The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-10-29
FLIES WERE THE CAUSE
They Were Responsible for the
Disease at Camp Thomas.
NO WHITEWASH FOR THEM
Mckinley War Investigation Commission
Finds ths Camp Almost q Par
sdise-Sewer Baciln
Found.

CnattanOo8o, Ienn., Oct. 2S.-The war
investigating commission spent the en-
tire day In inspecting the site Of Camp
Thomas In Chickamauga Park under
the guidance OF General Boynton, Gen.
A. p. Stewart. q member Of the Chicka-
mauga Park commission. and T.. f.
Belts. the engineer of the committee.
The inspection began at Lytle station
and covered all points Of interest in the
park and near It's borders. which have
been in any way involved i'm the con-
troversy concerning the sanitation OF
the camp. including Sternberg and
Letter hospitals. the various springs
from which water was secured by the
troops. including the famous Crawfish
springs and the ri mt on Chickamauga
creek at which the water OF the pipe
line supply was taken out.
Special attention was given to this
latter place. because of criticisms which
have been made upon this source of the
camps water supply. They found the
intake pipe submerged about 20 feet
above the mouth Of a tributary creek
locally known as Cave Spring creek,
which drained the camp. The charge
had been made that the water from the
tributary stream had contaminated the
U I
by means of eddies and in one case by
overflow after a freshet.
General Boynton and Mr. Belts. who
had both been concerned i'm the location
of the pipe line. admitted that there
had been one occasion when Cave
Spring creek had overfowed and
broken a dam, thus throwing it's water
into the main stream over the intake:
but they explained that this freshet
had occurred at night when the pumps
were shut down, and no water was be-
ing taken in. They called attention To
the rapidity Of the flow and to the
depth of the stream and urged the i'm
possibility of Infection from this
source.
The inspectors listened attentively TO
all that was said. but naturally they
were conservative in their expressions.
General Wilson gave especial attention
TO the question as an engineering prob
lem and while ie refused to allow, him
self to be quoted II was evident from
the interest ne manifested and the ex-
pressions he dropped. that he was inn
pressed with the striking improba ability.
IL not the impossibility of infection
from this source. 1t was also equally
evident that a majority OF the commit
tee formed the same on'nion.
There were many expressions of COM
mendation of the methods followed at
Sternberg hospital. and General Dodge
was heard TO remark that IL was a pity
to have to leave an institution so well
equipped. They found only So patients
In the hospital. and most of these were
convalescent. All were housed in wood
en- pavillions, the tents being vacated.
Major Giffen. In command of the hos
pital, said II would soon be abandoned.
The commits sion also gave attention to
the proximity of the various camps to
one another and the depth and location
OF the sinks. The conclusion seemed
quite general that many of the regi-
ments were thrown more closely togeth-
er than they should be. and that this
fault could have been removed, as there
was, in the opinion of at least some of
the committee, sufficient space that
was not occupied for the accommoda-
tioD of many thousands more of troops
than were ever present there.
Many of the sinks were also found
to have been nearer the tents than
proper ideas of sanitation encourage.
and in some cases the character of
the surface was found to be such as to
warrant the conviction that the sinks
were shallower than they should have
been. but this was true only of parts
of the camp.
After concluding the inspection of the
camp, Major Giffen, who had been be-
fore the commission before was asked
to make a statement concerning some
criticisms of the hospital made in a
Vermont newspaper by Frank A. Bail
ey, who had spent six weeks in the
hospital nursing his brother. When he
returned home he wrote an article say
ing among other things, that he had
heard physicians in the hospitals tell
attendants to give their attention to
patients who had a chance to recover
and not TO nurse those who were sure
to die. in the presence of those desig-
mated as OF the latter class. and that
he had heard other physicians instruct
their helpers TO give ice cold baths with
the view of finishing their patients"
DIR. Giffen pronounced as false all the
statements made.
Dr. Charles F. Craig, bacteriologist
OF the Sternberg hospital. was also ex-
amined. He was questioned and prac-
tically with reference to the water sup
ply Of the camp. and he expressed the
opinion that the water taken from
Chickamauga river. through the pipe
system. was purer than that in the
wells and springs OF the grounds. He
said he had found some sewer bacilll
in one or two OF the wells, though no
typhoid germs. He had also found i'm
purities in water taken from some Of
the springs. He had made two analyses
of the water from the river, one before
and had found IL to be entirely whole
some from a meteorological standpoint.
II was muddy, and he thought IL should
be filtered He had also made tests
which convinced him that there was
no danger Of eddies carrying the wa
ter Of the Cave Springs creek into the
pipes.
DR.. Craig expressed the decided opin-
ion that common house flies are capa-
bic Of proving a decided source of dis
ease infection. and he detailed bacter-
iological tests showing that they had
carried typhoid germs upon their feet.
He also said that he had macerated a
number Of flies. which had been placed
on sugar impregnated with the germ.
and had procured from them a pure ty-
phoid bacillus culture.
Politics I'm jefferson
Special Correspondence of the Standard.