The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1900-08-06
\ James !. Van AlenS Tells Of HIS Ex.
periences In Orange Free State. Ii
.B'oERS ARE GREAT FIGHTERS.
Hospital Under Fire Several Times.
Criticism Of the Way the Sick VICE
Treated -Weather y sually Delights
fplll--:1Iay Take a Hospital Corps to
the China War. . Ii

James J. Van Alien is enjoying a we'll
+ earned rest at his hons in Newport az
Il ter an ardnoIs, if Interesting. half yea,
I spent n the equipment and manage.
ment of "a field hospital, which mater
Tally benefited the conditioned ,Tammy
Atkins during his conflict with The
4 Beers !. In his leisure moments MI. Va,
Allen Is considering Notwithstanding Of
copdrcting a. similar enterprise Id
y China; 1t Is qnitp possible that he may
decide TO goacross to the Yellow; King
dom when the situation becomes spma-
what Clarified and 1t Is possible 10 d.
eide whether he contest will continue
IA -sgar or a week, says the Providence
Journal. "a y H,
I'VE were With Lord Methuen's diyl-
! Sion in South Africa said Mr.. Van
Allen. .'Tha was at the west end 81
the line O. campaign, while Bullet!was
lat the extreme eastern end. We had
Just about the kind OF tma which
might have ,been expected, spending our
energy III the care OF the sick and
woanled, more Of the former tina n OF
!. the latter. was in Africa three
\ months and a half. sailing from Cane
Town June 6 on the return. Our field
hospital staff consisted OF three doc
4 tors, including 4 regular army surgeon
and fifteen 10 eighteen orderlies, wio
were young men, ranging in years from
Nineteen 10 thirtyfY ye1rs, who's
training had fitted them in soma way
4 or another for the work we had under.
taken. Some were trained pharitia.
icists, some were students OF medicine
I or surgery. and thay were al; interest
! ed In the work. and ready. to do any
thing that came to their hand. We FOL
lowed Lord Methucn's army from the
2 time until at. k.oonsadt where I lef,
$its to- The return. We did not sea !,
i great deal Of tishting-iots OF sklrmish-
ling, but no real battles. The fact Is,
there has bsan, no heavy fighting since
the middle. of February. .
Not Much On the Rtn.
THE Beers have baenfton'3 the run
SINCE then. have they not?" suggested
the reporter.
No, not very much on the run re-
Y piled Mr.. Van Alan. smiling. They arc
4 great fighters, those fellows, and Tiny
have retrcated slowly, stubbornly CON
testing the ground as they Withdrew.
They kept the British forces busy a
great deal of the time. Our. hospital
was under light fire twice during the
! time we were in the field-not serious,
: but enough SO that we. could see thg
Z bullets stirring In the dust around US.
I Even then We were In the nelehborhood
/ Of 22.5oo or 5000 yards in the rear OF thc
British firing line. %Of course our eli.
/ cacy was gone IL We took u position
. where the enemy's bullets could reacl:
US, and 1t was our duty to keep out 81
s danger ourselves. aud take care OF th.l
men who fell victims to the dangers
4 which lay. at the front. So we were
!. usually about $500 yards, about a mile
and a half, back OF the firing line. There
we were OF use. foresaw before we
4 reached Africa that we should have dll-
4 ficulty In getting the supplies ncces-
4 sary for the care OF the sick and
wounded soldiers so took with me ey-
erythlng We needed.
Many Severe Criticisms.
"From Cape Town these supplies
were transported on a special train,
which was provided for ourehosp,tal, 50
we did not suffer for lack OF the neces.
sarles at any time. The greater number
q of patients treated In our hospital vera
5 those who fell sick from the prevalent
diseases, The fifty or sixty wounded
mon We treated were a very small per-
centage OF the whole number OF, pa
tlents. Typhoid and enteric fcvers ard
& dysentery were worse than! ,Bocr bull
let's. They arose both from the WA
ter the men were compelled to drink
and from the water they could not get.
! At Bioemfontc!n It was wcii-nigh I'M
+ rossible to get water when we arrived!
there. because the enemy had blown w
: the water works. In order to embarrasa
Ethe British. In other places 1t waa
4 much the same-a scarcity OF water
when 1t was obtuinablc.
5"Titcre have been many and severe