The times., 1898-10-29
BLIND TO ALL BUT ALGER.
The Relief Folk to Report Favor
ably on ChickamauKa.

Chattanooga, Oct. 2S.-The Alger Relief
| Commission occupied today inspecting
! Camp Thomas, Chickamauga Park, Ga.
Their report will represent Chickamauga
| as well adapted to the camping of troops.
but that there was not proper judgment
! used in the location of camps. 1t will
state that there was room for 20,0O9 more
troops that was not utilized at all. There
! was overcrowding of camps which could
have been obviated.
| The report will represent the water sup
| ply from Chickamauga Creek as abundant
/ and pure, and that typhoid fever was not
| caused by contaminated water. 1t might
have been better to have located the in
I take of the pipe line farther away from
the mouth of the drainage creek. but the
! Commission is unanimous in ,ue opinion
| that drainage water did not enter the
pipe line There were number of drilled
wells over the camp ground, analysis of
| the water showing the absence of any
! typhoid fever germs. There were also
/ several large springs from which pure
I water could have been secured
| Referring 10 the Sternberg hospital, the
possible condition. and that patients re-
! ceived as good treatment there as they
! could have received at home.
! In the opinion of the commission, the
| spread OF typhoid fever was largely due
4 TO flies that carried the germs from the
sinks to the kitchens. This opinion is
sustained by the testimony of some of the
/ best medical authorities.
| The commission began its trip of inspec-
Z tGn nlVlNW IA Nc Tl,-,
| Quoted by Brig. Gen. II. V. Boynton and
| Gen. a. p. Stewart of the Park Com
| mission. and L. L. Belts, a civil en-
! gineer, attached to the Park Commission,
| accompanied the party. The forenoon
was devoted to an inspection of Chicka-
mauga Creek.
After actual inspection, the Alger Re-
lief Commission could find no reason why
/ camps at Chickamauga should have been
crowded. The sites occupied We're plainly
\ visible and it was evident that there was
! overcrowding, but there were many avail
/ able tracts that had not been utilized at
all. This is believed to have been one
instance of bad judgment, and the i'm
/ preston prevails among members of the
Relief Commission that the camp sites
could have been better selected.
Regiments were assigned certain grouni
and pitched their tents accordingly. in
many instances they were located under
trees where the sunlight penetrated but
little. Other regiments were located on
soil of hard rock pan, where 1t was i'm
possible TO dig sinks of proper depth,
I while others were encamped on low,
marshy ground. High elevations, well
adapted to drainage, were found untouch-
ed There was unoccupied ground suih-
cient TO accommodate over 10000 troops.
In the afternoon the Commission revis-
isted the camp and paid particular atten-
tion to the hospitals Letter Hospital is
now abandoned and only Sternberg Hos
pital remains.
There are present fifty patients under
treatment. but preparations being
made TO abandon the hospitals when the
sick can go home.
The investigation was concluded this
/ evening, and when the Commission re-
turned TO the train DR.. Robert f. Griffin.
surgeon In charge of Sternberg Hospital.
testified concerning charges made by
| Frank A Bailey. lawyer residing in
Montpelier, VT. He related that Bailey
came TO Chickamauga TO see his brother
who was a patient
Il fed this man while ! was here He
came to me for a furlough for his broth
err he said. and / refused to let him go
from the hospital. Bailey said he would
get even with me. He never complained
about the treatment OF his brother. He
was given him"
DR.. Connor read from a newspaper ar
ticle in which Mr.. Bailey charged that pa
tients were neglected, that there was a
lack of hospital articles and sheeting, and
that sinks were not properly cared for.
DR.. Griffin said, referring 10 the sheeting.
that the charge was false
As for the question of sinks" he ex-
claimed that is an absolute lie
ID tod hat Tlr hld
caused the hospital to be fixed up in an
ticipation of the arrival of Gov. Black.
of New York. who. Bailey said, went
right through the wards without delay.
| Dr. Giffen replied that he knew nothing
of Gov Black coming until he appeared
one day and said: Il want 10 see my
| men
Gov. Black went through the wards.
talking to each of the New York soldiers.
The surgeon Informed the Commission
that at the time of Bailey's visit to the
hospital there were l67 female and I59
male nurses.
DIR. Charles F. Craig. acting assistant
surgeon in the regular army now in
| charge of the archaeological department
at the Sternberg hospital, was the next
witness. He was for two months in
charge of the wards of the Second Di-
vision Hospital Camp Thomas concern
]
crowded, only one-half of them wer,
foored. and men were placed six and
| eight in a tent. The nurses were de-
tailed from the regiments. and there
fore incompetent. There We're only eight
physicians for 800 patients. These condi-
tions improved, though, and when he left
nearly all the tents were foored and the
tentage had increased. Patients were
neglected by the unframed nurses His
own work required him to attend 200
patients during the day time. He visited
them four times a day, and was relieved
by another surgeon at night.
Dr. Hubbard, of New York, was the
. executive officer of the hospital. DR..
Craig was pressed closely by the Com
mission about DR.. Hubbard. and stated
that ne was rather prefane, but not in
a serious way. He explained that It was
! his regular way of talking ne talked
> that way to the doctors and nurses and
we thought nothing of it, he said.
The Commission returned to Chatta.
nooSa tonight. and will continue the ex-
animation of witnesses tomorrow.
HE DID NOT COMMIT SUICIDE.