The herald., 1898-11-12
The next war may be managed by 9

plan was not adopted WITH TeBdru ~
the conflict just finished is to be plt-
terly regretted. 1t would have pre-
vented a large part OF the mlschieIs
which at the present time are caus-
ing so much scandal.
During the Hispano-American strug-
gle Uncle Sam has enjoyed very little
of the benefit which ought to have
come to him from the additions made
to human knowledge within the last
fifty years In most matters relating
to science the war department has
proved itself half a century behind the
age. Take. for example. the selection
of sites for camps. officers wholly
lacking in the necessary equipment Of
information on such subjects have
chosen these cites, and woful nave
been the consequences. The govern
ment employs a large number OF ge-
oogists, any one of whom would have
testified, if called upon, that Camp
Alger was a place ideally adapted for
the propagation of typhoid fever when
used as a tenting place for large num-
bers of troops.
Camp Alger serves as well as any
other camp for purposes of illustra-
ton. The geology of the region is OF
such a nature that artesian water is
out of the question; the only water
obtainable is surface water, and OF
necessity that soon becomes contami-
mated by the waste products of a null
titude of soldiers. After the first two
or three weeks spent by the troops at
Camp Alger, the water regularly
used by them unavoidably contained a
percentage of the waste products re-
ferred to, inasmuch as it came di-
rectly from the surface soil into which
the pits for certain necessary pur-
poses were sunk. In fact, the subse-
ouent epidemic was inevitable; there
was no reason for blaming it on
Providence. If the authorities had de-
liberately planned to create the epi-
demic, they could hardly have accom-
plished the result more quickly and
thoroughly.
What has been said about Camp AL
ger is true to a greater or less extent
of the other localities where the SOL
diers have been assembled. 1t goes
without saying that where so many
men are brought together there must
be some who already have the germs
of typhoid in their systems. An cpl
demic of that complaint is sure to fol-
low unless means are taken to pre-
vent the drinking of contaminated
water. If pure artesian water is not
obtainable, then the water for drink
ing must be boiled. The statement so
frequently made by army Officers that
1t was impossible to make the soldiers
boil their drinking water is nonsense;
1t is simply matter of discipline. At
some of the military posts in the west
1t has been the practice for many
years to boil all of the drinking water
for the garrisons.
Just to show how stupid it could be-
the war department took the trouble
to have lot of chemical analyses
made of the water of the different
camps. This was interesting, as af-
fording data relative to the amount IF
mineral matter etc, in the samples
tested, but what was wanted was
archaeological examinations, for the
purpose of finding out if any disease
germs We're present. This, apparently,
was not thought of, although the medi
cal department of the army has in its
employ several very able bacteriolo-
gists. In fact, the surgeon general
himself has earned high reputation
in this line. Distilling plants are now
being set up at Montauk The puzzle
is to know why they We're not estab-
lished there some time ago.
The trouble is that all through this
war the government has been unready.
We have talked derisively about the
"manana" weakness of the Spaniards,
but We ourselves have been putting off
until tomorrow everything that
might be done to-day. When the
troops were first called out by the
President it was known that they We're
to go to Cuba and fight battles there |
Necessarily, there would be great
many wounded and sick, who would
have to be brought back to this coun-
try to get well. There would have to
be for them one or more camps of re-
ception, where they could be taken
care of for a while. Why, then, We're
not such camps provided months ago, |
and equipped with the requisite hos
pitals, distilling plants, surgical ap-
paratus etc, with plenty of stores and |
luXuries for the sick? Nobody seems
to have thought of it. The camp at
Montauk actually was not begun until (,
the wounded and sick troops had al !
ready started. regiments of them, /
from Santiago! They began to arrive
four days after the preparation of the !
camp was begun, and Of course no
adequate care could be taken of them !
The authorities in charge declared
"We have done wonders with this
camp in four days" So they had. But
why had they not been at work on the
task for weeks and months pre-
viously?
Immediately after the fights at FL
Caney and San Juan Hill, when many
hundreds of our soldier boys We're ly-
ing wounded and ill near pest-ridden
Santiago, there was a cry that med-
cal supplies and surgical appliances
were almost entirely lacking. This
seems to have been due largely to the
fact that such supplies could not be
taken off of the ships and carried 10
the place where they We're wanted.
But when inquiry was made at the
war department as to a certain vessel
which had been made ready for car
rying hospital conveniences ice ma
chimes. and so forth, to Santiago, the
officials at the war department re-
piled cheerfully: "Oh, that's all right
The vessel has just been dispatched,
and is already on her way" Why
pray, was she not at Santiago al
ready?
Manana; always manana. That
word goes far toward telling the story
of the management of this war. Moth
ing ever done until the cry of necessity
for it had actually arisen, and then 1T
had to be begun. i notion has been
spread abroad among the people 10
the effect that camp diseases, involv-
ing an enormous mortality, are un-