The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1913-11-26
TO EXTEND FIRST
AID TO WOODSMEN
American Red Cross Proposes Life
Saving Plan In Camps

Washington, Nov. 2G-First aid To
! the injured i'm the lumber camps of the
| United States is planned by the Amer
lean Red Cross through Miss Mabel
II. Boardman. chairman Of the eXecu-
tive committee. Following the exam
pie of similar organizations in Great
Britain. Germany, Italy and elsewhere,
the American Red Cross has already
established first aid department in
the United States army An effective
organization for the same purpose rs
also maintained in the mining camps
In which the Red Cross works il, 'u-
operation with the federal bureau Of
mines and various mining companies
Miss Boardman stated that no accr-
rate data can be given as Ia accident"
IN the lumber industries and for this
reason she bases her estimates on sta
tistics obtained from the sta, al
Washington. In that state 4740O men
are employed in the lumber di3ui,J.
She cites that in twenty three months,
in the Washington lumber camps, 2,l
AAAhl ~ h'liAN 'ANulIfNt 's'' ~ ~ ~
were permanently, partially disabled
and S,420 suffered from temporarily
total disability. This gives a monthly
average of more than ten killed ion
ty-three permanently disabled lnd 3tG
temporarily disabled Quoting the ~
nres of Major T.. n. Griggs, she as
sumeS that 500 900 people We're en-
ME Ia. "a.
United States. This gives the state
Of Washington one sixteenth of tFc to.
tai. ON this basis. Miss Boa.dmau
considers ii fair To figure an annual
total for the country of 1929 Killed,
S,256 permanently, partially disabled,
and 70,272 temporarily, totally dis
abled. This means a daily death rate
of five within twenty-five permanent
ly disabled and 1872 temporarily dis
abled.
There is almost no labor utilized
IN the lumber industries that has not
some danger involved in it, says Miss
Boardman. The sharp edge of the Az"
or the Jagged teeth Of the saw in a
moment may cause an injury where
unchecked II yemorrhage viii result in
death in a brief space of time. Ply
sicians have signed many a death GER
tificate of men who bled To death from
slight injuries and whose lives might
have been saved by some knowledge
of first aid. The application Of cob
webs or some other traditional remedy
to an open wound or the use of soiled
rags in binding il up often produce an
infection with Gripping or fatal re-
suits. There is danger to the saver
from the falling tree, especially when
Il rotten heart or high wind makes the
direction of the fall uncertain; or on
steep slopes if the tree shoots sud-
denly downward, or If a badly strain
cd tree breaks with great force. The
handling Of the logs at the skidway
and the loading onto trains require
skill and aSility on the part of the
leaders to avoid being caught and
crushed by these pieces of lumber
The proposition of the Red Cross is as
follows:
ITO make an experiment the Red
Cross makes this proposal: Towards Il
fund of $4,000 il will contribute $500.
if number of lumber companies in n
given locality will club together to
raise the additional $500, each con-
tributing according To the number Of
their respective camps and employees.
This fund will provide for the salary
and expenses Of Il physician specially
trained by the Red Cross for instruc-
lion to mem engaged i'm the lumber in
dustry, both for the prevention of ac-
cidents and first aid To the injured.
In connection with logging camps,
there should be added certain simple
but important instructions IN camp
sanitation for the benefit of the gen
eral health of all of the men.
such doctor devoting his entire
time t. this work would travel from
camp To camp. In cases To remote
camps, he would stay long enough to
give the men daily instruction for "A
short time. In cases where a number
| of camps could be- reached more easily
from one place he would arrange To
give one or two lessons a week at each
camp. The classes are formed from
volunteers who are given practical
training. The men sooa realize the
importance Of such knowledge and are
anxious to learn. Even those who
gather about as spectators pick up
not little useful information. Each
camp should he supplied with first aid
outfits suitable to the needs of log
ging accidents"