The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-05-17

I
gard to the departure Of Consul McGarr.
| They aver that he left Cienfuegos without
notifying the Americans of the danger.
| MISSION OF THE S0LACE.
| Copyrighted, 1888. by Associated Press)
Key West. May Is.-Correspondeuce OF
the Associated Press.-It looks like stern
| business when the hospital corps is sent
| to the front. The firt Of those who will
attend the wounded on board ship reached
Key West on Tuesday last IN the Ameri-
can line ship Solace- The Solace had been
at anchor for several weeks at Hampton
| Roads. Her officers, surgeons and others
were anxious 10 get to work, # there was
work to be done. On the Saturday pre-
vious to her arrival here, she received
hurry orders to get nearer TO what is TO
| be the scene of action. OF course, the
plan is to have the Solace where she
| will do the most good. and when Com
mander Dunlap arrived in port he was
uncertain whether he would be ordered
to Havana, of the coast, or be sent TO
Porto Rico. TO which point Admiral
SIMPSONS squadron was at that time
supposed to be heading.
AT any rate. the Solace has mission TO
fulfill before caring for the wounded and
| that is to cross the Florida strait and
visit each Of the warships of the blockad-
ing fleet. Among the sick OF the block
aders the delicacies provided by the Colo
NAL Danes will be distributed. or else
they viii lbe stored on the various ships
for future use.
The ambulance ship has been beautifully
supplied by the women Of America with
the good things that are generally lack
ing at sea and in the field. Perhaps no
ship of the war will be the center OF So
much concern as the Solace. Her white
sides and her red cross flag will mark her
to friend and foe. Her mission will be
one of mercy-to build up that which has
been partially destroyed; to care for the
wounded. TO comfort the dying. She is
staunch and fast. and 200 or more wounded
sailors can be accommodated on board
this floating hospital. While the battle
RACES the Solace will occupy a position
similar to that of the hospital tents
ashore, and after the battle her boats
will be sent to the ships and the wounded
will be removed. Then as soon as possible
oliG Will Cd4A y ncT pdl4tIlS " lllS IOSp4LdlS
at some port of safety.
At Newport News and at other ports
at which the Solace has touched the work
Of fitting her out has been completed. and
now she in every way resembles the mod
ern hospitals. She is divided into wards,
with hunks, narrow but each separated
from the other by passageways The
operating room is finely equipped with
surgical instruments, and there is a tiled
bath room with an appliance for heating
or cooling the water; complete phara-
phernalia for treating wounds, and a con-
valescents' room.
The commander Of the Solace is Andrew
Dunlap, pleasant, hearty, genial naval
officer.
The surgeon is DR.. Thomas H. Streets.
and DR.. c. F. Stokes. passed assistant
surgeon of the United States navy. is the
assistant surgeon.
There are eight nures from the Bellevue
school on board. and three apothecaries
have been provided.
There is a CHASTITY department 10 the
floating ambulance. The Solace carries
collins in a section Of the boat set aside
for the care of the dead. No one. known
or unknown, need be buried at sea or be
placed away in desolate corner on the
cuban coast. Arrangements have been
made for the embalming of bodies. after
which they may be deposited in metal
lined boxes. number of which are stored
away on the Solace.
The officers of the Solace believe she will
prove model boat of her class. The dav
OF the modern warship. with her vast
turrets and great guns. her closed COM
partments and everything cleared away
for battle has so changed the conditions
which formerly prevailed that there is no
room Tor the workinaof guns and the
caring for the woundF at one and the
same time. Those who fall In naval bat
tie Of today are only to be trodden under
foot or suffocated in the grirnv fighting
boxes, until the ambulance boat can gath
er up the wounded and care for them
Those who have been taught " the first
AID TO the Injured" on board the Solace
have been led a step further in the last
few weeks. They have been taught how
best to carry the wounded bv hand mr.
hammocks through the narrow passage Of
the hospital ship, where a stretcher would
fail to pass.
The Solace has a displacement Of ? 500
tons and an average speed Of fourteen
knots She is 80 feet over all. and is a
sharp nosed boat Of fine lines.
dark stripe runs around her white
sides, and with the Red Cross flag nvinr
she will be protected by the articles OF
the Geneva co-r-a,.+o-