The Idaho Springs siftings-news., 1917-03-02

A'onA uAnahs A<hhCSt DlCkhCit aud wi.
Jefferson r. Kean. War may or may
not come. but the Red Cross is at work.
Today. on the word that hostilities had
begun, the Red Cross is in a position
to establish % hospitals In different
parts Of the country. each capable OF
caring for 500 wounded men.
Within day or two the funds will
be at hand to establish two additional
hospitals. making 25 in all, with total
capacity Of 1880 beds for sick and
wounded men. The preparation Of the
Red Cross means something. There
are 5000 graduate nurses ready for In
slant service. There are surgeons
enough to supply all the hospital needs.
Nurses and surgeons will drop their
present work on the instant that the
call goes forth to report ut the hos
pitfalls. Surgical instruments. steriliz-
Ing material, cots, beds and everything
needed except such medical supplies as
deteriorate when kept, are ready for
use in the time Of need.
Hospitals Not Yet Located.
For year the work Of preparation
has been going on. The only thing
that Is not known Is where the hOspi
tails are to be established. This mat
ter is left to the war and navy depart
ments. but the instant that war begins
the sites will be fixed and the surgeons.
the nurses and the hospital material
will be forwarded Immediately to the
selected points.
The complete staffs Of seven Chicago
hospitals and of an equal number in
New York, and the STATS of many hos
pitfalls in other citieA surgeons and
nurses. will report at once for army
and navy hospital work when the ne
cessity Of war shall demand. Reserve
staffs already, 1t is understood have
been formed to take the place in these
hospitals of the doctors and nurses
who will go to the front.
| The United States army today has
only 200 woman nurses. 1t has, Of
course, Its hospital corps, the men Of
which are trained in first-aid work and
to act in part as ward attendants, and
in some cases as actual nurses. The
department will take over the Red
Cross service If war shall come.
The nurses who will go into the field
hospitals will. of course, be given their
food and lodging. If they are COM
PEELED to go beyond the limits Of the
territorial United States, they will re-
ceive $40 additional month. The sur
geons will receive the pay to which
their temporary army rank entities
them.
1t costs $4,000 to put one of the
hospitals of the Red Cross into actual
operation. After 1t Is started, Of
course, 1t must be supported. The gov
ernment, it is understood, will care for
the financial end Of the work, but it Is
expected that the people of the United
States will respond to the appeal to
do thrice as much for America in its
need as 1t has done for Europe In its
need.
Inaugural Day Plans.
There is still some doubt as to
the actual form which the pagean-
try part of the inaugural cere-
monies will take. Washington Is to
have procession and demonstration
on March 5 in honor Of the second in
duction into office of Woodrow Wilson.
"a
will cut from the program some Of the
features which 1t originally carried.
1t must not be understood by this
that the inaugural ceremonies will not
be highly interesting and picturesque.
There will be color enough. music
enough and in all probability enthusi-
asm enough, but apparently 1t Is the
intention that the affair shall take on
the aspect of a purely patriotic demon
stration rather than one Of mere dis
play and music-making.
1t is still probable that there will be
a good many so-called floats In the
procession. They Will deal almost en-
tirely with national subjects setting
forth the growth of the country and
it's triumphs in peace and In war. There
will be also special pictures which
will appeal to the national spirit OF
the people.
Already Pennsylvania avenue, the
main thoroughfare of the city, has
been transformed in appearance. Work
was started earlier than usual this
year on the construction Of the grand
stands which are to accommodate the
unlocking public. The stand in front
Of the White House has been complet-
ed. 1t Is huge affair and In the mid
die Of 1t is a boxlike apartment heated
and glass inclosed, in which the presi-
dent, the vice president and few 9th
err high officials of government will
stand to view the parade as it marches
by.
Huge Lafayette Square Stand.
Directly opposite this White House
grandstand extending virtually the
whole length Of the south side Of La
fayette square is another huge stand
The regulations required that the con-
struction of the stand should not In
any way jeopardize the safety Of the