The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1898-10-07

AAAoiCSs "A x LILO ~ S~~
and the mules followed her as sheep
would follow their leader. Let the bell
mare wave a yard from her course
and q thrill runs along the long single
file of mules. as each makes the
change the bell mare does. 1t was SO
dark that the faces Of the men could
not be seen. The men seen In the va
rious camps looked well and hearty.
September is the most trying month
in Florida
AS soon as the review ended your
correspondent "came off his perch"
and went to the camp Of the First
North Carolina, two miles away The
camp is in a grove Of immense long leaf
pines. 1t is in many respects an ideal
situation, wen though to the eastward
it is ianked by a cemetery in which
the yellow fever vistims were buried
during the epidemic in 1878, n to the
outward by a swamp. The water
is artesian. That used up to last We'd
nesday in this new camp came from a
we'll 500 feet deep at Panama. But the
troops liked the water from the LOO
foot we'll at Jacksonville better, and
on Wednesday at the urgent request OF
Chief Surgeon Wilder it was piped to
the camp. The Panama water, like
the other, is strongly impregnated with
for 1T is rather an acquired ne. The
interesting fact was ascertained hat
there a been more sickness at the
new camp since September Sth, when
it was first occupied, than during the
period from May 23rd to September
8th, when the quarters were at Spring
field. Yet the latter camp was in SO
low a place that Jacksonville people
have in time past shot ducks there.
The question arises whether the sick
ness was not due to the old camp in
| stead of the new one Surgeon Wilder
says the new camp is, naturally, the
/, best in the whole corps, and puts the
/ trouble on the water.
HEALTH OF THE FIRST REGI-
MENT.
The deaths have been twelve in
number, one from a railway accident,
one from the result of an operation
for appendicitis, and ten from typhoid
/ fever. There were on the 26th instant
as the morning report showed, 142
sick. OF these a very large proper
ton have humps and measles which
are really diseases of childhood. The
death rate is about the same as in civil
life, about 2 per cent. in a year. There
was satisfaction with the health of
the regiment up to the time of the
occupation of the new camp. In fact
in the old camp there was less sick
ness than in any other regiment. Five
men ave died in the new emp.
The morning report of the First on
the 18th, showed the following as the
strength of the regiment present:
Field and staff and music 80, Company
A 101, B 1913, G 100, d 1O4, E 104. F "a,
CT 102, H 103, I LOG, K 101, L 102, NJ 100;
total 1854. There were absent 13 Off
GERS and Is enlisted men. The sick
were divided as follows: Field, staff
and band 3, Company A 10, B Is, c s.
D 20, E II, F 3, G Is, H 8, l IA, K 10,
M Is. Of the sick 80 were in the admir-
able hospital of the division. 1t is
queer how diseases run in spells. >
For instance fever comes that way
diarrhoea also and dengue, or break
bone fever. Typhoid fever is as Sur
geOn Wilder says, a disease of young
adults. Since hi regiment has beer
in service there ave been 20 men dis
charged for alcoholism. All such
cases are weeded out.
The question of whether there should
not be regimental hospitals was dis.
cussed. Advocates of that system say
it is the best; hat man, soldiers dread
to go to the division hospitals and thai
it is in fact a violation of law nOt tt
nave regimental hospitals. Nostalgia
inconsistencies, attacks a soldier, and h
breads the division hospital, admirable
as it is. That there have been SOM
faults in the division hospitals a
Camp Cuba Libre is 40 doubt true, bu
all now agree that the hospitals ar
by far the best at any Of the camps
They are large and in each there ar
about 800 cases. The female nurse
have proved a blessing and are yer,
numerous in all the hospitals. TIL
advocates of the division hospital sys
tenn contend hat at such hospital
soldiers get far better attention thai
in small ones. They say that now tina
soldiers have to get sick leave throug'
" &c., 49,.
> object to going to them, in fact g
, gladly.
! There are people who say that tn
!, death rate in Camp Cuba Libre ha
been greater than published. Thes
point to the many bodies which ar
> daily shipped from Jacksonville. The
. ) argue that the whole corps ought t
be removed to high ground and to sol
D water. They also say that
"canteen" is, particularly as to tn
= lager beer in that climate, a curse t
a any regiment and ought to be abolish
ed. The beer is some times badly sery
ed. The burden of proof is against til
v canteen. Its advocates say that Will
! they recognize it as al evil, yet it
: a less one than the getting of lique
+ outside the camp. Restraint of the lii
. erty of the soldiers, particularly SON
days after pay day is declared to /
salutary. 1t is said a while thel
. is always plenty of beer, light drinl
o are often lacking. Beer is by no NEAR
a good beverage in that climate.
= 1t was further said hat the state
n ment of the experts that there VIZ
. no malaria at Jacksonville was al
surd; and that the reason for it's bein
q made was to make it appear that VIII;
q was in most cases malarial fever wa
typhoid, so as to show a big percen
+ age of cures. The First North Car
limo hoe bod 100 nocn of lo~r,,o rao-
1y all in three companies, B, G and
# The disease is now checked.
n There is at the camp of the First
detention tent, at which patients a,
watched and as o as possible SCI
"a to the division hospital. Cases are
v diagnosed at the detention tent, b,
"a at the division hospital. Two-thirds
a the cases are malarial. Most of Il
men now in the hospital have lig
Ia malarial fever, nor is their conditi'
~ serious. Some soldiers hate to give
and go to the hospital and two cas-