The times., 1898-09-11
till more than 100 men besides the nurses

till more than 100 men besides the nurses
were lined up for assignment.
After these necessary arrangements had
been made Major Markley called his offi-
GERS together for consultation. He ex-
plained that ii would be best for the Off
GERS to camp on the hill instead of in the
valley, where so many sick were, ana
though a long walk would be made nee
essary by the arrangement, he believed 1t
would be better to put up with this than
TO risk the contagion in the valley To
Capt. Dodds, from Washington, d. G., he
particularly appealed, saying that the
captain had young wife and young
child in the United States, and 1t would
be no imputation on his courage II. ne
took his commanding officers recommen-
dation, and he spoke to all in the same
strain.
The officers debated the question and
came to the conclusion that they would
be mixed up with the sick anyhow and
decided for the valley. Capt Dodds sided
with them, but from the time he made
his way down from the conference some
of those who saw him say he acted as IL
he had a premonition of what was TO
follow, though his smile never lost Its
cheerfulness or his voice its tone of hope.
His duties afterward were attended TO
with his usual faithfulness. In time he
quoting his physician, notified headquar-
ters at Santiago that Had this man had
proper attention he need not have died"
Five days elapsed before news was re-
ceived from the first SiXty-flve volunteer
nurses sent to the yellow fever post. the
news was that forty-four OF them were
down and must be replaced. Again Major
Markley went among his command ana
exhorted them TO do all they could FOR
,NnNr- n
teers started for the post. Again and
again were calls made and patches of
twelve, fifteen. twelve, six, and so on vol
unteered. Each day was marked by the
departure of new men to take the place
of those who fell victims to the fever
In the meantime Major Markley and
his officers were hard at work putting the
camp into sanitary condition. Owing to
the absence of the utensils needed in a
camp of sickness, the pollution of the
camp was enormous. OF all disagreeable
tasks the work of keeping hospital
camp clean is perhaps the most obnoX-
ious. At Siboney this work was most
revolving, but the half-sick men of the
Twenty-fourth Nentreat 1t with dogged
resolution. They dragged the dead sand
crabs from undegl glther cots with improvis-
ed rakes made With barrel nails, they
performed the trying duties involved in
full conditions that existed, and they re-
strained the fever-crazed patients. Night
would close down fuIl of anxiety to the
well in that far-away hostile country,
lonely and desolate to the sick.
In one day 34E sick were reported in
camp. DR.. La Garde; of Louisiana. head
of the yellow fever hospital, began to
break down under the strain. Not an
hour of the nightJ scarcely an hour of the
day. was he absent from his post, bat
Ting with the great disadvantage of lack
of some of the Simplest drugs against an
insidious foe that gave no rest. No SOON
er was one patient on the road to re-
covery, or dead, than a dozen new ones
claimed his attention. Dr. Echeverria,
of Tampa who had exceptional success in
treating the fever, was also bending under
the strain.
Outside the hospital Major Markley was
calling for details for this and details for
that, and at roll call a tottering, worm
out line Of soldiers answered to their
names. The major would announce the
detail, and say in conclusion that if any
of the men were unable on account of ILL
ness to perform duty they should fall out.
Not a man would leave the line, and the
details would march away. Within an
hour or two generally some of the men
would return, acknowledge they were too
weak to continue their work, and be or
dered to their tents. So reduced were the
regiments that sergeants became cooks for
the time. corporals sprivates. and Major
Markley himself did corporal duty. Spade
in hand. he would show how the work
was to be done, or with tent pin labor