Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1898-11-02
WAT ER,$1.25 PITCHER
Soldiers Paid the Price or
Went Thirsty.
EVIDENCE 100 DEGRADING
witnesses Before the investiga.ins Com
mission Mt Lexington Give Unrrinr
able TestIn" ony Regarding the
Condition of the Camus
lRE Telaoranhl

by Lieutenant Colonel Mitchell ~ -,
'NS' 1eTrltotials. last night H., ,id
,''. 'elniSition had been honornd f,nn,
The Territorials - ''''
The second Witness ,,
''ates. who testified as to TN. s,,,;
Sa'hialSh. the camps at Mohjl, an,,
"itk ahiuga. He Went 10 see ,..n..,.,
.'i"oAe regarding the lack OF eu,,i,,
. I'LL clothing and other suprlieS
ne gay before we left Mobile ~. 20.
Vel supplied he said .''rh.s
""r.- supplies for recruits A, s:,n,i,,,
W" had bread ana meat ,lv,vs NJ
'1uk f"int was not tn" prone, ,,I.,r, =,
q camp oi sick soldiers ut This ,;,uo ~
N"ar AZ M"ntauk Poin, l..rn..l ~, f:
he Long Island railroad had an ,xcIu
city - ''''
In Cuba medical supplies wo,o ,,,o
lnily short. The medical ot,irer. s,ia
thcN could not get them.
ms WAS especially true at Sjbnuov
~ gong over We had enough i,l..dira'
supplies. but we wcr. cut down We
ma" trouble in getting ambulances taken
"p'- got ono for each regimen:
ana on" tor the squadron | think IN,
ainhuianc"s took were. tn, nnl, ,,,,,,
ashore when the Rough Riders. n,.I,
Incurred. on the 24th of juno. Whor
asked what. In his opinion, Wis ~.
weakness in the medical department
az Dates Sald hr thought, :, great
mistake was mad. in no, scndin., ne1
i'"i olhccfs in sufficient numbers witi
regiments ordered to tho field A1di
.l"iii' transportation should have bee,
furnished for medical officers ana med
c;il supplies. ainbuances ana horses
ihlnk there is not suiici-n, exc,,s +,
Tor medical supplies being short i'm
'uha. continued the witness. Bette
preparations could hay" been made ia
transInrtation. We had no way /, sho,
horses ana mules
General Rates had no r"c.,,n.n.n,la
TONS to suggest
Or Edgar a. Mearns i'm rh:,ru.. Of Ia.
Gibbs General Hospital in Lexington
was asked regarding the sanitary condi
tisn of Camp Thomas where he was
brigade surgeon. He read Il rn,ori o.
IN" condition Of the sites. claiming th.s
We're disease breeders. though th, me!
detailed 10 the division hospital w.,l,. in
compt'"ni. Or. Mearns condemned lh.
water supply at Camp Thomas
After luncheon Major l"hn *. Jnck
son was 1he frs, witness. His ,estt-
n"ny indicated that his regiment h.,
Jared well IN every respect,
Major J. -. t;lennan who WAS cap
tain ana assistant surgeon in the req
lar army. and was mad npi,, ,nG
prlSahe s"ri;""n OF -Holun t,:rs. June A,h
was called. hajor C;lennun was at
HlSA1 Cavalry. He later returned to
n 'hickamauga as brigade surgeon. FRS
Brigade. Third Division. First Corps
He said that he found ii larger
amount of sickness among the Second
volunteers than he had been used To 50,
ing: thar he found the sinks left ol,cr
and not dug deep enough to make tn
camp hcalthful; tina, the water suppl.
WAS affected by this
Major Gltnnan said he rrInrir,l nli
these conditions both verbally and in
writing and made certain rr,'ommrn-
datinnS, bu, that no attention VAS "v,-.
paid 10 the reports. II" said n" ,riet'
I" get lime. that reuuiSitinn waS mad,
On thu uuartermastrr's department, ant
that they said they did NOT furnish ii
Thar r",iuisitinn was then mad" on th
medical department and DR.. I.,i,l,.-
k"prr HE corps surgeon. concerning
whom sensational charges haN,. sine,
been made diSa pproved the uS,- OF linn,
ana returned the rcuuisitinn Mainl
Glennan stated that he knew at certain,
regiments where the sick were Kept 10
weeks because the division hospital hs.G
no room for them. He further said Ihat
he believed the water in every well it;
Chickamauga Park contained the coi"n
bacillus. which Indicated contamination
by sewerage.
Major William CnGsw"il surgeon Of
the Eighth Massachusetts. said that
when his regiment reached Chat ian"ot;:'
il was kept in the freight yards eighteen
hours and it took them then four hours
10 be transported 10 the park: ,hat th'
men went two weeks without fresh
meat: that their health WAS thus greats
impaired and /. large number w"r,
taken sick,
pr Cogswen attributed the typhoid
to the water. milk and lc,n":!:d, drums
by the men. He said the cl"thint; nn'
blankets belonging t" men VIII" died %!
typhoid were brought back without hay
inn: been washed or boiled aud used by
other men of The regiment He men
stoned other abuses To" degraded Il
write which he said We're reported 1,
l,t- higher authorities without actor
being taken
The doctor said in the three months
aud a half when he was at Camp
Thomas he knew of On lIudrkorcr,
th.. corps surgeon. having visited the
ca,n, o., th.. Eighth Massarhus.its hur
twice. HI. had great difficulty in serur
ing medicines he said. and had 10 bus
drugs out Of Il private fund
The list OF medicines he had made re
QUESTION for always had about half "l
Che most important drugs scratched of
py the higher authorities. He :"la -
the rcd tape which required v",ui
~ilion for medicines 10 60 through q
dozen channels and then back hrfol.
The supplies could be secured.
DIR. Thomas &. Chalmers. captain anG
assistant surgeon of the Sixth New
York. who SAN six weeks Sc'Ni"" in
Porto Rico. testified that at thici<ainnl;-
ga his regiment could not only not get
-rcdicnes but could not even &C., biAnks
r" make acquisitions for them
In regard TO the transport Ma~Sarhu-
sells on which Ne wcnt 10 i'"r'" Eir".
DIR. Chalmers said:
There was no regular cooking ~.
board ard the. men We're unused 10 ear
ing cold raiipns. The rcScIv" hospital
nl..n We're supposed 10 have been vel
men, but subsequent events proved THAI
hey did not have enough 10 cat Tn
men never could get enough water "a
satisfy their thirst. Ice water was solo
al 81 % a pitcher. The matter was re
ported. but the custom was not stopped
The mules and horses on board wcnl for
tw"nty-four hours a one Inn" without
water
Lieutenant Colonel James Parker.