The Portland daily press., 1898-11-02
BAD STATE OF AFFAIRS
PICTURED.
Impossible to Have acquisitions for
Medicines Filled.
POSITIVE REFUSAL TO SUPPLY
LINE FOR DISINFECTANT.

RegimentaI Surgeons Testify to Their Be-
lief That Water Was Infected-Impossi-
BILE to Get Enough to Quench Thirst
Massachusetts Regiment Kept in a
| Freight Yard 1s Hours-Quartermas-
ter's Departments Disinclination to
Help Matters.
| Lexington, KY, November 1.-Before
| the war investigating commission today
Chief Commissary Marshall of Camp
Hamilton, denied the statements made by
Lieutenant Colonel Mitchell Of the First
| Territorial last night. He said every
requisition hal been honored from the
| terri torials. The second witness was Gen.
j. G. Bates, who testified as to the
Santiago campaign, the camp at Mobile
and at Chickamauga. he went to see
| Gen. Brooke regar ding the lack of equip
ments, clothing and other supplies.
| He said: ''The day before we left
M obile, we got pretty we'll supplied.
There were supplies for recruits. At
Santiago we had bread and meat always.
Montauk point was not the proper place
| for a camp OF sick soldiers at this time of
the year.
..In Cuba medical supplies were Woe
| fully short. The medical officers said they
could not get them. This was especially
| true at Siboney. In going over we had
enough medical supplies but we were out
down. We had trouble in getting ambu-
| lances taken to Cuba"
| When asked what in his opinion Was
| the weakness in the medica department
| Gen. Bates said he thought great mis-
take was made in not sending medical
10 officers in sufficient number with regi-
ments ordered to the field. Additional
transportation should have been furnished
| for medical officers and medical supplies,
| ambulances and horses.
| By Dr. Connor-"What do you think Of
the propriety of allowing female nurses to
accompany an army into the hed?
~ think IL would be perfectly proper to
have them at large hospitals, but not in
regimental hospitals
Replying to leading questions by DR..
| Connor, General Bates said that with
modern arms, danger in removing
wounded from line OF tire was greatly in
creased that it would be difficult for am
bulanoe men and litter bearers to live in
the increased zone of fire. In Cuba it
was difficult to get oatmeal and other
delicacies for the sick.
| 81 think there is not sufficient excuse
for medical supplies being short In
Cuba,' said General Bates.
| DR.. Edgar A. Mearns, surgeon IN
charge of the Gibbs general hospital,
Lexington, was asked regarding the sani.
| tary condition of Camp Thomas, where
| he was brigade surgeon. He read report
of the condition of the sites there which
showed they were disease breeders. He
thought the men detsiled from the reg1-
/ ,nr,t 10 kho li1ic NJ
| competent. DR.. Mearns condemned the
water supply at Camp Thomas because
| there vas typhoid fever there. The order
| to boil drinking water was generally
| obeyed when boilers could be procured.
Or. Mearns was asked what reoommenda-
| tions he would make. He said men IN
charge should be given what they ask for,
as had been done here With competent
| men in charge there should be no WASTE
| and nothing should be asked for that was
not needed
Major John G. Baokman. 160th Indiana
| was the next witness. His testimony In
dioated that his regiment had tared we'll
| In every respect.
Major j. b. Gleunan, who was captain
and assistant surgeon in the regular army
and was made major and brigade surgeon
of volunteers june 4th was th en- called.
Major Glennan was at Chickamauga
and Tampa with the 9th cavalry: He
later returned to Chickamauga as brigade
| surgeon for nrst brigade. third division,
| flrst corps. He said he found a mucn
larger amount of sickness among volun-
teers than he had been used to seeing;
chat he found the sinks left open and not
dug deep enough to make the camp
healthful; that the water supply was
affected by this.
Major Glennan said he reported on these
conditions, both verbally and in writing,
| ana made certain recommendations but
no attention was ever paid to his reports
lie said he tried to get lime, Requisition
was made on the quartermaster' DEPART
ment and they said that they did not fur
nlsh 1t. Then requisiJion was made on
the medical department and DR.. Huide-
kofer the corps surgeon, disapproved Of
the use of lime and returned the requisl
| tlon. Major 6 lehman stated that he knew
OF a certain regiment where the sick were
| Kept for weeks because the division
hospital had no room for tn EN-. He
further said that he believed the water in
every we'll in Chickamauga Park con-
tanned the Colon bacillus, which indi-
Gated contamination by sewage.
| No matter how many chemical and
meteorological examinations showed that
1ne water was not contaminated L should
stlll maintain that it was not III iof use,
declared Major Glennan.
| Asked by DR.. Connoraa whether the
tendency in the medical servioe IN ons
regular army was not to deteriorate from
the day a man went In until his retlre-
| ment, Major Glennan said this hao peeh
| MS Impression until he saw tine VoiuhCeef
| surgeons, when he had come 10 the coh-
| cluslon that those in the regular afihs
| ------------------- ---------------
| T.. il q