The record-union., 1898-10-29
All the Points Of Interest Involved in the
Controversy Covered.
DR.. Charles f. Craig, Bacterio1ogist
of the Sternberg Hospital, Ex-
amined by the Commission in
Relation to Impurities Said to
Exist in the Waters From
Which the Camps Were Sup
piled.

CHATTANOOGA (Tenn.), Oct 2S-
The War Investigating Commission
spent the entire day inspecting the site
of Camp Thomas, in Chickamauga
Park, under the guidance of General
Boynton. The inspection began at
Lytle Station. and covered all points
of interest in the park and near it's
borders which have been in any way
involved in the controversy concern
ing the sanitation of the camp includ-
ing Sternberg and Letter Hospitals;
the various springs from which water
was secured by the troops, including
the famous Crawfish springs and the
point on Chickamauga Creek at which
the water of the pipe line supply was
taken out.
Special attention was given to this
latter place, because of criticisms
which have been made upon this
course of the camps water supply.
They found the intake pipe submerged
about twenty feet above the mouth of
a tributary creek locally known as
Cave Spring Creek, which drained the
camp. The charge had been made that
the water from the tributary stream
had contaminated the water, being
carried back into it by means of eddies,
and in one case by overflow after a
freshet.
General BoyntOn and Mr.. Belts, who
had both been concerned in the loca-
ton of the pipe line, admitted that
there had been one occasion when
Cave Spring had overflowed, thus
throwing its water in the main stream.
The freshet had occurred at night
when the pumps were shut down, and
no water was being taken in. They
called attention to the depth of the
stream, and urged the impossibility of
infection from this stream.
There We're many expressions of COM
mendation of the methods followed at
Sternberg Hospital, and General Dodge
was heard to remark that it was a pity
to have to leave any situation so we'll
equipped.
Major Griffin, in command of the
hospitals, said it would soon be aban-
doned.
The commission also gave attention
to the proximity of the various camps
to one another, and the depth and
localities of the sinks. The conclu-
sion seemed quite general that many
After concluding the inspection of
the camp Major Griffin, who had been
before the commission before, was
asked to make a statement concerning
some criticism of the hospitals made
in a Vermont newspaper by Frank A.
Bailey, who had spent six weeks in
the hospitals nursing his brother.
When he returned home he wrote an
;olo
that he had heard physicians tell at
tendants to give their attention to pa
tients who had a chance to recover,
and not to nurse those who We're sure
to die, in the presence of those desig-
mated as of the latter class, and that
he had heard other physicians instruct
their helpers to give ice cold baths,
with the view of finishing their pa
TENTS
DIR. Griffin pronounced as false all
this statement.
DR.. Charles F. Craig, bacteriologist
of the Sternberg Hospital was also ex-
amined. He was questioned especially
in reference to the water supply. and
expressed the opinion that water taken
from the Chickamauga River through
the pipe system was purer than that
in the wells and springs of the grounds.
He said he had found some sewer ba-
cili in one or two of the wells. though
no typhoid germs. He had also found
impurities in water taken from some
of the springs. He had made two
analysis of the water from the river,
one before the July freshet and the
other after it, and had found it to be
entirely unwholesome from a bacteri-
illogical standpoint 1t was muddy,
and he thought it should be filtered
He had also made tests which con-
vinced him hat there was no danger
of eddies carrying the water of the
Cave Spring Creek into the pipes.
DR.. Craig expressed the opinion that
common house flies are capable OF
proving decided source of disease in
fection, and he detailed archaeological
tests showing that they carried typhoid
germs upon their feet
He also said that he had macerated
a number of flies which had been
placed on sugar impregnated with the
germ, and had procured from them a
pure bacilis culture.