Los Angeles herald., 1909-07-22
WATER FOUL AT
SOLDIERS HOME
VETERANS F0RCFn TO BUY
WHOLESOME DRINKS
DoRMIToRIEs INFESTED WITH
CIRCUS BEES
Investigator at SawteIIe Finds Stories
of Mismanagement and Neglect
Are Not in Least
Exaggerated

Exaggerated
Blue-coated veterans who have be-
come worn and broken in the service of
their country, who willingly gave all
that the nation might endure, today
find that in what should be their place
Of ease and comfort they are treated
as worthless dependents, and rewards
which should deservedly go to those
who bore arms in the field of battle
are now conferred on non-combatants
or civilians with pull. Many of the
battle-scarred veterans who escaped
| the horrors Of Libby or the prison at
Andersonville find that now in the tWi-
light of life they are forced to accept
that which during the war they were
fortunate enough to have spared them.
Filthy water, vermin infested dormito-
ries and unhealthful food nurtured and
are only a part of what the cheerful
old men have to bear, for added to this
has been the despotism of a naughty
and patroniZing management which
many of the men denounce as incom-
petent and unfit for any position of
dignity or trust
Had Not Exaggerated
A visitor at the Soldiers Home at
SaWtelle yesterday found that the men
had not exaggerated the charges which
they made. At the entrance to the
grounds from the electric car line a
group of dusty old veterans was en-
gagged in conversation, and one of them
stated that he would like a drink of ice
water. The others laughed and asked
him if he could afford to buy it. The
visitor expressed surprise at this, and
learned on close inquiry and inspection
that there is no place on the grounds
1na a M
refreshing drink unless they buy it at
the local stores
There is water in the barracks run
ming from the spiggots, but if anyone
but an old soldier, accustomed to hard
ships, can drink it and not get sick, he
is a lucky man." said one or them.
The water in the barracks was tested
and found to be filed with sediment of
an unpleasant odor, and lukewarm to
the taste. Fear of typhoid fever or
worse infections caused the knowledge
seeking reporter to spit out what he
was forced to take into his mouth in
the interests of investigation, and he
heartily agreed that If the foul fluid
had been pumped direct from the river
Styx it could not have been worse.
Get Water from Town
Several grim old men who watched
the water testing experiment stated
the home had, to say the least, been
unfortunate in having to give up pump
ing water from the Hollywood reser-
voir, but they did think that in view
of the unfortunate nature of the new
and peculiar fluid they ought to be
given filters and cooling apparatus to
make the mixture drinkable. Many
were found who have been accustomed
recently to get large vessel filled with
water from up town or else to draw off
some of the Stygian luid and let 1t set
tie it's sedimentary deposits before
drinking 1t.
A fountain was found near the COM
pany G barracks, but it was purely
ornamental and no one could be found
who had ever seen any water in 1t. Ice
wagons are said to stop daily at the
officers headquarters, and no one Is
foolish enough to believe that the men
i'm mower ever take their own medicine
when 1t comes to aqueous supplies.
7. Show Guest the Sights
There were more sights to be seen,
and a few hardy spirits who were not
Influenced by fear of the governors
wrath offered to show some of the
things which initiate against d trahqull
and restful life.
Some of the things had legs and fiat
bodies. were reddish-brown in color.
and were of a genus mentioned in the
dictionary as "cimex lectularius."
sporting insect" or circus pee,
are the more common names given TO
the creatures by those who are untor-
tunate enough to encounter them fre-
ouentlv. They are known to house
wives as bedbugs. The pestiferous YER
min In question had a grand army all
of their own, and PERFORMED intricate
maneuvers on the unquiet couches or
the inmates of the barracks. In the
u a whose
b11ild and facial contour gave nm a
startling resemblance to the school his
torv nictures of General Grant stated
that the ambitious pests had regular
guard details, outposts, pickets, etc. IN
conformity with the military nature OF
their duties. ,.,,oo,-.
M soldier could be found who had the
temerity to sleep in that section, ana
one gigantic "circus bee" who is sup
posed to hold the rank of governor OF
the bugs, has persistently LED sucn Wig
orous foraging parties in the oVerrld-
den ward taht he is now with his corps
in full control
Irrigate from Drains
"Have YOU seen our nice little veg
etable garden?" was the query of an
other group of men. The place IN
question was pointed out ana the IN
etables were irrigated by the sewer and
cesspool drains from the grounds. Not
being a plumber, it was impossible for
the visitor to learn the pipe and drain
age system, but a foul odor was waited
on the breeze from the vegetable pro-
ducing area which made 1t far from
appetizing. The neighborhood smelled
more like the vicinity of a glue factory
or a rendering plant than place where
edibles were grown, and the investi-
gator hurried away, giving thanks that
he did not have to stay to dine at the
soldiers table
An Ohio veteran remarked that in
view of the fact that there was law
against peddling vegetables nurtured
by drains and sewers, it was strange
that such a practice was engaged in at
the home of men whose health is not
always strong, and whose powers of
resistance are in many cases weakened
by valiant service in the field.
However, the "big guns" do not eat
the produce of their tillage, and a
!. X 4 !. :. 4 < X 4 X \ < !. i 4 4 !
bridge estimated at $500 and the con-
tract was let for $4,000. It's only one
of a great number oe cases, for it's
very much the same ali through. If
the present estimates were carried
out, not more than 200 miles of the
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