Daily Kennebec journal., 1898-10-21
II WAS ALL RIGHT.
Investigators So Say About Camp Fernandina
Female Nurses Testify.

investigators SO Say About Camp Fernandini
Female Nurses Testify.
Jacksonville. Fla, Oct. 2O.-The war
investigation commission concluded it's
labors at Jacksonville, tonight, and
shortly after 10 O'Clock, left Jackson
vile for Atlanta, expecting to take up
business there. Gen. McCook and Cot.
SaNton returned. today, from their in
vestigation of conditions at Tampa.
They found the congrestion that oc-
Cured at that point at the beginning
OF the war was due to the fact that
cars were shipped from all over the
country without being labelled and
without forwarding bills of lading.
Gen. j. Wilson and Captain Howell
/ constituting the subcommittee ap-
pointed to visit and report upon the
! conditions at Camp Fernandina made
| their report to the full war investigat-
ing commission today. The following
! is the important part of the document:
! We carefully examined the site of
the camp of the 3rd Pennsylvania vol
unteers, which it had been reported
was tropical jungle, on worthless
! land, until cleared and upon clearing
which the troops are said to have
worked like slaves until it was fit for 4
camp site. While your committee can :
/ not state the condition of this land
when the troops arrived. it found no
appearance of tropical jungle here or
in the vicinity.
mo one by the name of Alger ever
controlled any land in the county Of
| Nassau. as shown by the records. ana
the land Fernandina as q camp was at
the time the property of the state Of
Florida. The water was piped without
Expenditure to the camp from Fernan-
dina, from an artesan well about COG
feet deep. Your committee therefore
has the honor to report that in its
opinion the camp was well selected.
that probably the site was equal in all
| respects to any other that could have
| been found on the Florida coast"
The war investigating commission
heard several of the professional female
nurses at the forenoon session today
including Miss Copeland, chief nurse at
the third division hospital: Miss Rob-
bins, head nurse at the first division
hospitals Miss Hubbard head nurse at
the second division hospital, and Misses
Walker aud Waters. ward nurses.
| Miss Copeland spoke in conmenda-
ton Of the conduct of the hospitals and
said that the nurses We're we'll treated
and apparently much respected. Miss
| Copeland said that when the nurses
first came to camp there was only one
nurse to each 40 to 60 patients but this
condition had been steadily improved
| Major James E. Pitcher, the regular
| army surgeon for the 7th Army Corps,
said that since the early days of the
camp there had been no difficulty in Sc
curing an abundance of medical sup
plies.
Dr. Connor pressed DR.. Pitcher close
ly on the point that the country wa:
full of the report that the medical de-
partment of the government was not
jcapabe Of meeting the demands made
| upon it and that but for the aid OF
such relief societies as the Red Cross,
there would have been actual suffering
DR.. Pitcher replied that such was
not the case. and he maintained the
ability of the government to take good
Care of it's own sick. He said that it
would have been ungracious not to ac-
cept the aid offered by the relief So
cieties.
Captain John w. Swatek of Company
l., Cd Illinois. complained that on two
or three occasions the fresh meat fur
nished his men had been poor, but
said that on all occasions the food had
been good and ample.
General Dodge told the captain that
there had been complaint from almost
every man in the company in regard
to their breakfasts and suppers
| Cant9jn Swotnl rat ha ha1
eaten the same food given the men and
that it was satisfactory to him. He
said. however. that he did not ordinar-
lily inspect the meals of the men.
Sergeant A. F. Larenzon of the
same company, admitted that there
was some complaint among the men,
but he thought the complaints were
due to the fact that the men were
, homesick.
Col. Taylor of the 4th Virginia Regi-
ment was the first witness, at the
afternoon session. He said he had no
complaint to make concerning any de-
partment of the government and that
he knew of no case of wilful neglect.
Lieut.. Morrow. acting commissary of
the Sd Nebraska. Col. Bryan's rey-
ment testified to the generally good
character of the commissary supplies
Col. w. ]. Bryan was next called. He
. asked to be excused from testifyine
, and questioning, and that his lieuten-
ant colonel be examined in his stead
. You / have no doubt, understand my
reasons for the request he said. Il
think the request very. proper and reas-
, | enable" responded Gov. Beaver, and
as the entire commission consented to
+ this concession, Col. Bryan was ex-
! cused with the request ta send up his
| lieutenant colonel
, w. T. Durbin of the 161st Indiana
said there were few complaints from
his men and that they were generally
trivial Col. Durbin also said there
| had been one or two complaints OF
neglect Of his men at the hospital.
DR.. Alexander Kent, pastor of the
. Peoples church, at Washington, anc
: field agent at Jacksonville for the Rec
Cross, was questioned concerning the
> operations of the Red Cross at this
point He said he had been receive!
: cordially by the army surgeons anc
had co-oDerated with them. He hat
notice of the absence of sheets ant