The Oroville weekly gazette. [volume] (Oroville, Wash.) 1905-19??, 1918-05-17

Just a year ago Robert w. Ander-
son, living a short distance south OF
town, an industrious, genial and popu-
lar young man, in company with Chas.
! McGinty, went to Sea tie and joined
| the old End Washington, now known
] as the 161st infantry regiment. Mr..
Anderson was out of luck, as he was
on the sick list and in hospital when
the regiment departed for France. He
is still in this country, attached to the
hospital service. Being a man Of
capability he was induced by the Of
ficials in charge of the hospital to re-
main, as his services would be more
valuable to the country in the work
he was called upon to do than they
would be at the front. We are just
in receipt fthe following interesting
letter from Mr.. Anderson:
u S. General Hospital No. l.
New York City, May 6, 1918.
Dear Friend Mr.. Dallam:
have thought good many times
of writing to you in order to let you
and my friends around Oroville know
that ] have not stopped German
bullet as yet.
enlisted in Company B, 16lst U. S.
Infantry on May 9th at Seattle, Wash
ington, and came east with my regi-
ment to Camp Mills. Long Island,
New York. At Camp Mills l was
among one of the many unfortunate
ones to be taken i'll, and was trans
ferred from that place to the U. S.
General Hospital No. 1, located in
Bronx, which is one of the five bur-
roughs that make greater New York
City. ....-
This hospital was built by the Co.
lumbia College and taken over early
last fall by the government.
! was very much disappointed in
not being able to go across with my
regiment, but after l had fully recov-
cred from my illness. / was given the
opportunity of transferring to the
medical corps, and was told at the
time that | would be given special
work in which | had special qualifica
tiOns. So now ! am member of the
medical corps in the unit stationed at
this place.
This is wonderful institution, fully
equipped to handle an unlimited num-
ber of patients. The buildings are of
frame, and each one is separate unit,
being a ward that will handle from
80 to 40 men, each building is con-
nected together by corridors. New
wards are being added from time to
time to handle the large number of
new men that arrive from France, as
well as from the numerous camps
located around this part of the
country.
They have at this place a large staff
of medical officers, most of them spe
cialists for every different known all
ment, thus enabling the men to receive
the best in medical attention, in fact
they receive better attention and have
the advantage of the specialists that
they would be unable to afford in
civilian life.
The patients with the same illness
are put together in the same wards
A medical officer is in charge, assist
ed by Red Cross nurses and members
of the corps.
One of the patients that arrived here
was none less than Frank e. Chitty,
| who is member of the 161st regi-
ment and editor of our official pubi-
cation, the Second Washington. How
long he will have to remain here is
unknown.
1
| | understand that there is consider
| able talk around Oroville about the
Red Cross, Y. NJ c. A. and the many
other welfare organizations that are
raising money for the soldiers in not
a false statement, there is no want,
even great or small, that is in their
power to do that they are not willing
to do for an enlisted man. Here at
this hospital they have built large
Auditorium, which is equipped with a
large library, and plenty of writing
material which is open free to the
men. Nearly every night they stage
some kind of entertainment for the
men. They also distribute tobacco
and cigarettes in abundance free.
My work here is that of assisting
in the office of Major Roberts, who
is chief of the Medical staff of this
, place. This not only being the execu.
, tive office it is also the office where
u the board of surgeons meet who pass
upon all men that are physically un.
fit for military service This is very
interesting and when one is in posi-
/ tion to see some of the problems tina
confront the medical officers. There
is one thing that the civilian people
? do not understand and that is wha
, a large per cent of men We have WHIT
try to evade military service through
a loop-hole in the medical department
OF course there are a great number o
men that enter the service that thei
health will not permit them to remain