The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-10-23
MATER POLLUTED BY SEWAGE
FRANK AND DIR. HOYT TELL
OF CAMP THOMAS.

..ouoa Unfit fora Permanent
st.a--ImDOssibIe to Put Sinks
rDou~h-siclSness There At
"a Infected Wells, Sinks
rIies-MaIaria Was Promoted
.usc Men Were Obliged TO
IN the Ground-CamD should
- Reen Moved In July.
Ala. oct. 22-The war inves-
&c commission arrived here early
u. and spent the forenoon Inspecting
sbi,u They made a visit to every
- in the camp and to all the hos
o''' dis, inspecting kitchens, canteens,
-.bsr camp buildings. AS a rule the
were found TO be pleased with the
size and satisfied with their treat
some of them complained that
', ,. ,.o,1lng was not sufficient for the
...sfber of the past few days. Many
'9'1 nav, appeared anxious to get home,
u ia if they could not be sent home
'ss,. desired to go to Cuba.
,fternoon was devoted to question
.. cen Frank, commanding officer of
sl camp and his chief surgeon, Maj.
'..~,. r. Hoyt. Both were identified
l,t ,smn Thomas at Chickamauga, Gen.
t b,vine been in command of the
-,u.+ Division of the Third Corps at that
..r, and Maj Hoyt, his chief surgeon
mere as here.
H., was made plainly the general trend
., ,,,ir examination that the work done
here would pertain more largely to Camp
Tsouas than to the camp here, as a ma
,.,.t,. of the men here were removed from
r,,,ol,amauga. There are, however, two
.,,ir,eors here which We're in Cuba, and
COMO of their representatives will also be
examined.
Cen Frank said he considered Chicka-
manga Park a good site for temporary
c,mn but not for a permanent camp for
large army. The chief difficulty was
in nlt,ing sinks down deep enough Ow-
inc TO the rock formation near the sur
face sinks could only be MADE Two or
tbr,a feet deep. and they were frequntly
oreriowed There was also a general i'm
nression that the springs in the locality
were impregnated by these sinks and 1t
was impossible to prevent the men from
q drinking from the springs. He thought
4 The camp should have been moved as
81 eirly as July. He said he had heard no
& complaint from the men in regard TO the
food received while at Chickamauga, but
n because of the necessity for getting the
First Corps ready for foreign service, there
was a shortage in clothing for a time.
There was also for a time difficulty in Sc
curing hospital room for the men when
sickness began to increase, but this de-
feency was soon remedied. There
has been constant Improvement
IN the command since it's removal
to Admission early in September and Gen.
Frank thought the improvement was due
10 the change of site. Returning to
Chickamauga he said the hospital tents
we're not hoored when he went TO the camp
carly in July, though there had been suf-
fcient time to have furnished flooring for
the entire camp. Gen. Frank said that his
corps commander had never made an in
spection of the camp with reference TO
sinks drains, etc.
Dr. Henry F. Hoyt was also examined
= especially with reference to Camp Thomas,
He said the increase in sickness above
the normal had begun about the middle
81 Of July and had been rapid from that time
forward until there We're $50 patients In
the First Division hospital on Aug. l. AT
TINS time it was impossible to receive new
ST patients for a period of twenty-four hours.
~ The increase in disease had begun with
the rainy season and he thought much
81 Of the malaria had been due TO the fact
~ that the men were compelled to sleep on
the ground. He attributed the increase
in typhoid to the sinks, to the flies, to
the fact that the wells were infected, and
to the carelessness OF the men. The COM
mand used water taken through pipes
from Chickamauga river and the pipe was
located only few feet above the mouth
M Of the stream which darined the camp
The doctor thought that some of the wa
Ter from this tributary stream had beer
loroed into the pipes by means of eddies
IL aad also been impossible to prevent the
use OF surface well water by the men. DR.
Hoyt expressed the } opinion thai
The surgeons in the division
ana IN support Of his opinion he adduceC
the fact that there had been only twenty.
seven deaths out of 1.549 patients in the
hospital for the entire three summer
months. The nurses of the hospital corps
WINE faithful, were, in most cases, un
sAled, and, therefore, incompetent HI
sad there had been SIG patients treated IL
lhe division hospital at Admission, and O.
mese twenty had died. There had beer
an exceptionally high degree Of mortality
mere out many of the men who came here
po'h from Chickamauga and Santiago
were very much deblftated He though
me change Of location from Chickamaug3
nda been very beneficial DR.. Hoyt sale
Ne was familiar with the complaints con
verAihg the Eighth New York Regiment
eNa especially with the criticism made b!
surgeon General Terry of New York
mere was, he said, an enormous sick rat
~ ms regiment, and there were man,
oases OF hornesickness. Yet circumstance