The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1905-09-06
TIE SUMTER HOSPITAL.
rom the Daily Item Aug. 80.

and it stands today pre-eminently
superior to any building of its kind
in the State, evincing the enterprise
and the success Of the physicians, who
are its founders. The elegant struct-
ure is situated on the corner Of West
Calhoun and Sumter streets, With four
massive Corinthian columns orna-
menting the front and ar artistically
designed porte-cochere beautifying its
western side. Spacious piazzas are on
every floor, in which delightful
breeze is always to be felt. We're de-
signed especially for the benefit of con-
valescent patients, the idea being pat
termed after the plan of construction
that is carried out in the world-re-
nowned Johns Hopkins Hospital in
Baltimore, Md.
The hospital was organized one
year ago yesterday with a paid in
capital stock Of 100000, Drs. S. c.
Baker, president; Archie China, vice
president; Walter Cheyne, treasurer,
and H NJ. Stuckey secretary, being
the officers and incorporators thereof.
Work on the building was commenced
on October 1st last and today, in
comparatively short time, an elegant
hospital, three stories in height and
measuring 60x120 feet, has its doors
open to receive invalids from all the
surrounding country.
The building is constructed Of in1i-
tation stone, being made onithe hospi-
tai site by mixing together sand and
cement in a proportion of to l. This
is by no means an experiment. The
Harvard grandstand, in New Haven,
Conn.,, was built of it five years ago,
and it has been used in Sweden for a
period exceeding 200 years. 1t pre-
Esents a beautiful appearance, and is
known to stand the most severe cli-
mates
The hospital is built almost entirely
of freproof materials, the partitions
between the rooms are of stone, and
the acme cement, used throughout
the building for plastering, is put on
metallic laths. Noise is reduced to a
~.;-;,.o,,ro Da+1uaop tho double hoorc
is an inch thick layer of asbestos,
which deadens sound, and the inter-
communicating telephone system
with eleven stations in different parts
of the building will prevent much un-
necessary walking. Communication
can be had with all important rooms
of the hospital and connections can be
made with the local exchange, which
will prove a source Of great convent
ence to the nurses, patients and other
inmates of the hospital.
The fifty rooms that are in the hos
pital are furnished neatly, and with
the sole purpose Of promoting the
comfort of the patients. Green
shades and dainty, dotted null half
curtains hang at the windows. The
electric buttons have attached to them
a. long cord, which enables
the patient to call without the exer-
ton of rising, and which permits him
to use the bell without regard to the
position that his bed occupies in the
room. Clean linen and comfortable
mattresses. are on pretty iron and
brass beds with adjustible woven
wire springs, and the other furniture
is in keeping with that which has been
described. Combined gas and electric
light fixtures are in every room. The
price per week for the rooms varies
from ten to twenty-five dollars, the
same being regulated according to size
and location.
Besides the rooms that are provided
for patients on the first floor, there
are the sueprintendents room, the
examination room and the reception
room. This floor will be devoted prin-
cipally to typhoid fever cases. In the
examination room is an X-ray ma
chine of the most improved style,
which is connected with and run by 4
labor-saving device in the form of
water motor. The bath rooms and all
other private apartments are provided
with ground glass windows. In the
rear of the white department on this
floor, an in no way connected with
it, is the colored male ward, which is
splendidly fitted up for the accommo-
dation of four patients.
The second floor is the medical
genealogical deparement Of the hos
pital. On this floor are the most de-
sirable rooms in the building, and is