The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-10-06
WATERPURE At cHICKAMAUGH
AND UNUSUAL PRECAUTIONS TAKEN
TO PROTECT THE TROOPS.
Interesting Facts about Camp Tbom-
Army Canteen Condemned.

WASHINGTON, Oct. 5.--Generai Wheeler
completed his testimony before the war in
vestigating commission to-day and was fol-
lowed by Gen. III. v. Boynton, who was
still on the stand when the days session
closed General Wheeler's statement of to-
day dealt entirely with the conditions at
Camp Wikoff. and General Boynton's with
those at Camp Thomas, where he is now
in commend. General Boynton described in
detail the provisions for supplying the
Georgia camp with water and told many
interesting facts about the location of the
troops and the precautions taken to care
for and protect them whether sick or well.
He said the men wasted more food thar
the army of the Cumberland consumed dur
ing the civil war in the siege of Chatta-
nooga, and he euogized the supply methods
of the War Department throughout.
General Wheelers examination this MORN
ing the line of the New York
Worlds charges. He said if there
were any camp horrors" on the 9th Of
August, as charged, the commander of the
camp was responsible, for he had full pow
er to furnish relief. There probably We're
individual cases of suffering but, as rule,
he knew the soldiers were well cared for.
eral Wheeler admitted that in many in
stances there were men i'll in their company
quarters. Often men not very i'll preferred
not to go to hospital, and the hospitals We're
too crowded to make room for them
Some time was spent on the charge that
General Wheeler had said that General
Eagan, chief com:nissary of subsistence, had
countermanded an order of his for supplies
This occurred, he said, but it was due to a
misconstruction of general orders. General
Wheeler also explained the circumstances
concerning the death of Private Hugh Par
rett my inquiry" said he, developed the
fact that DR.. Tabor was a little gruff to
the men, but it also developed the fact that
he had proved so efficient in the field that
they were devoted to him and had peititoned
FOR his retention in the army" This, he
thought, was one of those Individual cases
of neglect, and he thought it was to be
explained by the fact that DR.. Tabor was
probably i'll himself. lie found this to be
true in other cases, and had demonstrated
with physicians for being irritable with
patients.
NOT STRANGE THAT MEN FELL.
General Wheeler said it was true that
many soldiers would fall on the streets. He
thought that all of them mad been weak
ened by their experience in Cuba, and most
of them had the germs of fever in them.
1t was not strange, therefore, if some of
the men had fallen to the ground at Wikoff.
The general took up a statement attrib-
uted to DR.. Sem, concerning sinks. He said
the sinks were covered every hour with
earth or lime. He had examined the ground
and found that the soil was not porous He
also found that other physicians did not
agree with DR.. Sem as to danger from ty-
phoid. There was no outbreak of fever
such DR.. Sem had predicted; hence it
was a false prophecy. He admitted also in
reply to a charge attributed to DIR. Cyrus
Edison that a small percentage of the men
in hospitals were without cots and were ly-
ing on the floor on Aug. 30. They were,
however, supplied with beds and in no case
was there complaint on this account. THE
fact is" he said, that the surgeons and
the other officers and men conducted them
selves most heroically, and it Is painful to
me to see the effort to make it appear that
they were complaining when they were not"
DR.. Edison had also predicted an increase
of typhoid, but the prediction had not been
verified
General Wheeler said he had seen &
statement from Or. e. L. Smith to the effect
that the drinking water was contaminated.
He had had an examination made, not only
by the surgeons. but by Colonel Smart. a
noted expert. and they had informed him
that the water was pure. He considered the
water supply adequate and pure and that
the water was we'll distributed While II
had been considered very desirable to weed
the sick out and send such as could go to
the city hospitals, he had cautioned the sur
geons against sending men not able to leave
and had interfered to see that some were
oAv hot hafn
steam laundry was put to work there was
scarcity of clean bed linen for the typhoid
and other patients. He had encouraged the
closest inspection from visitors and had
asked newspaper men to visit the hospitals
and report the complaints of men with the
view of relieving their wants if they had
any.
HEB.sR MENTIONS CRITICISMS.
Replyirg to criticisms by Mr.. Heber New
ton referring especially TO the failure to
have the camp at Montauk provided pre-
vious TO the beginning of the war, General
Wheeler said he could not account for the
criticisms unless II was true that Dr. New
ton was not used to the conditions which
generally prevail at a military hospital II
was impossible to forsee that the troops
would return at so early a date General
Miles had predicted that they would Of
necessity remain in Cuba for year or two.
1t would not therefore have been expedient
to build hospital In advance as DR.. New
ton had said should have been DONE
Mr.. Howell asked why there had not been
a court-martial investigation Of the charges
against DIR. Tabor In the Parrett case
General Wheeler replied that he considered
after the report made upon the case the
initiative Of a court-martial should be taken