| Show HOSPITAL SHIP CONCHO terrible condition from start to finish of voyage the press gave reports of the hospital ship which brought many of the sick from asen shatters army at santiago those accounts by the reporters and by those who had come on the ship made the voyage a horror the new york journal of august and 2nd has further detail which seem to fix the fur the awful trip largely upon gen shatter the journal reports a prominent army burgeon as saying there can be no doubt that the nor condition of abo ship waa due to the shortsighted short sighted policy pursued by gen shatter ever since his arrival in cuba lie went to santiago utterly unprepared to combat either the wounds of battle or the ravages of disease iio seemed to think be could take santiago over night he latt bis supplies in the harbor on abo that had brought them there without any means of conveying these supplies to abo front should tho occasion require such and lack of foresight why he even left his biege gang in tho chips now these supplies would probably never have been landed but for general miles for shafter never made any effort to land them never in fac cavo them thought when general miles reached surprised to find that the supplies bad not been landed and immediately gave ciders that ibis should be done he was told that there was no means by which the supplies could ba and into the bervice a compla of pontoons pon which deroon the alamo and the sn oplies were taken ashore on them in ha meantime the soldiers at the front were suffering untold hardships only thea however did shatter awake to the of the situation and sent back for the supplies which he should have arranged to transport in the first instance there seems to bo little doubt that abo colclo and alamo were capt north in the condition in which they were on direct orders from general shatter himself llo was begged to allow them to get fresh pro and wafer but would not listen to the arguments presented the journal presents today the statements of two officers J U pond of general fielda staff and capt john qi andersoh of the thirty third valuators both of whom came north on the la which w they state the order for the chocho to proceed north in her then unprepared condition emanated from gen shatter direct he wa remonstrated by the captain 0 ahe concho who represented that his ships water and that abe bad no provisions on board but the roughest army rations why not let me go to jamaica said capt risk and get fresh water and fresh provisions the water in my tanks ia now so that my own crew bavo been made eick by it ita rotten and not fit for a dog ta drink go north and go quick responded gen shafter when capt risk received his sailing orders he made another appeal if yon bend eick men aboard of me provisioned and weary aa I 1 am he said 1 I wont answer for tha consequences quen ces the sick will die let me go to jamaica which ia richt in my way and get frech water at least it wout take long and will ba an act of mercy again gen beafter positively rotate to listen to the humane captain but gruffly directed him to follow bis orders and set out as as possible capt risk was forced to obey but did BO with many lie put into bampton roads hoping to get relief there lie kept the telegraph wires hot with appeals for help but the only answer he bot in nearly thirty six hours was thia put to sea and bury your dead in that post ship the dead were lying on the decks and the dying crying piteously for water but there was no water to elvo them save that which captain risk bad described as not fit for a doe to drink the concho put twenty miles to BP and buried three of her dead then she started back to the roads but bad hardly completed halt the journey when another man died and she steamed out to bury him again she resumed her painful journey when still another unfortunate victim breathed his last if were wanting other proof than capt riska statement that shafter ordered the bailing of the transports it is furnished by abo order detailing dr lesser to tho concho which 13 signed by lagarde who in his capacity of director of the hospital in cuba could only issue euch an order on the express direction of tbt beneral commanding it upon tho military authorities ties to assign to any ship carraine carr bi ck from the front n competent army eur geona under a recent of the war department after tha seneca affair contract burgeons are not eligible for doty on a govi eminent transport tho order waa issued in consequence of the demonstrated inefficiency and inexperience ot the two surg eone on board the jeseca |
