The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-03-28
War Time AmbuLances All
Are of Motor Driven Type
History of Service Shows What Has Been Done i'm Civil
Lies Need to Improve
Methods.
HLECTRlCS PRAISED AS OWNING o o POINTS

under normal conditions. it is SURPASSED
IN Continental Europe.
rms emergency system operates un-
der the supervision Of the Board nj
Ambulance Service. which consists OF
the Police Commissioner as president,
the Charities Commissioner as sccre.
tary, the president OF Bellevue and Al.
Il'd hospitals and two members app
pointed by the Mayor. The board was
authorized by the state Legislature in
100" and the effect of its supervision
on a service that heretofore had been
run rather carelcssly and with no re-
~spOnslble head nj once made a very an
parent Improvement. This result is due
TO \ %stricter supervision OF methods en-
ploNed n to the assignment Of fixed
routes To each hospital. In order 10
cover Inc ground most effectively and
to avoid duplicating the same beat.
IN important article on ambulance
service for metropolitan hospitals alp
pears In the January and February
l'l" issues of the Nod,rn Hospital.
To- which credit Is due for data mere.
TINS article states that the first auto
ambulance was placed on service about
fourteen wears ago To-day hfty-one
Of the l02 ambulauccs in New York are
MOTORS. Horses have been found i'm.
dtspensahl". but gas and electric vehi-
cles are steadily coming more and more
into use. An example Of the division
of work Is seen in the schedule for
Bellevue's equipment. Here there are
fourteen horses, three gisolene cars and
four elcctrics. which in 1912 answered
1l.7oo calls, The horses are held in
reserve. The Rasolene ears make long
runs and the elcctrics take first calls.
answering probably half the total calls
daily and operating chiefly in the i'm
mediate neighbothood. Bellevue II tn.
parent of three other hospitals. lou
crneur on the bower East side, Harlem
uptown and Fordham in the Bronx.
GouNerneur and Harlem serve typical
city districts. with congested streets.
good pavements and short runs. Gouv-
crucur uses two eleCtrlCs and two hors-
vehicles. and In 1919 these answered
o>7o calls. Harlem. with one electric
and three horse. had 1.H"2 calls. Ford
ham operates through the outlying dis
tricts Of The Bronx. where there arc
wide roads, little traffic aud fast rum
often OF five miles or more. II there
fore uses u gas car and a steamer.
which In 1912 responded To S.7GS calls.
The New York Hospital has seven
auto amhulanc~s. all ,lectrics. one Of
which has some interesting records. In
the Triangle shirt Factory lire II ear
ried eight patients at one "trip to the
hospital. half u mile OF. and ON another
occasion il made "A ffty mile trip t.
a hospital beyond the city limits on a
stormy day with mud In some places up
10 the hubs only an hours boost was
necessary to get tho car home. Til.
House OF Reiicf. the dowut3wn branch
Of he New York Hospital. has one Gee
TIRE and W. horse dawn nmbultncos.
7 Evident satisfaction in the electric ap-
pears from a report o. the superiutend-
ct. nr. Thomas Howell. who concludes
We iud the electric vehicle much moro
satisfactory thar the hovsc drawn
ones. especially during the not weather.
During one hot day about eighty calls