The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-10-21
MORE FAKES ARE EXPLODED.
INVESTIGATING COMMITTEE VISITS
CAMP FERNAxDINA.
None of the Yellow stories Told az
To Its Being In n Tropical Jungle
and lily supplied Prove True-The

after % o'clock left Jacksonville Cor A.
Ianta expecting 70 take up business there.
The COMMITTEES has spen; four days n
Jacksonville. this being the first OF the
camps 10 be visited. II having been award
ed somewhat more Of the time than Will
he gwen 70 other points. with the possible
exception 81 Chichanauga.
The commissioners are generally pleased
with The result al heir !aoors here. They
have naturally met with complaints. but
these have generally dealt with compare
lively uni.nportan, points ara in very few,
II any cases. have they indicated neglect
or CGpable n1isyrsa IA cement. Generally
one private or non-commissioued officer
from each regiment has been called and in
many cases more than one. In the case OF
enlisted men they were selected al ran
dom the commissioners merely asking that
men be sent 10 them without any specifi
cation of the purpose for which they were
called. They have without exception said
that they We're receiving enough 10 eat
and wear. There were occasional com
plants of defects in clothing or a request
for Il greater variety OF food. but in no in
stance has spirit Of fauitngding been
developed among this class of witnesses.
In some cases a deficiency OF supplies 1t
the beginning of the camps history was
shown. ana there has been more or less
tainted meat received by the men, but il
first condition was due 20 the congestion
at Tampa and the latter to the climate.
Gen. McCook and Col. Saxton returned
today from their investigation OF condi
lions at Tampa. They found that the
congestion that occurred at that point a
the beginning OF the war was due to the
fact that cars were shipped from all over
the country without being labeled and
without forwarding bills OF lading
Gen. j. Wilson and Capt. Howell, conSrl-
IFA-F0 rfaG tod IN
and report upon the conditions of Camp
Fernandna, made their report 10 the fun
eommittee today The following is the
important part of the document;
We carefully examined the site Of the
camp OF the Third Pennsylvania volun-
teers which. it is reported, was in A tropical
jungle on worthless and uncleared land
Altogether the committee was most favor
ably impressed with the site selected We
obtained from the county clerk of Nashua
county maps as TO the ownership OF land
This certificate states thar the greater
Tart OF the LANDS occupied reverted 10 the
state of Florida IN June. 1885, by reason Of
unpaid taxes. and no one by the name OF
Aiger ever controlled any lands in the
county, as shown By the records, and that
the land occupied by the Third Pennsyi-
vania volunteers al Fernandina as a camp
was at the time the property of the state
of Florida. The water was secured with
out expense. beng nom an artesian we'll
about 600 feet deep. The supply was an
limited. The water had p slight sulphur
taste. which. il Is said. some OF the troops
disliked and occasionally used surface
water. The location Of the hospitals. as
pointed out 10 US, was on high ground,
well drained and apparently well settled.
The mayor of Fernando informed US
that MAJ. Hendley. the surgeon in charge
OF the camp, had stated to him just before
the troops left, that the number of sick
was $40.
Your committee therefore has the honor
TO report that, IN It's opinion. the camp
was well selected, that probably the site
" cts IN an ~ nor
that could have been found on the Florida
coast. Ina, from the information oh
tanned from what they saw. 1t is far from
being a tropical jungle, and that the GER
tificate of the county clerk shows that
no government official was interested in
the land; that the amount Of work done in
clearing the underbrush vas no greater
than might have been expected al any
locality in the South selected for camp
ing purposes, that the site was well drain
cd. the water for blinking and cooking
purposes coed ana the bathing facilities
al the sea beach excellent"
The war investigation commission this
morning heard the testimony OF several
professional nurses. These nurses stated
mat a the beginning OF the camp ar"
ONE lack q trained nurses and
S-Hrllos W" scarce. but conditions ste.a-
.iy improved.
AaJ. j. l.. Pitcher. of the regular army.
surgeon for the Seventh army corps SAID
since The cary days Of the camp here there
had been no difficulty in securing medical
supplies He thought the medical staff
were efficient as PHYSICIANS. but they
lacked administrative ability. To This Or
Pitcher attributes the fact that 50 much
Of relief society supplies were asked for
IN Preference 70 those furnished BY the
government He thought that il The phv-
s-oians hal understood This line Of mir
business ,hey need not have ca,.ei UPON
the ro.'ef associations 10 such an extern.
Sti.. the relief associations were supplied
with ready money ana cou,d s1ppiv al
articles required Immediately
Dr. Conner pressed Or Pitcher closely
on tA'9 point. saving q tin tina the cOur-
Try VAS fun Of the report that the medical
d.. artn.ent OF the government was not
c4tnc-s 81 ,net eng t.e demands made upon
II aCd but for the aid of such relief s1c.-
cites as The RED Cross thcra would nave.
he. aot4a} suffering tn tals DR. Pitcher
replied tina; such Was not The case. ana
= maintained Tho efficiency IF the gov
,rrmcnt 70 take care Of lis OWN Sex.
Capt ioan w Swatek. Second Illinois.
sons ne .reSh rea' furnished his men
Wa poor. tGt sad OF al the other orca-
SONS tas fooI WIS pure ana amp,a Cant.
~tatck sad ae mad eaten the same food
riH*H the men. aDd that L was satisfactory
~ am. lie sad. however. that lie I'D
ant ordinarily inspect he meats Of NJ
$ re;. \ +. Lorenzon. Of the same canp
admitted that here was sorre oo,~ ant
af0rNG the 1en. hut ~ Thought ne COM
~ 1ts w." due - me fact that the mo1
"trr BONE. X
No, Tav!or. u tae Fourt,1 Virginia ing
T"nt. W3s .he hrs witness before -hp var
.;,"t St.cation commission AZ tha afternoon
- -- EN- to-day IL sad he aai M cow
"a - whatever 20 make concerning an.-
trr2Yt,rertof - government ana ne krsys
n case - Vi,ifll neglect
tecui. Morr0w. acting comtnesarv II
The rrjri Nebraska GO. Eryar's regiment
testified In the general coed character a
-" ron3m.srarv supplies lie Mem .ore5
one or 40 instances when poor bacon raj
seon received and said Their. Wy. area-
s'o0al como,s.rts from the men. though
~ ~ n serious Character.
81 " J RTya0 was next called Ia
He3 % hs excuse. from tasf3TvinE =
I1eS-'ne that h'2 i@ltenAnt coione, be sx-
-~ ."-5 ~ p : s'aa1.
You wiN I have no doubt. understand
ny reasons for The request" 10 said I
th}~k th request very proper ani r=a-
<o0ah.c responded GOV Beaver ana q
fhe F~f.re HoE7w sSt,n aSSen;-1 r. ta.S
concession Col Bryan was excused WIN
;he request - send az his Lieutenant col
al " = pa-ltr. % -he one hundred
tat S.x-E-tTsf Indiana. spoke and eSre-
~.al'v %" IN srCuC Is q me Third 3-v s5o-
fo@pi.at saving they hat for ti07a haea
very poorly kspt- There had. ~ovavsr
N-ar vas. l-1r-ct7 ,7sfus since Dr t's~.-
-s...