Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-09-09
NAVY'S NEW FLOATING HOSPITAL.
FREDERIC j. HAyk1S

WASHINGTON. u. c., September s.
Among it's other preparedness per-
Iulsites, The American navy Is TO have
new hospital ship. Specifications
Tor its construction have JUS, been
completed by the Bureau of Construc-
ZION and Repair NJ the Navy Depart
mcnt, where they are exciting a great
deal OF interest among naval architects
For, while many vessels in various
stages of usefulness have been re-
modelled into hospital ships. this is
the nrst ono III the history OF the
world 10 be built from the Keel up.
Cons iderinc their importance IN war
fare, the matter 81 hospital ships In
the past has been rather neglected. II
mas usually been TIA" practice OF ma
lions to wait until war was fairly upon
them before they hastily converted a
few transports Into hospitals, looking
10 the Rcd Cross and other private or
canlzations 10 supply tho rest rs is
done In The field At the beginning OF
the European War. most % the be!lig-
erents mad one or two hospital ships
attached 10 their nnvics, but no, nearly
enough TO meet the requirements All
the available material IN tho way OF
merchant vessels was requisi;ioncd for
the service. aud III spite Of the natural
ineificiency Of many 81 these they
have proved OF invaluable assistance
during tho war In Novembcr 1915.
ing I'm the Dnrdancllcs. carrying hum
dreds OF patients TO ports ot safety
and operating on and otnerwis" caring
for thousands Of wounded. In the hat
lie OF the North Sea. again, II was
tho hospital ship which saved the lives
Of hundreds Of soldiers who were res
cucd and treated on board the vessel
Now the United States is in practi-
cally the same position as the European
bclligercuts before the war. For many
wears the navy has been laborinE un-
der difficulties IN tho matter Of hos
pital facilities. SHE has Just two hos
pital ships at ner disposal, one Of
which liz well-rQuipped vessel with
the Atlantic Fleet, and the other a fran
Graf, which is too aged 10 be removed
from the Philippine waters where 1t
was stationed some years ago. The
navy needs more hospital facilities not
only rs u preparatory measure against
war. hut for the purpose Of taking care
Of its large personnel in time OF peace
AS one naval authority says. the navy
has big floating population aboard
it's battleships composed Of men who
are continually exposed to the ele-
,ncnis and to accidents from machinery
about which many OF them work One
hospital ship cannot possible meet all
the requirements.
So. at last, after many years % con-
slant endoavor on the part OF the
NAVY Departmont Congress has APP
propria,ed s2,5no. ooo for the construc
tion of hospital ship In an American
nayy-yard For the past six months.
Dr K g Holcomb, OF tho Bureau Of
Medicine and Surgery Of the depart
mcut has been cooperating with the
Bureau Of Construction and Repair 10
Law the plans for snip that would
eclipse in ship construction ana nos
pital facilities anything that the world
had ever produced before. In the first
r'a pn he furnished
with several stabilizers, so that she
VIII roll little as possible she is
% he $50 feet long by sixty feet wide.
with capacity OF 200 patients In peace
time and 500 in war time. In adhi-
tiou to this. there are several special
consulting rooms where out-patients,
or day patients. may come and receive
treatment. one OF these is in connec-
ton with the eve, car and throat equip
m"nt which is to be as complete As any
to h" found in a city hospital. A
sound proof room for testing the hear
ing is given in the plans, we'll as
dark room for testing tho eyesight
An H-ray room. where patients may
be examined for internal injuries. will
he included, with similar room for
the development OF the Photographic
plates
The wards arc divided up into spe-
cial classes for the treatment OF spe-
ciai diseases. two larGe-s2ed wards
'''''- iH'!d'tu lor contagious ca SEES.
Ihc contagious diseases of the navy
are largely confined to measles and
mumps, there being many of these
cases during the second or third week
OF enlistment Of the recruit. The much
feared smallpox and typhoid and
tropical fcVers, which color the pages
oi almost all sea tales, are the ex-
ccpIional cases in the navy. The iSo-
/ la'ed wards on board the new hos
pitai shop however, communicate with
the rest of the ship by only one door
which may be heavily guarded and
oy chhtcs. through which the laundry
an" peh linen may be shot down to
inc steriliZine apparatus below
y diet Kitchen, with all the latest
cooking equipment, is provided for.
and DR. Holcomb has invented n new
ana clever Arrangement by which every
patent may receive his food while hot
III Is in the nature OF a steam table
on wheels, which is filed with hoi food
In the Kitchen on the lower deck. roll
cd down the hall and into an elevator
ana brought out the next deck
where IT is wheeled into the ward and
down the aisle OF beds the plate of
each patient being supplied from its
steaming watts For many years the
dihiculty OF getting hot meals TO the
patients when considerable distances
had TO oe traversed for each one has
been something OF n problem. but nv
this unique device first installed by
DR. Holcomb in n hospital In Norfolk,
| the feeding of couple Of hundred
| patients becomes a relatively easy
| matter.
Connected with each ward are sew
erai special small roome. There is a
QuIet room where yerv scrIous oos.a