The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, May 1, 1898, Page 19

. THE SAN FRANCISCO CALL, SUNDAY, MAY 1, 1898 ©-yoii :realize the- responsibilities Yoii-are -gSsuming?? E ou-know: that"in case-6f | QU serve on.a battle- Hiyou'are ordered. If there that yéu serve for atileast three ‘months in Cuba Algp that you may. be: detained ‘at:Key West: in the most: ‘Uncomfortablé ‘quarters for sev- eral. wWeeks 2 “Iida:t : S “In ‘swearing allegdnce | to the N tional’ Tied Cross. Association; are’ you prepared to subm the each cc m nd to faithfully obey sistert e to the seat k and wounc of mercy urtured w and his wife who hav nen Sist He d Cross, ition. = D ed physic n vear of charity votion to tk surgeon w Sister Bet- noble works i ng in her de- d Cro: Young and SR ss. endowed beautiful, she is with an en- thusiasm which s to Inspire her [ Sister Bettina, a% Mrs. I ¥ a beautiful home, carriage and all the luxuries of life at her command, but she does not he ate to. give them up to follow her chosen life. work. sser, a The volunteer nurses who sailed from | New York last week are Mrs. Nettall | Three of -the Red Cross Nurses ; MISS - EMMA -DUSING. Luey Thomas, : Miss Lyon, s Strom, Coffin . Waliting for sister Isabelle niche. McCorrester, Sis- Annie ter Me and ° Sister Minnie Rugali: These voluntéers have been studying faithful weeks to fit them- selve: rduous dut Every day Red Cross Hospital classes have bgen ennduetéd. * A regular train- irg school.is now “iii operation. 1t I ing to watch the | practical . - Each day | . eminent -physicians-and, surgeons: gi ctures.and der i »f the tual ‘W battledield. hen::it i that thé pupils’ earnestness of purpose is best vbgers and- coats - tossed _With hats | aside - the women watch-leach mo¥e iand turn of the sur- | geon as-he ¢iits and applies the band- it wounds,. With breath- 2! ie he tells | The time | is'so shatt; anrd the numbers of volun- p ,-that anything save class 0. is impos 'he women 0ib.the 1ectl ) intelligently that practical ‘appifeation "of their knowl-/| edge should: be-dn-easy matter. When ‘the:le! i s a patient sup- posedly - wotnded rious places is | placed on’a chair in front of the clas: The surgéon .practically demonstrates: | irst,eimergency aid—the first aid to ge your identity into | detafled and " scientific The pu- ion the lec tions in ng lint, cutting and rolling ges-and all of the -minor details are gone into. Note- S Pupils not only nec otes, but sketch “Theapplicants illustrate the nobility | of women. They are willing to sacrifice | everything, even their lives, for the cause of suffering humanity. We have impressed upon them the terrors of the tlefield and the terrible anguish which they must strive to alleviate. Prominerit surgeons have painted the scenes With absolute realism, sparing patient at different periods of the | ént. In this way after the lec- s over, the lesson is thoroughly 1 “I-do net like to spea id one of the volunteers, whose ace ¢ “It is like baring one's heart public. 1 am going to Cuba be- feel as if I could do good there. 1d suffering need & woman'’s ympathy which a mother ¢k child. The National Red nas for i motto Humanit Neutrality. Those words me uch. We women of the Red Crossaren trying to per- tonl m the dutie ned nurse, but 1d of the sick and » it our mission to - - - nds at home who We have just rec e husband, son o8 typhoid fever. As each came on board, raised ansmit his last m " SISTER BETTINA HOFKER LESSER, recovery.- There is no friend or foe among the wounded. Every stricken soldier, no matter what his uniform, | is the sacred charge of the Red Cross nurse.” - The nurses Who go to the front re- ceive no compensation for their ser- vices. They are given tramsportation to and from the scene of war and are insured protection from being taken captive. They must have private | means, as the association cannot give them anything save the materials and medicines for the nursing and the ordi- nary fare of camp life. “The supply of volunteers has far ex- ceeded the number that we can enlist the injured. while he lies upon the Wiagdy battlefeld. As the lesson mro- ! just now said Dr. Lesser, the head surzeon of the Red Cross Association. sages and personal effects, or send the glad tidings that he is on the road to | on'the sub- | denoted much strength of | EAR FRIEND: This morning I have helped to make our hospital Our duties at present are much those of a housekeeper. attend to the beds, linen and clothing of patients; have a pantry | and storeroom, are required to do all the cooking for the sick and see that it is distributed according would have laughed to see me this morning, mounted on the