The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-10-06

TIE General Describes the Conditions
at Camp Thomas.

at Camp Thomas.
Gen. H. V. Boynton took the stand in the
afternoon. Since the Sth of July he had
been On duty at Camp Thomas. Recently
his especial duty had been that of looking
after the water supply of that camp. and
still more recently, and at present, he was
in command of the camp. which was en-
i. tirely within the limits of Chickamauga
Park. He thought $1,000 the largest number
of troops that had ever been quartered in
the camp at any one time. General Boyn-
ton, in his capacity as a member of the
Park Commission, had been familiar with
the park for nine years, and said to General
Beaver that it had always been considered
one of the most healthy spots in the coun-
try. There had never been a death in the
park force and never a case of typhoid
fever, though three hundred men had been
employed at one time on the roads. Out of
2,S00 men employed on contract there were
only seven deaths, and none of them was
due to typhoid. He had examined the sta
tistics for the census year of $780, and had
found that in the two counties in which the
park is situated there had been only twelve
cases of typhoid fever The park is $50 to
ECO feet above the sea level and free from
swamns
The whole park is underlaid by magnetism
limestone, and it was from under this that
most Of the water was secured. There were
three sources for the water supply. The
first of these was a number of springs, the
second the river and the third artesian
wells. There are now thirty-six of these
wells, and there were nine when the camp
site was selected. The five springs, so far
as he knew, were inexhauStibe, and only
one Of them had been exhausted during the
occupancy of the camp by the troops. The
wells were also apparently inexhaustible
addition fhQG0 piOhfnQn hundred
sand gallons were pumped every twenty
four hours from the river, and this water
distributed through the camp by means of
pipes. The river water supply was not
designated originally for drinking purposes
but for cooking. washing and other such
uses. 1t had been found to be quite pure.
The stream was fed wholly by mountain
springs. the nearest of which was CrawfiSh
spring, with an output of 100000 gallons
per day. The river water had been analysed
four different times, three times chemically
and one, within the last two weeks, bac-
teriolOgically In each case it had been
pronounced pure and entirely suitable for
drinking and domestic purposes,
RIVER NOT CONTAMINATED.
at was impossible for the river water to
be contaminated. L know all about that
and do not consider there is any founda-
ton for that charge" said the witness.
There were no towns or villages above the
camp to the source of the Chickamauga
river, and there were no residences on it
between the camp and Crawfish springs.
There was no sewage emptying into the
stream. In some instances the water was
filtered, but some of the filters was found to
be unsatisfactory and of little use. The
water was, in the main. hard limestone.
1t is claimed that this quality is what
makes the Kentucky trotters, that it goes
to bone.' said General Beaver.
1t is not claimed by the papers of recent
date" responded General Boynton.
General Boynton said that while there was
plenty of water and of good OfIalifV for the
camp, considerable water had been brought
in recently in barrels from springs four Or
of the suspicion of some of the surgeons
concerning the water in the camp. When
the men began to get sick the surgeons in
sisted upon going away from the camp for
the water, and this was done, notwithtand-
ing the analysis showed the water to be
pure. He said there were no sinks nearer
the wells than 200 feet. The surface of the
ground was an impervious clay and the
wells were all drilled through solid rock. 1t
was, therefore, impossible for the water to
be contaminated from the sinks The wells
were cemented and there was no possibility
Of pollution from the surface.
In response to a query from Captain
Howell. he said that the only typhoid fever
in the camp was brought in from the out
side. The volunteers were located in the
wooded portion of the park, but the wood
was only sufficient for shade 1t was not
dense forest and could easily be penetrated
by sunshine. He had never heard of mil
dew forming on the camp on account Of
dampness.
was not crowded; that the streets were
about twenty feet wide, and that there was
sufficient distance between the various regi-
mentS. The sinks were from thirty TO nine
~ feet from the tents, and in some dis
tances the kitchens were not farther than
twenty feet from the sinks. Much of the
kitchen offal was burned, but in other cases
the offa was dumped into the kitchen sinks
and then at times II was hauled off and
Still men were obdurate about such matters
and 1t was difficult matter to properly
police SO extensive camp
THE OUTBREAK OF TYPHOID.
Typhoid fever in the camp did not excite
serious attention until about the middle of
July, when the cases averaged about two
per thousand 1t afterwards increased until
there were about four hundred cases among
the fifty thousand men. He said he had
given especial attention to the hospital of
the Second Division of the Third Corps as
it had received the especial attention of
able and influential sensational press. He
had found that out of 2.462 cases of illness
in this hospital there had been only 216
cases Of typhoid. The fever had in all cases
been of a mild character. At one time, after
We're crowded, though he did not think such
had been the case at any other time. Prac-
tically all the sickness was among volun-
teers. The regulars were not sick. =
Asked If each regiment had sutler Gen.
Boynton replied; They had something
WOloc litdil a. oulltis cdCH OHe ndu d Call
teen" He said that 372 carloads of beer had
been sold in the camp.
Captain Howell asked about whisky sales
and General Boynton replied that it had
been found difficult to entirely cut out the
very sharp moonshners from Captain
Howells State. 1t was also a fact that
Chattanooga was a splendid town, but the
saloons were open day and night. while on
Sunday they were CLOSED on the outside
ard open on the inside" General Brooile's
orders allowed two men out of each COM
pany to visit Chattanooga per day, which
would permit the absence of about 200 men.
lie deprecated the fact that the army regu-
lations permitted the canteen system.
The general said he had never seen such
efficiency in the supply departments of the
army in the field in the case of Camp
and night to render the system effective
and had succeeded. The storehouses were
so full towards the last as to render
overflow house necessary. Sufficient medi-
eines were sent to Atlanta from Camp
Thomas to supply fifty regiments for a
campaign. There no lack of rations
ard the rations were all good The variety
was equal To that supplied by family
grocery. Each man had loaf of bread
times some of the meat was spoiled but
a rule II was good. He believed there was
more food left over every day than the
army Of the Cumberland had for its entire
Chattanooga campaign. mo army was
ever so well supplied with food. and If the
men did not know how TO cook IL certainly
Secretary AlRer nor President Mckinley nor
mFble," said the general with some emphasis.
General Boynton spoke IN especial COM
mendation Of the Young Mems Christian
Association tents. which. he said were the