The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1898-10-30
SICK SENT HOME
WITHOUT SURGEONS
Some of the Abuses at
Camp Thomas.
WHAT TWO CIVILIANS SAW
LOCAL PHYSICIANS TESTIFY AS
TO AN INJURED SOLDIER.
An Army Officer Tells the War Board
That the Sanitary Conditions
Were Exceedingly
Bad.
Special Dispatch to The Call.

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn, Oct. 29.-
Major Edward T. Comegys was the first
witness before the War Investigating
Commission to-day. He was medical
purveyor here during the existence Of
Camp Thomas. He stated that there
had never been any delay in the filling
of his acquisitions on the surgeon gem
eral, and that he had always been able
to meet all acquisitions upon himself.
Major Comegys admitted that he had
refused to fill some acquisitions from
the hospital of the Second Division Of
the Third Corps because satisfied the
articles demanded were not Il eded. He
accounted for the sickness in Camp
Thomas by saying the men did not
know how to take care of themselves.
They seemed to think" said he,
that when they had put on their uni
forms there was nothing else to do;
that they could simply enjoy them
selves and their officers ould do the
rest
He thought the colonies and regi-
mental surgeons were to blame.
Lieutenant James NJ. Arrasmith, who
acted as chief commissary of subsist-
ence for Camp Thomas, said that,
while in the beginning there had been
some congestion on the transportation
lines, there had never been any short
age of supplies. There was constantly
on hand an average of 100000 pounds
of ratiOnS. The rationS were the best
he had ever seen issued in many years
experience. He thought the principal
trouble was in the matter of cooking
Lieutenant ArraSmith said the sinks
were very badly cared for, and that the
stencil around the camp at night was
simply sitting. He also said the disci-
pine was very slack. The witness con-
sidered Chiekamauga a natural camp
ing site, but said there were more men
in it than there should have been. Some
of the volunteer regiments never took
down their tents during their entire
stay, and there was general negligence
of cleanliness and sanitation. He did
not accept the theory tina, the forma-
ton of the ground was such that the
sinks could not be made deep enough.
There was, he said, a general improve
ment in the camp after General Brock
inridge took command.
Drs. Baxter and Boyd, local physi-
clans, were called to testify in regard to
the case of Sergeant Frank, who died
here during the summer as the result
of railroad accident. DR.. Baxter said
that, Notwithstanding the man was in
a state of profound shock after the ac-,
cident, DR.. Samuel d. Hubbard, SUR
geon of the regiment insisted upon re-
moving the wounded man to Chicka-
manga Park. The man died on the way
out, as he (Baxter) had predicted he
would.
DR.. Baxter told of one train of Wis.
consin sick which he had seen on its
way home without a medical officer or
medical supplies.
The commission closed it's sittings
here tonight by hearing the testimony
of some residents, stating their obser-
walton of the condition at Chicka-
manga Park while the troops were
there, and giving their conclusions as
to the causes of the sickness of the
soldiers. They defended the climate as
salubrious and healthful, and generally
attributed the prevalence of disease to
the habits of the volunteers.
J. G.. Howell, railroad station agent,
told of an instance in which fifty-four
sick men, being part of the wisconsin
command, had been placed on train
and started to their homes without
medical supplies or physicians and
without furloughs or transportation
papers. They were taken off the train
at Chattanooga and their wants adj
ministered to by members OF the relief
societies.
Ira J. Hannes, a private, acting as a
member of the Hospital Corps, who
said he had been a practicing physician
in Louisville, KY, for eight years, was
examined on the lines of communica-
ton he had sent to the commission. In
this communication he had charged
that patients had been treated for ty-
phoid fever when they plainly had
pneumonia. He said there were several
such patients, and he gave the name of
Vincent Flora of the Third Illinois as
one Of them, this, he said, being as
plain q case Of pneumonia as he had
ever seen. Upon being pressed he modi-
fed his statements, saying that he had
no consultations with the physicians as
to their line of treatment. He said,
however, that he considered some Of
the physicians incompetent. He also
charged that appointments were made
in the hospital upon political inf1u-
ence. 5s
DR.. F. B. stapp. local physician,
detailed visit to the hospital of the
Second Division of the Third Corps in
August, saying he had found it over
crowded and dirty and with no ply
sicfans in attendance at the time. DR..
Stapp said he had seen a great deal of
drunkenness among the soldiers in the
city but he had never heard of any
special effort to close the saloons and
other places of vice. He had seen
drunken soldiers lying in the streets,
and he was sure much Of the sickness
at Camp Thomas was due to the habits
of the men.