The record-union., 1899-02-13
WATER TRANSPORTATION.

ment was for ships to transport 5000
men to Cuba and that soon after the
cali was increased and demand made
for steamers to transport 25,000
i sUpQn loading the vessels concen-
trated at Port Tampa It was found that
their capacity had been largely over
rated. and 1t was impossible to carry
upon them without great discomfort
and danger more than 10000 men with
their equipments, artillery, ammuni-
ton. subsistence, medical supplies and
2,295 animals for average 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 were poorly equipped WITH
sleeping accommodations, the sinks in
many instances were inconvenient and
insufficient and some of the vessels were
badly ventilated and filed with dis
agreeable odors. 1t has been stated
that had the fleet encountered severe
storm while en- route for Cuba, the dis
comfort would have been intense and
there might have been loss of life. The
Quartermaster's Department ought to
have been able to properly equip these
vessels and surely it should have been
more certain Of their carrying capacity.
A sufficient number of vessels for
transporting 25,O00 men, with the nec
essary lighters for their disembarka-
ton should have been promptly fur
nished, even had such action rendered
necessary the seizure of every steamer
on the Atlantic and Gulf coast sailing
under the American flag.
Testimony shows that vessels were
not loaded Systematically A battery
with its guns and horses would be
placed on one vessel and its ammuni-
tion on another. The Second, Seventh
and Seventeenth Regular Infantry were
each divided up and each portion in
each case sent on three different YES
sells. The feet of transports arrived
safely at Daiquiri, but the failure to
provide full and sufficient number of
lighters for Decentralization Of troops,
supplies and artillery caused delay,
anxiety, annoyance 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.
CONTRACTS,
Contracts covering millions of dol
lars were made by the Quartermaster's
Department during the period between
April 1st and October 1st, and although
indefinite charges have from time to
time been made of fraud and collusion,
no evidence has been produced before
the commission to substantiate these
charges, although the parties making
-
MEDICAL SUPPLIES.
'It is somewhat difficult to follow up
the transportation of medical supplies.
Large quantities were purchased by
the surgeons in charge for medical de-
pots. in New York. st. Louis and San
Francisco, carefully boxed.
1.-The supplies were sometimes sent by
express, thus insuring their more
prompt delivery.
Tile 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 case
Of the steamship La Grand Duchess,
which left Charleston, 8. c., July 1st.
Upon unloading the vessel at Ponce on
July 28th a large supply of medical
stores were found upon her destined
for Skaters army at Santiago. The
vessel was ordered to Santiago July
31st.
"The steamers Seneca and Concho
were used as hospital ships for the re-
turn of sick and wounded from Santi
ago in July. Their conditions for this
purpose were very unsuitable.
ANyn ND A nT0N
lowing to the lack of necessary trans
ports the means of land transportation
during the Santiago campaign was
painfully deficient.
General Shafter testified that 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 trans
portation, both of the wounded and of
supplies, while ambulances could be
employed only for one purpose Gen
eral Humphrey testifies that no more
land transportation was taken, simply
because the vessels were fully loaded.
The testimony shows that the
transports arrived off the south coast
of Cuba near Santiago on June 21sta
that the pack trains were landed ON
June 22d; that the first wagons were
landed on. June 25th and that the land
ing of the latter was continued more
rapidly than they could be set up on
short notice, and that, in fact, some of
those that were landed were never set
up at all. General Chaffee testified
that on July 1st at the battle of Ell
Caney, ten days after the arrival of
the fleet, there were no ambulances or
wagons available and that the roads
were so horrible tht they could not
reach the front.
at is plainly evident that this army
Of 1900 men dfsembarfzed in the face
of an enemy in hostile country and
rapidly thrown forward against a we'll
armed force, was painfully deficient in
land transportation, but in spite of the
absence of this almost absolutely nee
essary portion of the equipment of a
'well-trained commnd, 1t drove the en-
emy before it, capturing their outposts.
pushed them behind their main de-
fenses drove their fleet from Santiago
Bay to absolute destruction as it faced
the navy of our country and finally,
after gallant fighting under a tropical
sun, amidst most adverse conditions
captured strongly fortified city and
received as prisoners of war over 49,
600 Spanish soldiers"
SUBSISTENCE DEPARTMENT.
Brigadier General Charles p Eagan,
Commissary General, U. S. A., in
charge.
''The commission has carefully inves-
tigated the subject of the condition.
quality and quantity Of food supplied
to the army. Almost without excep-
ton it has been shown by the testimony