Denver labor bulletin., 1918-10-26
Printing Trades

Howard F. Sciple, member Of the
News chapel when he joined the ma
tional army few months ago, writes
an interesting letter from Fort Riley,
Kan, where he is connected with the
army hospital corps. 1t is written to
his friend, Roy Baker of the Western
Newspaper Union chapel, giving some
of his experiences as base hospital
doctor" The letter is as follows:
With the U. S. Medical Dept,
Fort Riley, Oct. 1s, 1918.
Dear "Old Bake: Well, here am.
1 know darn well you thought l never
was going to write. The truth of the
matter is, that the military forces
have little time for anything but home
letters. By these six weeks l have
fully adjusted myself to conditions
and by now l hope / am a full-fedged
piece of khaki raring to go, smoking
cigarets by the yard and beefing about
the grub, altho the chow is dam good,
Tll say.
When / got here found this to be
the main medical center of the home
army. Mother, take down your serv-
ice flag; your sons in the medical
corps. After being showed around and
"sign your name here" a hundred
b
self permanently connected with base
hospital No. 90-thirty-five doctors
officers, 220 leather-necks, 100 nurses
and the dog. We were to leave Octo-
Der 6, when bang, Old Lady Influenza
sent in one of her visiting cards, and
here we are under quarantine and the
war coming to a close-maybe. They
scattered us all over the camp, work
ing in hospitals and the morgue. /
was put in a pneumonia ward helping
to take care of twenty patients, all
with fever from 102 to 105. Of course,
there are nurses, but the corpsmen
have plenty to do. There have been
over 1000 cases from here and Funs-
ton, all in the hospitals at Fort Riley.
Some of the smaller Y. NJ. C. A. build
ings had to be utilized as wards. The
death rate for a time was fifty to sixty
per day and progress at our morgue
was congested. | got in a day and
half there just to get some expert
ence. 1t was a cold proposition. To-
day l am numbering a typewriter
at our headquarters office, so you see
they are darn sure they put you at
duty everywhere.
1t was something of disappoint-
ment to have our trip delayed and pos
sibly cancelled, for No. 80 is billed for
France. We were all in for train
ride to port of embarkation and
there's good chance yet if Germany
is laying down. l sometimes wonder
if certain information is not being
held back until the Fourth loan is
swung. 1t seems to be the hunch
around here that the war is soon to
end or to run for many months yet.
Being in the medical department
was not just exactly what / hoped
for, but l generally accept anything
old Uncle Sam gives me. All of
soldiers apparent hardships are al
ways softened when one realizes that
old Uncle Sam has his arm around
all his family. l should feel little
disappointed, tho, if end my military
life here at Riley. 1t does not seem
far enough from home.
l picked up some awfully good ex-
perience in the hospital and morgue
and, leaving all science to the doc
tors, l feel capable of going into a
sick ward and do some of the gen.
eral work that is always necessary.
Our training taught US how to apply
first aid, to bandage and to stop the
loss of blood.
The medical department must take
the infantry drill and carry pack
the same as all other branches. We
carry a medical belt instead of a car
fridge belt. Aside from that our para
phernalia is the same as all soldiers
Fort Riley is reservation of 81 900
acres with Funston on the east. 1t is
mostly hills and rocks. We have (be-