Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1917-12-29
Deaths of Many Soldiers in
the American Camps At
tributed to Lack of Proper
Clothing.
Quartermaster Genera l
Sharpe Put Through Grill
ing by Members of Senate
Committee, w ho Are
Amazed at Revelations.

Washington, Dec. 29.-Months' delay
in buying wool for training soldiers
uniforms and overcoats was admitted
by Quartermaster General Sharpe be-
fore the senate military probers this
afternoon. This delay, camp COM
manders have testified, resulted in the
deaths Of scores of troops who suffered
from lack Of proper clothing and
blankets.
Sharpe said 1t took him from April
8, to Aug. 1, even to arrange for wool
purchases. No considerable quantity of
wool was bought until Sept. /. Here
April 8, received a letter from the
Boston Wool Trading association Of
fering all wool controlled by it at pre-
vailing prices. (Sharpe made no ef-
fort to learn how much wool was in
volved)
REFERRED TO BAKER.
He referred the matter to Secretary
Baker, who in turn, referred it to the
munitions board.
June Sharpe asked II funds were
available for wool purchases and the
same month got authority to go ahead
July Is he discussed with the national
defense council the advisability of pur-
chasing wool from the Boston concern.
Aug. 1, he established wool buying
office in Boston and bought some wool
Sept. 1, he began buying in quantities.
Senator Weeks declared the govern
ment's failure to take advantage of the
Boston offer Immediately cost the gov
ernment $15o,o00,000. He asked Sharpe
why the delay in purchase occurred.
BLAMES THE COUNCIL.
well, the council didn't call my at
tention to the need for wool buying un-
til June L. said Sharpe THE council
was warned at the rise in the wool
price, and thought the government
ought to get control of the wool supply"
Sharpe admitted he had heard in
definite reports" early in the year of
a wool shortage.
That led to a conference sometime In
June" attended by war. navy and
commerce department representatives.
Sharpe admitted acceptance of the
Boston wool Hen's offer would have
been very advantageous"
But we didn't know we had the
right to purchase them." he added.
FAIO FIIS1Cn n rntSG.
"When you finally did buy wool. you
paid 100 per cent more than the mar
ket price on April 2. the price at which
the Boston offer was made, didn't
you?" asked Senator Chamberlain.
Il don't know" replied Sharpe.
Senator Weeks asked why contrac-
tors who had been given orders by
April IL for clothes for 100000 men
were not required to buy their own
wool. Sharpe said he didn't know
whether contracts specified the manu-
facturers or the government should
furnish the wool.
Amazed over disclosures OF canton
ment conditions members of the SEN
ate military affairs committee today
went after Quartermaster General
Sharpe roughshod.
The committee Wents Sharpe to tell
clearly why men In Camp Doniphan,
Fort Sill. Okla, got no overcoats un-
til Dec. and those in Camp Bowie,
Fort Worth. Tex. none until Dec. 16:
why such flimsy blankets were shipped
to Camp Bowie that three of them
would not keep men warm; why there
have been draft calls before adequate
supplies were ready.
THOUSANDS OF COMPLAINTS.
Testimony of Major General f. st.
John Greble. commander at Bowie and
Of Major General William Wright,
commander at Doniphan. gave the
committee positive evidence that the
thousands of complaints that have
poured through the mails to members
! of congress for months have had con-
siderable foundation.
Both these ofhcers declare men died
because they were insufnciently clothed
and that repeated appeals to the war