Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1898-10-06
THE INVESTIGATION.
CONTINUED from page l.,

very effective.
He thought 1t probable that many
nicn had developed typhoid anter seav-
ing the camp While 1t had Deen con-
s,dert.d desirable to send such SICK as
could 90 to city hospitals, he had eAu-
toned The surgeons against seiluln,
mon not able to leave. he admitlsu
,hat berrre the steam laundry was pu.
to work there was SCARCITY VI el.a.
bed linen for patients he saiu -.
Thomnsssn was mistaken IN chan s4ii7
that ahe chief source OF water supply
w,s 80 well about a rod from a pest
nnnd, He said the we'll was 4oo yaras
from the pond. ,,.raa
Cen wheeler said he had encouraged
tba closest inspection from VISITORS ana
had asked newspaper men TO VISIT 'iie
bosnita,s and report the complaints OF
mon He had also been glad to nave
tho assistance of visiting physicians IN
determining the conditions he had
,ssued an order to prevent the use of
am,bulances by visitors.
Can Wheeler said Surgeon General
c,ternberg on his visit to the camp
had strongly commended the conduct
of the camp
Renlying to criticisms by DIR. New
ton. referring especially to the failure
TO have the camp at Montauk provided
prior to the beginning of the war, Gen.
Wheeler said that it was impossible TO
forsee that the troops would return, at
SO early date.
Mr. Howell asked why there had not
been a courtmartial investigation of
the charges against DIR. Tabor in the
barrett case. Gen. Wheeler replied
that he considered that the initiative
of a courtmalt.al should he taken by
the Washington authorities. He also
said that he had encountered no OBJ
staclss in securing such supplies as he
had made requisition for. In addition
to using the money allowed to buy pro-
visions he had used it for other pur-
poses to add ito the comfort of the men,
buying clothing. blankets. tents. bed
sacks, putting up the laundry, etc. He
thought there We're tents enough to
make $4,000 men comfortable, while
were never more than 10000 men, at
one time.
Gen. Wheeler said that had he heard
of but one instance in which a surgeon
had become intoxicated. The man was
relieved from duty.
Gen. Dodge asked the witness for a
general expression of his opinion as to
the conduct of the various bureaus of
the war department. Replying he
praised the work of all the supply de-
partments, saying they were actuated
by zeal and characterized by inte,i-
gence. He had found the medical de-
partment from Gen. Sternberg down ~
be efficient and anxious to promote the
best interests of his department. This
same was true of the ordnance, com
missary and other departments. Gen.
Wheeler said the mortality among the
Spanish soldiers was quite equal &c
that among the American troops.
This completed Gen. Wheelers testi-
mony.
Gen. II. ". Boynton next took the
stand. Hejsaid that since July 8, he
had been on duty at Camp Thomas as
an army officer. Recently his spec
ial duty had been to look after the
camps water supply. AT present he
was in command of the camp. He
thought $4,000 the largest number Of
troops that had ever been in camp al
any one time. Gems. Brooke. Wade
and Breckenridge had been in command
successfully OF the camp.
Gov. Beaver called Gen. Boynton s
attention to the criticisms of the camp
site and asked his opinion of the
location. Gen. Boynton, who has been
a member of the park commission. for
nine years, said that the park had al
ways been considered one of the most
healthful spots in the country.
There had never been death in the
park force and never @ case of typhoid
fever. Out of 2300 men employed there
there were only seven deaths and none
of them was due to typhoid. In the
year 1890 in the two counties in which
the park was situated there had beer
only IL cases of typhoid fever The
park was $50 to 700 feet above the sea
level. and the land was rolling and vel
drained. being free from swamps.
The whole park was underlaid by
magnetism limestone and it was from
under this that most of the water was
secured. There were three sources
for the supply, number of springs
the river and artesian wells. Their,
Were now SO of these wells, and there
were nine when the camp site was Sc
lected.
The five springs. so far as he knew
were ineXhaustible. In addition t.
these. 100000 gallons were pumped
every q hours from the river and thi
water distributed through the camp b,
means of pipes. The river water sup
ply was not originally designed 70
drinking purposes. but for cooking
washing and other such uses. How
ever. the water had been found to b
quite pure.
The stream was fed wholly by noun
tain springs, including the big Craw
fish springs. The river water mad bee
analysed. three times chemically an
once bacteriologically. The water ha
In each case been pronounced pure an
entirely suitable for drinking and do
mestic purposes. Gen. Boynton re
marked: 1T was impossible for tn
river water to be contaminated.
know all about that and l do not con
slider there is any foundation for tina
charge.
There We're no towns or village
above the camp toward the source c
the Chickamauga river and there wel
no residences on it between the cam
s. and Crawfish springs. There was \
sewage emptying into the stream. I
some instances the water is filtered