Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1898-10-20

titled fayorabIy as TO the Qudilty anu
quality of the supplies reaching the
command through his office. He
thought the tent material poor, but
| had made no requisition for other
tents.
Dir. Il. d. Fry. major and executive
officer OF the 3rd Division hospital, tes-
! tilted as to the management of this
institution. and also as To the manage
ment of the 2nd Division hospital at
Montauk Point and the military hos
pital at Fort McPhearson, Ga.
He said the Monts.uK patients lacked
| for nothing and We're excellently ia
| ken care of by hoth physicians and
| nurses AT Fort Mcpherson there was
AT one time 925 patients. There was no
material shortage in drugs or food at
! this point. Occasionally there was u
slight deficiency, but it was quickly
| overcome.
| Resuming his testimony Or. Frye
| spoke OF the cause of the prevalence
| of typhoid fever in the Jacksonville
camp. lie attributed it largely to the
age of the men, young people bens
more susceptible than those more ad-
| vanced in age to this disease. He also
thought much was due to the careless
| ness of the men themselves.
| DR.. Frye said that in all the hospi-
| tails with which he had been connect
ed, there had been a deficiency of bed
| linen. This had been especially true
| at Fort Mcpherson. There had been
order to prepare beds for 1000 patients
butthis demand had by no means been
met. The hospital here had also been
short of lighting facilities. There was
! not a sufticiency of candles or LIANT
erEs. acquisitions had been made for
| them, but they could not be secured
| from the government stores owing to
| the construction of the orders. Hence
| it was necessary to depend upon the
| Red Cross for these articles. DIR. Frye
| expressed the opinion that in several
| instances convalescentS had been sent
| away from the hospital with which he
was connected before they We're suffi-
| GENTLY advanced to permit them to
! go in safety. He had no personal
| knowledge of any individual cases of
this kind. He thought these instances
We're due to insufficient supervision, to
| ignortance OF physicians and a desire
| to clear the wards of the hospitals fol-
| the new patients.
| DR.. Frye then spoke in very uncom-
| plmentary terms of the men engaged
in the hospital corps, saying that they
| had been picked up at random over
| the country and were generally g
scabby looking lot not fit TO adorn
| any walk of life. He also spoke de-
| precating!y OF the contract surgeons.
saying that he would not be willing 20
| trl1ct his ia 1oiiv friends tn ED
| cent. of them.
! MANY of Them he said, are recent
| graduates from medical institutions
| and | do not consider the average
| medical graduate capable of taking
| charge of from % to so typhoid fever
cases."
| There was, he said. no proper oppor-
| tunity for consultation With superior
| offers, as the latter were as q rule so
! generally occupied with their admin
| istrative duties as to prevent their
| giving proper attention to professional
| matters unless specially called upon.
| He considered this very wrong and
/ said mat there should be more super
| vision in serious cases in hospital on
| the part of experienced men. Major
| Frye gave his opinion as to the origin
| of the popular excitement concerning
| conditions at Montauk Point while the
| troops were stationed there. He said
| that from 80 to rs per cent of the
men were sick when they landed there
and that insufficient provision haf
been made for them. AS conse-
| quence many were compelled to lie
upon the bare ground and then natur-
| ally suffered from exposure. He also
| asserted that reporters from many
newspapers had been sent to the camp
under instructions to find all that was
| bad and nothing that was good
| do you know this of your own per-
scnal knowledge" he was asked, and
he replied: No, but l was told it by
men who talked with the reporters"
| Col. Bows. of the 10th Iowa Regi-
ment, testified next, and was followed
| by several members of the regiment.
Col. Bows said there had been no de-
| ficiency In the commissary supplies.
| THE men have the regular army ra-
TONS" he said. and if their have rot
| had enough. the fault is theirs" He
had had some complaints against the
| meat and in all cases the undesirable
articles were exchanged upon applica-
ton and without going through the
| form of condemnation. Speaking of
the medical supplies Col. Bows said
that physician who had been sent to
the camp had spoken with surprise Of
the variety and quality of the medi-
cines and medical supplies and appli-
ances on hand.
| Gen. f. B. Williston, in command of
the 1st Brigade of the 18th Army Corps,
was questioned about various points
having been stationed at Camp Thorn
as, Montauk Point, Admission and other
points before coming to Jacksonville.
He said the principal objection to
Camp Thomas. in Chickamauga Park
was the fact that it was impossible, on
account of the formation Of the ground,
to have sinks more than two or three
feet in depth. There had also been an
insuficiency of water in the beginning
of the history of the camp. The water
was taken from wells and while he did
not believe the water was contamin-
ated from the surface, he thought it
| had too much magnesia in it to be
wholesome. He had found difficulty in
getting sufficient water for stock at
that period. but Gen. Boynton had af-
forwards constructed two wells in the
vicinity of his camp. thus removing