The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-08-06

under orders to leave tomorrow morning
all details could not readily be arranged
and it will not leave before Sunday.
The selection of the regiments to join
Wade's corps has created considerable dis
cussion at Camp Thomas. A number of reg
ments which confidently expected to go on
the next move. but which were not included
in the order, are very much dissatisfied and
are making strong efforts to yet be in
cluded The Eighth New York is making
the hardest fight to influence the War De-
partment to change the present plan for its
benefit. Colonel Chauncey has gone to
Washington. where he will use all of his
efforts and influence to induce the admins
tration to send his regiment to Porto Rico
with General Colbys brigade. The Eighth
is called a good regiment, and Colonel
Chauncey will present all of the effective
points possible TO the Washington author
tiles. General Colby, in command of the
brigade believes that efforts to have the
Eighth New York go with the other two
regiments of his brigade. the First Vermont
and Third Tennessee will be successful.
The Third Brigade. Second Division. Third
Corps, comprises the First Maine. Fifty
second Iowa and the First Mississippi. COM
manded by Brig. Gen. Charles P. Mattocks.
originally from Portland. Me. Two of the
regiments of this brigade have been selected
as a part of the Third Corps to accompany
General Wade to Porto Rico. There is no
doubt but General Mattocks and his head
quarters staff will accompany the brigade.
The receipt of such large shipments of
ordnance supplies at Camp Thomas during
July has forcibly suggested the need of
an ordnance depot, and Lieut.. Col. John A.
KreSS nbiaf n~dp offic ;e o,,tI, for
the statement that arrangements are being
made to supply this want within a short
time.
The establishment of reserve hospital
supplementary to the Letter hospital has
been determined on. and the tents, one
hundred in number. will shortly be pitched
The new hospital will have a capacity suf-
fcient to accommodate eight hundred men,
The general order granting thirty days
furlough to all conva lescents will have a
marked effect on the daily sick report of the
camp. probably reducing the sick list by
Cne-half. While these men in most in
stances have been discharged from the hos
pital as cured their names still appear on
the sick list until they are strong enough to
return to duty.
Major Hopkins, assistant adjutant gen.
eral and Major Reed the expert surgeon
who came here under instructions from
Secretary Alger to inspect Camp Thomas
as to sanitary conditions, finished their
work this evening. While their report will
rot be made public until it has been sub
mitted to the secretary of war, there is
assurance that they were favorably i'm
pressed with the natural hygienic condi-
tions. General Breckenridge who was in
conference with Major Hopkins and Major
Reed this afternoon, indorsed the sentiment
of the inspectors when he said that the
most natural conclusion as to the cause of
such typhoid cases as exist at Camp
Thomas is that they were due to the neg
ligence and indscretions of the men. The
investigation, General Breckenridge added
would result in more stringent sanitary
regulations with a view to stamping out
such fever as existed. The general then
expressed it his opinion that it was i'm
possible to abate germ diseases until every
soldier had it thoroughly impressed upon
him that it was his duty to guard his own
mouth against these germs just as care
fully and rigidly as he would guard the
entrance to a fort. To put General Breck-
inridge's ideas into force along this line,
the most rigid rules will be adopted and
enforced
The camps are now being moved out of
the wooded land into the open fields, and
with this change will come rigid regulations
as to the condition in which each camp is
to be kept. The idea is to bury every ty-
phoid germ so deep that no common car
rier, like the fly. can pick it uD. take it to
the mess tents and deposit it on the food.