The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-11-16
UNFIT FOR BATHING
WATER SOLDIERS WE'RE COM
PEELED TO DRINK WHILE IN
CAMP THOMAS
GROSS NEGLECT ALLEGED
War Inquiry Board Develops Sore
Interesting and Valuable Testi-
mony-Medicines and Supplies
Were Furnished by individuals
and the Red Cross Society,"
Transports Were Overcrowded.

WASHINGTON, Nov. 15.-Dr. Will
| liam G. Weaver of the Ninth Pennsyl-
vania volunteers, was the first witness
before the war commission at the af-
ternoon session, and he proved an i'm
portant witness, as he gave detailed
information concerning the conduct Of
a regimental hospital at Camp Thomas
DR.. Weaver said that typhoid had bro
ken out about the 18th of June, and
that it had increased from that time
until the 20th of August. There had
been about six hundred cases of the
disease in the regiment, and twenty
eight or thirty deaths. The doctor
said there was an insufficient supply
OF drugs and that at times he failed TO
get what was needed. Quinine was one
OF the articles of which there had been
a scarcity, and one hundred thousand
pills were secured from home. He said
that at one time there were fifty-six
typhoid patients in the regimental hos
pital, because there was no accom-
mediation for them in the division hos
pital. At another time there were six
ty-seven fever patients in the company
tents, for whom admission could not
be secured in any hospital, division or
regimental. In summing up the causes
of diseases in the camp, DR.. Weaver
included overwork of the men as one
The first reveille sounded at 4:30, and
after that time the men were kept quite
constantly engaged with drills and
other exercises until 6:15, notwith-
standing the weather was intensely
hot He also expressed the opinion
that the water from Chickamauga
creek was polluted. He considered the
water in this stream as hardly fit to
battle in, much less to drink. His in
formation was that there were possible
sources of contamination above the in
take pipe Of the pipe line system The
doctor admitted that he had never
visited the creek at the pumping sta
ton. DR.. Weaver related his difficulties
in securing tents for the regimental
hospital and he said that In one case
Chief Quartermaster Lee had refused
TO allow the regiment to have a tent
which was stored and which was it's
property. Col. Lee said the tent could
not be taken out except in the proper
military manner, but the regiment had
never been able to ascertain what he
required and had never secured the
tent. The defect was supplied by TAX
ing the officers mess tent for hospital
purposes. In this connection Gov.
Beaver expressed the opinion that this
conduct on the part of Col Lee was an
outrage. and he said the only mistake
that the doctor and his colonel had
made was that they had not taken
the colonel by the nape of the neck
and kicked him out Of the camp"
LACK OF DOCTORS.
DR.. Weaver said he had been the
only surgeon on duty with his regi-
ment, the other two being detailed to
other service. He had been on duty
as long as forty-two hours at a time,
but he had never made any complaint,
because II was generally known that
the surgeons in the regiments were
oHer-w oIked. The witness expressed
the opinion that the hospital facilities
should be furnished by the govern
ment, adding that not an article OF
property in his hospital had been thus
supplied. the citizens of Pennsylvania
buying beds, blankets, sheets and all
the food, ice and milk that had been
used there. They had expended over
81, 900 on the hospital alone.
Maj. Louis A. Lagarde. a regular
army surgeon who was in charge of
the division hospital at Siboney, said
the transports taking troops to Cuba
were overcrowded, and the air was
very fetid and hot. On his steamer.
the Saratoga, thirteen cases OF fever
had developed going over. He had
received his patients on the LIST of July
from Aguadores and HI Caney, and by
the Fourth OF July 400 or 500 patients
had been received. The majority of
them were shipped north as rapidly
as possible. The men sent north were
supplied with all that could be spared.
but the hospital authorities felt that
those who went north, though even
short OF medicine and nurses, were
taking fewer chances than those that
remained, for yellow fever was then
beginning to make its appearance. The
orders were TO send only such men as
could wait upon themselves. He said
he had obtained from the Red Cross
society all that he had asked for. Miss
Barton had apologized for not being
able 10 supply more, saying that she
had only expected to be called upon TO
aid the Cubans, and not our own
troops. However, she said that the
soldiers should come first. Further
more, Miss Barton supplied attendants
for one of the hospitals. DR.. Lesser. OF
the Red Cross, being in charge. Here
the physician and the nurses had de-
veloped yellow fever, proving that the
house occupied had been infected. he
had then had them removed and the
building burned. The patients had
protested against the removal but he