The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-10-20

Dr. Frye expressed the opinion that in
several instances convalesoents had been
he was connected before they were suffi-
ciently advanced to permit them to go in
safety. He had no personal knowledge of
any individual cases of this kind. He
Thought these instances were due to in
sufficient supervision, to ignorance of
physicians and desire to clear the wards
of the hospitals for the new patients
DR.. Frye then spoke in very uncom-
plimentary terms of the men engaged in
the hospital corps saying that they had
been picked up at random over the coun-
try and were "generally scabby lot, not
tit to adorn any walk of life. - He also
spoke deprecatingly ofB the contract sur
geons saying that he would not be will
ing to trust his family or friends to fifty
per cent of them.
"Many of them," said he, "are recent
graduates from medical institutions and
I do not consider the average medical
graduate capable of taking charge of from
rs to 90 typhoid fever cases. p"
There was, he said, no proper opportun-
ity for consultation with superior officers,
as the latter were as a rule SO generally
! occupied with their administrative duties
as to prevent their giving proper atten-
tion to professional matters until special
ly called upon.
He considered this very wrong and said
that there should be more supervision in
serious cases in hospitals on the part of
experienced men.
Major Fcye gave his opinion as to the
origin of ths popular excitement concern
ing conditions at Montauk Point while
the troops were stationed there. He said
that from fifty to seventy-five per cent OF
the men were sick when they landed
there and that insufficient provision had
been made for them. AS a consequence
Io6 1fn har
ground and they naturally suffered from
exposure. He also asserted that reporters
from many newspapers had been sent to
the carip under instructions to find all
that was bad and nothing that was good.
"Do you know this of your own per-
sonal knowledge?" he was asked and he
replied:
"No, but 1 was told it by men who
talked with the reporters.
Colonel Dows of the 10th Iowa regiment
testified next and was followed by several
Nom mbers of the regiment. Colonel DoWs
said there had boon no deficiency in the
commissary supplies.
"The men have the regular army ra-
tions,' he said land if they have not
had enough, the fault is theirs.
He had had some complaints against
the meat and in all casss the undesirable
articles were exchanged upon application
and without going through the form OF
condemnation.
Speaking of the medica! supplies Col
onel Dows said that physician who had
been sent to the camp had spoken with
surprise of the variety and quality of the
medicines and medical supplies and ap-
plianoes on hand.
General e. B. Williston, in command
of he first brigade of the 7th army corps,
was questioned about various points, haV-
ing been stationed at Camp Thomas.
NJ DN;~ n 0thnr
points before coming to Jacksonville.
He said the principal objection to Camp
Thomas, in Chioka,nauga park was the
fact that it as i'm possible, on account OF
the formation of the ground, to have
sinks more than two or three feet IN
depth. There had also been an lnsufh-
cienoy of water in the beginning of the
from the wells and while he did not be-
lieve the water was contaminated from
the surface, he thought it had too much
magnesia in it to be wholesome.
He had found difficulty in getting suffi-
oient water for stock at that perlof but
General Boynton had afterwards con-
structed two wells in the vicinity OF his
camp. thus removing this objection.
Speaking of the conditions at Jackson
vile he said that hs did not see that any
fault could be found with either the ad-
ministrative officers or the service per-
formed by than in either the medical,
commissary or quartermasters' DEPART
ments. Most of his staff officers were vol
unteers, but he had found them very eff
cient. He had also found the troops in
his command spIendidly equipped and
had found the officers specially Jealous
to maintain the best sanitary conditions
possible. General Williston had been at
Montauk from the first of August to the
18th of September and had superintendent
the debarkation of the troops and the To-
cation of the infantry regiments in camp.
"Never,'' said he. twas prettier carap
pitched in the United States than Was
that camp at Montauk -
He said there were tents erected for ten
thousand men before man arrived and
all they had to do was to walk into them
and SO far as the men who were not sick
were concerned, they were we'll provided
for.
He said the site was a splendidly
adapted one to camp service and that the
camp was abundantly supplied with
stores of all kinds.