Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1919-02-18
FT,SHERIDAN
HOSPITAL IS A
CHEERFUL SPOT
1900 Wounded Yanks Are
Being Reconstructed"
There.

Chicago Feb. ia hospital"
said the doctor. sis one OF. the most
cheerful places on earth" 60
:. The doctor was showing a visitor
about base hospital No. % at Fort
Sheridan, tramping what seemed to
be miles Of covered ~passageways con-
Meeting the various buildings-mess
ings, gymnasiums, work shops, and
schools. There was the sound of
hammering where carpenters were
putting h last boards or new struc-
lures. The cream-colored brick of
the old buildings when Fort Sheridan
WAS a garrison post showed here and
there among the multitudinous new
hospital buildings Of wood with their
coating of slate-colored firepEoof
paint. - ~
It did appear a cheerful place, for
Of the 1900 wounded men being ire
constructed" there all are given
courses in morale, and morale in
cludes cherefulness. If the visitor
does not penetrate too far into the
wards he might gain the impression
that it was not a hospital at all. The
majority of wounds are covered by.
uniforms, and for the most part the
patients move briskly and talk cheer
; lily, n are as careful Of their atti.-
as they were before they had expert
ence of Boche bullets and gas. But
the wounds are there, nevertheless. (
This was no more apparent than in
the writing class, where there are now
sixty members. Not one appeared to
be wounded, yet inquiry disclosed that
in each case the writing arm was
useless, or practically so, and they
were learning to write with the al
ternate member. On a nearby bulle-
! tin hoard waro nQcto1 scnooipoorc ne
their work, some of it excellent, and
all perfectly legible. 1t is said that in
such cases the new penmanship is
frequently better than the old.
In another oom wounded men
were learning commercial art. There
were many posters on the walls that
would do credit to a poster exhibition.
One Of them reminded the beholder
that "once Selected: Always Re-
telegraph instruments eager young
men were ticking out the Morse al
phabet while an instructor en-
couraged them. On the other side
Of a railing a dozen lads were inves-
tigating the internal economy Of q
dismantled motorcycle. There were
many handmade toys about, includ-
ing a ~pink-eyed camel painted by
some soldier fututist and labeled
July First"
The hospital, it is expected, will be
completed by the enc of February
with 4,400 beds. It is commanded by
Col. ". IN. Bispham. medical corps
Of the regular amy, while recon
struction work Is directed by Major
Fred&P. Reagle Of the sanitary corps,
who was formerly assistant supertn-
tendent of schools at Moptclair, N. ].
Some sixty subjects are taught, in
GLIDING. poultry raising, mechanics,
agriculture, electrical engineering,
toy-making, printing, tailoring, shoe
repairing, automobile driving, pho
tography.s sign painting. movie oper-
alton, drafting, show card writing and
art metal work. r.
The hospital work is divided into
three grand diyisionsEsurgtcal, medi-
cal and laboratory. Each Is in charge
Of an expert, with q staff Of special
: lists. Col. Bispham said that the
buildings were practically fireproof
and built like all other base hospitals
constructed since the war. The IN
terror walls are all Of fireproof board,
which 1t Is said would not Hdisinte-
crate even II placed in a furnace.