ledge of the second tier of berths, making beds on the third tier. flag. “bunked.” what it is to me to see you,” One little drummer boy thot | At first he wa; | of bread and was ing for more. or I Sdiem E G et ek ‘We begin the day by getting them all washed, Then the surgeons and dressers come, open the wounds, breakfasted. apply the remedies and replace the bandages. I sat with my fingers in my ears this morning. Who Sailed for Cuba Last Week. 655030 c0000080V0e died, receiving their- last wishes which she is now writing to their wives. MISS POPE. D ) B SRTE fering. gled out: “Not that. morning. stantly. Letters of a nurse, floating hospital | ved, stowed and fed 245 men, most of them {ll with | lowered to the second deck of ours in In my ward, as each was laid in his berth, I gave him brandy | and water, and after all were placed, tea and bread and butter if they could take it or more brandy if they were sinking. The men were all patient and grateful. | or ““This is heaven after what I have suf- } fered,” or “To think of a woman being here to help me!"” | ght he was going to die instantly, but I | said “Pooh, you'll walk off the ship at New York. Take your tea.” a bit indignant, but soon had demolished a huge slice ‘ Then the doctors made their rounds. men, put the ward in order, remake beds, give clean handkerchiefs with a little cologne or bay rum on them, so prized in the sick atmosphere of wounds. wounds constantly, which alone car- ries us around from cot to cot almost without stopping, except some, read to or write letters for oth- ers, or administer medicirte. . feeding those who cannot feed them- selves. 3 an old stove, with slices of bread_ for plates, fingers for knives and forks, and carpet-bags for chairs—all this because everything is in use by our poor fellows. watched over three men until they A poor little boy of 17 in my ward has a contempt for betraying suf- e would not even speak, though shot through the lungs. On the arrival of papers with accounts of battles I began to read to him about the battle of Williamsburg, where he was wounded, but he gur- I know all about that. 1 gave 200 men their dinner to-day and washed 1 wouldn’t be anywhere else for the whole world. This is life—to feel you are of real use, i Four thousand men have passed through our hands this week. Oh, if those at home could see all that I see, pense, no sacrifice would be thought too great to strengthen the hands of this commission so that its work may not fail. Katherine Prescott Wormeley, “Daniel Webster'" President, Mrs. William B. Harring- ton, 1118 Sacramento street. Vice-president-—Rev. Father Wy- man, Paulist Fathers, 628 California street; Rabbi Voordanger, southwest long dark cloak of light-weight cloth | corner of Post and Franklin streets; is necessary to protect against rain and | Rev. Dr. Foute, rector Grace Church, weather. I am anxious to have .the | 1915 Gough street. girls take as many shirtwaists as they Secretary, Dr. G. F. Hanson, N. G. C. can—simple ones, with turn-over col- | Sahitary Corps, 639 Kearny street. own washing. Soft dark blue gingham skirts and dresses are the only thin for field service. They do not have the irritating rustle that starched elothes have, and do not soil easily. Then the Ra Sy b Treasurer, William Alvord, Bank of | Caljfornia. The purpos patriotic m. by the pre: of money, struments, mediein, all supplies nece: comfort and well-bi “While our fir of this body of earnest, and women are explained dent, Mrs. W. B. Harring- ton, as follows: “We desire to prepare ourselves for emergenc that may arise in case the present war goes on. We | You | FIRST HOSP to urgeon’'s orders. and, strange as it may seem, the first in the history | of the world. | While thousands of workmen have been busy day | and night transforming the steamships built for | commerce and passenger traffic into men-of-war gangs of | men have been incessantly at work during the last week | at Newport News transforming the steel steamship Creole | of the Cromwell line into the Solace—the name, so.sus- | | gestive of hope and cheer, given to the first floating hos-| | pital ever designed for service in war. 5 The Solace is a 3800 ton ship, with a speed of seventeen | knots, which will enable it ‘to keep close to the American fleets on any expedition against the enemy. The Red Cross will protect it from menace. There is not-a thing.about the Solace to provoke attack on the part of the ships of any civilized nation. . Such comforts as are to be found in a well equipped hospital on land are present -in this hospital of the seas. Never before in battles on the seas has there been such provision to allay suffering