Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1898-10-19


GENT FOR THEIR PRAISE-ONCE
IN A WHILE ONE is FOUND WHO
HAS HEARD OF SOME MISMAN-
AGEMENT. BUT THE TELLING OF
IT is ALWAYS FOLLOWED BY
THE DECLARATION THAT IT
WAS PROMPTLY CORRECTED.
Jacksonville, Fla, October 1S.-The
war investigating commission held
three sessions to-day, dealing during
the two day sessions with the general
staff officers of the Seventh army corps.
The subcommittee, consisting OF
Geu Wilson and Capt. Howell. APP
pointed to investigate the selection OF
Fernandina as a camp, returned to-
night and reported their approval OF
the selection. They made special in
curry into the report that the camp
had been located there for the purpose
of enhancing the value OF land owned
, by a son OF Secretary Alger, going
through the county records as part OF
their work. They failed to find his
name in any of these documents, and
their investigation convinced them that
he had never owned any real estate in
that vicinity of had been in any way
interested in any.
Louis M Maus, chief surgeon of the
Seventh army corps, was the first wit
ness sworn. He is regular army
surgeon and has occupied this present
position practically throughout the
history of the camp. Sickness devel-
oped very slowly and there was very
little of it until july. There was no
suffering among the sick. Still they
did not have the luxuries at the begin
ming of the war that there were in the
latter days of it. Nor" added the
doctor, do | think that the history OF
the world has ever seen parallel to
our present care of the sick.
He thought typhoid had been intro
duced to the camp by Mississippi and
Virginia troops Shallow wells and
surface drainage had done much to in
crease the scourge, but he was con-
fident that the regular water supply OF
the city had not been in any sense re-
sponsible for it. He also thought the
flies had done much to disseminate
fever. From the beginning very strict
attention had been given to the sinks.
He had never in his life had see such
attention given to sanitation in a camp
but despite this care typhoid fever did
break out and had become the principal
sickness here DIR. Maus said he had
found it difficult to prevail upon sur
geons in the volunteer service to learn
the administrative duties of their posi-
lions. AS a matter of fact these duties
were extremels OnerouS and, for this
reason, the volunteer physicians were
not so efficient as they should have
been. Often also in the early history
of the war some of the volunteer regi-
mental surgeons had been found neg
ligent in the matter of inspection, but
later on sanitation becaSle the principal
duty of everybody about the camp.
Much trouble had been experienced in
keeping the pubic from the hoepituls.
In many cases they had surreptitiously
carried food to the sick. DR.. Maus also
dwelt upon the newspaper reports OF
the suffering in the camp, saying they
had generally grown out of exaggerated
statements from the men themselves.
DR.. Conner questioned DR.. Maus
about the acceptance of outside aid
and quoted a report from Col. Guild,
INSPECTOR general, saying that but for
the action OF the Red Cross Society,
the sick would have been without es-
sential supplies for two months.
THAT statement" said DR.. Maus,
sis utterly false. The government
would have supplied them if the Red
Cross had not
DR.. Maus also denied the truth of
statement made by the governor OF
Iowa that there was only one nurse in
charge of sixteen typhoid patients.
A letter was read from Mrs. Gordon,
wife of Gen. w. w. Gordon, in rela-
ton to the hospital at Miami, in which
she made serious charges among 9TH
ers. one to the effect that a hospital
nurse had become excited and set fire
to a patients bed burning him some
what and another that flies were often
found crawling into the mouths OF dy-
ing patients. DR.. Maus had report
from DR.. Villas, in charge OF the nos
pital read, admitting the statement
concerning the burning OF a patients
bed but denying all others. Dr. Maus
expressed the opinion that the charges
were exaggerated.
Col. Oliver E. Wood, chief commits
sary of Camp Cuba Libre, under Gen.
Lee, had occupied his position since
the 21st of May, and he had been
able during all this time to fully and
completely meet all acquisitions made
upon him for supplies and there had
never been any lack of them. AS a
rule also the quality was excellent.
AS rule this meat was excellent,
and in cases where the meat was not
good the contractors had replaced it
without requiring official condemna-
ton. Yet it was necessary either to
cook refrigerator meat or put it on ice
in order to prevent it from spelling in
this climate. In this connection Col.
Wood read letter he had written to
Gen. Lee in response to a complaint
made by Col. w. ]. Bryan concerning
the beef. In this letter he said that if
beef was spoiled it was generally due
to the almost criminal negligence of
the regiment and company officers. He
also said in the letter that the beef
must be instected when issued: that
this inspection must be final, and after
this no complaints could be enter
tanned.
Captain Chauncey v. Baker, chief
oil cd