The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-10-20
Interesting Testimony Presented to
the War Commission.
DR.. FRYE QUOTES FACTS
MANY OF THE PREVAILING
CUSTOMS CONDEMNED.
Persons Employed In the Hospital
Corps Criticised as Being a Scab-
by-looking Lot, Unfit to Adorn
Any Walk In Life-Contract Sur
geons Also Denounced.

Jacksonville, Fla. Oct. 1s.-The war
investigating commission examined a
large number of regimental and other
officers today. One of the most out
spoken witnesses was Dr. Frye, of the
Third division hospital. He condemned
some of the methods in vogue in the
hospitals and said that in many cases
the contract physicians and members
of the hospital corps were incompetent.
The commission has decided that one
of its members should be in the COM
mission office at Washington, and Colo
mel DENLY has been selected for this
service. He was selected partly for the
reason that his health has not been as
robust as when in Washington.
Major Noble II. Creger, quartermas-
ter of the Seventh corps, was the first
witness examined. He said there never
had been any serious shortage of sup
plies and he was sure there had been
no suffering caused by deficiency. In
the beginning at the camp there had
been some complaint as to the quality
of clothing, but there had been an i'm
provement in this respect in recent
months.
Major Creger was followed by Con-
gresham ]. r. Campbell, colonel of the
Ninth Illinois volunteers, who was
questioned in regard to the general
treatment of the troops in the field and
asked for suggestions for the benefit
of the service. He spoke in compliment
tary terms of the administration of the
offices of the army, saying that requisi-
tions of all kinds had been promptly
filed and that the quality of the arti-
cleS supplied was generally good. There
had been some complaints as to the
character of the refrigerator beef, but
investigation had developed the fact
that while the meat had been received
in good order it had spoiled because of
exposure in hot weather. The difficulty
was overcome by exchanging the beef
for ham, no fresh beef being now taken
by the regiment.
DR.. r. d. Frye, major and executive
officer of the Third division hospital,
testified as to the management of this
institution and also as to the manage
ment of the Second division hospital at
Montauk Point, from which place he
was transferred to this camp, and the
military hospital at Fort Mcpherson,
Ga, where he was also stationed for a
time.
DR.. Frye said that in all the hospitals
with which he had been connected,
there had been a deficiency of bed linen
This had been especially true at Fort
Mcpherson. There had been orders to
prepare beds for a thousand patients
Oul lHlS HdQ Dy no
means been met. He expressed the
opinion that in several instances con-
valescents had been sent away from
the hospitals with which he was con-
nected before they were sufficiently adj
vanced to permit them to go in safety.
He had no personal knowledge of any
individual cases of this kind, but was
satisfied that such cases had occurred.
He thought these instances. were due
IN iV0c fnfa e-nrrA -fs-fa
ance of physicians and to desire TO
clear the wards Of the hospitals for
new patients.
DR.. Frye spoke in very uncomplimen-
tary terms of the men engaged in the
hospital corps, saying they had been
picked up at random over the country
and were generally a scabby-looking
lot not fit to adorn any walk of life
He also spoke depreciatingly of the
contract surgeons, saying that he would
not be willing to trust his family or
friends to so per cent of them.
Many of them he said ARE recent
graduates from medical institutions,
and l do not consider the average
medical graduate capable of taking
charge OF from % to so typhoid fever
cases.
There was, he said, no proper oppor-
tunity for consultation with superior
officers, as the latter were as a rule so
occupied with their administrative du-
ties as to prevent their giving closer at
tentiOn to professional matters unless
specially called upon. He considered
this system all wrong and considered
there should be more supervision in
serious cases in the hospital on the part
of the experienced men.
General F. B. Williston, in command
of the First brigade of the Seventh
corps, was questioned about various
points, having been stationed at Camp
Thomas, Montauk Point, Admission and
other points before coming to Jackson
vile. He said the principal objection
to Camp Thomas in Chickamauga Park,
was the fact that it was impossible on
account of the formation of the ground
to have sinks more than two or three
feet in depth. There has also been an
of water in the beginning
of the history of the CAMP