The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1898-10-29
THE POOR FLY
Is Again Made to Bear the
Brunt of the Blame
For the Sickness, Suffering and
Death at
CHICKAMAUGA PARK
Many Things Found as Ascribed
in the Newspapers
But the Fault Was Largely
With the Fly.
CHICKAMAUGA PARE

Chattanooga, Tenn, Oct. 2s.-The war
investigating commission spent the en-
tire day yesterday in inspecting the
site of Camp Thomas in Chiekamauga
park, under the guidance of General
BOynton, General A. P. Stewart, a. menu
Der of the Chickamauga park commits
sion, and Mr.. E. E. Belts, the engineer
Of the commission.
The inspection began at Lyle station
and covered all points Of interest in the
park and near it's borders which have
been in any way involved in the contro-
versy 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 point of Chickamauga creek
at which the water of the pipe line sup
ply was taken out.
Special attention was given to this
place, because of the criticisms made
upon this source of the camps water
supply They found the intake pipe
submerged about twenty feet above the
mouth of 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 pipe wa
ter being carried back into it by means
of eddies and in one case by overflow
after a freshet.
General Boynton and Mr.. Belts. who
had both been concerned in the location
of the pipe lines, admitted that there
had been one occasion when Cave Spring
creek had overlooked and broken a dam,
thus throwing it's water into the main
stream over the intake; but they ex-
planned that this freshet had occurred
at night when the pumps were shut
down and no water was being taken in.
They called attention to the rapidity
of the flow and to the depth of the
stream, and urged the impossibility Of
infection from this source
The inspectors listened attentiveIv to
all that was said, but naturally they
were conservative in their expressions.
General Wilson gave especial atten-
ton to the question as an engineering
problem and while he refused to allow
himself to be quoted it was evident
from the interest he manifested and the
expressions ne cropped that he was i'm
pressed with the strong imprObability,
if not the impOssibility, of infection
from this source. 1t was also equally
evident that a majority of the COM
mittee formed the same opinion
There were many expressions of COM
mendation of the methods followed at
Sternberg hospital, and General DODGE
was heard to remark that it was a Ditv
to have to leave an institution so well
equipped They found only fifty-efght
in the hospital and most of those were
convalescent. All were housed in wooden
paV1HOnS. the tents being vacated
Major G1fen, in command of the hos
2ital, said it would soon be abandoned.
The commission also gave attention to
the proximity of the various camps to
one another and the depth and location
of the sinks. Their conclusion seemed
quite general that MANY of the regi-
ment were thrown more closely together
thans they should have been and that
this fault could have been avoided nv
moving s there was in the opinion Of
at least some of tn committee sufficient
space that was not occupied for the ac-
n
troops than were even present there
Many Of the sinks were also found to
have bean nearer to the tents than pro
per ideas of sanitation encoura ge and in
some cases the character of the s11rfac 90
was found to be such as to warrant the
conviction that the sinks were shal low
er than they should have been but this
was true only of parts of the camp.
After concluding the inspection of the
camp ajOr Ciffen, who had been he
fore the commission was asked to make
a statement concerning some criticisms
Of that hospital made in a Vermont
newspaper by Frank A. Bailey who
had spent six weeks in the hospital
nursing his brother
When he returned home he wrote an
article saying among other Things that
he had heard physicians in the hospital
tell attendants to give their attention
to patients who had a chance to recover
and not to nurse these who were sure
to die in the presence of those designa-
ted as of the latter class and that he
their helpers to give ice cold baths with
the view Of finishing their PATIENTS
DR.. Giffen pronounced as false all the
statements made.
DR.. Charles p. Craig. bacterioIogist of
the Sternberg hospital, was also exam
ined. He was questioned especially
with reference to the water supply OF
the camp, and he expressed the opinion
that the water taken from ChicBannau-
ga river through the pine system was
purer than that In the wells and springs
of the grounds He said he had found
some sewer baci1lf in one or two of the
wells, though no typhoid germs. He
had also found impurities in water ia
ken from some Of the springs. He had
made two analyses of the water from
the river, one before the July freshet
and the other after it, and had found it
to be entirely wholesome from a bac-
terra standpoint 1t was muddy and he
thought 1t should be filtered. He had
also made tests which convinced him
rying the water of the Cave Spring
creek into the pipes.
DR.. Craig expressed the decided opin-
ion that common house flies are capable
Of proving a decided source of disease
infection, and he detailed bacteriOlOg-
ical tests showing that they carried tY-
phOid 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 typhoid
bacillus culture.
Great Profits in Pecans.
Fort Worth. Tex, Oct. 29.-F. o. Swim