The National tribune., 1898-10-27

racks at the post bad been transformed int,
| hospital wards. and, notwithstanding thu
day was wet, the wards were all found to bs
| comfortable and warm, made SO i'm each cas-
! by large stove In the center of the room
There are now 800 patients in the inStitu
ftion, and many of them are conyalescent.
Two witnesses were formally examined
| Maj. Blair G. Taylor. the Surgeon in charge
and the Rev. Orville J. Nave, the Chaplain
Surgeon Taylor said that at first he had
difficulty in getting his acquisitions filled
but since August he has had none He had
| had trouble with the supply depot at New
| York, but none with that at st. Louis. He
! had now carte blanche to purchase such sup
plies as he stood i'm need Of. He thought
that 90 cents n day communication for food was
more than was needed and that 40 cents q
day would he abundant. He was highly in
favor of Atlanta as n Winter hospital. 1t
was convenient to reach, cold enough to pre-
! vent infection, and the wafer was excellent.
Chaplain Nave said he had visited every
patient who had been in the hospital. and
that lie had never heard single complaint
from q man who was possessed ofahis reason.
when, on the contrary, lie had heard MANY
expressions OF gratitude and commendatjon
for the excellent conduct of the hospital. He
expressed the opinion that in the conduct of
military hospitals generally there was too
little care of the clothes and other property
of patients.
The Commission left that night for Annis-
ton ~ 80 seer hdf
AT Admission, Ala, the Commission met
Gen. Frank and Chief Surgeon Henry +.
Hoyt formerly connected with the camp at
Chickamauga, and took their testimony.
c..s1 1,
manga Park a good site for a Temporary
camp, bat not for a permanent camp for a
large army. The chief difficulty was in put
ting sinks down deep enough. Owning to
the rock formation near the surface. sinks
could only be made two or three feet deep. and
they were frequently overfiowed. There was
also general impression that the springs in
the locality were impregnated by these sinks.
and 1t was impossible to prevent the men
drinking from the springs. He thought the
camp Should have been moved as early as
July
tie said he had heard no complaint from
the men IN regard to the food received while
at Chickamauga, but because of the necessity
OF getting the First Corps ready for foreign
service there was shortage in clothing for
time.
There was also for the time difficulty in
securing hospital room for the men when
Sickness began to increase, but this deficiency
was soon femedied. There has been con-
slant improvement in the command since its
removal to Admission, early in September.
and Gen. Frank thought it was due to the
change of site.
Returning to Chickamauga, he said the
hospltai-tents were not foored when he went
10 the camp, early in July, though there had
been sufficient time to have furnished floor
ing for the entire camp. Gen. Frank said
that his corps commander had never made an
inspection of the camp with reference to
sinks, drains etc.
DIR. Hoyt said the increase in sickness
above the normal had begun about the
middle of July, and had been rapid from that
time forward, until there were $50 patients
IN the First Division Hospital on the 1st of
August. AT this time it was impossible to
receive new patients for period OF "a hours.
The increase in disease had begun with the
rainy season, and he thought much of the
malaria had been due to the fact that the men
were compelled to sleep on the ground.
lie 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 water used was taken through
pipes from Chickamauga River, aud the pipe
was located only few feet from the mouth
OF the stream that drained the camp. The
Doctor thought that this tributary stream had
been forced into the pipes by means of eddies.
III had also been impossible to prevent the
use OF suriacc-well water by the men.
DIR. Hoyt expressed the opinion that the
Surgeons in the Division Hospital had been
competent. and in support of his opinion he
adduced the fact that there had been ouly 81
deaths out OF 1,549 patients in the hospital
for the entire three Summer months. The
nurses OF the Hospital Corps, while faithful
were IN most cases unskilicd, and therefore
incompetent. He said there had been GIG
patients treated in the Division Hospital at
Admission, aud Of these 20 had died.