The times., 1898-08-07
IN KEY WEST HOSPITAL.
A Visitor Tells What She Saw
Among the Wounded


Canadian papers naturally take lively
interest in this war. and the correspond
ent of one of them, bright woman from
Toronto, has been visiting the Key West
hospital. Her description OF the scenes
she witnessed there is both vivid and in
teresting:
Standing in fine woody grounds, not
far from the shore, Is the immense and
picturesque building known now as the
Government hospital. A few months ago
il was a convent school, and ii Will prob
ably be one again when this cruel war Is
over. The nuns are now engaged in the
grand work of nursing the wounded SOL
dlers and sailors OF The United States.
And Just here Canada IS helping Uncle
Sam, for the nuns are Canadian sisters.
or, rather, the convent is a branch of the
mother house of the good Sisters of the
Holy Name in Montreal. II is a wonder
full old house, with its immense round and
octagonal rooms. through which all the
winds OF heaven sweep through the large
arches that open on the piazzas All
around the rooms, in little circles, lie the
neat iron cots. with their mosquito bars
tucked up to the ceiling, ready to be
dropped when evening falls and the in
vading army Of demon insects, with
shrilling, takes possession of the big
place
Five hundred beds are at the disposal
of the government here. A small army
of the ablest surgeons of the continent
has taken up quarters in the place, while
four Government army nurses, appointed
by the Society of the Daughters of the
American Revolution, are here under
orders just like soldiers. The names of
fhaSa loI;
nurses ever appointed by any govern
ment are Mrs. Sanger, Miss NJ. z. Shat
fer, Miss Lease and Miss Lyon. They
are at the head of their profession, ex-
ceptionally experienced and trained, and
in every way fit for the immense respon-
sibility of caring for half an army of
wounded men. The four nurses are prac-
tically at the head OF affairs. They give
their orders to the sisters, who act as
assistant nurses, and perform their
duties as all nuns do-perfectly.
spent wonderful afternoon at the
hospital yesterday. It was Sunday, and
all Key West lay tranquil in the rest and
peace of the Sabbath. The big ships in
the harbor seemed to browse in the sun
as they swung and drifted with the tide
The Spanish prizes-which are to be
auctfoned off III day or two-looked
absolutely derelict. so little sign of life
was there about them. Even the busy
little dispatch boats and the noisy tugs
seemed to respect the beautiful quiet of
the seventh day. The sun, Of course,
was busy grilling his, old world, but even
he grew tired. and slipping behind a
cloud loosed the strings of 1t, and let
the torrents tumble over the poor pant
Ing earth, rejoicing the big cocoa palms,
which ratified together with glee, and
washing the glorious faces of the GRIM
son hibiscus trees until the flower took
new youth, and sliorle like great scarlet
shields. swaying and bending in delight
under the wash of the rain. An hour
later Old Sol had 1t all his own way
again.
He could even peer into the big cir
cuiar lower rooms Of the great hospital
There, as in caves. the sea winds were
blowing, and the sick men were lying in
their little cots like great children, quiet,
accepting the inevitable,
but longing, every man of them, to be up
and out with the boys at Santiago
There were not many in the surgical
ward, as fifty had been discharged the
day before; but there were men here who
had been wounded by shot and shell at
Cardenas Bay and San Juan. One poor
fellow, who had been lying for hearty six
weeks with his leg In plaster cast
showed me with pride the piece of shell
which had been taken out of his flesh. It
was thick, two-inch jagged chunk of
iron, whose sharp edges had torn through
bone and sinew and artery, shattering all
before it. Two inches of bone had been