The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1898-09-01

WASHINGTON, D. c.. August H.
Secretary Alger to-day received the re-
port OF General q. V. Boynton upon the
state of afairs In the hospitals At
Camp Thomas. The report is. dated
August %. General BoVnton says that
he Waited all the hospitals In the
camp, without giving notice Of his puF-
pose. Continuing. he says:
"Belleying the death list Of this camp
70 AFFORD an excellent standard by
which to measure its conditions as to
health and hospital service, full re-
port was obtained of all deaths in the
camp and in lis hospitals since It's ea-
tabllshment, the middle of April last.
The result shoWs q total death list OF
1888 up to the 22nd of this month, when
the breaking up OF this camp began.
Between these dates. including regulars
and volunteers, fully 5000 troops have
been In camp In the Chickamauga Park:
The record of-burlals IN the national
cemetery at Chattanooga shows total
OF 100 volunteers and two regular SOL
dlerS, OF the lattet one Of these was
killed BY falling frcln a railway train"
The report takes up in detail first, the
two permanent hospitals, Letter and
Sternberg, and states with the greatest
minutenesB the exact accommodation
afforded by each. The frst Is at Craw-
fish Springs, under charge OF Major
Carter and was converted from a large
SUMMER resort hotel into hospital, re-
ceIvlng the worst typhoid cases from
the camp. Each patient has abundant
room, woven wire and hair mattresses
and abundant bed clothing, The ventila-
tIon Is perfect, plumbing entirely new
and bathing facilities ample. The num-
ber Of attendants, when all are well. Ii
entirely satisfactory and attendants are
on the way to take the places OF those
who are broken down.
Ample BRPPlISS.
There has been at this hospital full
supplies OF ice, milk. commissary stores
and deiicacIes, such as the sick ought
to have, and the funds have enabled
Major Carter to buy all that has been
needed IN the way OF canned and potted
goods, soups. clam Juice, sago, matted
milk, eggs koumlss, jellles, preserves,
rellshes, ginger, oil, appOlinarIs. cham
payne and claret The entire hospital
il furnished with distilled water and the
ice used Is made from distilled water.
The sewerage OF the hospital Is exc
cellent and contrary 10 persistent asser-
lions, none OF the sewage has ever
drained Into the Chickanaugn river or
approached It at any point
Major Carter has corps OF doctors
which he regards as amply sufficient to
care for all the patients In the hospital
and reports them as faithful and eti-
Client in the performance OF their duties.
Taking up the Sternberg hospital In
charge OF Major Citizen, General Boyn-
ton shows that It is one OF the most
complete field hospitals ever seen ae-
cordlng to veterans OF the last war.
All the tents are closely aoored and
they are separate; at present only four
men are in any tent, and in addition to
the tents there are nine large board pa
vllions. Every tent and pavilion has
woven wire mattresses, iron bedsteads
and hair mattresses. There are espe-
clal diet cooks, hve cold storage rooms
for dellcacIes, separate refrigerators
for each row OF tents and every proper
measure Of sanitation Is observed with
respect to the sinks. Further the re-
port says:
''The whole place is most carefully
polIced daily and the whole establish
ment within and without Its permanent
buildings and its tents Is In the most
perfect order. "PaAents get nothing
but distilled water to drink.
"All money necessary for the pur-
chase Of dellcacies OF every kind suit
able to the sick has been furnished BY
order of General SteFnberR,
"A careful Inquiry developed the
fact that all varieties Of medical sup
piles required or asked for were fur
nlshed both from Washington and from
medical headquarters at the camp with
the greatest promptness."
How Sensational STORIES Started,
Leaving the details about the hospl-
tai, the report proceeds 10 trent the
whole subject generally Ms follows:
I'm two OF the hospitals opportunities
occurred for discovery OF what undoubt-
edly originated many OF the sensational
stories which have been printed over
the country that patients In the hospi-
tails lacked sufficient food, and In many
cases had been on the verge OF starvA-
tion. In the wards where the convales-
cent typhoid fever patients were found
many OF the men were constantly ask
IL
were as constantly denied everything
except the lighter forms OF food, which
can alone be safely administered to re-
covering typhoid patients, This refusal
OF food throughout the hospitals, by
which care alone, as Is perfectly UNDER
stood, can the lives OF typhoid convales-
cents be saved, has been distorted Into
the cry which has been spread through
out the country that patients were be-
Ing starved In the government hospl-
tais. There has been no lack Of proper
food in these hospitals, and competent
cooks for preparing II have been pres
ert, and the only reason for depriyinR
the patients OF what 80 many Of them
have clamored for has been the neces-
slty Of such dieting as the disease de-
Undoubtedly there have been serious
Inconvenience, and at times OF the
greatest crowdIng these lacks OF con-
venIences and full attendance which go
to make up that painful condition OF at-
fairs, which, as every veteran knows.
are lnseparable from the field hospitals
OF great armies, even when all con-
cerned exert themselves to secure the
comfort Of the patients. These are con-
dltIonS which in times OF rapid In
crenEes OF dlsease--a condition which
was reached at this camp solely, In my
Judgment from the fifth which too many
OF the rcGImentnl officers allowed to
dominate their camps, In spite OF the
orders which would have prevented all
this trouble from the surgeon general
and from the commanding officers OF
this camp--creAte situation which can
not be Immediately amellorntcd
$50 far from believing, as n result Of
Vuy, observations TINT medical Offlpprg
have been heartless or negligent, be-