The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-09-22
THEY WORE THE RED CROSS.
Misses CrOmeIein's and HOOker's
Work at Chickamauga.


Misses CrOmeIein's and HOOker's
work at Chickamauga.
Two Red Cross nurses are stopping at
the De Soto. Their badges, the red cross
on a white ground, pinned on their sleeves,
mark them as fearless and devoted work
ers amid disease for the aid and comfort
of the unfortunate men who are unable
to stand before the ravages of the disor-
ders camp life sets afioat. The cross on
a woman's sleeve has not been often seen
here, so considerable attention is attracted
by it.
Miss Maud Cromelein and Miss Hooker
have been at Chickamagua Park. They
worked long and hard there, and were
the means of saving many a poor fellows
life and of making the lot of many an-
other much easier by extending a hand to
smooth pillow, by watching carefully
to anticipate every want and by doing
thousand and one things that only wo-
man can properly do around the sick.
They were at Chiekamauga for more than
two months and half.
Miss Cromelein is the representative of
the New York Red Cross Auxiliary for
the maintenance of trained nurses. The
Red Cross Society is made up of differ
ent branches, that of which Miss Crome-
| lein is the representative being one.
Chickamauga Park appealed to Miss
Cromelein as a place to which she would
| like to go, so she asked the auxiliary to
| send her. This was done, and as its rep
| resentative, she asked to be allowed to
| establish a branch hospital of the Red
| Cross, at which trained nurses were to
| work. These nurses were to be sent on
| from New York. Miss Cromelein saw the
urgent need of such a hospital, as she
| had been through the division hospitals
| When asked as to the condition of the
in
| was not free to offer criticisms, an an
swer that indicated that they were not
what they should have been.
THE surgeons did not at first look with
| any great favor on my proposal Miss
| Cromelein said 'They seemed to think
We would be membranes, additional i'm
pedimenta. but 1. after a time, prevailed
/ on the chief surgeon to use his influence
| at Washington to have us given chance
| to show what we could do for the sick
| soldiers, and to show that we could man
| age TO get along on what We could get in
| camp. 1 told the chief surgeon that the
| Red Cross would furnish us with what
| supplies we might need, and he finally
| acquiesced, writing to the surgeon general
| and securing the issuance of an order
| recognizing the Red Cross nurses, allow
| ing them to be sworn in and to take the
| oath Of allegiance"
| This was early in August, and since then
the nurses have been paid $50 per month
| by the government. One meal a day has
| also been furnished each one, which, with
| the delicacies furnished by the Red Cross,
has been sufficient to admit of the nurses
| living most excellently on food both
| wholesome and delicate. Miss Cromelein
| and Miss Hooker say they have not lack
ed for plenty to eat, and they do not re-
greet anything in connection with their
| camp life.
When Sternberg Hospital, the first Red
| Cross field hospital, was established I'M
der the order issued by the Surgeon Cen
| eral, twenty-five nurses cared for the 200
patients 1t was agreed they should have.
| So great was the success of the nurses
that after a time 1t was decided to add TO
| the number of patients. The number of
nurses also was added to, and there were
! at one time 500 patients and 1872 nurses.
When the nurses left there were Alb pa
tents in the hospital.
Miss Cromelein and Miss Hooker say
they have cause for satisfaction in the
| favorable report of the work of the nurses
that has been made by the surgeons of
| the camps at Chickamauga. The ideas of
| the surgeons, in most cases, where they
| had been entertained in the belief in the
| lnefficiency and impossibility of female
nurses in camp, were radically changed,
and they learned to look upon the wearers
of the cross as their greatest allies in
the fight against disease. The ladies
leave to-day by steamer for New York,
where they will report 10 their auxiliary.