The times., 1898-08-02
TO REMOVE CAMP ALGER
Health of the Soldiers in Peril
From Typhoid Fever.
DISEAeEAL At DUNN LORING
There VIII BE No Review of the
Troops by the President While
the MnIndy Prevails Five More
Deaths Reported Yesterday
Bodies Sent Home.

The determination to remove Camp AL
ger from its present site meets with the
approval of the entire military establish
ment. Surgeon General Sternberg said
yesterday:
The camp will be removed at once"
The reason assigned is that typhoid fe-
yer has gained a foothold there and that
It cannot be extirpated. The site was,
the authorities now agree, badly chosen.
There is no running water. and so many
men huddled together away from a
stream, which is one of the first essen
tials of an ideal camp, cannot have good
health.
The deplorable prevalence of fever and
malarial disease, a peremptory demand
from the medical branch of the service
and a food of severe criticism have forced
she War Department into the admission
that the present Camp Alger site was un-
wisely chosen, and at last its removal is
being considered.
Less than a week ago Secretary Alger
allowed himself to be quoted as saying
that no thought of moving Camp Alger
had been entertained by his department.
Yesterday he said:
We have taken the matter under ad-
visement and will probably decide upon
what shall be done within a day or two.
No other site for the camp has yet been
selected. In fact, we have not finally
determined that Camp Alger shall be
moved" +"
This sudden change of attitude on the
part of the War Department is the direc,
M a tfio
General Sternberg, who has recommended
that the camp be moved 10 a more
healthy site at once, representing in en-
phatic terms that unless the sanitary
condition of the troops is improved with
out delay the medical branch of the SER
vice cannot answer for results. Hitherto
those who We're responsible for the pres
ent location have refused to admit their
blunder, and it was with much reluctance
that the proper military authorities con-
sented to consider the proposed change,
even in the face of the Geplorable condi-
tions known to exist anon, the troops.
Why Woodburn Manor three miles from
a railroad and ten miles from running
water, was selected for a mobiliza ton
point is not known. The thing has been
mystery from the start, and beginning
with the day the District regiment pitched
camp on the isolated, unheaithful stretch
of country there has been a cea seless tide
of criticism against the War Department
on account of it. There were numerous
sites along the Potomac that might have
been secured with less difficulty. Many
weeks ago old campaigners protested
against the locality and predicted malaria
and fever epidemic for the unlucky
troops stationed there. These predictions
have been verified with alarming accu-
racy. In fact, the deaths at Santiago
from yellow and dengue fever have not
been far in excess of the fatalities from
typhoid fever at Camp Alger.
When IL Is decided to remove the camp
there is liable to be some difficulty in Sc
curing another site, owing to the objec-
tfonS property owners might naturally be
expected to raise against the proximity
of fever-infected camp. new site will
probably have to be seized as a military
necessity.
1t is announced that there will be nC
review of troops next Saturday in Wash
ington. The surgeon general does not be-
lieve it would be wise to bring so many
soldiers into the city from a fever-infect-
ed camp
Five deaths and forty-one new cases
was yesterdays typhoid record at the
camp.
This makes a total of 165 cases since
Saturday and the fever still continues to
spread all over the camp.
Yesterdays victims were Privates Phil
lip Brown, Company F, Third Missouri;
r. E. Shelton, Company Z, Second Ten
nessee; Arthur T. Norcross, Company f.
Second Tennessee; Charles B. Radloff,
Company I, First Rhode Island and John
]. Connell, First Division Hospital Corps.
The deaths all occurred at the post hos
pital at Fort Myer, where the men had
been removed from the division hospitals.
The bodies will be sent to the late homes
of the dead soldiers.
The troops in camp are now badly
scared, and unless something is done to
check the spread of the disease at once
many of them express their intention OF
going home, where they will be safe from
the ravages of typhoid.
The disease has now gotten firm hold
in the Second Division and owing to the
poor drainage and impure water in some
of the camps 1t threatens to work havoc
among the troops.
The new United States water filters
were issued to the troops yesterday, to-
gether with aerators, and the boys drank
filtered water for the first time. The use
Of the filters is expected to do great
deal in checking the spread Of typhoid
fever, but as the disease now has a firm
hold the surgeons believe that a general
exodus to some new location Is the only
hope left.