to illustray at what expense of life
and health the wrong has been remedied."
Characterization.
Returning to the subject OF the chemical
ization of beef, the report says:
''If it be a fact that chemicals are habitu-
ally used in the preparation of the beef
for market apparatus for such application
must be provided, space must be set apart
for the installation and operation of the
chemicaliZing plant, chemicals and other
materials must be purchased and distrib-
uted, and employees must be trained and
assigned to duties in connection with the
preserving process. OF the existence of
such a plant there is no evidence what
ever in any of the registered packing
houses which were visited by the Court In
the course of its investigation; nor has n
single person appeared. or offered to ap-
l a IN ba