The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-10-29
DURBIN'S MEN At SAVANNAH
INCIDENTS OF THEIR JOURNEY
FROM CAMP CUBA LIBRE.
16Oth Indiana at Lexington Alleged to
BE in Revolt Against an Order
That Cuts OF Passes.

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn, Oct 2S-The
war investigating commission spent the en-
tire day in inspecting the site of Camp
Thomas in Chickamauga Park under the
guidance of General Boynton, Gen. A. p
Stewart, member of the Chickamauga
Park Commission, and Mr.. E. e. Belts, the
engineer of the committee. The inspection
began at Lytle station and covered all
points of interest in the park and near it's
borders which have been in any way in
volved in the controversy concerning the
sanitation of the camp, including Sternberg
and Letter hospitals; the various springs
from which water was secured by the
troops, including the famous Crawfish
Springs, and the point on Chickamauga
creek at which the water of the pipeline
supply was taken out. Special attention
was given to this latter place because of the
criticisms that have been made upon this
source of the camps water supply. They
found the intake pipe submerged about
twenty feet above the mouth of a tributary
creek locally known as Cave Spring creek,
which drained the camp. The charge had
been made that the water from the tribu-
tary stream had contaminated the pipe,
water being carried back into it by means
of eddies and in one case by overflow after
freshet.
General Boynton and Mr.. Belts who had
both been concerned in the location of the
pipe line, admitted that there had been one
occasion when Cave Spring creek had over
flowed and broken a dam, thus throwing its
water into the main stream above the in
take; but they explained that this freshet
had occurred at night when the pumps were
shut down and no water was being taken
in They called attention to the rapidty
of the flow and to the depth of the stream,
and urged the impossibility of infection
from this source. The inspectors listened
attentively to all that was said, but natur-
ally they were conservative in their express
sions. General Wilson gave especial atten-
tion to the question as an engineering prob
lem and while he refused to allow himself
to be quoted, it was evident from the inter-
est he manifested and the expressions he
dropped that he was impressed with the
strong improbablity if not the impossible
ity, of infection from this source. 1t. was
also equally evident that a ajority of the
committee formed the same opinion They
noted especially the fact of the larger vol
ume of water in the main stream and that
the small creek was filed with backwater
from the river for several hundred feet
above the mouth
STERNBERG HOSPITAL
There were many expressions of com
mendation of the methods followed at
Sternberg Hospita and General Dodge was
heard to remark that it was pity to have
to leave an institution so we'll equipped.
They found only fifty-eight patients in the
hospital and most of those were GONZALES
cent. All were housed in wooden pavilions.
the tents being vacated. Major Giffin, in
command of the hospital, said it would soon
be abandoned.
The commission also gave attention to the
proximity of the various camps to one an
other and the depth and location of the
sinks. The conclusion seemed quite general
that many of the regiments were thrown
more closely together than they should have
been and that this fault could have been
avoided by moving as there was, in the
opinion of at least some of the committee.
sufficient space that was not occupied for
the accommodation of many thousands
more of troops than were ever present
there. Many of the sinks were also found to
have been nearer to the tents than proper
ideas of sanitation encourage, and in some
cases the character of the surface was
found to be such as to warrant the convic-
tion that the sinks were shallower than they
should have been, but this was true only
of parts of the camp.
After concluding the inspection of the
camp Major Clifton. who had been before
the commission before, was asked to make
a statement concerning some criticisms of
the hospital made in a Vermont newspaper
by Frank A. Bailey, who had spent six
weeks in the hospital nursing his brother.
When he returned home he wrote an article
saying, among other things, that he had
heard physicians in the hospital tell attend
ants to give their attention to patients who
had chance to recover and not to nurse
those who were sure to die in the presence
of those designated as of the latter class
and that he had neard other physicians in
struct their helpers to give ice cold baths
with a view of finishing their patients
Dr. Ciffen pronounced as false all the state
ments made.
AN EXPERTS VIEWS.
DIR. Charles F. Craig, bacteriologist of the
Sternberg Hospital, was also examined. He
was questioned especially with reference to
the water supply of the camp. and he ex-
pressed the opinion that the water taken
from Chickamauga river through the pipe
system was purer than that in the wells
and springs of the grounds. He said he had
found some sewer bacilli in one or two of
the wells. though no typhoid germs. He
had also found impurities in water taken
from some of the springs. He had made
two analyses of the water from the river.
one before the July freshet and the other
after 1t, and had found it to be entirely
wholesome from a meteorological stand
point. 1t was muddy, and he thought 1t
ought TO be filtered. He had also made
tests which, convinced him that there was
no danger of eddies carrying the water OF