Show LOSSES IN WAR WITH SPAUI NUMJ3ER GIVEN AS 2906 SOLDIERS SOL-DIERS AND SAILORS Twentysix Eundred Died In Camps Less of OfficErs Attributed to Sharpshooters Chicago Oct 29Commissione of Pensions H Clay Evans who Is In this city stopiing at the Great Northern states that up to Sept 30 the war with Spain had caused the loss rf thehiyes ot2906 American soldiers and sailors Ht further deelares4that tile statistics Qf his il1ce slows that the percentage pf deaths In camps from disease during last summer was much less than during dur-ing the civil war Commissioner Evans being asked for further particulars spoke as follows During the rebellion 4POOO men Were killed Ia battle and 360000 perished In gs and arions From official flu urea which 1 have recently comulctec1 covering a Je1lod from May 1 to Set I 30 I find that the total number of deaths as a result of the war with Spain was 2tOG Of this number 107 Were officers At Santiago the loss of life wtia 22 officers and 22 men This Is an average of one officer for every ten men At Cardenas one officer was killed Since the battles on Cuban soil I 61 men have died of wounds received in service The total number of American SOl dlers that have died in camps from disease dis-ease are SO officers and 2520 privates oran or-an aggregate of 2600 This Is remarkable remark-able in view of the terrible climatic disadvantages and it fully verifies the soldiers adage that disease kills more men than bullets l There have been GOO claims for ensions filed to date as a result of the war In the Cuban cam > aign the loss of so man officers is ccounted for by the fact that Spanish sharpshooters hid In the trees and dense foliage used smokeless powder and picked off the oflicers with ease Some of the wounds r > llhd bv officers were remarkable I recall i onecase In Darticularthat of Captain Knox of the First cavalry The I captain was shot in the back The ball penetraed his kidney liver and lung and broke to of his ribs He Is alive today and the president has promoted I him Commissioner Evans says that the less f life resulting from the destruc Un of the Maine in Havana l13tbor will be laceJ on the same basIs as mortality in battle He holds that the general law providing for indemnity to sailors and soldiers In the federal service ser-vice will pply to the eplosion at Havana Ha-vana Thus far only some fie claims have been lresented from relatives of the boys who went down with the Maine said the commissioner Everyone of them will be pushed through It Is no more than rlgit that the dependents of the men who went to watery graves In Havana bay should be provided for by the United States government |