The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1898-07-22

pany. is in the hospital suffering from
Il hurt to his knee received on the train
Sunday coming from st. Augustine.
THE HEAT AND TIE TAR HEELS.
1t is wonderful how well the Tar
Heels stand this climate. They so out
daily on extended order drills for miles
and miles and come back whistling and
singing. but as wet as if they had been
in the river. Hardly ever half dozen
men drop out. No other regiment here
has been able to stand such marches and
sucn drills With almost vertical rays
the sun beats down upon the tents and
the white camp ground. The Tar Heels
seem not to mind it, though all the 9th
err regiments daily report prostrations
from heat. They are tough, brawny
fellows. 1.-the and muscular. Already
their faces and hands are bronZed by cX-
posture to the sun and winds of the trop-
les. The New Jersey man is short,
stocky and quickly fatigucd. The Iowa
Wisconsin and Illinois man, though re-
sembling the Southcrner in build. has the
pink and tender flesh characteristic of
+, Northern climes. They left home with
overcoats on and came here to find the
heat very oppressive and wearing on
the system The Virginian stands the
climate nearly as well Is the North Caro-
linian and the Missippians at Panama
Park even better.
CaNTEENS AND GOOD HEALTH.
The North Carolina regimental canteen
is now doing very little business and
there is talk of closing it altogether. The
falling off in business this month is due
to three things: Persistent petitioning
and Iaftar.wrifiur by wives aud moi hers
of soldiers: the abominable quality of the
beer sold there. and the discovery of the
fact by the soldiers that even the best
quality of malt or alcoholic drinks are
Injurious to health in this climate. The
surgeons have been trying to impress this
upon the men ever since they have been
in camp.
And here / am reminded to say that
some of the surgeons here think that due
credit was not given their profession in
the interview by Major Hayes printed in
Tuesdays News and Observer. 1t will
be remembered he expressed amazement
at the small per centage of mortality
among the wounded brought back from
Santiago and accounted for it on the
theory that the wound made by the
Mauser bullet being smooth and clean
cut. is not so serious as that made by a
Springfield or Remington rifle and much
more easily treated.
TRIUMPH OF AMERICAN SUR
gerry.
While admitting that there is something
in Major Hayes contention, the surgeons
say that never in the history of war have
gunshot wounds proved less fatal or
healed so rapidly and that the phenom-
enon is Il triumph of American surgery
which has more than kept pace with the
science of gunnery. Every soldier and
sailor in the service is furnished with n
little packet, to be used by himself or his
comrades as soon as possible after .
wound is received. 1t is carried in The
pocket or suspended by cord around the
neck. Upon being opened il is found
TO contain Il piece of galze, II bandage
and Il handkerchief; all treated with tho
anticeptic Kausen or bichlori1e of MGR
curry. recently discovered by DIR. Sister
of England. Upon the handkerchief are
printed instructions, which by this time
are familiar to nearly all soldiers The
gauze is to be placed Immediately upon
the wound. The bandage is to be used
to bind the arteries or veins so as to stop
tho flow of blood, and the handkerchief
is to be tied about the wound until the
IiiItHl Ndil itdfiI al regular surgeon.
These first aid TO the wounded" appli-
cations have been generously utilized by
those who have been shot both on the
ships and in the field. and the surgeons
say the men have shown remarkable skill
and presence of mind in applying them.
AS soon as surgeon reaches II wound.
ed man his first act is to battle the wound
with bichloride of mercury and dress it
with antiscptic gauze and DIR. Van
feypen, the surgeon-general of the navy
told me last night that thus far i'm the
war not Il single ease of blood poisoning
had been reported Among the $50
wounded men at Fortress Monroe there
Is not one who is suffering from infam
nation nor one whose wounds are dis
charging pus. The mercury kills all
germs. keeps the lacerated flesh sweet
and clean and causes it to heal rapidlv
No lint is used in dressing: sterilized
Gauze is found much better in Mi ro
spects.
KNOCKED A PROVOST DOWN.
Quite an exciting incident occurred in
me North Carolina camp yesterday af-
terhoon just before the ; o'clock regi
mental drill. While just outside the line
WIN some North Carolina, Virgipia and
Wisconsin soldiers, Private Colbert of
the hornets Nest Rifles, got into a dis
pute with one of the provost guard-a
Wisconsin man-whom he promptlv
knocked down with his fist. As tho
Wisconsin man rose he put II shell i'm his
| gun to shoot Colbert, but he never got
Il chance to do so, for the Tar Heels
covered him like 50 many bees. and Col
bert He'd to his tent. The Wisconsin
| men pursued him and the Tar Heels pur
sued them, while the North Carolina