The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1898-10-06
WHEELER ON STAND
CONTINUED from first page.l

this that most of the water Is secured.
There were threee 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 thir-
ty-six of these wells, and there were
nine when the camp was selected
In addition to these eighteen hundred
thousand gallons were pumped every
twenty-four hours from the river auo
this water was distributed throughout
the camp by means Of pipes. The river
water supply was not designed originally
for drinking purposes but for cooking,
working and other such uses with the
view of relieving the demund upon tne
wells and springs. However, the water
had been found to be quite pure
1T was impossible for the river water
to be contaminated. | know all about
that. and do not consider there is IVY
foundation for that charge. IherA was
no sewerage emptying into the stream"
General Boynton said there were no
sinks nearer the wells than 2GO feet
The surface of the ground was an inn
pervious clay and the wells were all
drilled through solid rock. 1t was. there
fore, impossible for the water 10 be CON
taminated from the sinks. The wells
were cemented. and there was 10 posi-
bility of pollution from the surface.
In response to query from Captain
Howell he said that the only typhoid
fever in the camp was brought in from
the outside.
The volunteers were, he said, located
in the wooded portion of the park. hut
W Sa1ffiHipnf fn shade. If
was not dense forest. bur j. was such
a one as could easily be penetrated by
the sunshine.
General Boynton asserted that The
camp was not crowded; that the streets
were only about twenty feet vile and
that there was sufficient dis -ance be-
tween the various regiments.
SINKS. AND OFFAL.
General Boynton said that the sinks
were from thirty to forty feet from
the tents and that in some instances
the kitchens were not farther than TWEEN
tn feet from the sinks. Much of the
kitchen offal was burned, but in other
cases the offal was dumped into kitchen
sinks and then at times it was hauled
of and dumped III the woods Contrary 70
orders. Still men were obdurate about
such. matters, and it was difficult mat
ter to properly police 50 extensive 4
camp.
At one time after measles broke out
in the camp, the hospitals were crowded
though he did not think such had been
the case at any other time. Practically
all the sickness was among volunteers.
The regulars were not sick.
Asked if each regiment mad a sutler,
General Boynton replied: 'They had
something worse than sutler. Each
one had a canteen." He said that 372
carloads of beer had been sold in the
camp. Captain Howell asked about
whiskey sales and General Boynton re-
piled that it had been found difficult to
entirely cut out the very sharp moon
sinners from Captain Howell's State. It
was also a fact that Chattanooga was a
splendid town but the saloons We're open
day and night, while on Sundays they
were "closed" outside and open on the
inside.
He said he had never seen such eff
cheney in the supply department Of the
army in the field as in the case of Camp
Thomas All the officials had worked
day and night to render the system eff
fective and had succeeded, The store
houses were so full toward the last as to
render an overflow house necessary.
FOOD AND MEDICINE GALORE.
Sufficient medicines were sent to At
lanta from Camp Thomas to supply fifty
regiments for Il campaign. There was
no lack of rations and the rations were
all good.
Sometime some of the fresh meat
was spoiled. but as a rule 1t was good.
He believed that there was more good
food left over every day than the army
of the Cumberland had for its entire
Chattanooga campaign. No army was
ever so well supplied with food and if
the men did not know how to cook it
certainly Secretary Alger nor President
Mckinley nor anyone in Washington can
be held responsible said the General
with some emphasis.
General Boynton spoke in especial com
mendation Of the Young Mems CHRISTIAN
Assoc at on tents, which AZ slid vct"
The best things in the service. On the
otEtr hand he condemned the outside
drinking houses, where he said much
was sold that was worse than whlsKey.
He remarked in this connection that
Governor Atkinson and the Georgia au-
thOrities had c0-cperated with the militia
ry authorities in a most exemplary malt
ner to suppress these institutions. He
Said there was no lack of transportation
especially in coming in. All arrived in
Pullman cars or in day coaches. 1t WAS
not as it was in the Civil War wien
box car was good enough.
Most of the complaints We're, he said,
from the typhoid fever patients who
were, of course, kept on low rations as a
medical precantion. At A p. III. the com
mission adjourned for the day. Gener-
al Boynton will continue his testimony
tomorrow.
GEORGIA DEMOCRACY WINS.