The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-10-06
WHEELER PRAISES THEM ALL
Continued from First Page

eral expression of his opinion as to the
conduct of the various bureaus of the war
department.
Replying, he praised the work of all the
supply departments, saying they were ac-
tuated by zeal and characterized by intel
ligence.
He had found the medical department,
from Gen. Sternberg down, to be efficient
and anxious to promote the best interests
of his department. The same was also
true of the ordnance, commissary and 9TH
er departments.
Gen. Wheeler spoke of the mortality
among the Spanish soldiers, saying that
it was quite equal to that among the
American troops.
Gen. II. V. Boynton, who has been on
duty at Camp Thomas since July s, part
of the time in command of the camp, was
examined at the afternoon session. Chick
amauga Park, he said, where the camp
was located, had always been considered
a healthy place.
The whole park is underlaid by magnes-
ian limestone, and it was from under this
that most of the water is secured, There
were three sources for the water supply.
The first of these was number of springs
the second the river. and the third artes-
ian wells. There are now thirty-six of
these wells and there were nine when
the camp site was selected. In addition
to these eighteen hundred thousand gal
Ions were pumped every twenty-four
hours from the river and 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 washing and other such
! uses with the view of relieving the de-
! mand upon the wells and springs How
ever, the water had been found to be
| quite pure.
1T was impossible for the river wa
ter to be contaminated" said he. II
| know all about that, and l do not con-
slider there is any foundation for that
charge. There was no sewerage emptying
! into the stream
Gen Boynton said there were no sinks
nearer the wells than 200 feet. The sur
face of the ground was impervous clay
and the wells were all drilled through
solid rock.
1t was, therefore, impossible for the wa
ter to be contaminated from the sinks
The wells were cemented, and there was
no possibility of pollution from the sur
face,
In respose to query from Capt. 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, but the
wood was only sufficient TO shade. IL was
not a dense forest but IL was such one
as could easily be penetrated by the sun
shine.
Gen. Boynton asserted that the camp
not CROWDED. tudI lilt SutGNS were
only about twenty feet wide, and that
there was sufficient distance between the
various regiments.
Gen. Boynton said that the sinks were
| from thirty to ninety feet from the tents,
| and that in some Instances the kitchens
were not farther than twenty 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 off and dumped in
the woods contrary 10 orders. Sbll, men
were obdurate about such matters, and it
| was a difficult matter to properly police
so extensive camp
AZ 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.
Tho regulars were not sick.
Asked If each regiment had a suter,
| Cen BoVnton replied "They had some
thing worse than sutler. Each one had
| a canteen.'
He said that S72 carloads of beer had
| been sold in the camp. Capt. Howell ask
ed about whisky sales, and Gen. Boynton
replied that 1t had been found difficult to
entirely cut out the very sharp moonshn-
ers from Capt. Howeils state. 1t was also
a fact that Chattanooga was a splendid
! town but the saloons were open day and
night, while on Sundays they were closed
on the outside and open on the inside
He said he had never seen such eff
cheney in the supply departments 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 effective.
and had succeeded The storehouses were
| so fun toward the last as to render an
| overflow house necessary.
Sufficient medicines were sent from At
. lanta to Camp Thomas to supply fifty regi-
| ments for a campaign. There was no lack
Of ratons, and the rations were all good
sometimes some of the fresh meat was
spoiled but as rule it was good We
believed that there was more food left over
every day than the army of the Cumber-
land had for its entire CHATTANOOGA cam
paigu No army was ever so well sun.
piled with good food, and If the men did
not know how to cook it, certainly Secre.
tary Alger, nor President Mckinley, noa
any one in Washington, can be held re-