New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-09-06
WELLS CAUSED TYPHOID.
sr.p.rr1xc RESULTS OF AN INvEsTlGA'
TON BY COLONEL BYRNE.


TWENTY SEVEN TAKEN TO THE HOS
PIrAL YESTERDAY.
Trartv-seven men were taken to the hospi'a'
IN Camp Black Yesterday. OF these WE'VE az
probably suffering from typhoid ara the
mainder from malaria. or slight illness "''
makes 1876 in the hospital all told Oh ""o'''
thirty are sick with typhoid or are ae'e'op'"e
that disease There were no deaths yes'e.u'S'
but two men are practically oeyoho nope -,
" all OF the typhoid cases come from the -oi'''
and n majority Of the sick have oeeh from ''''
ro,,,rent II has tho best camp on Hempstedu
plains being I'D on hill and with good Dram
age Miss Sepley, superintendent OF the Ne"
york Hospital Training School, arrived IN camp
Yesterday with nine Red Cross nurses mahihS
nineteen in all now n the camp. More are e"-
pected to-day.
Accompanied by an orderly and unaihou"'eu
70 the camp, Colonel Byrne. Chlet surgeon" Ut
tho Department Of the East. came 10 the camp
Yesterday morning, and spent the entire u'y
examining. questioning and making persoii'''
inspection OF the hospitals. the camp anu VIC
surroundings He searched for the cause ~
the typhoid outbreak and when nc got 'i'ouo'
and summed up 1t appears "onoe'iu' ''''
half the residents for miles around are not
lies not with the camp. nor with Its water Out
with tho wells on the farms within a circle OF
eight miles
The first that was known or his WISH WAS
wien no saluted Major Wilcox, sur5eon-in-
chief Of the camp. Before going to the camp
hospital Colonel Byrne had sent his orderly
n each Of the re ylmental camps with orders
Tor all Of the surgeons TO report at once 10 the
hospital This order obeyed by Surgeons
Wood and Clinton Of the 202d. Poucher and
cpencer. Of the 2O1st and Booth Of the 2O3d.
While awaiting their arrival Colonel Byrne
made a tour Of the hospital. and went care
fully into the details and conversed with the
men, whom he asked as to their treatment ana
how they were being fed. and II they were IN
want Of anything.
He questioned the nurses and attendants, and
also Major Wilcox. and when he was through
he announced that. so far as the hosp'tai was
concerned. ne rothing to find fault with'
but. on the contrary. wanted to praise the ser
vice. the location the treatment and the ar
rangements.
This over Colonel Byrne took up the sani'
tary arrangements OF the camps. ard the regi-
mental surgeons came in for their wiggng. but
all came out with flying coors.
Tken came the personal inspection OF the
camps That OF the 2O1st came in for the most
Inspection The condition OF the sinks, both
company and kitchen were good The drain
age system introduced since the regiments have
been IN camp examined and tested. and
the drinking water was tasted by the Colonel
about every hydrant he came across. The
sanitary system was declared excellent and the
drainage system was found to be perfect The
Colonel absolved the camp ard its conductors
ale 10 tha
Of the typhoid
Gong into the history OF the camp little
Colonel Byrne found that up TO two weeks ago
there had been we'll near the camp Of the
2olst and from this the men were in the habit
~ drinking until the surgeons ordered IL closed
up Two weeks Is the period OF development
OF typhoid germs but Colonel Byrn-. while say
ing this threw considerable light on the out
break and furnished a possible source He
wanted TO know the kind OF wells used by the
farmers within a few miles OF the camp along
the roads the soldiers in the habit Of wan
derlng while out on leave This brought 10
light the fact that a good portion OF the wells
were from ffteen 10 twenty feet deep. and were
loosely built. Water is plentiful at from hf-
teen to twenty feet under ground in this neigh
borhood and a we'll is not often deeper.
POLLUTION FROM 4 VAULT
One Of the surgeons then related an instance
OF water being carried into camp from a we'll
that could help being polluted A soldier
returning from leave OF absence had two full
canteens. and was stopped 10 show what was
In them. II was water. ana the man explained
that he and some ~ the others liked the water
from a certain we'll. and In the habit Of
getting a supply daily. one man in the combina-
ton going out every day
The surgeon who overheard this obtained per-
mission for the soldier 10 show him this well
When reached It proved to be less than twenty
feet deep. and within twelve feet Of 1t was
privy vault TIE well was Of the loose built
kind. and the walls OF the vault were simply
rough stone set together without cement so that
the water in the vault might soak away into the
earth The side 81 the vault within twelve
feet 81 the well. and the doctor said steady
stream must from the vault to the well
This bad enough, but inquiring the
house he found in IL woman just recovering
from a severe Illness which the doctor said he
moro than suspected was typhoid in a light
form
Colonel Byrne found that lots Of wells within
eight miles OF the camp were located within
fifty feet OF vaults and stables. From these
wells the soldiers have been in the habit OF
drinking because the water cool
The fact that n number of the sick from
Watertown. and that typhoid is not uncommon
there or in that neighborhoOd suggested to
Colonel Byrne He replied the men had been
too long away from home to suffer from home
influences and that the fault lay neither at
! their homes nor in the camp. but In the wells
In the country about the camp. The water
supplied to the troops was pure and excellent.
and IL the men drank only that there would
have been no trouble
MEN SAFER IN THE HOSPITAL.
The surgeons asked Colonel Byrue whether