Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1891-09-02
ON 4 STRBTCHER.
4 Strange Ride IL tho Nev
State Ambulance.
Pof Onos q. aIizauon IL Better Rhsn
Antioip staou.

lnsrs Shs FfoohpiJ no dnRle feature cor
necisd with the two encsmpuents of III
militia and the veterans that sstrscte
- much interest and attention Or which 70
csived ~ much comment and criticism bot
favorable snd unfsyorabls, - did the Am
bulsnce Corps under Captain W. 4. Rike
Of Lewiston.
osing to the fact that ihsrs YER
several cases Of faintins III,
hurry up" wagon had . number Of oppor
tunities Of showing what il could do. Tn.
ground 1t the State camp 10 quite rough il
places snd the way that wagon would com,
scro" the fisId vas-Appsrsntly-s eau
ton. 1t would pitch and toss like small
boat in heavy sea.
II pity the poor men Who lie on the stretch
ers in that cart. said one lady. "thsy mus
be shaken 70 pieces" So much Of this styl,
Of conversation was heard that 1t last i
.as decided In the JOURNAL office that Or
investigation must be made. With thi.
object in view one Of the reporters received
Instructions 10 20 up to the ground, drot
and be carried Oh and zee whether or moi
the ride In the ambulance was % rough
a. it looked. The fortunate or IN.
fortunate individual Who received this orde.
did not, 1t must be confessed, feel happy.
lie had seen too much, he thought, OF the
jolting rides that patients had taken
Nevertheless he sailed forth. At LAST ,bs
scene OF action In the shsp, Of tbs State
camp wa reached. A soldiers overc ,st
and fatigue cap we're borrowed from kind
and friendly private. The reporter retired
to . tent and put On the coat and srie to pa.
Oh the cap but, alas. it vas too small.
Finally after many vain struggles he de
oidsd to take hold Of the lining with his
teeth and in this way holding it over bis
face when he dropped. After this opsra-
ton he sat for . few minutes and thought
Ne Felt - Though He wss About to
Butter Untold Agoniss.
But again he rallied his f'ssting courage
and spirits and stumbled out of the tent and
dropped upon the parade ground in full view
Of headquarters and the hospital II was the
Governors Day Of the Veterans Encamp-
msnt and great crowd was collected about
those buiidings. As s result the wounded
man" vas soon noticed and in no time at ali
the ambulance had started. The crowd was
instantly filled with excitement and pity
and also started OF. The reporter could
Just manage, by squirting, to get
. peep at the buildings. When he
saw the wagon approaching with the horses
sslloping msdly, the driver swinging hi,
whip and the crowd hurrying along, 1t did
not add to his cheerfulnsss. Then the
ambulance made 8 sharp turn behind the
tents and was lost to sight. Il was . hot
day and the overcoat WAS heavy. There
fore the reporter felt warm. very warm
The state Of hts feelings and the rate q.
uhich his heart was jumping, did not tend
to cool them OF. BY this time
Small Mob had os'hsrsd about the
Prostate Form.
II did not move. II wonder if he's
dead one pretty girl said and then gave
= little sob. The reporter choked. Prob
ably the sun is 50 hot said another by
.,sndsr. Again an inclination to laugh
came near ovsrpoweripg the dead msD.
More likely hes drunk" WAS the cruel
remark Of smother woman. not young.
Then they went to work and dis
cusssd the question. l, may pos
sibly puzzle the reader IS to why
they did not attempt to find out the truth
or to afford some relief. The solution is
simple. Ore man had started to pick up
the reporter but had been stopped by the
cry Of . email boy Don't yer tech him,
the smberlance's COMM This had caused
The crowd to fall back. suddenly the pat
ter Of ironshod hoofs on hard sod was
heard. The people scattered ard the an
bulsnoe dashed up. 1t had seemed to take
hours for its arrival. Resily . miunte and
. half had passed. The smb ulance stopped
"Dismouni stretchsrmen,' rang out. Then
ground stretcher, ard something wss put
down by the side Of ihs reporter. Amid
the awed whispers Of the crowd he was
picked up and placed on the stretcher
Fold Sergeant Glscken saying,
meanwhile. to Capt. Kicker, Its only
drunken rran." Take him right
TO the hospital" was the reply. So the
reporter escaped having his ruse exposed
before all III. people. lie felt thankful
then sorry-for he was lifted on the field
stretcher into the wagon. As soon as the
front handles. those at the head had been
rlsced on the rolls, the stretcher was slid
in. At once the horses started. The re-
porter gave . gasp. He expected to be
shaken into little pieces and to be
J,ltsa and Bounced into q Mass OF
Black and Blue Jelly.
He rather feared that he would have a
number Of broken bones. He trembled for
his life. lie continued to wait for the aw
ful moment when his experience would
begin. The expectation continued, but the
reali zation did not materiaiize. The wagon
seemed to be going fact, judging from the
sound Of the horses hoofs. but he could
not feel any motion. Right along be
could hear the violent noiss made by
some heavy vehicle bouncing madly over
rough ground. But it could not be the
ambulance for not even tremblo could be
felt What WAS il? The work and think
ing that the .ick man put upon this problem
seemed to clear his brain, for. all Of sud
den, the solution came to him. He and oil
the others were mistaken. A patient in
the ambulance did not suffer from the ride.
The ambulance was properly designed and
constructed, the motion of travel could not
be felt.
nothing Could Bxcssd the Ambuisrce
fof ComioGtabls Riding.
There i, no shaking, there 10 no joltng,
there is no danger. 1t does not feel any
more unpleasant than il does to lie on
feather mattress, or ane sprir & bed while
somebody fans you.
Hospital had been washed and the ambu-
lance was swung around and backed up, In
der the direction Of Ssrgt. Glsckin, Pri-
vs,es Libby and Harrington lifted the
stretcher out and carried it into the sick
ward. Then the invalid was lifted OF up
on cot. Capt. Riker entered the room.