The Elbert County tribune., 1898-10-27
BRYAN DIDN'T TALK.
EXCUSED FROM rEsriFYINo.
war board Hsars Nothing very Bad 81
the Camp as Sachssnvtlis-Aissr NOS
Iafsrsstsd In the sits ss Fsrnandina-

Jacksonville. Fla, Oct 20.-General
]. Wilson and Captain Howell, con-
stltuting the subcommittee appointed
to visit and report upon the conditions
Of Camp Fernandinn, made their re-
port to the full commission to-day.
The following Is the important part
Of the document:
I'VE carefully examined the site OF
the Third Pennsylvania volunteers.
which 1t has been reported was trop.
ical jungle on worthless land until
cleared and upon clearing which the
troops are said to have worked like
slaves until 1t was fit for a camp site
1--WE visited and obtained from the
county clerk of Nashun county map
showing the land occupied by the
troops and his official certificate as to
the ownership of the land. This GER
tifcate states that the greater part OF
the lands occupied reverted to the
state of Florida in June, 1897, by rea-
son OF unpaid taxes, and that no one
by the name of Alger ever controlled
any lands In the county, as shown by
the records. and that the land occupied
by the Third Pennsylvania volunteers
ms camp was at the time the proper
ty Of the state of Florida.
"Your committee. therefore, has the
honor to report that in its opinion the
camp was well selected. that probably
the site was equal in all respects to
any other that could have been found
on the Florida coast"
Colonel w. j. Bryan was next called.
He asked to be excused from testify
Ing, requesting that his lieutenant colo
mel be examined In his stead.
hYou will I huva M Iortbt rIudpr-
stand my reasons for the request" he
said.
II think the request proper and rea-
sonable," responded Governor Beaver,
and as the entire commission assented
to this concession, Colonel Bryan was
excused with the request to send up
his lieutenant colonel.
Lieutenant Colonel Vifqualn of the
Third Nebraska. a veteran of the Civil
war and graduate of the military
school OF Brussels. said the regiment
was excellently equipped except that
the tentage was poor. He also said
the quality of the clothing was bad.
The pork had also been wormy at
times and the beef tainted, but these
had been exchanged. He had thought
the clothing better than in the Civil
war. but the rations were not so good
as then. He also thought the camp
entirely too much crowded.
w. T. Durbin of the 161st Indiana
spoke especially of the grounds OF the
Third division hospital, saying they
had for time been poorly kept.
There had. however. been vast i'm
provement since DIR. Clendennin had
succeeded DIR. Jesurum of the Rough
Riders. Colonel Durbin also said
there had been one or two complaints
OF neglect OF his men mt the hospital.
Colonel Letch Hardin of the Sixth
Missouri also complained that the
grounds OF the Third division hospital
had not been well kept.
Dr. Alexander Kent. pastor of the
Episcopal Church at Washington and
Held agent at Jacksonville for the Red
Cross. was questioned concerning the
operations of the Red Cross at this
point.
1T seemed" he said. "as II the hos
pital was arranged upon smaller
scale than was demanded, and MS a
consequence there was constant de-
mand upon the Red Cross to supply
the deficiency"
DIR. Kent said he had heard many
complaints concerning misconduct Mt
the hospitals. and many of them We're
apparently well vouched for, but they
had not generally proved well found
ed when investigated.
Replying to question. he said he
thought II had been very difficult to
get medical men of sufficient admins
trative ability to manage such institu-
tions as the division hospitals. Before
the female nurses were secured the
nurses. who were men of the hospital
corps. were not capable. They were
not Intelligent ns n class. and while
some Of them were doggedly faithful,
they failed to meet the requirements.
They did not. for instance. seem to re-
gnrd 1t as Of consequence II files were
crawling In and out of sick mans
mouth with impunIty, and he had seen
as many as six cases OF this kind at
one time. Since the trained nurses
had been secured the sick were better
cared for than at home.
Many other officers were examined,
but their testimony was favorable to
the government in most cases.