Evening star., 1898-11-17
DR.. Forwood Testifes as to the Con.
ditions There.
HAD PLENTY OF MEDICAL SUPPLIES
Dr. Pyles Tells of the Camps of the
District Regiment.
GEN. YOUNG a WITNESS

Ut W. ii. Forwood, who had charge of
all the hospitals at Camp wikoff Montauk
Point, L. l.. resumed his testimony before
the war investigating commission this
morning.
In reply to question by DIR. Conner the
witness said:
There was no time from the opening of
the hrst ward In the general hospital until
the close of the hospital that we did not
nave from 80 to 800 vacant beds"
He said there was a great clamor from,
hclghborlng cities for some of the sick to
be treated there, and when men were able
to be removed he let them go. 1t was con-
sldered as unwise to let a great number of
typhoid fever patients accumulate at Mon
tauk Point, and as soon as they were able
TO travel he let them go. During the first
thlrty days of his hospital at Camp Wikoff
they mad over 5000 patients and il would
not nave been possible TO care for that
huinoer at one time, as they could not have
secured enough lumber and carpenters to
number.
He said the reports of overcrowding prob
aDiv arose from the fact that at one time
Two shlps came in at one time and the men
all were taken to the detention hospital
IN order 10 separate them until II was de-
Neioped that they brought no contagion
but many of these men We're not sick and
could soon be sent to their camps This
caused crowding in the detention hospitaI
out IL did not last long, and at that time
there We're 200 vacant beds in the general
hospital. -
by the Surgeon Generals Order.
Dr. Conner-"Why were you directed TO
leave sick men on the Olivette if you had
sufficient room?"
DIR. Forwood-"That telegram was sent
ps the surgeon general, who was not on
'iie ground and did not know the conditions
there. AT that time L had plenty of room
Tor all the sick on the OIivette"
The witness said he was doubtful whether
any case of typhoid fever OF local origin
occurred at Camp Wikoff though there
were some suspicious cases He did how
ever, anticipate that such cases might oc-
cur but he thought the camps would be
changed frequently enough to prevent il
to any extent.
DR.. conner-'.Were you properly supplied
with medicines"
DR.. Forwood-"There was a wasteful
abundance of medicines. Fifty-four car
loads OF supplies were delivered at Montauk
Point under my supervision Some of the
ooctors Who had been practicing in the
country called for uncommon proprietary
and quack preparations that We didn't have
ana Wien they could not get them they
complained that there was a scarcity of
medicines. Whenever it was possible / got
the preparations these doctors had been
in the habit of using and they were sent
from New York by express. In some cases
these preparations could not be found on
hand in any New York store. These COM
plants came only from the country doc
tors. There was no such complaint on the
part of the army doctors"
Some Complaints Explained
He explained that Dr. Ebert a regular
atmy surgeon at the detention hospital
cid complain that he had no medicines at
one time, but he told the doctor that he
Should send for the medicines at the gen.
eral hospital. he had formerly been In
structed to do. At the general hospital no
acquisitions We're required and no receipts
were required
As TO a complaint by DIR. NJ. W. Wood
regarding a ''deplorable lack of supplies"
DIR. Forwood replied:
He was a medical officer who arrived
from Cuba in a sound state of health. He
applied for a leave Of absence to go home
not on account Of sickness but to suit his
convenience. Gen. Wheeler very properly
refused 10 give this leave of absence. as
his services We're re6ded. From that time
this medical officer did good deal Of kick
irg. He disgruntled and showed IL all
the way through. He was an officer of the
regular army.
This officer had complained of the water
as danger Gus.
Speaking of the character of the water,
DR.. Forwood said:
chiefly by men who had filter or distillation
plants to put in. / am sorry to say the
filter man got in his work and succeeded
in putting in a $I go filter about the time
got through"
He said the water good ard I'm
abundant quantity. 1t was from a well
f1cm which 100000 gallons day taken
by pumping.
The witness said that some doctors came
to the camp from New York under contract
with newspapers to write the camp up.
He said that DR. Lee. whom he knew
formerly, had come there to write the camp
up for New York paper, and he was very
much disgusted when his article was print
ed to see that all the complimentary refer
ences were left out. TIE witness further
said that DIR. Louis A Simpson of The
New York hospital also wrote up the hos
pital, and his article stated that the
kitchens at the camp were dirty. This
unjust, he said.
The Finest Chefs in New York.
''In this connection" said DIR. Farwood,
'it should be understood that we had the
finest chefs of New York ard other cities
One of these chefs has been for three and
a half years the private cook OF VIM. H.
Vanderbilt, and the other chefs were
loaned for service there from the kitchens
of the richest people in New York and Bos-
ton. Before the camp was established Miss
Helen Gould came there and undertook to
provide the hospital with the best cooks
Ine army ration was supplemented with
the very best of everything that could be
found in the Waldorf. We had everything
in the greatest abundance. We had min
eral waters, champagne and liquors Of
every kind There were turkeys, par
tridges, in fact. everything that could be
imagined to supply a table abundantly."
DR.. Forwood said a man from New York
had visited him, ard said he had heard
there was great suffering, and he had
brought bottle of brandy with him. as he
thought it might do some poor fellow good.
The witness said be took his visitor TO the
storehouse. showed him eight barrels of
brandy, ten barrels of whisky and a large
quantity of wine. champagne, &c. The
man. he said, went back to New York ana
took his brandy with him.
"You understand" said Dr. Forwood,
I'VE did all our work under the constant
watch of twenty or thirty newspaper re-
porters. These men were gentlenanly at
all times. and we're perfectly fair, while
they had no hesitation in cr.ticising WHOM
ever they saw anything wrong. / told them
on many occasions not TO spare any one,
rft tf~{Sn 81.