The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-10-22

over the Southern railway today at 10
o'clock, and, after calling upon Cen
eral Pennington, in command Of the
department, proceeded to Fort Nc
Pherson The only work to be done
here is in connection with the hospital
at the fort The members separated
into parties of two each for the purpose
of visiting the various divisions of the
institution. They found the barracks
at the post had been transferred into
hospital wards. and, Notwithstanding
the day was wet, the wards were all
found TO be comfortable and warm.
There are now 800 patients in the in
stitution and many of them are con-
valescent The commissioners talked
with surgeons, nurses and patients.
They encountered no complaint from
the sick men, and nurses stated that
the work was constantly growing less
and less, owing to the decrease in the
number of patients. They also visited
the mess hall of the convalescents
while they were at dinner and the diet
kitchen while dinner was being pre-
pared They found the men in the
messroom abundantly supplied with
food. and partaking of it with a relish
known only to men who have just re-
covered from typhoid fever.
The commissioners examined only
two witnesses here. They were Major
Blair f. Taylor. surgeon in charge of
the general military hospital here. and
Rev. Orville J. Nave, chaplain of that
institution. Both appeared at the af
ternoon session of the commission. Ma
jor Taylor related the history of the
hospital from its inception. He said
that recently he had had no difficulty
in securing supplies. as he mad been
given carte blanche to purchase them.
L L
given until the 1st of August, whereas
It had been asked for as early as the
25th of June. He had, in the beginning
of the camps history, had considerable
difficulty in getting acquisitions filled,
although he had no difficulty in get
ting them approved by the authorities
at Washington. One requisition, made
on the 10th of May. and another, on the
14th of June, had not been entirely
filled until very recently. These requi-
sitiOns had been made upon the New
York supply depot. while all that were
made upon the st. Louis department
have been promptly filled. One hun
dred and sixteen cots ordered in the
beginning of the season had only ar
rived day or two since. and they were
not now needed. DR.. Taylor had. on
account of the delay in filing these
acquisitions, been compelled to call
upon the surgeon general for a portion
of his special fund, and had thus pre-
vented any suffering among patients.
Among the departments in which there
was delay in delivery was bed linen.
DR.. Taylor said he had found the pres
ent communication of O-cents-a-day
fund more than sufficient to furnish
food for the sick men. and he expressed
the opinion that 40 cents a day would
be sufficient for the purpose OF supply
ing food DR.. Taylor stated that a
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 re-
moved, as many of them were typhoid
fever patients. and in such cases re-
pose was prime necessity. Many pa
tents had died soon after arrival
Rev. orville ]. Nave. post chaplain at
Fort Mcpherson, said he had visited
every patient who had been in the hos
oital. and that he had never heard a