The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-11-09
SUPPLIES WERE SHORT
TESTIMONY OF DIR. SMITH BEFORE
THE ARMY INVESTIGATORS.
He Found a Lack of Tents, Cots and
Medical Necessaries at Camp
ThOmas-Other Evidence.

CHICAGO, Nov. S.-The war investigating
| commission to-day continued the examina-
ton of witnesses. General Dodge, chair
man of the commission, now says he can be-
gin to see an end of the long investigation.
After some evidence has been heard at De-
troit the commission will go to Washington
AS an official body members of the COM
mission have inspected since their appoint
ment Camp Alger, Jacksonville, Fernan-
dina, Miami, Tampa, Atlanta, Admission,
| Huntsville, Chickamauga, Lexington, Gin
einnati, Fort Thomas and Chicago Accord
ing to DR.. Conner the accumulation of pa
pers and documents in the possession of the
commission would fill a large sized room
They consist Of many surgeons reports,
letters from private soldiers and nurses,
complaints, reports Of quartermasters and
commissaries and a mass of testimony
which has Leen heard by the commission.
Dr. G. A. Smith, Of Clinton, Ia, was the
first witness to-day. From Aug. to Sept.
10 he was in charge Of the Second Division.
Third Army Corps, hospital at Camp
Thomas. DR.. Smith said: when I as
sumed my duties July IA found a short
age of tents and cots. The patients in the
hospital were crowded on account Of the
tent shortage. Some of the patients were
cots. There was no provisions made for
feeding the sick other than the rations
issued to the soldiers in the regular service,
except such as were brought in by char
table organizations, principal of which
were the Red Cross Society and the Ma
tional Relief. In the pharmacy there was
at that time no intestinal antiseptics al
though the commanding officer informed
uy11o I da hat hoh ad
made repeated efforts to get them. The
pharmacy at that time-and indeed, until it
was ordered closed and turned the stores
over to the government on the 9th of Sep
tember-never had any proper equipment
for doing pharmaceutical work. There were
no scales to measure WITH the hospital
steward used board for a time and an
ordinary jackknife for spatula- There
were no pill boxes or powder papers. The
stewards dispensed tablets and pills in any
paper they could secure. and they were car
ried to the wards in that shape and owing
to the prevalence of dampness at night
they would become by morning a. sticky
mass, not fit for use" He then went on to
say that the medical supplies did improve
after the LIST Of August, but up to that time
there had been great scarcity of suitable
In speaking of the water supply fur
nished the hospital, DR.. Smith said: 1.-THE
water that was furnished for the use of
these hospitals up to Aug. was taken
from the Chickamauga creek and it was 80
full Of sediment that it was simply slush
in any Of the hospital tents at the time
reported for duty at that hospital. The first
tent was fioored soon after the middle of
July, although some were not floored
until long after that The floors in the tents
of the F1fty-second Iowa and First Maine
and Fifth Missouri were all laid after the
troops had left the park and were never
occupied by the soldiers, and never had cots
placed in them. In fact, l might state, that
the floors were laid after orders had been
received to pack goods preparatory to leav-
ing for Admission.
NO TRAINED NURSES.
I'm regard to nursing in that hospital,
we had no trained nurses. All the nursing
was done by orderlies and many of them
were densely ignorant and when I was in
charge of the wards of the Second Brigade
1 had two men who could neither read or
write and three men who did not know the
meaning of "a M" or "p. m.,'' when writ
ten.
I'm regard to the sinks. disinfection and
drainage" said the doctor, right back of
the tents of the Second Brigade there was
a cesspool, which contained most of the
water from the camp and that remained
stagnant pool until some time in August.
One great trouble, in my Judgment, was
the shallowness of the sinks.
In speaking of the infection of the camp,
the doctor expressed himself as being of
the opinion that large part of the typhoid
fever germs was carried around by the flies
which invaded the grounds. In DR.. Smiths
judgment the water supply was not con-
taminated by sewage carried into it from
the camp but mainly by an inorganic sedi-
ment which acted as an irritant on the
mems digestive organs and caused, in many
cases, dysentery and other intestinal dis
eases.
81 never knew of more than two instances
where 1 should say that there was any
amount of neglect in my hospital said the
doctor. Yes, l saw sick men lying in their
camp clothing because of the want OF
pn1Gs wn 1G hoars sc
a thing was discovered it was remedied.
There were times when we had not single
sheet or blanket in our storeroom, and many
men were using their private blankets
brought from their companies. / went to
General Compton once and told him of the
conditions prevailing in our hospital, and
so far as know he made efforts to have
my recommendations carried out. think
that fully one-half of our sheets, pillow
cases and pyjamas were furnished by char
liable institutions of various kinds and that
practically all the nourishment provided
for seriously sick men was furnished by the
Red Cross Society and the National Relief
Association We obtained all our ice and
milk from other sources than the govern
ment. / was told that it was expected there
would be hospital fund on hand large
enough to purchase these things. The
United States government did not supply
any special diet or delicacies for sick men;
these We're obtained from RELIEF associa-
tions."
Witness thought the bad reputation of
the Second Division hospital was due to the
fact that it had been located with the
idea that it was to be maintained for only
a few weeks and proper provision was not
made for drainage. II believe" he said,
that General Brooke, who was in command
of the First Army Corps and also in com
mand of Chickamauga Park, was instru-
mental in DETECTING a large bulk OF the
supplies into the First Corps, to the detri-
ment of the Second Division hospital"
DIR. Smith said there was no thermometer
in the hospitals until late in June, when
large supply was obtained from the Red
Cross and some from the government.
Asked about DIR. Milo b. Ward, who testi-
fled yesterday witness said he regarded
DR. Ward as q very competent and very
conscientious man and would not doubt any
statement DIR. Ward might make as to con-
ditons at Camp Thomas. Witness said
he had read DR.. Wards description of those
conditions in a Kansas City newspaper and
so far as he knew that description was
justified by the facts.
DR.. Smith, continuing, said: Il once
wrote a report to the surgeon general, but
1 think it never got any farther than Gen.
Comptons Office. | was asked by General
Compton and Major Jenny to withdraw it
as it might get me into disfavor person
ally but / told them there was nothing in
it that 1 wished to withdraw" copy of
this report had been preserved by DR..
Smith and was handed to the commission.
In it he complains to the surgeon general
about conditions in his hospital. giving
facts and details in accordance with his
evidence to-day.
MANY STORIES UNFOUNDED.
Charles S. Bullock. chaplain of the First
Yllipofe CtaxraIrxr v1,ith rank cantain said