The record-union., 1898-10-19
The Commission Holds Three Ses-
sions at Jacksonville
Hearing Evidence Of Officers and Men Sta
TONED at That Camp.
Chief Commissary Wood Testifies
That There Had Never Been
Any Lack Of Supplies at Camp
Cuba Libre, and as a Rule the
Meat Was Excellent.

The War Investigating Commission
held three session to-day, dealing dur
ing the two days session with the gem
eral staff officers of the Seventh Army
Corps and at night hearing the testi-
mony of officers and men of the Second
South Carolina Regiment. The general
officers examined included the Chief
Surgeon, the Chief Commissary, the
Chief Quartermaster and the Inspector
General of the corps, and all gave de-
tailed information as to their respective
departments for evidence, The meet
ings to-day were held in General
Lodges private car, but She moving
trains made SO much noise that it
was found necessary to find other
quarters, and hereafter the meetings
will be held in the City Council cham
bers.
Colonel Louis Maus, Chief Surgeon
of the Seventh Army Corps, was the
first witness sworn. He is &. regular
army surgeon, and has occupied this
position practically throughout the his
tory of the camp. He said there was
rived in May and there were not very
many sick men. Sickness developed
slowly, and there was very little of it
until July.
He said that when the order came
for the establishment of divisional hos
pitfalls there was some delay in, get
ting supplies, such as tents. He made
his acquisitions on Tampa. but finding
that all efforts were directed to get
ting the expedition off. ne made his
acquisitions upon Washington direct.
After this they were promptly filled.
There was no suffering among the sick.
Still they did not have the luxuries at
at the beginning of the war that they
had in the latter days of it.
Nor" added the doctor, "do I think
that the history of the world has ever
seen a parallel to our present care of
the SICK
Taking up the present condition of
the hospitals, he said there were 500
trained nurses now at work here.
Replying to a question, DR.. Maus
said that after the first few days there
had been no refusal of supplies, and
all acquisitions had been filled prompt
ly. He had never seen such utter dis
regard of expense in caring for the sick
soldiers. He also said the Red Cross
Society has given so much that it was
often unnecessary to ask the Govern
ment for supplies. There had been no
restrictions in the matter of fitting out
the camps.
He thought typhoid fever had been
introduced into the camp by Mississippi
nd ipio hol nd
surface drainage had done much tow
ard the SOURCE, but he was confident
that the regular water supply of the
city had not been in any way respon-
sible for it, He also thought the aies
had done much to disseminate the fe-
ver From the beginning strict atten-
ton had been given to the sinks. He
had never in his life seen such atten-
tion given to sanitation in a camp, but
despite this care typhoid fever broke
out and had become the principal sick
ness here.
DR.. Maus said he had found it diff
cult to prevail upon surgeons III the
volunteer service to learn the admin
istrative duties of their positions. AS
a matter of fact, these duties were ex-
tremely onerous aid for this reason the
volunteer physicians were not so eff
cient as they should have been.
DR.. Maus also dwelt upon the news
paper reports of the suffering in the
camp saying they had generally grown
out of exaggerated statements from
themselves.
DIR. Maus mentioned one instance in
which serious illness had followed the
use of tainted meat, and said he had
heard of a few other instances in which
poor meat had been issued.
DR.. Conner questioned Dr. Maus about
the acceptance of outside aid, and quot
ed a report from Colonel Guild, In
spector General, saying that but for
the action of the Red Cross Society, the
sick would have been without essential
supplies for two months. That state
ment, said DR.. Maus, is utterly false.
THE Government would have supplied
them if the Red Cross had not
Dr. Maus was questioned in regard to
the camp at Miami. He said he had in
vestigated it and found it to be insult
able on account of the water, which
analysis had shown to be impure. He
also thought Tampa unsuitable for a
large camp. He said in response to a
criticism from a Jacksonville lady that
General Lee had given the most careful
attention to the hospitals; that he had
made frequent visits to the sick men.
Mrs. Gordon, wife of General W. w.
Gordon, in relation to the hospital at
Miami, sent q letter in which she made
serious charges, among them one to the
effect that a hospital nurse had become
intoxicated and set fire to a patient s
bed, burning him somewhat, and an
other that flies were often found crawl
ing into the mouths of dying patients.
DR.. Maus had a report from DR.. Villas
in charge of the hospital, read, admit
ting the statement concerning the burn
ing of patients bed, but denying all
others. DR.. Maus expressed the opin-
ion that the charges were exaggerated.
Colonel Oliver E. Wood. chief COM
missary at Camp Cuba Libre, under
General Lee, was this afternoon heard.
He had, he said, fully and completely
met all acquisitions made upon him
for supplies, and there had never been
any lack of them. At first there had
been trouble with the bacon, and about
800 pounds of it had been spoiled, and
therefore condemned AS a rule the
meat was excellent, and in cases where