Gilpin observer., 1919-01-30
%. RERTAGNoLLI TELLS
ABOUT HIS INJURIES

The Mountain States Monitor pub
fishes letter from Ed. Bertagnolli des-
cribing the nature of the injuries he re-
France. The letter was written before
Mr.. Bertagnolli sailed for New York,
which port he reached on the 18th of
this month and was sent to a recupera-
time of his enlistment in the 405th Tele-
graph Battalion, Mr.. Bertagnori was
manager of the Central City telephone
exchange He writes:
Having had my arm taken out of
splints few days.ago, will try to make
use of it in writing you few lines,
"As l write we have just had rum
ors that Germany had signed the armis-
tice Here's hoping.
Before l was injured l was on de-
tached service near the lines and used
to go up occasionally at night. Never
realized really what war was until l
came back here to the hospital. Ha>e
been here two months now and, being
able to get around, l am helping out
with the work. In watching the dress
ings / have seen almost all of the
bones In the human skeleton, 1t seems.
The most encouraging part of it all is
how cheerfully the majority of the fell
lows take it.
Just now my~job is to give out the
Dakin solution every two hours. In
case you have not read of this, will try
to give you a detail of 1t. We will say
that fellow is hit in the shinbone in
action. The first thing. OF course, is the
first aid which dresses the wound and
gives an injection to take care of any
in. From there he goes to the field
hospital, which is directly back of the
lines. There he is given ether and the
wound is laid well open, the fragments
and placed in a Thomas splint on which
traction can be applied very easily, so
as to insure against the leg shortening.
Small rubber tubes are laid in the
the solution, which is composed of lime
water. etc. These tubes irgate the
wound every two hours. and no salve or
other medicine is used until the wound
applied, and finally the wound is sewed
and ten days later is perfectly healed.
$50 in seeing the dressings applied
and giving out the solution, in fact be-
ing around a big army hospital, brings
the war to one in much different
light. One case here. a German prison.
er. has a hole in his right temple. a
tube is inserted little way beyond his
left eye. and whenever | give him the
solution a part of it comes out through
his nostrils. He is getting along fine,
but he will, of course, be permanently
blind.
"AmSsnclosing German paper mark
which a prisoner gave me. He is
Prussian. was shot above the ankle. and
laid in the Argonne forest four days be-
fore he was found. Gangrene had set in
SO he lost his leg above the knee. He
will be walking again in a short time.
my being here is due to an accident.
Was coming back from the front Sep
tember Sth, at night, on motorcycle.
1t was raining, usual, and very dark.
A truck loaded with ammunition was
on my side of the road. l was thrown
and my right arm broken just below the
shoulder and right leg bruised. 1t was
my luck to have to lie on my back four
weeks. but at that l was fortunate.
"Have not had any news from the
bunch since here; mail must have been
missent, so you probably know more OF
them than I. Suppose they have had
rough usage since / left. but hope to
find them intact. Am hopeful of leaving
here very shortly.
"ED. BERTAGNoLLI."