The Indianapolis journal., 1898-10-19
But All Defects and Shortage OF sura
plies Were Remedied as Soon
Thereafter as Possible.
CLIMATE SPOILED MUCH MEAT
BUT 1T WAS CONDEMNED AND RES
PLACED BY THE CONTRACTORS.
Fresh Beef Permitted to Become
gence of RegimentaI officers.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla, Oct. 1S.--The war
investigating commission held three sessions
to-day, dealing during the two day sessions
with the general staff officers of the Seventh
Army Corps, and at night hearing the tes-
timony of officers and men of the Second
South Carolina Regiment The general OF
ficers examined included the chief surgeon.
the chief commissary. the chief quartei-
master and the Inspector general of the
corps, and all gave detailed information as
to their respective departments OF the SerV-
ice. The meetings to-day were held in Gerl-
eral Dodge's private car, but the moving
trains made so much noise that it was found
necessary to secure other quarters, and
hereafter the meetings will be held IN the
City Council chambers.
The subcommittee, consisting of General
Wilson and Captain Howell. appointed to
investigate the selection of Fernandina as q
camp, returned tonight and reported their
approval of the selection. They made
special inquiry into the report that the
camp had been located there for the purpose
of enhancing the value of land owned by
a son of Secretary Alger. going through the
county records as part OF their work Iney
failed to find his name in any of these docu-
ments, and their investigation convinced
them that he had never owned any real
estate in that vicinity, or had been in any
way interested in any.
Col Tevis l.. Maus, chief surgeon OF the
corps, was the fifst wftness sworn-
He is a regular army surgeon, and has
occupied this position practically through-
out the history of the camp. He said there
was only a small field hospital when he ar
Er~n. aff
men. Sickness developed very slowly and
there was very little of it until July. He
said that when the order came for the
establishment of division hospitals there
was some delay in getting supplies, such as
tents. He made his acquisitions on Tampa,
but. finding that all efforts there were de
rected TO getting the expedition off, he mads
his requisitions upon Washington direct.
After this they were promptly filed. Theirs
was no suffering among the sick. Still they
did not have the luxuries at the beginning
of the war as they did in the latter days
of it. Nor" added the doctor, do |
think that the history of the world has ever
seen a parallel to our present care OF this
sick"
FEMALE NURSES.
Taking up the present condition Of tho
hospital. he said there were 800 trained
female nurses now at work here. He said
the employment of these nurses had proved
entirely satisfactory. Replying to a ques-
tion, DIR. Maus said that after the first few
days there had been no refusal of supplies,
and that all requisitions had been filed
with exceptional promptitude He had new
er seen such utter disregard of expense in
caring for sick soldiers. AS a matter OF
fact, the troops had greater allowance OF
rations than they could dispose of in any
way He also said that the Red Cross So-
ciety had given so much that 1t was often
unnecessary to ask the government for sup
plies. There had been no restrictions in tha
matter of fitting out the camps. He thought
typhoid had been introduced into the camp
by Virginia troops. Shallow wells and sur
face drainage had done much to increase
the scourge, but he was confident that the
regular water supply of the city had not
been in any way responsible for it. He also,
thought the flies had done much to dis-
seminate fever From the beginning very
strict attention had been given to the sinks.
He had never in his life seen such attention
given to sanitation In a camp. but despite
this care typhoid fever did break out and
has become the principal sickness here.
Dr. Maus said he had found IL difficult tc,
prevail upon surgeons in the volunteer
service to learn the administrative duties
of their positions. AS matter of fact these
duties were extremely onerous, and, for
this reason, the volunteer physicians were
not as efficient as they should have been.
Often, also, in the early history of the war.
some of the volunteer regimental surgeons
had been found negligent in the matter of
inspection but later on sanitation became
the principal duty of everybody about the
camp. Much trouble had been experienced
in keeping the public from the hospitals.
In many cases they had surreptitiously carr
ried food to the sick
EXAGGERATED STATEMENTS.
DR. Maus also dwelt on the newspaper
reports of the suffering in the camp. say
ing they had generally grown out of exag-
gerated statements from the men them
selves DR. Maus mentioned one instance In
which serious illness had followed the use
of tainted meat and said he had heard OF q
few other instances in which poor meat
had been issued. Still, these cases We're rare.
and no more frequent than should be ex-
pected.
DR.. Conner questioned DIR. Maus about the
acceptance of outside aid. and quoted re-
port from Colonel Guild. inspector general
saying that but for the action of the Red
Cross Society the sick would have been
without essential supplies for two months.
THAT statement" said Dr. Maus. 'is ut
terly false. The government would have
supplied them If the Red Cross had not
Dr. Maus also denied the truth Of a state
ment made by the Governor of Iowa that
there was only one nurse in charge OF six
teen typhoid PATIENTS He said. however.
that the nurses sent BY the Governor OF
iowa had been accepted not because thf