The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1898-10-29
WAR INVESTIGATION
Camp Thomas, ChIckamauea Park, Inspect.
ed BY tie Commissioners Yesterday.
SPECIAL ATTENTION GIVEN WATER SUPPLY
TcStlmony Taken Indicates that the
Water II Pure-Thc House Files
transmitted Typhoid Fever.

Chattanooga, Tenn, October 2s.--The war
Investigation commission, which arrived
here during tie night, spent the entire day
In inspecting the site of Camp Thomas, in
Chickamauga Park, under the guidance OF
General Boynton. General 4. II. Stewart,
a member OF the Chickamauga Park com
mission. and Mr.. Il. e. Bettes, the engineer
OF the commission. The inspection began
at Lytle Station and covered all points Of
indercst In the park and near It's borders
which have been In any way involved In the
controversy concerning the sanitation of
the camp, including Sternberg and Letter
hospitals the various springs from which
water was secured by the troops. including
,, the famous Crawfish epring, and the po.nt
| on Chickamauga creek at which the water
OF the pipe hne supply WAS taken out.
Especial attention was given to this lat
| tor place because of the criticisms that
| have been made upon this source Of ths
camps water supply They found the In
/ take pipe submerged about twenty feet
above the mouth OF a tributary creek 10
| cally known as Cave Spring creek, which
! drained tho camp. The charge has besn
made that the water from the tributary
| stream had contaminated the pipe wl.cr,
being carried back into 1t by means OF ed
dies and IN one case by overflow alter
freshet.
General Boynton and Mr. Belts, who had
been concerned In the location OF the pipe
line. admitted that there had been one uC-
caslon when Cave Spring creek had over
flowea and broken DAM thus throwing Its
water in the main stream above the In
take, but they explained that this freshct
had occurred at night when the pumps
were shut down and no water was being
| taken IN. They called attention TO the
rapidity OF the flow and to the depth OF
the stream and urged the tmpossibllity o.
infection from this source. The inspectors
listened attentive!y TO ali that was said,
but naturally they were conservative IN
their expressions General Wilson gave
especial attentions 10 the question as an
engineering problem, and while he re-
fused TO allow himself 10 be quoted, II
was evident from the interest he mani
festad and the expressions he dropped that
he was impressed with the strong I'M
probability II not the imposslbllity, Of IN
feption from this eource. 1t was also
equally evident that majority OF the com
mission formed the same opinion. They
noted especially the fact Of the larger
volume OF water in the main stream and
that the small creek was filled with back
water frDm the river for several hundred
feet above the mouth.
There were many expressions of con-.
mendation Of the methods followed at
Sternberg hospital and General Dodge was
heard to remark that 1t was pity 10 leave
dny institution 30 well eoiapped, They,
found only fifty-eght patients in the hos
pital and most Of those were convalescent.
: An were housed iii with wooden pavilions,
the tents being vacated Major Grlffen. In
. command OF the hospital. said IT would
soon be abandoned. The commission also
gave attention TO tho proximity Of the
various camps TO one another and the depth
: / and location of the sinks. The conclusions
o seemed quite general that many OF the
: ! regiments were thrown more closely to-
u gether than they should have been and
! that this fault could not have been avoided
t. by moving. rs tlrere was In the opinion OF
! at lenst come OF TIE committee, sufficient
"a space that was not occupied for the accom-
II modations of meny thousands more troop
N than were ever there, Many Of the sink
/ were also found to have been nearer tt
ID the tents than propcr ideas OF sanitation
" encourage and In some cases the ohara {,
, ter OF the surface was found TO be sucl
L. ~ to warrant the conviction that the sink
We're shallower than they should have been
but this was true only In parts of the
cpnlp.
N After concluding the irsneetion of the
camps, Dr. Grlffen. who lad been balov
~ the committee before. was asked to max
so n statement concerning some criticisms
Ie paper by frank A. Bailey. who had spen
no six weeks In the hospital nursing his broth
ia er. When he returned home he wrote n
NJ article saying. among other things that h
or had heard physicians in the hospital Tel
III attendants TO give their attentan to pa
,en,s who had chance TO recover aud no
to nurse thoie who were sure TO die. In tn
nrcsencc OF those designated as of the LAT
ter class, and that he lad heard othc
Ia ,physiclans instruct their helpers to Civ,
he 'ico cold baths with q view Of finishing
In the patients, nr. Griffen pronounced n.
4 false all the statements made.
- DR.. Charles y. Craig. bacteriologist q
: sternberg hospita. wac also examined. II
was questioned especially with reference L
tho wefer supply uf tho camp and he OK
nrcssed the opinion THAT the water take
from Chickamnnra river through sXe pip
system was purer than that In tho we'll
v and snr'ngs OF the grounds. He said +
had found some sewer bacilll In onn o
two OF the wells. though no typhoid germs
me had also found impurities In water
taken from some Of the springs. lie ha,
a made TWO ANALYSES of TIM water from th
river. one before the July freshet and IN
other after II mud had found it 10 he en-
Itirely wholesome from a bacterlolorical
\. stanunoint. IL was muddy and he though
i should be filtered, He had also mad
tests which convinced HIM that there wa
!, TO danger OF eddies oarryirg the waters
= from tie Cave Spring creek into the nlpes
L. pr. Craig expressed the decided 0tsnio,
!. That common house flies are capable oi
providing decided source Of disease I'M
ies,ion. He also said that he had maceY.
placed an sugar lirpresnated with the
n germ and Ind procured from them pur
!. typhoid bacillus culture.
~
~ washington October 2S.A letter ~.
Il ceived hero from member Of the inyasft
cation commission now In the Souah con
= veys the information that members thin,
70 they may be able to reach this city from
h their present tour about November 4. /
rss pssn reported thst the commission
NAV afterwards visit SANTIAGO aud port,
u hlco. This VIII BE- settled definitely ate
/, Its return to the city. wy
y sITUATIoN AT HAVANA.