Evening star., 1898-11-15

a numa.r OF questions were asked the
witness rcSauCirg the utility of Instruction
I1 -CllcSsS hy military officers during times
,: peace. Tie ssid that such instruction was
of the greatest Importance to a country
which Tsl-yl vpCu volunteer soldiers to 90
military duty 'u time ~ war. The trouble
turing thr present war. he said. was that
these yuunS II en- had had no opportunity
to have tn.ir military ability developed.
Report About Shnffcr Turning Over
His Command.
Gen. Dole said it had been reported in
iEe new=-artrs that Gen. Shafter had Of
fered to ,urn his command over to Gen.
Hrs ckinriise, and he wanted to know #
that Was fact.
Gen. Ereckirridge said that he would
prefer having that question put to Gen.
LavtCn or to Gen. Shafter- He said ne did
not care to testify regarding that
He was EiGcd to answer. but members Of
the commission. consulting together. decil-
ed that til. answer would ue immatcIIaI to
the subj ct OF the investigation, anu that
the question be withdrawn.
Gen Breckirridge said that if Gen. Shat
-er had not FrTorted any srch conVersa ton
ne thought he should not do so. He added
that he dill Lot think Gen. Shafter believed
that he could have turned his command
over. and he did not believe it himself.
Considerable discussion was had rega rd-
ing tu" utility of the office Of the inspector
general. which Gen. Breckenridge thought
would be very great, if properly conducted
Capt. Dowdy's Evidence
Capt. Robert w. Dowdy. United States
army retired who served first lieutenant
in the 18th Infantry during the Santiago
campaign. and since August . as master of
transportation at Camp Wikoff. Montauk
Point, l. l. was placed upon the stand
He said that while good deal of complaint
had been made regarding the railroad on
which supplies were taken to Camp Wi
kon, Re thOuEht the road had done good
work. He said that when supplies We're
ordered il usually took from day to
week To get them in the camp. The delay
was frequently caused by the goods being
put off at wrong stations
In reply To Il question he said that if there
Ead been water transportation between
MCutauk Point and New York the business
Of the quartermasters department would
have been greatly facilitated.
DIR. MaGruder on Camp AIger
Dr. G. l.. Magruder of this city appeared
before the commission and testified CON
corning the condition he found at Camp AL
ger, Virginia. on occasions when he made
visits there. His first visit was on June ,.
when he saw the soldiers eating ice cream,
cakes, pies and fruits and drinking lemon
ade and bottled drinks. which were sold
either inside or Just outside the camp. He
said that one well was being guarded tn
prevent the soldiers using the water be
cause it was not looked upon as safe; but
within lpD yards Of this VEL a vender was
selling lemonade made with water taken
from 1t. He said it was very noticeable
that the camps were too close together and
that tne streets We're very narrow The
kitchens wee too close TO the sinks. and
ne noticed in one case that they were not
farther apart than twenty yards
Dr.. Magruder said that on one of these
visits he noticed that men were very un-
clean. and was told that they could not get
water To bathe in. Their shirts were ex-
tremely dirty. He was also told by an
officer that there was so little water that
they were unable to get sufficient to quench
their thirst, and he had gone thirsty on
several occasions because of this fact.
The witness said he had visited the 1st
DIVISION hospital, but he had ro special
criticism for the way it was conducted. He
sald that the 10 cents day allowed by the
government tor each sick man was more
than enough TO furnish the special hospital
supplies that were necessary
Bad Condition Outside the Hospitals
Outside of the hospitals he said. the con-
ditions were not such as he thought they
should have been, and he believed tnat. had
the ordinary sanitary precautions neces-
sary in the management of a camp been
taken. the health Of the command at Camp
Alger would have been better He said
further that he believed that fully ~ nor
cent OF the sickness at Camp AIger was
due TO the things the men ate outside their
own mesAes, and which they procured from
the yeEd-rS-
Dr. Conn ask the witness if he thouc hit
that tn location CI Camp Alger Was a
specially unhealthy one. saying II had been
stated hat typhoid fever always existed
there. and thar The value Of property Was
very low because of hat fact.
DR.. Maerud'r replied that he did not be
Lev- there We're any naturally unhealthy
eDnsttsions pertaining to the vicinity of Falls
church Notwithstanding the fact that
water procured there was from shallow
wells IN the beginning, ne did not believe
ma. the water was any worse than the
men would have had if they had been can1T,.
cd in this city and had had to drink water
from The :7E' or 400 pumps that are allowed
tp ienatn in the streets. After they 90.
water from their artesian wells ne thought
7iftN Were better supplied in this respect
than are the people of Washington He said
he understood that typhoid fever had been
epidemic IN he vicinity Of Fails Church. .
but the same was true Of all the country
surrounding Washington and the city itself
Unfortunately. he said. there is more ty-
Tho:l fever in Washington than Their.
should he. and this undesirable condition h.,
accounted for because of the character OF
the water The river water. ne said. should
hg filtered. and the pumps should be regard
Cd a dangerous.
Cen Wilson rema rzed that the next Con-
gross would he given ii plan and estimate
or the cost OF providing Hltering plant for
Washington.
The witness said that he was acquainted
with the mortality statistics Of Camp AIger
only up 10 the 18th of August. but up to
that tire they were exceedingly small.
DIR. Weaver TesfIfies.
At . o'clock DR. Vim. G. Weaver of
Wiikesharre Pa. was placed on the stand.
During the war DR.. Weaver was assistant
surgeon and also acting surgeon of the 9th
Pennsylvania Volunteers. At first his reg
iment was stationed at Mount Gretna and
then. in May, it was removed to Camp
Thomas His regiment was in the I'd Bri-
gaae Of the 81 Division of the 90 Army
Corps
He said they had 600 cases Of typhoid
lever III his regiment and Is or 30 deaths
VI the four captains who came from
Nl!keSharre three died. The sanitary con-
cition Of Camp Thomas. Chicamauga Park
was good. n said. sn far as outward aU-
peaTsUces could indicate. but very bad
Judging from the results
Ihr witness said Col. Huidekoper had
tod his hospital steward that they We're to
use earth as a disiqfectant. as il was TIE
best thing they COuld get. He said they
haQ never used chlorate Of lime Their first
cas- Of typhoid fever occurred about a
month after the regiment arrived a Camr.
Thomas They had had no typhoid at
Mount GrrtHa- and ne was sure they did
not carry the fever with the regiment
Dr. Cpnuer-"Whar were the drugs Won
were able to secure in ample quantities.