The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-11-01
THE TOUR Is FINISHED.
The investigaAing Commission Returning
10 Washington.

The investigaAing Commission Returning
10 Washington.
Knoxville. Tenn. Oct 31.-The war
investigating commission concluded the
work of its southern tour here to-day
and at O'Clock Tonight left for WASH
ington. expecting to arrive there about
2 o'clock Tomorrow afternoon. II is
the present Intention that the commits
sion shall go to Camp Meade soon az
ter arrival at Washington and ex-Gov-
ernor Woodbury. will proceed directly
to Vermont as a subcommittee to take
testimony there.
The committee devoted the forenoon
to inspecting the camps and the after
noon to taking testimony. They found
a division OF troops here under the
command OF Colonel Kurtz OF the End
Ohio. and while they had no personal
criticism to express against him. some
OF the commissioners expressed the
opinion that the command was too
large to be entrusted to an officer be-
low the rank of brigadier. The trans
fer of Colonel Kurtz to the command OF
the division leaves the brigade of which
his regiment is a part in command of
Colonel Young. the colored colonel of
the 3rd North Carolina.
The first witness before the commits
sion was DIR. John c. r. Martin. a
contract surgeon from Ohio. who was
at Chickamauga. He repeated his ex-
preston of the opinion that the water
In the pipe line system at Chickamau-
ga was contaminated by the water from
Cave Spring creek. He said that after
he had first expressed this opinion, say
ing at the same time that the facts in
regard to the existence of typhoid was
being suppressed, he had been sum-
moned by General Sheridan and told
that he must retract Immediately or
submit to court martial. He had then
written a letter OF retraction. but he
declared that he had done this to pro-
mote discipline and not because ne had
changed his opinion as to the pollution
Of the water. He read a statement from
the pumping station engineer to the ef-
feet that the new channel of the Cave
Spring creek was not completed until
Aug. and that previous to this time
the current emptied into Chickamauga
river. just above the mouth of the in
take pipe Of the pipe line. He also ex-
pressed the opinion that the Jay Mill
spring at Chickamauga, Ca, was con-
taminated from the surrounding sinks.
DIR. Park l.. Treyers. a contract sur
geon from Ohio. who was engaged in
the hospital OF the second division for
the first corps at Chickamauga, differed
with most OF the physicians In his esti-
mate of typhoid. He said that while
many believed 90 per cent. Of the sick
ness at the camp to be typhoid, ne did
not believe that to exceed 20 per cent.
was OF that character. He also took is
sue with those who charged typhoid to
the agency Of flies. attributing II to
the water. He thought most OF the
diseases at Chicksmauga park were
miasmatic. He said IL was true that on
some occasions II had been necessary
to have patients at this hospital on
the ground as much as 10 hours at a
time until provision could be made for
them.
Colonel G. X. Hughes. division super
intendent of the Southern railway. gave
the commission Information as 10 the
trouble encountered in moving troops.
He said that as a rule the soldiers CO.
operated in the work OF the railroad
company. but that there had been some
disorder at times.