The record-union., 1898-11-01
The Commission Concludes the
Work of Its Southern Tour.
Starts for Washington to Inquire Into Con-
ditIOns at Camp Meade.
The Camps About Knoxville In
spected and Much Testimony
Relating to the Complaints
Against the Camp Sites at
Chickamauga Park Heard.

Chickamauga Park Heard.
KNOXVILLE (Tenn.). Oct. 31.-The
War Investigating Commission con-
cluded the work Of it's Southern tour
here to-day, and at O'Clock tonight
left for Washington. It is the present
intention that the commission shall go
to Camp Meade soon after arrival at
Washington, and Ex-Governor Wood
bury will proceed directly to Vermont
as a subcommittee to take testimony
there.
The commission devoted the forenoon
to inspecting the camps and the after
noon to taking testimony. They found
a division of troops at Camp Poland
under the command of Colonel Kurtz
of the Second Ohio, and while they
had no personal criticism to express
against him, some of the Commission
ers expressed the opinion that the
command was too large to be intrusted
to an officer below the Brigadier. The
transfer of Colonel KurtZ to the COM
mand of the division leaves the bri-
gade of which his regiment is part
in command of Colonel Young, the
colored Colonel of the Third North
Carolina
The first witness before the commits
sion was DR.. J. G. Martin, contract
surgeon from Ohio, who was at Chick
amauga. He repeated his expression
of the opinion that the water in the
pipe line system at Chickamauga was
contaminated by the water from Cave
Spring Creek He said that after he
had first expressed this opinion, say
ing at the same time that the facts
in regard to the existence of typhoid
was being suppressed, he had been
summoned by General Sheridan and
told that he must retract Immediately
or submit to a court-martial He had
then written letter of retraction. but
he declared that he had done this to
promote discipline, and not because he
had changed his opinion as to the pol
luton of the water.
He read a statement from the pump
ing station engineer to the effect that
the new channel of the Cave Spring
Creek was not completed until August
9th, and that previous to thie time
the current emptied into Chickamauga
River just above the mouth of the in
take pipe of the pipe line system. He
also expressed the opinion that the
Jay Mill Spring at Chickamauga was
contaminated from the surrounding
sinks.
DR.. Park l.. Tryers, who was engaged
in the hospital of the Second Division
of the First Corps at Chickamauga,
differed with most of the physicians
in his estimate of typhoid. He said
that while many believed 80 per cent.
of the sickness at the camp to be ty-
phoid he did not believe that to ex-
ceed 20 per cent was of that char
acter. He also took issue with those
who charged typhoid to the agency of
flies attributing it to the water. He
thought most of the diseases at Chick
amauga were miasmatic.
Colonel H. G. Hughes, Division Su-
perintendent of the Southern Rail-
road, gave the commission information
as to the trouble encountered in NOV
ing troops. He said that as a rule
the soldiers co-operated in the work
of the railroad company, but that there
had been some disorder at times. He
mentioned one instance in which Com
pany F of the Fifth Pennsylvania had
broken UP all the furniture of two
cars near Lexington, KY, on the plea
that the coach was not fit for soldiers
to travel in.
Returning to town about 3 o'clock
the commission went into session at
the committee at the Phoenix
Hotel, and resumed the hearing OF
testimony.
Major General James H. Wilson, now
commanding the First Army Corps
was the first witness. The General
said he was in charge of the First
Division, First Corps, at Chickamauga
Park. He left there with his COM
mand about July 1st, bound for Porto
Rico. At Charleston he was kept some
two weeks or more. He did not know
whether it was on account of lack
of transports or what. Here typhoid
fever broke out, and when he did get
off he had to leave seventy cases of il
behind. The Decentralization at Porte
Rico, he said, took eleven days, when
it should have been accomplished in
two. This, he claimed, was on account
of not having steam launches, fol
which he asked the department in vain
In Porto Rico the health of his troops
was good on the march, but as soor
as Iney came TO d SIdHuSIIl Sickness
broke out.
General Wilson said he had found
the Government rations good and suffi-
cient The most of the sickness among
the troops was caused by the men eat
ing fruit and trash.
'I consider Chickamauga Park one o1
| the finest camps in the world, sai6
General Wilson. Il never saw it's SUI
perior, unless it is Camp Hamilton here
at Lexington"
Asked if he could make any sugges-
ton as to beneficial changes, the Gen
! eral said that he is much in favor o1
regimental hospitals, which have al
ready been recommended, and are now
| being established. His observation has
been that civilians have made good of
ficers, proficient and obedient to al
commands He believed one of the prin
| cipal causes of sickness among tn
volunteers was that they We're unused
/ to camp life.
! Lieutenant Colonel Frank D. Bald
win. Inspector General on General Will
4san.S- staff. and who was on Genera
/ Wade's staff at Chickamauga, CAV,
some sensational testimony concerning
| the conditions there. when the cam
was first established there" he said
Il did not inspect a single hospital bu