The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-08-16
CAMP CALLED PESTHOLE
THE RED CROSS REPORT Sc
WERE ON CHICKAMAUGA
Natural Conditions Such That 1t IL
Not Possible to Prevent the Ger
minattOn and Spread of Fevers-
The Hospitals Are OvercrOwded
ana the Nurses Overworked-
News of the Camp.

NEW YORK, Aug. 15-Agente Of the
Red Cross sent to investigate the army
camps in which that organization is
a. work have returned to the city and
report deplorable state of affairs at
Chickamauga. They say it is a pest
hole and fever incubator. F. A.
schermerhorn and Archibald D. Rus
sell were commissioned by Stephen
Barton, vice president OF the American
lied Cross association, to make the in
spection, and they declare the camp
site unfit. In their report they say:
All OF the larger OF division hospi-
tails, including the Letter hospital at
present are fairly well equipped to ac-
con1modate about 1000 patients, but
there are over 1,2O0 seriously i'll in the
camp, the number probably increasing,
and consequently all the hospitals are
overcrowded and inadequately nursed.
The men nurses and attendants are
| SO overworked that many Of them
rau III themselves, thereby increasing
the number of patients while diminish
ing the number Of attendants
Another consequence of this over
crowdlng is that many of the serverer
cases have to be retained in the regl-
mental hospitals, which, in turn, are
oNercroWded, so that many of the hgh-
ter. cases have to be now treated in
the mems ordinary quarters, without
any of the comforts or conveniences of
a hospital. Besides the 1000 under
treatment, there are many who, though
not really i'll, can hardly be called we'll,
ard to the layman visitor the troops
generally do net seem to have the full
v1gor. of robust health. The heat and
monotony CT camp life and the conse-
quent depression of spirits may pos
Silly explain this cordition.
'.Of the 1,200 at present ill, about 800
have typhoid. There are also many
cases of a bad form of malaria, to-
gether with a fever b:st described as
nalarial typhoid. The first five: seems
to have come to the camp about six or
eight weeks ago, with some troops ar
irving from malartal territory. This
beautiful Chickamauga park would on
first view appear to be an ideal site
for permanent camp. But the soil
is clay, almost impernneable to water,
and underlaid at a depth often Of not
more than a couple of feet, by an al
most continuous stratum of rock
WATER INFECTED.
The flow Of surface water, after a
shower of heavy rain, washing what is
the equivalent of a city Of over 40 900
inhabitants, and flowing over the sur
face, too, as it might over surface
OF asphaltum, carries with it, of neces-
sity, much pollution-though all of the
camps are well policed and as clear as
TREY can be expected to be. Much Of
this pollution finds It's way eventually
into Chickamauga creek, or river, some
of it above the point from which the
water which supplies the whole water
system of the park is taken. Conse-
quently pure as this water originally
nray have been, it must thus be poll
luted and source of disease.
'"The above facts explain, no doubt,
the main cause CT typh cid in the camp,
but there are others. Because of this
cannot be dug as deeply as they should
! be: they become rapidly filed they
are not always covered over as deeply
as they should be, or new ones made
and old ones abandoned as frequently
as they might be. The myriads Of flies,
now daily increasing, and passing con-
tinually from such impure localities to
the mems kitchens and mess tablea.
| carry germs of disease. no doubt, and
materially swell the list Of fever pa
TENTS. From all Of these conditions
1t is feared that fevers are for some
time likely to be on the increase.
Your committee visited nearly all
of the hospitals, and is happy to report
| that, as yet, the percentage of deaths
IL -loW, When Taking TITO consideration
| the want of comforts. and facilities in
a field hospital. I heard nothing but
! the HIGHEST praise of the efforts and
| success Of the Red Cross.
Your committee suggests that can
| vas screens be supplied to shut off from
| the ill the view of their dying COM
| rades. The sight of such a death in
cot Immediately adjoining must leave
the most distressing and injurious Inn
preston and ill effect Every surgeon
( consulted expressed himself in favor
of employing trained women nurses as
| the solution Of many difficulties"