The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-07-05
TELLS OF HOSPITAL HORRORS
BURDETTE-COUTTS DESCRIBES
SCENES IN SOUTH AFRICA.
Correspondence Of the Associated
Press


Press.)
London. June 27.-Many complaints
and criticisms have been showered up
on the war office. but no more scath-
ing and practical denunciatiOn Of its
methods has been written than the let
ter Of the Times correspondent recent
" in South Africa, published today.
The writer is William L. Asmead-Bart-
lett Burdette-Coutts, member of parlia-
menJ for Westminster, American hus-
band Of Baroness Burdette-COUtJs
Saturday. April Is, hundreds Of men
TO my knowledge were lying in the
worst stages Of typhoid fever with only
blanket and thin water proof sheet
mot even the latter for many OF them)
between their aching bodies and the
hard ground. with no milk and hardly
any medicines. without beds, stretchers,
mattresses. without linen Of any kind.
without a single nurse among them,
with only a few ordinary private SOL
diers to act as OrderIies, rough and I'M
fitted for nursing, with only three doc
tors TO attend 10 $50 patients
There were none of the conditions OF
a forced march about this. 1t was a
mile from Bloemfontein, capital of the
Free State, a large town which We had
occupied for more than six weeks, with
line of railway TO two SeapOrts, along
which thousands of troops and count
less trainlOadS of stores and equipments
of all kinds, and for every one but sick,
had been moving up during the whole
Of that Ieisurely hating time
Jolted in Ok Carts.
about the same time a convoy Of
wounded men were being subjected 70
nameless torture for want Of ambulance
transport or simplest comforts. HUd-
died together in rough, springless OK
wagons, they jOIted over spruit and
drift for forty miles. that road being
strategically safe and their destination
! this same BlOemfOntein, provided with
most things except human appliances
| for its wounded
From morning until night gloomy
professions followed each other across
market square, bearing shapeless fig
ures, sewn up in blankets and crowded
/ into unknown graves in the cemetery
on the southern hill, day after day
| and week after week in ever growing
NUMBERS. How many of these might
| today be strong men, full Of life, re-
| jOiCing at their near return to home
and friends, is terrible speculation
/ which must be left TO those who con-
slider the conditions attending sickness
! and death.
! The horrors of these scenes, the
/ tortures suffered by our wounded there
/ owing entirely to the ShOrtcOming Of
/ the medical equipment STAFF and trans
( port were a by-WOrd in every mouth
/ The heat of these hospital tents in
I the midday sun was OverpOWering.
/ their Odors sickening- Men lay with
! their faces covered by flies in black
] clusters. too weak TO raise a hand 70
! brush them of, trying in vain to dis
| lodge them by painfully twitching
| their features.
AT night there were not enough at
| PENDANTS TO prevent patients in the de-
] Iirium stage from getting up and wan
, dering about the camp, half naked, in
/ the bitter cold, the temperature al
night reaching the freezing point. n
one tent where four men slept, and 9TH
erS lay with their eyes open and star
ing. a case Of 'perfOratiOn' was grOan-
ing out his life against his neighbOT
Men had not only to see, but often &c
feel others die