The age-herald., 1898-10-22
From the Nurses Of Sick Now Being
 Treated There.
LEFT LAST NIGHT FOR ANNlSTON
One or Two Days will be Spent at the Latter Place. After Which Commis- sion will Proceed to Hunts
 vile and Chattanooga.

 vestigating commission arrived here over the Southern railroad at 10 o'clock today and, after calling upon General Pennington, in command of the department, proceeded to Fort McPherson. The only work the board did here is in connection with the hospital at the fort.
 This is one of the largest military hos pitfalls in the country, and it contained at one time during the past summer almost a thousand patients, most of them coming from Tampa and other Florida camps. The commission has received but one complaint concerning the conduct of the hospital, and it is not anticipated that much time will be found necessary here.
 One or two days will be spent at Annis- ton, after which the commission will pro- ceed to Huntsville and Chattanooga.
 Conduct of Camp Thomas
 After finishing the work at Chattanooga, at which place the conduct of Camp Thomas will be thoroughly inquired into, the commission will be divided, portion of them proceeding to Washington via Knox vile and Camp Meade and the others going to Lexington, Ky, Cincinnati and Detroit.
 There will probably be four members in each of these parties.
 The war commission devoted the portion of the forenoon remaining after it's arrival here to an inspection of the hospital at Fort McPherson. The members separated into parties of two each for the purpose of vis- iting the various divisions of the institu- ton. They found the barracks at the post had been transformed into hospital wards, and notwithstanding the day was wet the wards were all found to be comfortable and warm, made so in each case by large stove in the center of the room.
 There are now 322 patients in the institu- tion, and many of them are convalescent. The commissioners talked with surgeons, nurses and patients. They encountered no complaint from the sick men and the nurses stated that the work was constantly grow ing less irksome, owing to the decrease in the number of patients.
 The Convalescents
 They also visited the mess hall of the con- valescents while they were at dinner and the diet kitchen while dinner was being pre- pard. They found the men in the mess room abundantly supplied with food, and all partalking of it with a relish known only to men who have just recovered from typhoid fever.
 The commissioners examined only two witnesses here. They were Major Taylor surgeon in charge of the hospital, and Rev. Orville J. Nave, chaplain of the institution. Both appeared at the afternoon session of the commission Major Taylor related the history of the hospital from it's inception. He said that recently he had no difficulty in securing supplies, as he had been given carte blanche to purchase them. This au- thority had not, however heen given until the 1st of August whereas it had been asked as early the 25th of June. He had in the beginning of the camps history had considerable difficulty in getting requisi- tions filed although he had no difficulty in getting them approved by the authori- ties at Washington. One requisition mad 2 on the 16th of May and another on the 2Ith of June had not been entirely filled until very recently These acquisitions had been made upon the New York supply depot, while all that were made on the St. Louis depot had been promptly filed One hum dred and sixteen cots ordered July 1 had only arrived day or two snce and they were not now needed. He had on account of the delay in filling these reuuisitions been compelled to call upon the surgeon general for a portion of his special fund and had thus prevented suffering among the patients.
 Forty Gents Would Suffice
 Dr. Taylor said that he had found the 60 cents a day communication fund more than sufficient to furnish food for the sick men, and he expressed the opinion that 40 cents per day would suffice for the purpose of supplying food.
 Dr. Taylor stated in reply to question that he considered Atlanta an excellent place for winter hospital, because of the convenience in reaching the seaports of the southwest because the climate was mild and yet cold enough to present infection.
 He said that large proportion of his patients had been received from Tampa. but that some had come from Jacksonville. Chickamauga and other points. He also said that many had been sent here who were not in condition to be moved as many nf fxrral l,At1 in such cases repose was prime necessity. Many patients had died soon after arrival.
 Rev Oryille J. Nave, post chaplain at Fort McPherson said he had visitetd every patient who had been in the hospital and that he never heard a single complaint from man who was possessed of his reason while on the contrary he had heard many expressions of gratitude and commendation for the excellent conduct of the hospital MT. Nave expressed the opinion that zin the conduct of military hospitals generally there was too little care of the clothing and other property of patients.
 Thieving in the Hospitals
 The custom is to put sick mans cloth ing under his pillow when he enters a hos pital and Dr. Nave said the men often never again sees either his clothing or ar ticles that may be left in his pockets. He had known many instances in which men were brought here with no clothing except ing their night shirts and he himself had secured through private help no fewer than a hundred suits for such men as had lost their clothes "In a word" he said, "the thieving which has been going on and the petty peculation which has been practiced upon soldiers, often times by their com rades, has been one of the saddest features of the war" While the bodies of patients were carefully guarded their property was, the chaplain said, very valuable to the pa tient in case of his recovery and to friends and relatives in case of his death.