The Warner weekly sun. (Warner, Brown Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1885, 1884-07-11
gEH Works. AMBULANCE SERVICE.

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Harper's Weekly.
Walking up or down Broadway You
are apt to hear suddenly the sharp
strokes 6f a bell. They come swiftly
nearer. The numbering trucks and
omnibuses draw away to either side.
The stroke Of the bell rings loudly right
at your side, and in d moment q light
covered vehicle dashes past you. Bare
~ an instant later the bell is striking
far ahead Of you, and the wagon has
disappeared into q side s~treet, OF is hid
den from view by the trucks and omni
buses which have again taken full pos
session Of the roadway. You may have
had time to read Ambulance" on the
light vehicle as it dashed down the
street, and to have caught sight of Q
young man wearing an official cap.
AS You walk on your progress may be
checked by a crowd that has gathered
around something on the sidewalk
Near the curb you see the ambulance.
In a little while the crowd falls back,
and the young man with the official cap
gives an order. Something is raised
from the sidewalk and carried slowly
toward the wagon. As the stretcher i
lifted into the ambulance you catch q
glimpse Of q poor agonized face tthe face
may be Of a little girl or boy the young
man takes his seat again, the driver
grasps the reins, you hear the sharp
strokes of the bell once more, and the
ambulance drives back to the hospital.
If your curiosity is excited, you may
read in next mornings paper how q lad
was caught and lacerated by the ma
chinery of the factory in which he
worked, or how q poor delicate girl was
crushed by one of the numbering trucks
or omnibuses, and how she lay there ex-
posed to the stare of the curious crowd
till she was taken by the ambulance to
some hospital-most likely, If the acci-
dent occurred down town, to the Cham
bers street branch of the New York
Hospital.
One day as the writer was standing
in the waiting room of this branch Of the
uptown hospital, known as tlleC Chambers
Street Hospital. conversing with Of
the ambulance surgeons on the subject Of
this article. there vas asudden iingllng
Of the bell in the basement.
"That's a fire alarm? Ring up the
ambulancel" called the surgeon.
Before the iingling had stopped, or
the surgeon had finished the order, the
superintendent had turned q switch on
the signal instrument.
.That brings the ambulance from our
stab es to the door" said the surgeon.
"The jingling you heard comes from POI
lice headquarters. 1t simply tells us
that there's q fire in our district, and to
be prepared for another call in case Of
accident. Here's the ambulance"
1t cam rafting down the street, and
with a quick turn fetched up at the
door. The surgeon while speaking had
put on his cap. AS he had stretched
his arm to take 1t down from the peg,
the flap Of his coat lifted somewhat,
and disclosed q small leather case, evil
IDENTIFY for surgical instruments, pro-
truding from the inside pocket. The
superintendent, who had been listening
ct the telephone, ggd they had tele-
phoned from police headquarters that
the fire was on Broadway, near Canal
street.
just then a succession of sharp
strokes was given on the bell in the
basement.
aOne, two, three, FOUR counted the
surgeon, ais the bell went on striking,
until he had told twenty. There's
been an accident at the fire, and they
want an ambulance. Come along
We rushed down the steps, and be-
fore we were in the seat in the back
Of the ambulance the bell near the
drivers seat was ringing out sharply,
and we were speeding along.
As we dashed up the street every We
hiele, whether it was going in the same
direction with us or coming toward us
pulled out Of our way. That little bell
seemed to have d magical effect. Bur-
Iy, surly drivers, who would have cursed
like troopers ia d Broadway jam, hauled
mp to the curb, aaatAeI light Wagon went
spinning along on q straight line until
it met one Of the United States mail
carts. Then the ambulance turned out
as any ordinary vehicle would have
done. Speeding up Broadway it had q
perfectly clear track.
It's as likely at a fire to DO q thigh an
jury as any other, said the surgeon, as
he drew out some long splints from che
mattress In the bottom of the wagon.
These are for such injuries. In this
bag, 2 pointing to asbag that hung from
| the side Of the wagon cover, Eve have
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