The herald., 1898-08-31
DEATH AT CAMP WIKOFF
GATHERS I'M A HARVEST OF TEN
MORE SOLDIERS
GEN. WHEELER TAKES ACTION
Investigation Il Ordered and Almost
Autocratic Powers Are Conferred
on Examiner Ames

:
Associated Press Special Wire.
NEW YORK, Aug. 3O-Ten soldiers died
at Camp Wikoff today. They are:
Charles E. Chaplin, sergeant, Company
l., Second Massachusetts,; died in an iso-
lated tent; diagnosis refused.
Fred Isueller, Company H, Eighth In
fantry; typhoid fever.
Murphy, Troop F, Second cavalry;
acute uraemia. So
Unknown soldier; acute uraemia.
William H. Newcomb, Twenty-first in
fantry; typhoid fever. He was getting
along well, but last night left his cot,
walked into one of the kitchens, found a
watermelon, ate ravenous1y Of 1t and In a
short time was dead.
John G. Trouthard, Eighth Ohio; typhoid
fever. 3.
Victor E. JOHN, Company e, Third In
fantry: dysentery; died in the detention
hospital.
w. A. Marshall, First Illinois: died In the
harbor on transport Berlin.
Private Waldron, First Illinois; typhoid
fever.
The transports Berlin, San Marcos and
Specialist arrived at Camp Wikoff today,
carrying soldiers from Cuba and landed
them. The Berlin had S66 inen Of the First
Illinois infantry, OF whom 100 were sick.
General Bates and staff were also on the
Berlin. The San Marcos had 397 men on
board, "a Of whom were SICK
The Specialist carried Companies A, Sec
ond artillery; Company A, First artillery;
Company F, Fourth artillery. and Com
pany F, Sixth artillery. There were lis
men, only two Of them being sick. She has
252 horses on board.
Investigation Ordered
Camp Wikoff is to be investigated. Gen.
eral Wheeler has ordered General Adelbert
Ames, chief of staff on General Kent's
staff. to conduct an invstigatiom E'e is
given almost autocratic powers. General
Wheeler has ordered him to get at the bot
tom of all the things which have been COM
planned Of. The subjects to be investigated
are:
Why is the general condition Of the camp
so poor?
Why do the conditions that prevail ex-
!st?
Who is responsible?
Why troops were sent to the camp before
1t was ready to receive them?
Why, since this war, but one railroad
leading into the camp, boats were not used
to carry men and provisions from New
York city?
Why needed medicines were not ordered.
or If they were ordered, why they were not
distributed?
Why the hospitals are crowded?
two, ort,
harbor without supplies and relief being
sent out to them?
There Is dissatisfaction in the camp of
The rough riders. They are not satisfied
with the terms Of their muster out. They
wanted to be treated as are the remainder
Of the volunteers. The regulars, officers
and men, are dissatisfied and, want to be
sen; back to garrison posts and stations at
once.
The coming of President Mckinley is
anxously awaited. An effort will be male
to get the president to sanction changes
which even Secretary Alger was not asked
to make.
Dr. Sem thinks that within a month
every person suffering from typhoid fever
In the camp will have recovered or died.
and by that time, If the conditions have be-
gun to look as If they had improved, then
Will come the period of greatest danger.
The precautions taken are almost useless,
according to DR.. Sem.
According to DR.. Sem, the men who went
from Chickamauga and the other camps to
Porto Rico were already in the first stages
OF typhoid fever before their departure for
the West indies. He says the germs had be-
OH W - t.
men could have gone home and received
home comforts they would have escaped,
but exposed to the hardships Of campo ign
they easily succumbed. DIR. Sem thinks
the best thing to do is to hurry the troops
away from Montauk and reduce the cam
as rapidly as possible. DR.. Brown, who Is
the executive head of the general hospital.
differs with DIR. Sem and says there is lit
tie or no danger; that the precautions are
ample and at the worst it would take
months for the conditions which DR.. Sem
foretells to prevail.
The steamboat Shinnecock has been char
tered by the war department and will be
used as hospital ship to transport sick
from the camp hospitals to the city hospi-
tails. She arrived tonight
A Hospital Horror
CHICKAMAUGA, Aug. 30.-The case of
Private Mum cf the ambulance company.
who was transferred from the Ninth New
York, was reported to the governor by
Captain O'Connor of Company A, Ninth
New York, and was reported by the gov.
ernor to Washington for investigation.
Captain O'Connor's statement was that he
had found the body of Mum lying naked
in a division hospital two days after death,
infested by maggots; that no autopsy had
bee I held and that no preparation had been
made for the care or lnterment of the body
up to the time 1t was found by O'Connor.
The affair has created a great stir, and it
will result in the trial of Captain O'Connor
by courtmartial.
HHImIY mIIE uEMER MO