The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-06-22
ANBULANcES NOT LOST.
THE FIFTY VEHICLES WE'RE IS
SUED TO TROOPS AT TAMPA.


10 for InformatiOn--He Received
Them on Taking Charge of the De-
not Mt Tampa, Giving Col. Pope a
ueceipt-The Latter Officer Must
Have Failed to Give the Chicago
Depot a acknowledgement Loss of
she Ambulances Suggests Stories
of Lost Freight.
The government has been stirred up over
what was thought a loss of fifty ambu-
1ances belonging to the war department.
The vehicles were not lost at ALL but were
received al Tampa and issued to various
commands 1t is probable they are all in
cuba now. Wounded men, beyond doubt,
were hauled in some of them after the
battle of Santiago.
An Associated Press dispatch yesterday
morning told of the loss of fifty ambu-
lances that were shipped year ago from
Chicago to Tampa. Seventeen cars made
I'D the train that went off with the hospi-
tai corps wagons, and the Dispatch said
that was the last ever heard of them. II
was not known whether the vehicles had
reached their destination, and the rail-
roads did not seem able to help out the
government in the inquiry that was
brought on.
Col j. B. Bellinger, depot quarterrnaster
at Savannah, said yesterday the ambu-
lances were not lost. Col. j. w. Pope
was depot quartermaster at Tampa when
the ambulances were shipped from CHI
cago That officer received them in due
time at Tampa, the congestion in traffic
there a very short while later not having
then developed to such an alarming de-
gree.
Col Pope was ordered to the Philippines
for duty little after he received the am
balances Col Belinger recepted for all
the government property turned over 10
him as depot Quartermas ter. For some rea-
son, Col. Pope failed to give the officer at
Chicago who shipped the ambulances a re-
oeipt for them. Ii was The failure to find
that receipt ia the records at Chicago.
probably, that caused the trouble and IN
duced The quartermaster department. at
Washington to think the ambulances lost.
II was but little whsle after he gave
his receipt for the ambulances and the
vast quantity of supplies of an sorts thai
were at Tampa that Col. BeRnger issued
the vehicles. He gave them to the various
commands that were awaiting there TO be
equipped for the Invasion of Cuba under
Gen. Shafter The ambulanCes have proba-
4 bly, seen hard service since
No question exists as to the an1h1l1anoes
being those mentioned in the Dispatch. Col.
Be.inger says there was but one sh tpnent
Of The vehicles from Chicago, and that his
e.
/ ceive1 and distributed On his return from
/ the Philippines, Col Bellinger saws Col
Pope VIII probably give the Chicago officer
responsible for the ambulances a lrecaint
for them thus clearing him. Col. Belhn-
gers receipt TO Col Pope leaves the latter
clear While Col. Belhngers receipts from
the officers to whom he issued the vehi-
cles shows that he is no longer RESPONSE
Die The mystery Of the ambufances is
thus dsDelled.
1t would have been no great ma tier for
"a fha bull, I,,l
4 In the shuttle Just about the time the
i expedition was getting away from Tampa
i mere was the greatest jam in the railroad
i history OF the country. Nothing like it
| was ever encountered before. Even the
i great Chicago strike caused no such con-
i gesuon. IL required the clearest head and
the soundest judgment to reduce the con-
iuson TO order and get the troops off
on their great campaign. Col Bellinger
was equal to the occasion, and the re-
ports to be filed with the war depa rtment
will show what he accomplished
Fhe hrst thing the railroads entering
tampa did when the supplies Of all sorts
began arriving in such great quantities
was TO Increase their yard facilities. BY
both lines they were doubled, but the
erect was scarcely perceptible. In addi-
ton to that drawback there were about
dozen teams in Tampa to be used for
the transfer of the supplies from the cars
4 10 the government warehouses. The lack
4 OIL mules and wagons had much to do
4 with the suggestion that followed. as the
I roads could not move the cars until they
Il had been unloaded.
The Plant system had every inch of
i available space in its yards at Tampa and
/ FORT Tampa crowded No room was to
De mad, and as cars after cars continued
10 arrive with government freight there
was nothing for il but to have them side
4 tracked at stations north of Tampa. The
result was that cars were waiting on sid
lngs for miles and miles to the north of
where they were needed. With the Flori-
"a Central and Peninsular conges ton was
even greater From Tampa 10 Jackson
Vile all the sidings We're full of govern
ment freight. 1t was even reported at
me time that as far north as Columbia
there We're cars being held up to await
cnance to run them bit nearer their des-
tnation.
The report of the loss of the annbulances
recalled stories to a railroad man yester-
gay of losses of freight that had clearly
been shown to have been shipped The
case of the big boiler pipe that was ship
ped over The Plant system a few years
ago for point in South Georgia was
mentioned. The pipe was thirty feet in
length and probably weighed for or five
however prevented 1t from getting lost
and no trace of it ever being found. The
car on which it was shipped turned up all
nght, but that was all. The lost pipe was
never seen.
speculations were rife as to what could
pave become of the thirty-foot cylinder
US destination was about 100 miles from
savannah, and officials of the road were
az loss to think what could have become
OF the thing. IL would seem improbable
mas the pipe should have become loosened
and rolled off the car just as it was cross
ing the Ogeechee, Altamaha or some other
large stream the Plant System bridges
yet such must have been the case. A
eareiul search along the track was insti-
'lted, but resulted in no trace. of the pipe
MOI long ago a Baltimore shipper had
funny experience. He shipped a car
gad OF scrap iron 10 Richmond, but as
.ne DAYS passed no news of the car was
tscelved. The roads were appea.ed TO- but
me most careful search faied to discover
race OF the car. The owner puzzled his
SSpai9 about it for long time, and then
ggseided he would advertise for the car
ne ne aid so, offering a reward of IS for in
~ SLulailon regarding il, Strange to say
He information was Forthcoming, and that
Slter the railroads had exhausted every
"tdns IN their power to find the car.
,t11uother unusual case was reported from
al S1n Waukee. "A man in the East shipped
w. pass OF sugar to Milwaukee, where IL
M mas 10 take boat for still further ship
nIent' As time passed nothing was heard
ston the sugar. Special agents were
SS.arled out, but for long while they
C%eIs Unsuccessful in locating It. NO mer-
Dlaut could be found who had received
WI IoIe sugar than properly fell to him. 1t
h. Hhaly discovered that the bags had
mn I'M put on wrong boat and later re-