Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1905-08-19
mother Ransom's" Experiences.

"Mother Ransom's" Experiences.
Mrs. Eleanor c. Ransom, affection
ately known as Mother Ransom" not
only by the boys in blue whom she so
faithfully nursed, but by a multitude
of friends, is now residing at the
Ransom Industrial Home in the quiet
seclusion of that sheltered vale that
lies just over the bluff from Garvanza,
CAL, and which is one of several insti-
buttons of the same character that
Mother Ransom has founded in var
ious parts of the country. She is now
nearly 80 years old and so feeble that
she spends most of her time in her
room, where a Times representative
found her-a veritable old saint happy
in her Christian faith and love.
at was in February, 1861 she said,
"that 1 went to Memphis in company
with twenty-five women, all from In
diana, where 1 had resided for more
than thirty years, in response to call
from Gov. Morton, the old war gov
ernor' as he was called. l was as
signed to the Gayoso general hospital
and later was assigned by our sur
geon to the Washington hospital to
assist in opening and getting it in
good running condition. In the fall l
returned to Memphis and remained
there all winter. The following spring
/ received from headquarters in In
dianapolis a commission authorizing
me to receive and distribute sanitary
supplies and allowing me to go when
and where l was most needed. l rec
ollect that on-the first Sabbath in Au-
gust, 1864, it was my precious privi-
lege to spend that whole day in wash
ing the feet of our poor wounded men.
They wept great tears of gratitude
which spoke louder than words. In the
fall l went to New Orleans to ascer-
tain the condition of the Indiana
troops stationed there and spent weeks
ministering to the poor prisoners
brought up from Galveston who were
so starved that many of them were
idiotic and could not tell their own
names or give any information of their
friends at home.
my most thrilling experience as an
army nurse was the shipwreck of the
North America. 1 was sent by the
medical director as aid to the surgeon,
DIR. McClintock, in charge of the sick
soldiers who were being transferred
from New Orleans to New York. The
North America, a steamship and the
same vessel that brought up those
prisoners from Texas, was detailed to
take the sick men to the North. We
left New Orleans on Dec. 16, 1864, and
on the 22d of the same month we
were shipwrecked. We had on board
203 enlisted men. We arrived in New
York city Jan. 1, 1865, with fifteen
sOldiers-all that were rescued from
the sinking ship. While memory has
her seat / can never forget the horror
of that scene. A terrible gale arose on
the evening of the fifth day out. All
night and the next day the storm con-
tinued with increasing fury. Just off
the coast of Florida the steamer was
reported as leaking badly forward
They cut away the ceiling and stuffed
in blankets, but the leak admitted as
much water in five minutes as could
be bailed out in an hour. There seemed
no hope whatever but that all must be
lost, when a sail was reported in sight,
which proved to be the bark Mary E.
Libby, bound from Cuba to Portland,
Me- She saw our signals of distress
and spoke us through her trumpet, i'm
mediately heading toward us. AS she
bore down upon us the two ships col
lided and it looked for a time as if
both were doomed. The Libby drifted
on and repaired damages sufficiently
to be able to take us on board and
sent us her lifeboat, the ships being
three miles apart when the first boat
load was rescued and when the last
one went over they had drifted six
miles apart The Libby rolled so in
that fearful sea that it was a long
time before anyone could be trans
ferred to her deck. Four women be-
side the stewardess and fifteen soldier
boys were rescued Eight boatloads
were attempted to be transferred, but
one manned by the purser and two
assistants. was swamped and all on
board were lost The North America
went down with 1914 of our brave sol
der boys on board, but even had they
all been rescued the Libby, which had
supplies only for her own crew of
fourteen men, could not have offered
us sufficient food to keep us alive.
They divided what they had with us,
apportioning both food and water and
we were almost famished when we
reached New York My health was SO
impaired by the shock and strain and