Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1918-09-04
RUDOLPH EVANS
OVER THERE
Son Of Mr.. and Mrs. Ole Evans WI h
Hospital Corps Doing Duty in
France
WRITES INTERESTINGLY
OF THINGS OVER THERE,

Tucked Away in Nice Quiet Lo.
i cation About 15 or 20 Miles
From ANY Large City
/ Somewhere in France.
Aug. 5, 1918
Dear Folks:
Have been located here for 10
days. The time between July / and
Aug. L, was spent mostly in prepara-
tion for embarkation and transport
tation. At last we are located per-
manently, for while at least. Now
we are doing real work and real SER
vice. AS our name indicates we are
a Base hospital unit and as such we
are doing our part We are located
In what used to be q hospital center.
Work was begun at this place only
during this summer. We were the
first medical unit to be sent to this
place. OF course several engineers
units have been here for some time
doing construction work. Up to the
present time the work has been we'll
under way, but by no means COM
Iplete. 1t looks as If we were sent
here to meet an emergency. We
came in here in order to help relieve
some Of the over crowded hospitals
at different places. When we ar
rived here We were greeted by
buildings with the frames, walls,
and roofs complete. That was all.
Well during our first five days our
time was confined to cleaning up
things, fixing up beds, preparing
dressings, etc. Conditions were such
that we had to take patients under
Our care, without the means of run
ming water, sewers, electric lights,
letc, Our work consisted of every
thing possible, anything from scrub
bing floors to carpenter work, from
digging bitches to building roads.
We are located In most ideal
place. 1t reminds me much of Iowa.
The climate is most ideal for even
q tuberculosis patient The air Is
light and fresh. Lots of nice breeze.
We no longer experience that heavy,
damp atmosphere that we noticed
while staying out at the coast. A
California boy says that we are en-
lJoytng real CALIFORNIA; climate. We
are at high altitude. We enjoy
sunshine four out of five days. am
more than satisfied with my location.
It almost beats anything that ever
experienced. The place is away from
fertilization? At least we are snugly
tucked away In the quiet, rustic To-
cation at least Is or 20 miles from
any large town or city. When look
over the country am reminded of a
place midway between Decorah and
Waukon. Not quite so hilly but more
wooded. 1t is an ideal place for
hospital and / should like to con-
graduate the man who made the
choice. feel so content here with
Just my surroundings, that is,
natures friends and relatives, that
can almost imagine myself at home.
or course ! appreciate those things
more than many, but everybody must
admire the fine atmosphere around
here. II there is anything that is
lacking 1t is noise. Solitude reigns
supreme. OF course many cannot
bear solitude, SO such noisy indivi-
duals are out of luck.
We had hard time in trying to.
locate this place. 1t is almost like
Hungryt0wn In Iowa. Very few
know about 1t. Still fewer know
where 1t Is and nobody knows the
boundaries or limits of the same. If
1t Is difficult for us to locate it, Inn
agine how difficult 1t would be to ex-
plain our location to anybody else.
So l give up that job.
/ One morning they called for
lvolunteers for experienced ones in
isuigical dressings" Well / stepped
forth. There were two of us. We
were in great need of such dressings
the same / was permitted to take
some new beginners. Before was
thru ! had 20 men and boys making
dressings. Would remind you much
of an American "Kvindeforening."
The men would surprise you. We
needed about $4,000 dressings, SO
I've worked all day and often times
nights until 10 p. m. always did
like to fold them and can fold on an
leverage of 100 an hour with 12O IL
necessary. OF course the new men
are not all nimbled fingered, but I
have kept count and my men for 6
days averaged so per hour for four
days. We usually put in 8 or 10
hours during the day. So We could
turn out quite few. Don't think
that you are making too many dress
ings in the U. S.A. We have been
called upon to work all day at hard
labor and then make dressings after
supper when we should be resting.
Don't think that we can make any
kind of bandages either as we have
our doctors and captains. etc., right
there to inspect, them. Don't think
that we get by with slouchy ones.
There are two boys that make Just
perfect ones. When they make four
inch pads l believe you could pile
them up one above the other and
have pile 6 feet high standing on
Its own weight. The same requires
luniformity. We usually make 2 ~. /.
rs, and 10 inch pads, wiping strips,
etc. did not fold more than part
. 4 a.