The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1899-03-21

SIX miles, over the wild, rough country,
those who were least injured assisting
their comrades, and hundreds dying by
the wayside. Had the Red Cross been
allowed its way in the beginning many
of these horrors would have been avoid
ed; alnbulances would have been on
hand when so sorely needed, equipped
with every convenience, and the first
hospital camp would have been close by
the battlefield. 1t is no use now to
criticise men or methods Suffering,
sickness, confusion and death are the
inseparable companions of war, against
which no human foresight can wholly
provide. Those of the wounded who
lived to beach the places designated
were attended as rapidly and efficiently
as possible by the half-dozen army sur
geons, who had few of the most necess
ry things at hand for their awful work.
| Their instruments were in their pockets,
but anaesthetics, bandages medicines
food were utterly lacking, and so insult
flcient was the force that many of the
wounded lay for days before their turn
came. The soldiers clothes We're so
soaked with rain and stiffened with mud
from the trenches that they could not be
put on again, having been removed for
an operation. Men taken from the ope-
rating table, perhaps having just had a
leg or arm cut off, or with bodies torn
by Mauser bullets, were laid naked on
the rain-soaked ground, without shelter,
and in the majority of cases without
even blankets. And there they lay
through two long days and nights, COM
pared to which Dante's inferno seems
like paradise To add to the horrors of
the situation the skies wept necessarily,
and the army hospital corps had no
lights but few Pickering candles, by
which to cut into quivering human flesh,
without the blessed boon of chloroform.
When the Red Cross finally forced it's
way to the spot Miss Barton knew ex-
actly what to do. She directed fires to
be kindled as quickly as possible, and
over them hung her big granite kettles
filled with water In some of the ket-
ties matted milk was prepared, in others
good, strong cruel made. With her usu-
al wonderful foresight, she brought
along plenty of lanterns and oil, and
quantity of cotton CLOTH. Tearing the
latter into strips the length of sheet,
cover the naked sufferers; and the wo-
men quickly followed, each with a pail
of steaming milk or cruel. They found
many of the soldiers unconscious; 9TH
ers delirious, bowling or cursing in ago.
ny. Kneelng on the ground beside each
sufferer, the little band tenderly lifted
the poor heads in their arms and put
between the parched lips the first food
or drink they had had for days. Grad
ually consciousness returned to many
who had passed almost beyond the Dor
der-line into the great Unknown. and
the light Of reason replaced the glare of
madness. Thus thousands of mothers
boys We're saved who in a few hours
more would have been beyond mortal
aid, and the last moments Of others We're
soothed by the knowledge that they had
not been utterly abandoned by God and
man. No wonder that bearded men
wept like babies and blessed the angels
of mercy as they passed!
One of the most dramatic incidents of
the war was the entrance of the Red
Cross into Santiago a few days later
Recognizing the great services rendered,
the army officers experienced almost a
change of heart, and the relief ship
Estate of Texas" was put ahead of eve
rything, even Generals Shafter, Samp-
son and Schley following respectfully in
the rear. There We're the two armies,
the conquerors and the conquered the
wrecked ships of Spain, the starving
Cubans. The silence of the grave hung
over all, the memory of horrors gone be-
fore-of battle, murder, terror and trag-
edy; and now was coming the first
CLEAN Of hope to a perishing people. |
Said Miss Barton, Can somebody sing |
the doxology?" praise God from |
Whom all blessings flow" rang out in |
quavering chorus from the dozen men |
and women on the deck Of the Texas"
taken up and repeated here and there on
and shore, till the green
hills that environ Santiago re-echoed the
song of Thanksgiving. while gallant SOL
diers were not ashamed of tears and the
dying waved their feeble hands.
The world is familiar with the great
work subsequently accomplished by the
Red Cross in eastern Cuba; and how
when it wished to carry its beneficence
later to Havana, where the need was
heart rending, the Spanish authorities
made it impossible and the society was
to withdraw reluctantly from
he island. But now that American au
-hority is established in Cuba and the
need is great as ever, the Red Cross is
coming back to complete its well-besun
work, in compliance with the expressed
wishes of President Mckinley, the war
department. and Surgeon General Stern
berg himself as well as in response to a
multitude Of appeals from the islanders.
The service will be auxiliary to other re-
ief work by the United States govern
nent, and Of a purely hospital nature
o shelter the homeless and care for the
sick. both Cuban and American. 1t IS
proposed to at once establish in the city ;
If Havana a much-needed institution
which it has never had viz, a civilians I
hospital, designed especially for Ameri-
ans, who, If taken seriously i'll in Cuba,
nay there receive the same care and at ]
ention they would get in similar insti
utions at home. Shipping stations will
PRESENTLY be established at New Orleans,
Tampa and Savannah. with receiving
epots at New York, ST. Louis and 9TH
r places. The government has given
rec transport service to the work; also
T,,a al ta1 HI i