and prevent death that might | ensue from lack of proper attention. | Two large steam launches form a part of the equipment of the Solace, and whenever there is opportunity; they will | dash around among the warships of the fleet to remove | such of the wounded as cannot be properly cared for ‘in | the sick bay and carry them to the hospital ship. Of ne- cessity this transferring would have to be done after an | engagement has ended, but in the event of a ship being sunk many of the ship's company will be saved froim drowning by these swift launches. Wounded officers and sailors will be lifted from the launches to the deck of the Solace by a cable and tackle forward. Once on deck they can quickly be taken into the | from the tugboat and cradles, he was registered and ome said “You don’t know R T T R Y freshened up and 'This is an awful hour. When it is over we go back to the We sponge the bandages over the to soothe We serve the patients their meals, Our own dinner table is the top of One nurse on the Elm City has just What did our boys do next?” their faces this and are easing pain con- no trouble, no ex- written on board the Uni R B ted States . | run with vermin, the-sick and wounded stretched upon the floor with only a newspaper for a pillow, their bodies ly- ing so close that there is scarcely room to turn, have all been depicted. “But these noble women are not to be deterred. They feel that they will be needed, and they are prepared to an- swer the summons. We have now 150 vclunteers, qualified to go to the front. Thgy have everything in readiness to move at a few hours’ notice.” Mrs. Lesser supplements lectures with concise and minute direc- tion as to the necessary garments re- quired to insure comfort. “The wardrobe is very limited,” said Mrs. Lesser, “and I advocate dark clothes, as the gml‘ have to do thelr the daily | no shocking detail. The hospitals, over. | lars and narrow cuffs. The climat will be very severe for the majority. o WHAT THE RED CROSS LEAGUE 1S DOING IN CALIFORNIA N Monday of last week The Call's suggestion that California organ- ize a Red Cross League was car- ried into effect. Governor Budd had previously appointed a com- mittee, which met and effected perma- nent organization, electing officers as follows: Honorary president, James H. Budd. \OSPITAL S VIS OLACE t thought would nat- | with the urdlly be for our own California boys, | and while we want them to feel that .bathroom. RK OF THE RED CROSS IN THE CUBAN WAR. # These emérgencics may mean tke lack | we are at hand/to care for them, we are ambulances, sungical in-|te be available wherever humanity in'fact, any and | calls us. Yo fact, the movement is as for. the bodily | broad, as generous in its scope as ing of our soldiers. | is humanity itself. We shall work League, ational Red Cros : (Continueds on Page Twenty-six.) ITAL SHIP TO FLY THE RED GROSS HE United States navy is to have a hospital ship, | operating room or lowered on the elevator which has been milar to the elevators in to carry injured persons placed in the bow of tI hospitals®on land, large hip, g | enough placed on stretchers to the \xzfx"ds on the main deck and | in the hold where the bagks are. The large forward saloon, on the saloon deck, close to where the wounded will Be hoisted on;board, has been transformed into, an operating room for .sailors and offi- rcers. It is perfectly adapted for the purpose, the light and ventilation being all that could be wished for. Im- | mediately- in the rear, in what was formerly one of the largest staterooms, the dispensary has been arranged, and another adjoining stateroom has been transformed into & The ope ing tables are all of the best make, and all the appliances for the care of the wounded are likewise of the most improved pattern. There are one hundred and fifty bunks in the maln ward. The bunks are in the form of lower and upper berths, gnd each one is provided with a wire mattress. There are other quarters for use in an emergency in the hold of the ship. On the after part of the main deck is located the laun- dry, with every modern apvoliance at hand. This will be by no means one of the least important features -apper- taining to the ship, and one that could not be depended on in an .emergency on the men-of-war. The disinfecting machine is in the forward part of the hold and completes the paraphernalia of a floating hospital in which no con- venience has_been forgotten. corps of trained men nurses from the ship. She will ecarry a-Geneva cross flag—a red cross in a white field—and it will float at the main. The Solace will be ready to join the fleet before Cuba this week. New : York will A accompany