The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-11-09
WATER WAS FILTHY
WAR INQUIRY BOARD GETS MORE
FACTS ABOUT ARMY CAMP
ABUSES
NO COTS OR BLANKETS
Supplies That Should Have Been
Provided by the Government
Were as "a Rule Contributed by
Charitable Observation-Disclosures
Were Epidemic Breeders-HOs-
pital Tents Without Flooring.

CHICAGO, Nov. S.-The war inyesti-
eating committee today continued the
examination of witnesses. Gen. Dodge
chairman of the committee says that
he can begin to see an end to the long
investigation. After some evidence has
been heard at Detroit the committed
will go to Washington. They have vet
TO visit Camp Meade, Pa, but it is
likely that this camp will not be reach.
ed until after the return to Washing
ton.
AS an official body, members of the
committee have inspected, since their
appointment, Camp Alger, Va; Jack
sonville, Fernandina. Fort Miami.
Tampa, Atlanta, Admission, Huntsville.
Chickamauga, Lexington, Cincinnati,
Fort Thomas and Chicago. According
to Dr.. Connort the accumulation of pa
pers and documents in the possession
or the committee would fill a large.
sized room. They consist Of army
surgeons reports, letters from private
soldiers and nurses, complaints, reports
OF quartermasters and commissaries
and mass Of testimony which has
been heard by the committee
DIR. G. A. Smith, of Clinton, To-, was
the first witness today. From Aug. 9
to Sept. TO he was In charge of the
Second division, Third army corps, at
Camp Thomas.
DIR. Smith said: when [ assumed my
duties, July a. 1 found a shortage OF
tents and cots. The patients in the
hospital were crowded on account Of
the tent shortage. Some of the patients
We're lying on the ground on account
OF lack of cots. There was no PROVE,
sion made for feeding the sick other
than the ratfons issued to the soldiers
in the regular service, except such as
were brought in by charitable organ.
lZatlons, principal Of which were the
Med Cross society and the National Re-
lief association. In the pharmacy there
was at that time no intestinal anti
septfcs, although the commanding Of
hcer informed me, when l made a
requtsitlon, that he had made repeated
efforts to get them. The pharmacy at
that tine-and, indeed, until it was Or
dered closed and 1 turned the stores
over to the government ON the 9th of
September = never had any proper
equipment for doing pharmaceutical
work. There was no scales to measure
with and the hospital stewards used q
board for a tile and am ordinary jack
knife for spatula. There We're no pill
boxes, or powder papers. The stewards
dispensed tablets and pills in any pa
per they could secure, and they wers
carried to the wards in that shape.
and, owing to the prevalence of damp,
ness at night they would become by
morning sticky mass not fit for use"
WATER WAS BAD.
In speaking of the water supply fur
nished the hospital Dr. Smith said:
The water that was furnished for the
use of these hospitals up to Aug. 1,
was that taken from the pipe line from
Chicllamauga creek, and it was so full
Of sediment that it was simply slush,
and was not water. There were no
floors in any of the hospital tents at
the time L reported for duty at that
hospital. The first tent was floored
soon after the middle of July, although
some were not foored until long after
that. The floors in the tents of the
Fffty-secOnd Iowa, the First Maine
and the Fifteenth Missouri, were all
laid after the troops had left the park
and were never occupied by the SOL
diers, and never had cots placed in
them. In fact. [ might state that the
floors were laid after orders had been
received to pack goods preparatory to
leaving for Admission.
In regard to nursing in that hoSpi-
tai, we had no trained nurses All the
nursing was done by orderlies and
many of them were densey ignorant,
and when I was in charge of the wards
who could neither read nor write, and
three men who did not know the mean
Ing Of a. m. or p. m when written
I'm regard to the sinks, disinfection
and drainage" said the doctor, right
beck of the tents of the Second brigade
there was a cess pool which contained
most of the water from the camp, and
that remained a stagnant pool until
some time in August. One great trouble
in my Judgment, was the shallowness
OF the sinks"
In speaking of the infection Of the
camp the doctor expressed himself as
being Of the opinion that a large part
of the typhoid fever germs was carried
around by the flies which invaded the
grounds In DR., Smiths Judgment the
water supply was not contaminated by
sewerage carried into it from the camp,
but mainly by an inorganic sediment,
which acted as an irrftant on the mems
digestive organs and caused, in many
cases, dysentery and other intestinal