The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1917-10-04
Show Rare Pluck When Hospital
Is Attacked by German
Airmen.
4 KILLED and 81 WOUNDED
Major Murphy, Red Cross Commission.
er, Cables Full Details of Disas-
ter to n. p. Davlson-Show
Speed In Emergency.

Washington.-The manner in which
the Harvard units base hospital In
France was attacked by a German air.
plane, with the result that several
Americans were killed and wounded,
was described In detail In a long cable
message received here by Henry T..
Dawson. chairman of the American
Red Cross war council, from Maj.
Grayson NJ. Murphy, Red Cross com
missioner in Europe. The message fol-
lows:
IAN American Red Cross inspector
who has just returned. to headquarters
In Paris has brought from the United
States army base hospital unit of Har-
yard university, n of the many SINH
lar institutions on the surgical supply
list of the American Red Cross, a de-
tailed narrative of the bombing of that
hospital on the night. of September 4
last, and of the characteristic pluck
and promptness with which the emer-
gency was met, Five bombs were
thrc Sn, the explosions instantly kill
ing Lieut.. William #. Fitzsimons Of
the Medical Officers Reserve corps,
united States army, and three army
privates, and wounded Lieuts. Clar-
ence A. Mcclure, Thaddeus ID. Smith
and Rea w. Whidden, o. II. c., u. s.
A.; six privates, a woman nurse and
% patients from the British lines who
were under treatment there for
wounds.
Attack Occurred at Night.
'sThe nirplane attack occurred at IL
O'clock at night. Just at that time
fortunately no convoy of wounded was
being received or the list of casualties
would have been far greater, as n
of the bombs fell into the center OF
the large reception tent to which the
wounded are first borne for examl-
nation. Ten seconds suffered for the
dropping of the bomb from the first
flying plane. and within less taan a
minute afterward the surgeons of the
hospital were at the task of collecting
and attending those who had been
struck down. And for "a hours they
we're at work in the operating room,
Jill cuiEtOh lGlAtfihS dhVAliIt WHICH
the latter, from simple exhaustion.
could work no longer. The very next
fay, just as IL nothing had happened.
'hese same surgeons were called upon
70 receive and care for 200 wounded
sent In from the trenches of the Brit
lsh expeditionary force.
1.-The hospital, which Is on the
French coast, has 1900 beds, and Is
under canvas in a quadrangle 500 feet
square. 1t Is In a district in which
there are many similar institutions.
and is unmistakable as a hospital. At
the time the German aviator flew over
It most of the surgical staff was en-
gagged in making rounds of the warfs.
Lieutenant Fitzsimons, however. was
standing at the door Of his tent. There
had been a brief warning Of the pres
ence of a bombing airplane In the
neighborhood, because a quarter of n
minute before the sound Of exploding
bombs was heard from a point perhaps
200 yards from the hospital. This
warning suficed to aus all lights In
the tents to be extinguished immedi-
ately, and those who had been under
Gre before threw themselves face down
upon the ground.
ssThen came fEe explosions In rapid
succession In the hospital itself. The
6rst two were directly In front Of Lieu