The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1898-07-29

Near Jacksonville. Fla. July %.

Captain Il, c. Catchings. chief commits
sary on General Burt's staff, died sud
denly to-day after an illness of two
Weeks. The body will be taken to his
home in Vicksburg, Miss. tomorrow
Captain Catchings was unmarried and
Il son of Congressman Catchings. Ills
father arrived here this morning short
time before his death.
Surgeons Wilder and Archey to-day
condemned the camp of the First North
Carolina regiment, and asked for removal
at once to higher grounds. If the camp
is moved from here the troops will prob
ably be taken to Macon. Ga. or possibly
Western North Carolina. The camp
grounds here tonight are almost covered
with water.
No orders to prepare for the Porto
Rican expedition have been received here
The commanding officers deny knowledge
of such intention on the part of the War
Department, and express the belief that
the troops will remain in the United
States until October.
Three members of the Goldsboro com
pany are dangerously i'll with typhoid
fever They are Archey Hayes, Joe
Daniel and Matt Elmore. Hayes can
not live till morning; his home is Stem,
Granville county.
Jacksonville has seldom seen such an
occasion as that witnessed around the
Windsor Hotel Tuesday night At least
10000 people were there to see William
Jennings Bryan, colonel of the Third Ne
braska regiment.
OF course all the other distinguished
army officers were present and the band
belonging to the Nebraska regiment gave
a concert. But it was not to hear the
rnrf ~ NY
other general that this great throng was
attracted there. 1t was to see William
]. Bryan, the silver orator and next DEM
ocratic nominee for President, that they
crowded the streets to see, calling for a
speech at every pause in the music.
Though they got no speech they shouted
themselves hoarse in 'hurrahs for Bry-
an" Stretching away for more than a
block in mass of humanity, the center
of observation was the one commanding
figure. who sat on the south paZza of
the Windsor Hotel, engaged in conversa
ton with General Lee.
Bryan was making his first appearance
in public in this city, since he has donned
the uniform of the great volunteer army,
and the event was n notable one. He
came at the head of his regiment proud
of his men. which is farthest from home
Of all that are gathered in Camp Cuba
Libre. 1t was one continuous ovation
from the time Colonel Bryan reached the
city at o'clock until he went away
at H.
Not Mt any time during his campaign
for the Presidency was the Nebraskan
the recipient of greater enthusiasm than
was that accorded him here Tuesday
night. Hundreds of people wanted to
L. LII
though it was made courteousy plain
by Colonel Bryan that he was in more
serious business now and did not care
to hold popular Ieyee. To their shouts
and hurrahs he listened with the calm
seIf-possession of the trained soldier and
the calls for a speech fell upon deaf ears.
For the first time since he has been
here General Lee was forgotten. That
hyra-headed monster. the people, that
sets up an idol only to knock it down, had
eyes and ears for only one man and
that man was Colonel William J. Bry-
an.
Writing about the Division Hospital
yesterday / neglected to state that its
greatest shortening is the lack of proper
nurses Ordinarily. in a small hospital,
the regular corps would be all-sufficient.
but in a great hospital like the one here
the enlisted nurse or private in the
hospital corps is a failure. 1t takes
time to train nurses In private practice
most surgeons require a nurse TO whom
they commit the care of their patients
to have at least one years professional
training before practicing that gentle art
Is it possible to take an unskilled man
out of the ranks and simply by trans
ferring him to the hospital corps make
competent nurse out Of him? Time
and facilities do not permit it even if
the men were by nature fitted for such
duties. Then again it must be considered
That under the present system not all the
volunteers for the hospital corps are the
right sort of material. Men enter the
hospital service for various reasons: On.
is attracted by the reputed ease of hospi-
tai life as compared with the ranks an
other by the pay. while still others are
men whom their captains are glad to get
rid Of. A very small proportion have
the proper ambition and talents for hospi-
tai and field work.
Women make the best nurses. They
are naturally adapted to such work
men are not. But female nurses are
excluded from all army hospitals--except
at Chickamauga. There DIR. Carter has
taken the bit i'm his teeth and admitted
them. orders to the contrary notwitil-
standing The time has come when it
should be universally broken. The gov
eminent has abundant offers from vonn-
teer female nurses: why should it not
accent them? There are scores OF gooG
women in North Carolina who would
be glad Of an opportunity to come here
and nurse back to life the fever-stricken
and maaria-racked soldiers. who have
given up homes of luxury at their coun-
trv's call. That the mortality among
them could be greatly lessened can hard
" be disputed. The Red Cross Society
has established a supply depot here and