The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-10-21
Didn't Want to Testify Before In.
yedigatiOn Board.
APPRECIATED REA-
SONS AND LET HIM OFF.
The Congestion at Tampa Investigated and
the Cause Found-Army Nurses Testify
Before the Board-Commissione Go
To Atlanta.

To Atlanta.
Jacksonville, October 2O.-The war in
vestlgation committee concluded its la
bors at Jacksonville tonight and shortly
after ten o'clock left for Atlanta, expect
ing to take up business there. The COM
nissioners are generally pleased with
the result of their labors here. General
McCook and Colonel Saxton returned to-
day from their investigation Of conditions
at Tampa. They found the congestion
that occurred at that point at the begin
ming of the war was due to the fact that
oars were ship ped from all over the coun-
try without being labelled and without
forwarding bills of lading.
Jacksonville, Fla, October 20.-Gener-
al Wilson and Captain Howell, constitut'
ing the subcommittee appointed to visit
and report upon the condition at Camp
Fernandina. made their report to the full
commission today. The following is the
important part of the document:
1--WE carefully examined the site of the
camp of the Third Pennsylvania volun-
teers, which it had been reported was "a
tropical jungle, on worthless land, until
cleared, and upon clearing which the
troops ara said to have worked like
slaves unit it was fit for camp site.
While your commission cannot state the
condition OF this land when the troops ar
rived, it found no appearance of tropi-
cal jungle here or in the vicinity. No
one by the name of Alger ever controlled
any lands in the county of Nassau, as
shown by the records, and the land oc-
oupied by the Third Pennylvania volun-
teers at Fernandina as a camp was at the
time the property of the state Of Florida.
The water was piped, without expenditure
to the camp from Fernandina from an
artssian we'll about 600 feet deep.
"Your commission therefore has the
honor to report that in Its opinion the
camp was will selected and that proba-
bly the site was equal in all respects to
any other that could have been found on
the Florida coast"
The war investigating commission
hoard several of the professional female
nurses at the forenoon session today, in
Guiding Miss Copeland. chief nurse at the
, Third division hospital; Miss Robbins,
head nurse at the First division hospital; !;
Miss Hubbard, head nurse at the Second
division hospital, and two ward nurses.
Miss Cope land said that when the
nurses came to camp there was only one
nurse to each 40 or 60 patients but this
condition had been steadily improved.
Captain John W. Swatek Of Co. L, Sec.
ond Illinois. complained that on two or
three occasions the fresh meat furnished
bis men had been poor. but that on
all other occasions the food hau been good
and ample. General Dodge told the cap
tain that there had been complaint from
almost every man in the company in re-
gard to their breakfast and suppers.
Captain Swatek replied that he had
that it was satisfactory to him. He said,
however, that he did not ordinarily in
spect the meals of the men.
Colonel Taylor of the Fourth Virginia
regiment was the first witness at the af.
ternoon session. He said he had no COM
plaint to make concerning any depart.
nent Of the government and that he
Lieut.. Morrow, acting comn,issary OF
the Third Nebraska. Colonel bryan s
regiment, testified to the generally good
character of the commissary supplies.
Colonel W. J. Bryan WAS next called.
He asked to be excused from testifying
and questioning. and that his lieutenant
colonel be examined in his stead. You,
have no doubt, understan my reasons
| for the request, he said.
II think the request very proper ana
| reasonable" responded Governor Beaver
and as the entire commission consented
| to this concession, Colonel Bryan was ex-
| cused with the request to send up his
lieutenant colonel.
W. I. Durbin Of the 16lst Indiana said
| there were few complaints from his men
and that they were generally trivial
Colonel Durbin also said there had been
one or two complaints Of neglect of his
men at the hospital.
Dr. Alexander Kent. pastor of the Peo-
ple's church at Washington and f1e Id
agent at Jacksonville for the Red Cross,
was questioned concerning the operations
of the Red Gross at this point de said
| ne had been received cordially by the
army surgeons and had co-operated WIN
them. He had noticed the absence OF
sheets and pillow cases at the Second d.
| vision hospital in it's early history. Many
men lay uncovered on account or snor1
supply of blankets.
III seemed,' he said, ''as if the hospi-
tai was arranged upon smaller scale
than was demanded anG as consequence
there was constant demand upon the
Red Cross to supply the deficiency"
DR.. Kent said he had heard many COM
plants concerning misconduct at the hos
pitfalls and many of them We're apparently
we'll vouched for, but they had not gener-
ally proved we'll founded when investi-
gated.
The witnessEsaidIthe principal reasons of
the failure of the physicians to make re-
quisitions on the government for supplies
was found in the fear of their making
demands that would not be sanctioned.
The aid of his society was generally
solicited and not volunteered by him.
ROOSEVELT DISCUSSED DAILY
ISSUE.