The Portland daily press., 1898-10-06
DE- PAgTMENT DEFENDED.
Investigation Commission Hearing
Continued.

GEN. WHEELER COMPLETES HIS
TESTIMONY.
Gen. Boynton Goes on the Stand and De-
| fends ChicHamauga as Camp Site
Says Water was Plenty and Good.
| Washington, October Seen. Wheeler
completed his testimony before the war
| investigation commission today and was
followed by Gen. H. V. Boynton, who
was still on the stand when the days ses-
sion closed. Gen. Wheeler's statement OF
| today dealt entirely with the conditions
| at Camp Wikof and Gen. Boynton' s
with those at Camp Thomas, where he is
now in command. Gen. Boynton de-
scribed in detail the provisions for sup
plying the Georgia camp with water and
told many interesting facts about the To-
cation Of the troops and the precautions
taken to care for and protect them
whether sick or we'll.
He said the men wasted more food than
the army of the Cumberland consumed
during the Civil war in the siege of
Chattanooga, and he eulogized the supply
methods of the war department through
out.
Washington, October 5.-Gen. Wheeler
resumed his testimony before the war in
vestigating commission today. The ex-
animation on line of the New York World
charges was resumed. He said that If
there were any ''camp horrors" on the
9th OF August as charged the comman-
derssof the camp was responsible for he had
full power to furnish relief. There prob
ably were individual cases Of suffering,
but as rule he knew the soldiers were
we'll cared for. There was certainly no
lack of food. The surgeons were autho-
rized to expend 60 cents per day on each
invalid soldier. In addition to this sup
ply there were his purchases and the con-
tributions of the good ladies by which
the tents were filled with edibles. Fur
thermore many individuals forwarded
sums of money to1 him. AS many as 30
checks were sent him, the largest being
for Sc, 200. He had in each case returned
the checks because the money was not
needed andsbeoause he did not think it
proper that he should undertake the
distribution of food. Gen. Wheeler adj
ritted that in many instances there
were men i'll in their camp quarters.
Often men not very i'll preferred lot to
go to hospitals, and hospitals were too
crowded to make room for them. He also
said there were times when 1t was nec-
essary to put four men in tent, saying
that this arrangement did not necessi-
tate unnecessary crowd1ng or render the
men uncomfortable.
Some time was spent on the charge that
Gen. Wheeler had said that Gen. Eaan
general commissary officer OF subsistence,
had countermanded an order of his for
supplies This occurred, he said, but it
was due to misconstruction of general
orders regarding the 60 cent daily rations
for the sick. The trouble was soon
remedied, not continuing more tina two
days.
stances of the death of Private Perrit.
He said that Major Beach had investi-
gated the occurrence and had made re-
port.
My enquiry, said he, developed the
fact that DIR. Tabor was little gruf to
the men, but it also developed the fact
that he had proved SO efficient in the field
that they were devoted to him and
had petitioned for his retention In the
army.
Continuing, he said, that the charge
was that the man was not sent to the
hospital when he had complained just be-
fore his death. This, he thought, was
one of those individual cases of neglect
and he thought it was to be explained
by the fact that DR.. Tahor was probably
i'll himself. He found this true in other
cases and had demonstrated with phy-
sicians for being irritable to patients, say
ing to them he presumed it was because
they were not well themselves, when they
had admitted this to be the case. zen.
Wheeler said it was true that many sold
iers would fall on the streets. he tnought
that all of them had been weakened by
their experiences in Cuba and most of
them had the germs of fever in them.
Many had had no exercise and the clim-
ATTIC conditions were against them. Even
before they left Cuba they were very
greatly weakened. 1t was not strange,
therefore, ii some of them had fallen to
the ground at Wykotf.
The general took up the statement at
triputed to DR.. Sem, concerning ths
sinks. He said the sinks were covered
with lime. He had examined the ground
and found the soil was not pourous. He
also found that other physicians did not
agree with DR.. Sem as to the danger
from typhoid. There was no outbreak
of fever such as DR.. Sem had predicted.
He admitted also in reply to charge
attributed to DR.. Cyrus Edison, that a
small percentage of the men in hospitals
were without cots and we're lying on
the floor On August 80. They were, how
ever, supplied with beds and in no case
were there any complaints on this account.
1t was painful to me to see the effort to
make it appear that they were complain,
ing when they were not" DR.. Edison had
also predicted an increase OF typheold'
but the prediction had not been verlned..
Replying to a question, he said he had
put in filter on the 3lst of August mere
ly as precaution, not because there 19 was
then danger, but because some VI the sur
geons had suggested that the water sup
ply might become impure as 1t grew ge, low,
er. Many of the doctors had cohCeh0ea
that q filter was not needed.
Gen. Wheeler said he had seen state
ment from DR.. e. E. Smith, tnae 5ne M
drinking water was contaminated. he
had an examination made by the surgeons