Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1898-12-15
A NURSES NARROWING TALE.
Declares That Soldiers Are Dying In
Manila Hospitals for Lack
of Proper Car,

HONOLULU, Dec. 5. VIA SAN FRAN
CISCO, Dec. 1.-THE United States trans
port Scandia has arrived here from Manila,
which place she left November 10. She
brings a number of officers, ninety-one dis
charged and furloushed men, and two Red
Cross nurses. She brings the largest mail
that ever left Manila, 213 sacks for San
Francisco and one for Honolulu. The yes
sci will resume her voyage on or about the
10th inst.
Miss Schaefer Red Cross nurse who
went from Honolulu to Manila, arriving
makes startling charges as to the way
United States soldiers are taken care OF IN
Manila. Miss Schaefer made the following
statement for publications:
Scores of soldier boys are dying in the
hospitals at Manila. just for want of proper
nourishment. They say the government
allows 90 cents an d day y,o for each patient. You
oh, the utter Woe of the hospitals. the
helpIessness of them, Men as bright and
noble as God ever made given up to death.
hoping for it, seeking it, taking poison,
doing anything that will end the despair
that comes upon them.
Seeing nothing before them but days of
pain and nights OF wretchedness. without
proper food, alone. with no one to give
them sympathy or cheer. to write to
friends. 10 soothe the aching brows or
mosten parched lips. if. by sheer endur-
ance of nature or obstinacv of vitality
they do get better. there Is before them
nothing but the still more cheerless period
OF convalescence. with the probability OF
relapse, and the old WEAKNESS of despair
to be suffered again. No wonder there are
six or seven funerals a day. No wonder
the deadhouse is never empty.
And outside the hospital, and even in
II. such Indifference, Petty consideration
Of rank and position, squabbles about pre-
cedence, lack of consideration in prescrib-
ing and preparing food, while men are dy-
ing, not merely Of heart hunger. but for
want of nourishment
L have gone through the wards day
after day, and, as l spoke to this one and
that, and they poured out their woes, men
who do not wear their hearts in their
sleeve, cried for the pure agony of their
vivid by their own telling of it.
Il got SO l just could not go through the
wards. What could l do? l saw the need
OF care, OF proper nourishmenr. of the most
ordinary hospital treatment, and was ut
terly helpless to do anythins-just one cog
in the great remorseless grinding machine.
whose material was noble men. and whose
grist was death.
Il do not mean that the attendants in
all the hospitals are careless or Indifferent,
is lot of worthiness and unselfshness
among the attendants at the hospitals. Bu,
there is so much ineXperience SO many
clogs to those who would do much TC
think of attendant going through q
ward with u pail of beef broth. ladlinf. IL
criminately by the cupful, In the whole
| pail there was not enough nourishrnent TO,
one, even if 1t We're made of the best ma
terial. But what II really was made of
l shut my eyes and refuse to imagine.
IN whole ward there ia not more thar
one nurse with experience. and for helpers
! only one or two awkward boys. who per.
| haps never saw a sickroom before.