The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-10-09
INQUIRY INTO THE WAR.
SURGEON GIFFEy TEsTIFIEs As TO
CONDITIONS AT CAMP THOMAS.
Hospitals Were at All Times In Good
Condition, and Supplies Were
Abundant. All Regulations by
Him Being Promptly Filled.

WASHINGTON. Oct s-The war inyes-
tgation commission examined Two wit
nesses today. They were DR.. Grifen. wno
was il charge OF the Sternherg hospital
az Camp Thomas. Ch.ckaTauga Park. Ga.
and Capt. BaIdridge. brigade commissary
OF subsistence at Camp Cuba L.bre. Jack
sonyiile. The commission has practically
eecT.ed 20 start on the night 81 the 10TH
OF lis round of the various camps. They
viii go either 20 Camp Meade OF to jack
sonviile first.
All the camps will be visited In success
sion. tn, the understanding IS that the
trip 20 Camp W.koff Will not be made IN
Ill come time in November. Next week
viii be given largely 10 the inspection or
oflcis. reports and 20 other statements
that have been furnished IN answer 10
letters
Mai. Er,-net Gifen. formerly chief sur
geon at Camp Thomas today gave tesu-
mony before the war department iEvesti-
eating commission. He aid there were
sufficient physicians az the camp, and they
were ofnpetent men. lie SAID the hoSpi-
tails. however were badly crowded. Inc
sinks Hers badly located and bred disease
Until removed.
DR. Gnen was given charge OF the con-
struction OF me StefnoeFg hospltai Oh me
Is Of August, and after the hospital was
constructed was chief surgeon there. lie
said the tents comprising TINS noSpitai
were 14x15. foored and supplied with four
beds each. There were 100 tents. ana a
number OF WOODEN buildings. Five nun
Gred and thirty-three was the largest num-
Der OF men at the hospital az one time.
and all told. LII men had been healed up
TO the 9Th Instant. OF these. eighty SIX per
cent. We're typhoid, the next most pToI.hc
cases being veuereai troubles. There had
been sixty-seven deaths al the institution.
The eases sent 10 him were generally the
nost dangerous. He had twenty-five con-
rH Al ).
female nurses and l59 members OF the nos
pital corps acting as nurses.
lie had received no complaints and he
was sure the attendants are efficient. Ills
reuui.itiOns were sent hroct to the surgeon
general at Washington. often ny VIE and
there was never any delay. often being d.
rected 10 purchase at Chattanooga. Many
articles were scnN 10 the men from the
North. bat as a rule they spoiled before
they arrived.
when patients began TO convalesce they
were put on ii special diet for week and
then furloushed and sent home, lie was
particular not to allow any OF the pa
ttents 10 leave for home until tney were
sufficiently recovered to render II sale iqr
them to 10 SO. He related how Coy brad
ley. OF Kentucky, came "a ne hoSFiiaI say
ing he had come 70 take the Kentucky men
home Or. Giffen refused at first. but aft
erwards consented to leave the matter 10
the patients themselves. Out OF sixteen
only one said he wanted TO 20. ana he was
insane. DR.. Giffen had no complaint o.
neglect 20 make against any nt the oiIclai IS
Of the war department, and he had heard
of no complaint. There We're 70 matches
for twe!lty-foLr hours. lie thought that
the contract surgeons should have been eN-
aruinei before they were appointed. Ihty
were NOT SO examined TO mis- knowledge.
The doctor expressed the opinion that
the complaints OF starvation had arisen
from the fact that Ii was necessary IN put
convaIescents from typhoid fever on
sparse Diet. He thought that many deaths
had been caused by overlooking after the
conyaiescents returned 20 their homes. Or
ders were given 10 his knowledge for
prompt measures looking 20 the suppress
sion OF the fever when II broke out. but
the orders had not been obeyed. He knew
OF some cases In which the sinks We're 20
the last within twenty feet OF the kitch-
ems and in the cases Of the Fourteenth
Minnesota and Ninth Pennsylvania recs-
meuts the sinks were crowded near the
kitchens when there was quarter OF
mile q. open field back Of them. He
thought IL had been a mistake 10 locate so
many men together as were at Camp
acquisitions had been honored promptly.
81 got everything 1 asked fer, from a
toothp,ck up. and was turned down on moth
Capt. James {. Baldrldge. con1missary Of
subsistence for the First brigade OF the
So rond div sion. Of the seventh army corps
cupied The commission during the after
noon He reached the camp on August .
and made an INSPECTION Of the kitchen He
found some q: them not well managed, as
al OF tie army Cop"> W A't rAPFi'N.
Green coffee was prafeT2f he - tho roasted
az f. waS strong am tresner Inc meat
20 considered good Tn ;u~u wfre literally
supplied w.}h food ana the location ot the
camp was good.
sill there had been an increase Of dis
ease which he attrihut~l ia the climate
ard the asss nhl ne of q large body Of men
He also thought decav:nE fruit ard the
cauFeen beer had had an influence In pro-
ducjng disease
Much Of his testimony related 70 com
plants from The Second NV Jersey regI-
mont. lie said there hai bean many COM
plants from this regiment and f3FtsJiEa-
t'on had shown the trouble was due % the
-. L..t.---rs r.. h..-t