Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-02-02
HOSPITAL UNITS
PROVEEXPENSIVE
California Nurses and
Physicians, Here Two
Months, Cost $4,000
LACK OF SHIPS CAUSE

An expense OF perhaps 100000 has
been forced upon the Navy Department
by the necessity of bringing TO this city
several hundred members Of naval base
hospital units organized in California
and keeping them here for the last two
months while awaiting ships by which
they might be sent TO France.
Those in charge OF the hospital units
contend that this item of expense could
not have been avoided. in view Of the
lack Of ships. aud cite It only as an in
stance of the need for speeding up ship
building. Inwilllnguess on the part OF
the navy officials to risk the delays of
transcon,mcntal railroad congestion also
contributed. IL is paid. 30 the stay of the
hospital units in this city. as It was
thought preferable to bring the person.
mel to an Atlantic nort where they
would bc In readiness FOR sailing. rather
than let them remain on the Pacific
coast until they were actually needed
The two units which have been held
here since December IL are Navy Base
Hospital No. >. organized at the stan
ford Hospital, san Francisco. and Navy
Base Hospital No. 2. organized at Los
Angeles.
3i9 IN PERSONNEL
NinctN-ninc women nurses, fifty ply
sicians and surgeons aud some 200 en-
listed men make up the personnel of the
two units who nave been 0uartcrcd
here since that date and are still await
ing orders to sail. Their living expenses
To the Government are perhaps $4,000
weekly, or $4,000 up 10 date. Three
III
for the complete equipment of Il base
hospital nf 500 beds
Sixty of the women nurses. those from
Base Hospital No. ., are quartcred at
the Ettenhouse Hotel. Twenty second
and Chestnut streets. and thrty-nlne,
forming tac nursing STAFF Of Base Hos
pital No. 3, are at the Aldinc. Nine
tcenth and Chestnut streets. Both
hotels are patronizcd by fashionable
people and few can obtain rooms and
meals at either for n rate Of less than
81 a dag. Special low rates were made
by both hotels to the war hospital
nurses, but even with these concessions
the expense 10 the Government. con-
tinucd over SO many weeks, has been
heavy.
While the commanding officer of Base
Hospital No. >. Dv. [. q. Smith. makes
his headquarters ut the Philadelphia
Navy Yard, the assistant director OF the
organization. Or, \. W. Hewlett has
been uuartered at the Longacre Apart
ments 1881 Walnut street. where Doc,
tor Rae Smith, medical director Of base
hospital No. 3. l. also quartered. Twen.
ty-three other physicians and surgeons
forming the staff of the san Francisco
unit are also said TO be lodged in varl.
Gus other expensive apartments, IN the
city.
The 100 or more men enlisted as the
male personnel - ordcrlieS, Strctcher.
bearers, artisans and 10 ou---werc sup.
piled largely from the navy. and arc
mostly quartered at the League Island
yard.
An equal number are attached to the
Los Angeles unit, whose naval commau.
der stationed at the navy yard. is Doctor
Develin. Dr. Stanley Stillman. II lead,
ing surgeon of San Francisco. who or,
ganizc the stan of Base Hospital No. ..
also came East with the organization
and ranks with Doctors Smith and Dev.
elm as Il lieutenant commander
An officer today ascribed the delayal
of the two units in Philadelphia to n
number of unavoidable causes. "The
whole point Of the matter" said he, "is
that navy hospital officials rightly con-
sidered II far more important to have
the personnel of two complete units
ready for sailing from an Atlantic port
than to risk delays which might follow
II IL they were left TO await orders In
San Francisco or Los Angeles.
"Our equipment was incomplete when
we left the coast. but 1t was regarded
as simpler to collect that equipment IN
the East than to waste time and moneN
in shipping 1t to the Pacific coast and
then bringing It back again. Expres.
service for this freight across the con-
tinent could not be relied upon under
present railroad conditions. while. II
addition, IL was important TO have ouI
surgeons. nurses and men ready 10 sai
at moments notice. Some delay ha,
been caused. too, awaiting the arriya
OF equipment shipped from California
via the Panama Canal.
The sixty nurses quartered at the RIt.
tenhouse, In charge of Miss Elizabeth
Holt, and the thirty-eight at the Al.
dine, in charge of Miss Susan Dawser
have been far from idle during theil
enforced stay here. Daily classes ir
French and branches Of hospital train.
Ing are being conducted for their benefit
one of those attached to Base Hospita
No is making special studies at Tn,
Rockefeller Institute. Many are study
Ing anesthesa and taking other ad
Vanced training at local hospitals.
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