Show ALGER MAKES REPLY Explains Plan of Campaign to the Investigation Commission DEFENDS HIS CONDUCT W TH ORIGINAL PLANS WERE ALTERED Backs the War Departments Course By Quotations From Official Correspondence Cor-respondence Wit Army and Navy OfficialsMajor General Graham Only Witness Before Commission Washington Oct lTe war investigating II inves-tigating commission devoted the forenoon fore-noon session today to the examination of Secretary Algers statement and the papers furnished by him In reply to the commissions inquires The accompanying ac-companying papers include the reports from the various bureaus of the war department and also various letters and telegrams bearing upon the conduct con-duct of the war Secretary Alger In his report replies to the various questions propounded by the commissin but he gives especial prominence to the plan of campaign and to the changes that were made in the original plans I I He says that Tampa was chosen a the base of operations because of its I proximity to Havana at which point it was originally intended the landing should be made The determination to make a change was due to the developments develop-ments on the southern coast of Cuba and to Admiral Cerveras course in 10 eating his feet in the bay of Santiago I When it became quite certain that he was securely entrapped Admiral I I Sampson wired the faCt to the secretary secre-tary of the navy asking that troops be tary sert immediately He said that he had silenced the batteries which were accessible ac-cessible from the sea and that 1000 men could capture the town within 43 hours The text of this message is given as is the text of various other telegrams showing the cause of delay i in getting the expedition off I The report shows that General Miles I advis in the beginning that the first movement should be made against Puerto Rico and that after that Island I shouid be subjected the American I I forces should be landed on the forth i coast of CUQa at some point from which they could move conveniently to the west either to the cast or Major General William M Graham was the only witness before the war investigating committee today He was first commander at Camp lger I Va There was he said only one railroad rail-road running into the camp and the station was about one and onehalf staton miles distant He thought the water supply was sufficient when the camp I numbered no more than five regiments of troops but as the troops increased i I itbecame necessary to dig wels There I I vas delay in digging the wells 40 of which were sunk one for each regiment I I regI-ment The supply then was ample for aU purposes except bathing I was his impression that there had been some complaints of sickness on accOunt of the water famine which I had continued from May 20 until June 25 with varying degrees of intensity but he had been through campaigns before In which the water supply was not eaual to that at Camp Alger He was inclined to attribute much of the sickness at Camp Alger to the fact I that the soldiers insisted on taking the water from the little streams running through the camp There had been considerable typhoid fever at the camp but i did not orlS I inate there and the first cases were isolated During his entire stay at the camp less than 4 per cent of the command com-mand was sick There were 69 deaths five being those of officers Much of i the sikness in his opinion was due to delicacies sent to soldiers from home and he had issued an order prohibiting prohibitng i the sale of ice cream pie etc in the camp When typhoid fever began to il be considered an epidemic he issued strict orders for the detailing of gUards I for the care of the sinlis making any neglect an offense punishable by arrest i ar-rest |