The Portland daily press., 1898-11-02

|
are great deal better than some who
were brought in the volunteer. Major
| William CoeswelI surgeon of the eighth
| Massaob usetts, said that when his regi-
ment reported at Chattanooga it was kept
| in the freight yards eighteen hours, ana
it took it then four hours to be Trans
norted to the park. The men went two
weeks without fresh meat. Their health
was thus greatly impaired and large
number were taken siok
| DR. Cogsweli attributed the typhoid to
the water, milk and lemonade drank by
| the men. He said that the clothing and
blankets belonging to men who died OF
| typhoid were brought back without
having been washed or boiled and used
! by other men of the regiment He men
toned other abuses too degraded to write,
which he saidSwere reported to the higher
authorities without action being taken.
| The doctor said that in three months and
q half when he was:at Camp Thomas. he
knew DR.. Huidekoper, the corps surgeon,
having visited the camp Of the eighth
Massachusetts, but twice. He had great
difficulty in securing medicines, he said,
and had to buy drugs out OF private
fund.
The list Of medicines he made requisi-
tion for always had about half OF the
most Important drugs scratched OH py
| the higher authorities. He told OF the red
| tape which required a requislt1on Tor
medicines to go through dozen channels
and then back before the supplies could
| be secured.
| DR.. Thomas c. Chalmers. captain and
assistant surgeon of the 18th New YORK,
vino saw six weeks in Porto Rico, rest1-
| fed that at Chiokamauga his regiment
could not only not get medicines, but
could not even get blanks to make
acquisitions for them. In regard to the
| transport Massachusetts, ON which ne
went to Porto Rico, DR.. Chalmers said
"There was no regular cooking on board
and the men were unused to eating cold
rations, The reserve hospital men were
supposed to have been we'll men, but sub
seuuent events proved that that they did
not have enough to eat. The men never
could got enough water to satisfy their
thirst. Ice water was sold at $l. 20
pitcher The matter was reported, but
the custom was not stopped. Ihe mules
and horses on board went "a hours at one
| time without water "
| Lieut.. Col. James Parker, 18th New
York, said that when the troops arrived
at Chickamauga the men had to sleep on
the wet ground with only blankets and
no change of clothing. He said that the
| first South Carolina regiment did not re-
ceive their rifles for month after their
arrival at the park, the men being COM
PEELED to do guard duty without guns,
The s1st Kansas also had to do guard
duty with sticks for two weeks.
"When the volunteers first arrived at
Chickamauga, said Col. Parker, "their
tongues were literally hanging out for
water. For three weeks they could not
get water enough to quench their thirst.
| Then the pipe lines were laid, but the
water the men got was not pure.
General Brsckinridge, when he took
command, did more to change for the
better the sanitary conditions than had
been accomplished altogether before. he
| had lumber which had before been ap-
piled for in vain, furnished the hospitals ;
he provided lime in great abundance. He
had new tentage supplied and gave medi-
cines when needed.
| "Upon my Inspection found the
hospitals of the first division, third corps
of ths third division. first corps and OF
the second division, third corps, very
dirty. The first was placed alongside a
to tho over crowded condition OF the
hospitals. The surgeons were worked TO
death and too siok themselves to look
| after the cleanliness properly:
! $50 far as l know, neither Generai
Brooke nor General Wade ever made
sanitary inspection Of the camp.
81 think there was disinclination on
ths part of the government to purchase
1 lime. IL could have been secured easily
or even burned by the troops. TAe
ouartermaster's department might have
accomplished much during this war that
| it did not seem inclined to. 1t would
have been just as easy to establish at
Chickamauga the ideal conditions that
prevail here at Camp Hamilton, at the
cost of not more than one dollar per
man."
Liuet. Frank Strange, quartermaster OF
| the third Kentucky, testified that he was
at Chickamauga Park from june until
| July II, when he took sick and lett. RE
| testified that while at Chickamauga his
regiment was barely equipped. His regi-
| ment was unable to procure quarter
| masters supplies, consisting of clothing,
| tentage, etc., because the supplies were
not on hand except in small quantities.
Next were called seven non-commis-
stoned officers and privates who stated
Uliat generally the rations and clothing
furnished were good. Witness Keen
of criminal neglect by not seeing that the
orders they issued were obeyed; that the
medicines prsscI ibed were not admins
tered; that on the day Of General Breck-
inridge's review no surgeons visited the
hospital when men were dying Tor Wan1
of attention; that the water was bad;
that on frequent occasions meals were
eaten when bed pans were sitting in the
room, rendering the air foul; thai tne
sinks were in bad order and that on one
occasion man was almost drowned in
one.
BACK IN WASHINGTON.
Washington, November 1.-The mem
bers of the war Investigating commission
who did not go to Lexington, Cincinnati
and other western cities, reached Wash
ington today and will hold q meeting to.
morrow to arrange for the trip to Camp
Meade near Middletown, where they ex-
peot to procure testimony bearing upon
the conduct of camps Alger and Wikoff.
The Southern trip consumed sixteen day 8
time.
FISHERMAN DROWNED.
Chatham, Mass. November 1.-Sylva-
nus Bearse, a fisherman belonging in
South Chatham, was drowned this after
noon while homeward bound from the
scallop grounds by the capsizing OF his
dory.
| - "a - ~ y e.