Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-06-30
FEAR AN EPIDEMIC
Prevalence Of Fever Among Troops
at Camp Alger.
STATEMENT MADE BY SURGEON LEALL
The Drinking Water Submitted for
Chemical Analysis.
q E N Err AL CAMP NEW S
Special Correspondence of The Evening Star.

Special Correspondence Of The Evening Star.
CAMP ALGER. Va. June 30. 1893.
Captain Appeiwaite of Company G. 159th
Indiana. has been i'll for some time with q
fever. He was taken to Fort Myer Hospi-
tai yesterday. The symptoms are very
like those Of typhoid. Four men Of the 7th
New York Cavalry, First Sergeant George
Weyworth. Corporal Ed. D. Brown, Pri-
Yates H. B. Holmes and F. B. Olgilvie Of
Troop c. have all been sent to Fort Myer
as typhoid suspects. Private John M.
Bruce Of Troop A has also been removed
to the hospital indicated. More cases have
been reported from nearly every regiment
in camp and there is much discussion as to
the cause.
First Lieut.. Lealf, assistant surgeon of
the squadron, consented this morning 10
make a statement concerning the situation
for publication In The Star. 'The trouble
is" he said, that the water supply here is
a constant menace to ones health. There
seem to be malaria and typhoid fever in
the very atmosphere. The men in the cav
airy have all been compelled to boil the
drinking water, but many of them. espe-
cially those detailed on sentry duty, have
from time to time been drinking water else
where. wish something might be done TO
make this boiling of water general in the
service. In Cuba and the islands of the
West Indies no one drinks even milk with
out having it boiled
DR.. Leall escorted the lone correspond
ent about the the camp of thu cavalrymen
and discussed the precautions taken by the
government TO prevent typhoid. 1t Is an open
secret among the officers here that the
medical department fears nothing so much
as an epidemic Of typhoid fever, and the
surgeons have been instructed to do every
thing possible to avoid such calamity.
Drinking Water Analysed.
nh
sent to the War Department sample of
the water used by his men for analysis.
thorough fexamination was made and
the following, telegram sent to Col. Girard ::
Water sent by Surgeon j. P. Stewart,
I'D Kansas Volunteers, from well near
that camp was analyzed yesterday by DR..
New and found to give most unsatisfac-
tory results. tits highly charged with
organic matter In a state of change. Please
inform DIR. Stewart Of these results
The corps surgeon was somehow suS-
picious of the analysis. and he himself
gathered some fresh water in clean bot
ties and sent it to Gen. Sternberg. That
this eoursesTw was justifiable Is shown by
the following telegram received this morn
ing: - 5R
water for POD Kansas is organically
pure. 1Gs,i Is 'r STERNBERG!"
So much has been said, however, Of the
possible impurities of the water used and
the possibility of aotyphoid plague that Col.
Girard has appointed a commission to look
into the water supply of the cavalry squad
where most of the fever patients have been
found. The members of this commission
are Surgeon Majors Cook, Almy and Phil
lips. A letter on the subject is being pre-
pared by Colonel Ciirard, and the report of
this commission will be embodied in this
communication.
Attempts Suicide.
Private Sayfes. Company E, Sd Missouri,
attempted suicide yesterday afternoon at
the I'd Division Hospital. While the at
tendant was busy at another part of the
ward, Sayle secured penknife and severed
the veins of his left arm. Before his con-
dition was discovered he had lost guam
tity Of blood and was in very critical
condition. Major Standard dressed the
wound, and this morning reports the pa
tient out of danger. The attempt was
made by Sayles when slightly demented.
His mental condition Is such that he will
be sent to Fort Myer this morning.
Private Frank Pauley, Company Fl, 10th
Indiana, while Intoxicated yesterday after
noon attempted to run "amuck' through
the company streets of his regiment. He
was driven into one of the cellars, and until
midnight held his position there. The
guard drove him out. however. at the point
of the bayonet, and after putting HIM in
irons threw him into the guard house.
Court-martial will consider his case next
Saturday.