The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-10-20
YELLOW YARNS PUNcIUR[D.
HARDSHIP AND SUFFERING Al
JACksONyILI.E NoN-ExISTENT.
One Army Surgeon Grifcises tne
Contract Surgeons and the Per-
sonneI of the Hospital Corps. But
Finds No Other Cause OF t0mpiafat

vision hospital. lie condemned some of
the nlethcs3s in vogue IN the hospitals, and
said that In mary cases the contract ply
sielans and members Of the hospital corps
were incompetent.
The commission has decided that one OF
rs members should lie IN the commissions
Office al Washington. and Col. DENLY has
been selected for this service. He was So
iecteJ patty for the reason that his health
has no; been as robust when IL Wash
ington.
The commission resumed work today
with MAJ. Noble H Creager. quarteruas-
ter. or The stand. He said there had never
been any serious shortage OF supplies in
The Seventh corps and ne WAS sure there
had been no suffering caused by deficiency
o! supplies.
Congressman J. r. Campbell, colonel Of
the Ninth Illinois volunteers, was exam
ineti He spoke In complimentary terms OF
the administration OF the officers OF the
army. saying that acquisitions OF all kinds
had been promptly filled and the quality
OF the articles supplied was generally good
Lieut.. Moore. acting commlssary OF the
Ninth Illinois was questioned in regard To
the quality of rations. He said there had
been no difficulty, except as 10 the fresh
beef, and agreed with Col Campbell taat
there had been NO trouble on account "
meat since the arrangements had been to
take cured hams instead Of beef
Lieut.. Tolllvef. anartermaster OF the
TO the quality and quantity of The supplies
reaching the command through his office
He thought the tent material poor. bat had
made no F@4uiS-tiOn Tor other tents
I ne Comnssary Sergeant Lay, " Com
pany A, Of The regiment suggested there
should be greater supply Of a variety
OF vegetables than the present ration in
Guides Dr. r. l.. Frye, MA jor and exc
cutive officer OF the third division hospital,
testified as 10 the management of this
institution and also as TO the management
second At MOntAIk
Point, from which place he was trans
ferred to this camp. ard the military hos
pital al Fort Mcpherson. Ga. where he
was also stationed for time. He said
the Montauk patients had lacked for moth
Ing ana were exceilently taken care Of by
both physician and nurses. AT Fort Nc
Pherson there were al one time S25 pa
tients. There was no material shortage ia
drugs at this point, but occasionally there
was slight deficiency, which was, however.
quickly overcome.
Speaking of the hospital in which he
Is engaged here IA said the location vas
"a good as could be secured In this v!cni-
~. but that the general surroundings We're
not suitable 10 hospital service. AT times
the hospital has been slightly overcrowd-
ed, as many as seven or eight men being
occasionally stored In one tent. This Was
due 10 emergency. The patients. however.
had been well cared for by both physi-
clans and nurzes ana the hospital supplies
nurses are females. They are generally
very competent. There was always one
nurse on duty for every three patients, on
the average. Up 10 date 100 patients had
been treated at the hospitals.
There had been only seventy-three
deaths. About ninety cases were from
TYPHOID fever. This was smaller per
cent than the average mortality in civil
Ian hospitals.
Rasuming his testimony. DR.. Frye spoke
of the causes OF the prevalence of typhoid
fever ia the Jacksonville camp. lie at
tr.buted IL largely 10 the age OF the men,
young people being more susceptible than
those more advanced in age TO this disease.
He thought much was due to the careless
ness OF the men themselves.
DIR. Frye said that n all the hospitals
with which he had been connected there
had been deficiency Of bed linen. This
had been especially true al Fort McPher-
son. There had been orders to prepare
beds for thousand patients there, but
this demand had by no means been met.
lighting facilities There was not snf-
lciency Of candies or lanterns. REQUEST
tionS. had been made for them. but they
could not be secured from the government
stores. owing 10 the congestion OF orders
Hence Il WAS necessary to depend upon the
Red Cross for these articles DR.. Frye
expressed the opinion that in several in
stances convalescents had been sent away
from The hospitals with which ne vas con-
nected before they were sufficiently ad-
yanced TO permit them 70 go in safely. He
bai 70 personal knowledge of any indi-
vidual cases OF this kind. but was salts
fed that sach cases had occurred. Tie
sufficient supervision. to ignorance of ply
sciaas and 10 a desire 10 clear the wards
Of the hospitals for new patients.
nr. Frye spoke il very urcompiimenfaTy
terms Of the men engaged In the hospital
corps. sa~.rg they had been picked up al
random over the country and were gen
orally scabhy looking lot not fit to
acorn any walk q Nfe. He a'so spoke de-
p~ec4atirey Of the contract surgeons, say
Ing that re would not be wiling TO trust
his family = friend to 80 per cent, OF
them.
Many OF them he sad. are recent
graduates from medical institutions. and |
| do not consider the average medical grad
uats. capAbi- Of taking charge of from
| twenty-five 10 tfty typhoid fever cases -
There was. he said. 10 proper opportun-
| .ty for consultation with superior officers.
| as the latter were, rs rule, 50 occuD. I'd
With their administrative duties az TO pre-
Vent Ihejr giving c.rser attention 10 pro-
| fssstonal mates unless specially called
| upor. He considered th,s system all
| wrong au4 CO. Sidere4 there should Re
! more supervision In serious cases n the
| hospitals O. Tie pgrt o; me experienced
/ men.
! In reply 10 q request from Gen Dodge,
! Mat Frye savs his opinion II he origin
! ~ The popular excitement concerning con-
! d''i1as a. Moutank poiHt while the troops
| were stationed there. He said that from
! 81 10 - ger cent 81 n. msn were sick
| wavn they landed there ana that insult
! f-jsut -CoT had BEEN made f0r them. As
! "a consequence, many were compelled 70 lie
/ upon thF h&-e ground. and they naturally
! suffered from exposure lIc also asserted
! that reporters q the many newspapers had
| been sent 10 The camp grier instructions
| to ind al! ihss was bad AMI roth-ag that
! VS. god
20 vou know this e your oSu personal
| know .e3se q" re was ash Cd, ard BE- reg ID
| Ne. hut vas tN3 u by C1ea woo talked
! with the reporters ="
| Cen = q winston. IN command of the
! First brigade e the Seventh corps vas
/ questioned atou; varloos points. having
| been stationed 1T Camp Thomas Montauk
| point. AnEssgon and ether points before
| coming II Jacksonville. he sic The pr:n-
| cipal objection Se hat g Camp T11oTn4s ~,
! thscka77sugs park vas the fact that K
! was impossible % account % ~ formation
/ az t1r ground . have sinks rnore thaa two
/ or three feet - cepeA. There haG ais hs en
! Er .DSuffeisncy a. water from th@ baeIr-
fiEs ~ ne history % the amp.
! Volunteers Playing for Discharges.
! T. allowing e RI extract from A .etfet
/ - @.Gn ofF:csr y the army fson IA ~.
fa&tp - Iy3.E. Comsr}SsaYy ~ sah%.s-
/ teC@r. r@-trti0g tne supplies 81 II r5...u.
eir October tna STEAMER brought news
! rs1ers fyocn Rhich ! learned ga, ,he
/ troops =, Camp = h.G.ey here have writ
! ter home nat t-1Y az beng starved. etc.
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