The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1898-10-25
SLEPT UNDER THE TREES
A REGIMENT NOT COMPLETELY
EQUIPPED UNTIL NOW.
FLOOD or DISEASE. SCARCITY or TENTS
No Death at Chickamauga from Stavl'i'n or
Deprivation. Maggois in the Hospital.
Or Seaman Corrects on Error
in his Testimony.

Admission, Ala Oct. 24.-The war in
vestigating commission began its ses-
sion to-day with Major Otto III. Falk on
the stand. He was the chief quarter
master of the First division of the Third
army corps while in Chickamauga Park,
and he now occupies the position of
chief quartermaster for this camp. He
said the most serious complaint in the
early history of Camp Thomas was
from the First Missouri regiment, whose
men claimed that their trousers were
nothing more than rags, and threatened
to appeal to charity at home to supply
their wants. There was also shortage
in tents which became quite serious at
the time of the beginning of the rainy
season. Previous to that time men had
slept under the trees and under their
shelter tents without complaint. Indeed,
he said, there was never sufficient sup
ply of tentage. and it was necessary TO
put six men in n tent. Continuing, he
said the division had never been COM
pletely equipped until the present time,
especially in the matter of transpOrta-
ton facilities He said. however, that
there had been no refusal to honor requi-
sitions He thought upon the whole
that there was too much red tape in the
Quartermaster Department.
MOST WRETCHED NURSES.
81 do away with it whenever l can.
/ have succeeded so far he said, even
though | sometimes violate regulations"
Continuing. he said he had to sign his
came nine times in the process of paying
a bill of $50.
DR.. Chas. NJ. Drake, n charge of the
~ L, h. ,,,
command of the hospital of the First di-
vision of the Third corps at Chicka-
manga, was the next witness. He told
of various improvements he had found it
necessary to make in the hospital at
fChickamauga. ''There was" he said,
"such flood of diseases that it was
almost impossible to meet the demand
for tentage and quite out of the ques-
ton to anticipate it, AS fast as he
would pitch new tents they would fill
them up. He stated that the medical
supplies had been ample from the be-
ginning. but the hospital corps had
proved inefficient as nurses. 'They
were, as Glass; he said, "the very
worst material that could have been
found out of which to make nurses"
DEATH RATE REMARKABLY
Low.
However, he thought there had been
no more serious results than discomfort
to patients caused by the ineffciency of
nurses. He said positively there had
been no death from starvation or depri-
walton. Ten per cent. of the typhoid
eases of the hospital had died, and com
pared with hospitals generally the per-
centage was phenomenaliy low. He
was of the opinion that patients in this
hospital received better attention than
the average man in this country receives
at home.
Replying to charges made by signal
corps patient in Chickamauga hospital,
DIR. Drake said he had seen maggots on
one occasion in IA box in the hospital
but never on patients. Often the men
came there lousy, but they did not re-
main so. He denied the insnuation that
he had ever tried to favor the Southern
railroad in the matter of transporting
troops.
Major Joseph III. Heatwole, chief COM
missary of subsistence, said the quality
of the rations had been excellent. As to
the quantity man would have to be
gormandizer to eat it. After Major
Heatwole was excused General Dodge
read a letter from DIR. Seaman, of New
York. who was before the commission
in Washington in which he corrected
an error in his testimony. He stated
that he had received only the regular
army rations for the cOnvalescents on
the steamer OLDHAM from Porto Rico to
New York.
SEAMAN CORRECTS AN ERROR.
II 1.or, hoc
been received up to the night previous to
sailing had been received from the re-
lief societies during the night He con-
tinued:
''The hospital ship Relief arrived and
early the next morning L boarded the
Relief and personally secured without
any requisition the additional supplies
enumerated in the receipt signed by me.
Until my conference yesterday with
Major Bradley, believed these supplies
like many others were bought by the
outside contributions and were not Gov
eminent supplies"
The letter is dated October 10th, and
is directed to the Surgeon General of
the army.
Major David yickers, who was in
spector general of the Second division
OF the lDlrd corps at CnlcKalIauSa III
his testimony said all the patients were
on the floor and that there were some
cases when Their were some on the
ground. Asked as to the competency OF
the surgeons at the hospital. he said
there was one in the hospital whose
proneness to profanity untitled him fol
the service. This was Major Hubbard
Surgeon of the Ninth New York.
DIR. BULLS COUGH SYRUP will
prove a quick and sure cure for Group.
Mothers when your children are attacked
with that dreadful disease, you can de-
pend on this marvellous remedy. 1t never
fails to cure at once. Price 25c.
When you ask for De Wits Witcl
Hazel Salve don't accept "A counterfeit
or imitation. There are more cases o
Piles being cured by this, than all Others
combined j. Hal Bobbitt and Henr,
Il. Hicks.