Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1888-08-15
WITH An AMBULANCE
susx MOUND o. TIE nAILy LirE
or 4 CIV SURGEON

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ia ksll and sse s- swsss< rvss1t the eurae- ard
s.4sh sss1ma shs street.. wtsh wnexss rszfa1a-
cvsr the se0n~s and sallOrsnx Aorss s1raaasag
IN the kaErrsaa, whise t--s-As and wagons
rurn hz.rrsesEsy OCT a. - rnfh. th~rs are ss~
wao 30 nos fe@s psznssaln< o. thrsl and
tnrr 70 Aoxk after r. IL eaIAs - - vsyidxy
k1eaa Of arris<n1 or gzsasseT. II ss<aF~-sss
ease~z-nry, oae wps3d hxs 70 xrsos zh4E has
hspx~aesi <nd x1u1.@rs wheEssr Is - =
rsaas oerurr~aea.
The surgeon kzo~s, na. sfss paSasrhY 8 XII
90 s5e-aAass WHISTLER that r1sE4ng horSe =
earryinz sss srsi-sse 70 gsss Sp~zsty ssrrur 70
tbs viesiGs ~ ssasa frs<hts1I eaiasnsry. AMI
vfEi 60 sSssN 20 sh~ nd~pasas wssh saaas Of
saangs est snasaasxy snaanifks het4nd hss1, CT
sh@fser theirs wai hs sogna merely SONS
wr~srfs~d tOpsT, lnsFt ard serssshsss fraEs
Artnk There are G nssssses a. ~ssI srass
a.sa ia sia sEnoalxses services. but rhs DARK
asecs@sloa d the latter "a onlY uruAosn By an
a.-casiofsai tisatrr ineident There h eEsoaga
a aes-sdsas and crime IN q great cry 10 ksep
tiss aatsaganee onlY soo bazy and Ez1ks the
srrvtce a rssposazsals and ssrAognS 0ne. Per
hass, therefore, renders siA 10 Interested TO
.ss a IistIa # the inside Of tie ambulance
.erv5ee. shat ~ork lt has 70 do and bow is
does t.
IL i nenFiy O'Clock IN tbs evening when
we ring tts tsgi Of the hospital The auibu-
lance surgeon tor tile nlght Is sitting az biz
window reading sse,lieai journal Appa
ratus for communication Telephone box. a
na@snangrr cali. an Electric gong COG
spicsoaa On tae clean whits wall By them
hang the rules fer the ambulance s.rvies o.
the hospital ard the Int Of stations and sig
nails. a system 81 numbers whtch are r4ng
out upon the electric beIL Tbs Il ia connac-
taoa with the same wires that constitute tho
polles teiegraphie and trlsphonsc system and
tAas eommu licats with The diirersnt prs
einct stations aad the little red boxes Of tho
IRE alarms.
Fruns police headquarters or the precincts
can la sefls tine l9ar sharp taps $50. -.
two rings tsies-that means ambulance
wanted Then follow the taps that tell
where each crossing Of two prominent streets
has is distinctive number. which Is rang ons
on the tell In case of great emergency, fire
or calamity, the hurry CALI 1879. Is r9ng
over the police bell, or twenty taps on tho
aFo tell, followed by the number Of the box
That IL hen the horse lies down to his cob
lar, and corners are swuBg at top speed. for
sometimes Ave seconds make tho difference
Of life or death.
Un an ordinary call only fair speed-a
sharp trot-i~ niails. On extraordinary &C
easions every ambulance on service in tho
city has been called out. Such ain occasion
was the frightfHl crush on the Brooklyn
bridge Ia 1885, another wns when the Bud
dssnsiek buildings on Sixty ninth street fell
Ia 1883. and SIXTY men were supposed TO have
been buried. and again in the great Grand
street fire in the seventies. There are TWEEN
ty-one Ia all that can be- called
Each hospital has its own district In the
city, covering from two 20 four OF the police
precincts, area, on average, Of about
four square milns At intervals Of about two
blocks through the district there are fire
alarm boxes, each Of which has its distinctive
number Prominent buildings, such as school
houses theatres, Fammany hall and the like,
also have their box. by which a special signel
may be sent out Often, also, excited citizens
telephone from their offices that man IL
lying dead ut the corner, and on the arrival
OF tho ambulance the supposed corpse has
vanished and has been often chased for
blocks for the necessary particulars for a re-
port OF It's name and address
While the doctor is telling all this. in mid
explanation the electric bell tinkles sharply
one, two, one, two-and then the numbers
IL A.
look at tho list to recognize them. snatching
bis cap, he says; Come along. corner Of
Bowery and Spring street. and starts down
stairs two steps at time. The driver is
there already he horse. hucklcd in tire drop
harness that hung over him in his stall and
harnessed to the ambulance in something
under thirty seconds, plauges through the
opened gate as we swing In behind
We slide about on the smooth, leather GOV.
cred seat and hang on TO the straps with
swelling biceps as we rattle around the cor
ner. Clang, sounds the bell, and heavy
truck turns out Of the way, while children
scuttle out Of the street and men and women
ny to windows or pause on the pavement
As We near Spring street we collect con
stantiy growing train OF followers, and the
street becomes dense in our trail with boys
% all sizes and ages little girls and big girls,
even m.n, and women with babies in their
arms They want to see something interest
ing, to have a sensation, they scent blood.
We pull up before great brick tenement
that ia all alive in an instant with heads out
of windows, and before the horse Is turned
there are 30 people about us Children in
numerable, the little girls with their bare
heads aud short calico dresses more anxious
to see even than the little boys; big girls in
loose ginghams, holding up babies in tseir
arms, big boys with bad bats. wives and
grandmothers with anxious faces men in
shirt sleeves or no sleeves at all. out for the
cool evening air after their days work, and
a torrent OF talk What is itl Who's hurta
IL is o drunken man, it is a woman tainted,
1t is boy killed, it's n sunstroke, it's fight
A policeman comes 10 tho door. behind
him scarel, sobbing girl. who Is i'm
medately hailed with questions by dozen
voices She cannot answer "A boy fell OF
the fire escape. thrce stories.- the officer ex-
plains. MS we go up stairs into the little room,
where the boy. dark haired little lad Of or
7, lies ON the bed. while the rest Of the room
is filed with women These, except the
mother, the doctor orders out with brief
vigor. Very still the boy lies, as the surgeon
gently lifts aud touches his head his body,
his limos NO fracture TO De tOulld no arN
parent wound or confusion. The ammonia
bottle comes out Of the bag, and q little on
tuft OF cotton is held at bis nostrils The
boy stirs, twists little. opens his eyes and
stars. Nv here are you hurt JohnnyF
"Aiat hurt nowhere" says be, succinctly.
And a matter of fact his diagnosis
proves 10 he correct Further careful ex.
animation reveals no injury. and he does not
compisia 81 any internal damage, and it
seems that be has come out OF a thirty foot
fall into paved court with nothing worse
than monlentary shock Young nesh and
flexible bones he has to thank Tor his luck.
He need not 50 to the hospital this time
The crowd, grown twice as large, Is wait
ing with admirable patience at the door 1t
shows disappointment on seeing us come
down without victim, but disperses slowly
unaeF exhoFtaslon from the officer to Move
along now" and the horse trots off-New
YORK FrsasS