The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1916-02-09
YANKEE SURGEON
REGARDED AS
MIRACLE MAN,
1continued from page one

gratis, batiseyeral months later, when
iheLhadS time To have bis contractit trans
lated, he found that he was to receive!
400 yroublesE monthly. "A ~
His hrstt taste of battle was on the,
Grodno front. On the retreat Of the
Russian army last summer Hurds nar-I
lroWly escaped an voluntary trans
fer OF his activities to the German
side. After a twenty hour stretch OF
hard work be was ordered to retire BY
night to Orani. At three o'clock In
the morning he had reached an es:
tate sfx5$mlles from that point and
there he decided to rest until daylight.
When preparing to resume his journey
the following morning he found the
stable yard full OF Russian cavalry
horses, some Of them wounded. A
Russian soldier informed him that
orani had been captured by the Ger.
mans early in the morning and that
they were approaching less than. two
miles away, He made q hurried ex'
It southwark through sand dunes
where Napoleon lost his transports on
the retreat from Moscow. Until four
o'clock In the afternoon, when he
reached new Russian position he was
between the hostile lines uncertain as
to the location of either army.
NJ AT another time the German cav
airy broke through the Russian lines
before Hurd was aware of the fact
and had cut his field telephone. They
passed his operating base, evidently
believing his capture assured on their
return. But the American doctor har-
messed his horses and with his operat-
ing force made break for the re.
firing Russian army. The Germans
turned a battery on him and with
shells bursting all around him he gal
loped his teams over the crest OF a
hill and eventually made his way to
safety. II
DR.. HuTd works customarily about
a mile back OF the trenches in line
with the light artillery and in front
of and under the heavy batteries.
II believe the Russian soldier to be
the best in the world he said, on a
recent visit to Petrograd, his third
brief absence from the trenches in
more than a year. "The Russian Is
a fatalist. is absolutely fearless, will
ing 10 attack under any conditions.
and is an expert with the bayonet, his
fayorite weapon. 1 am convinced
that the Germans lost twenty men 10
orr one on the retreat last summer;
"a new form of trench bomo, nileo
with an acid that acts like vltrlol Is
the last element We have had TO con
tend with. The effect Is fatal II the
fumes are inhaled and the least eI.
feet is to produce total and permanent
blindness. These bombs are fired at
close range and explode on contact;
From one to seven men are anecteo
where the explosion occures among
men unprotected by resptrato-s. otten
the men have not time 70 adjust their
respiratorsl in time ii escape.
"a remarkable thing that nave
observed Is the number OF cases OF
frozen feet among German prisoners,
while have yet to treat the first Rus
alan for that trouble. The reason IS
that the Germans wear close fitting
boots. while the Russian boot is large.
and In place OF socks he winds his
feet in yards of wooden cloths. Inc
boots are SWater.ti One seldom
finds, aSRussian sold Her with wet feet,
Another thing:as the Russian trenches
ara deep enough and wide enough
that the men may stand and move
about. .sTrench.foot' due to crampcd
positions and impaired circuletton, Is;
unknown among our soldiers.
II insist upon rigid discipline in my
corns Of assistantss and through a
system of packing and handling Which
I: have devised, 4 can break camp ana
be- On tho move within twenty :nin:
ntes. or I can unlimber and begin an
operation within ten minutes upon ar
The only other American surgeon
at tiie Russian front Is Malcolm. Grow,
recently made surgeon Of the Twenty
First FLYING column With another ST.