Perth Amboy evening news. [volume] (Perth Amboy, N.J.) 1903-1959, 1920-12-02
NEEDNOO ORDER
ON AMBULANCE
Hospital Authorities Deny
That Permit Signed BY
Doctor is Needed.
DENlALS ARE MADE
Case of Woman Who Was In
jured at Yesterdays Fire
Brings up the Question.
DENlALS ARE MADE


The Perth Amboy City Hospital AS
pciation, last night over the report
appearing in the EVENING NEWS
that the hospital had refused to sand
an ambulance to take the woman
gno was injured in jumping from a
h,rd story window at the fire yes
lerday morning unless the requesr
,ame from some physician. Mr.. RID
llestorffer denied positively that a
lequesr from some phJsiciac was
Necessary before the hospital ambu-
pnce would be sent out on an acci-
lent case. He said that the hospital
tribulance was repeatedly sent out
m such calls without any physicians
Ieauest and that even in some in
tances where it had been found that
In ambulance had not actually been
leeded the call had been answered
promptly and without any thought
,f permit rather than take any
hances.
According to the statement of Ser
eant Clarkson Durham. who was on
luty at police headquarters at the
line of the fire Yesterday the person
yho answered him on the telephone
Shen he called the hospital to ask
hat the ambulance be sent, asked
lin IL he was not aware that 1t was
te custom to have a Doctors permit
}efore the ambulance WIS sent out.
Sergeant Dunham admits, however,
hat there have been many instances
Vhere the ambulance has been sent
ut upon the request of the police
Without any doctors permit.
According to the version TIE hos
tital authorities give of the CONVEX
htion with Sergeant Dunham, the
mly reference made to a doctor was
hat the nurse who answered the
ihone, when she found that the ami
lulance was not available and that
he was having difficulty in securing
IN ambulance elsewhere, advised
hat they get a doctor as quickly as
,ossible to attend the woman. While
he was continuing her efforts to Sc
lure an ambulance, it is declared.
he baker wagon drove up at the
ntrance with the woman in it.
The nurse who was on duty at the
.ospital states that about four diff
erent persons were trying to talk TO
er at once at the time: she knew
he hospital ambulance had been
ent to a garage to be fixed, but that
was promised back in the morn
ng. Thinking that it may have al
eady been returned, she investi-
ated but found that 1t was still
,way. Then she tried to get the
tolice patrol and learned that that
lso was out of commission. 1t was
hen that Sergeant Dunham called.
,p, she says. and she told him that
hey had better get doctor quick to
ttend the woman without further
lelay. The nurse denies that she
made any refsren 9e to doctors
\ermit in order TO have the ambu-
ance sent out.
The hospital ambulance is kept
turing the day time at the Standard
Underground Cable Company's plant
IN Washington street The chauffeur
who has care of the ambulance is
employed at the cable works. He
IS in direct telephone communication
with the hospital and as soon as
.all comes in at the hospital he is
Notified and is on his way to the
scene without the loss of a minute.
At night the chauffeur takes the am
}ulance home with him and stores
t in a garage convenient to his
home. A telephone is stationed be-
jide his bed and he can be summon
ed by the hospital at any hour of the
hight whereupon he hastens to the
nearby garage and rushes to the
place designated.
The trouble yesterday was the
hospital ambulance had been out on
call the day before and having
Iomething the matter with it, it had
been taken to q garage to be fixed
with the understanding that it would
be ready to be put back into COM
mission in the morning. But it was
aot finished at the time the accident
occurred, therefore it was impossible
70 send it when the call came TO
Jake the injured woman to the hos
pital.
When Sergeant Dunham was this
morning told that the hospital au-
horities denied the assertion that
| doctors permit was necessary in
rider to secure the ambulance, he
insisted that his original description
" the incident as given to a NEWS
eporter yesterday morning was
orrect in every detail. He insisted
hat the nurse who answered the
ihone call from police headquarters
old him that it was customary and
me of the regulations to have a
loctors permit before the ambu-
arce could be sent out. Upon re-
lei, rg this information, Sergeant
Dunnam continued, he made the
lemark that the woman could die
While lying on the sidewalk waiting
,or an ambulance to arrive" and
lhen hung up the receiver. Later,
,e said, another call came from the
hospital with the information that
:he ambulance was being repaired.
Sergeant Dunham gave the same
sersion of the affair to Mr.. Riddle
Itorffer at noon today. Mr.. Riddle
storffer insisted that there was a
ierious misunderstanding sbme-
where.
An EVENING NEWS reporter this
ifternoon interviewed Miss Blauvelt,
superintendent of the City Hospital,
Who gave her version of the case
yesterday y as presented to her by
Miss Peterson, who was on duty at
he time the call was received. Miss
elauvelt said that Miss Peterson re-
..ived four calls yesterday morning,
ane of which. she found out later,
r'as from police headquarters. Miss
Peterson, not aware that 1t was the
aolice who were calling. said, accord
Ig to Miss Blauvelt, that the ambu-
ance was not in condition to go out
Il the time, as it was being repaired
and that. furthermore. doctors or
Continued on page 81