The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1920-02-12
TELLS OF HORRIBLE CONDITIONS.
Continued from lst Page)

Continued from lst Page.)
Der, IL days after coming to the regi-
ment, started on the long trip to France.
At Camp Merritt we stopped long enough
to secure equipment to conform to the
overseas standard, so far as available,
and drop such men as We're undesirable.
We were assigned to sail on the giant
Leviathan, then moored at her pier in
Hoboken. Seas
The first battalion assigned to guard
duty aboard the. troopship moved out
from camp about / o'clock on The morn
ing of the 2sth of September The. Sec
ond and third battalions marched out
from their barracks about | a. IN, on the
morning of the 18th of September. We
had proceeded but short distance when
it was discovered that men were falling
out of ranks, unable to keep up. The at
tention of the commanding officer was
called to the situation. The column
was halted, the camp surgeon was sum
moned, the medical examination showed
that the dreaded influenza had hit us.
Although many men had fallen out we
were ordered to resume the march. We
went forward up and up over that wind
ing moonlit road leading to Alpine Land
ing on the Hudson where ferry boats
We're waiting to take us to Hoboken.
/ The victims of the epidemic fell on
either side of the road, unable to carry
their heavy packs. Some threw then
equipment away and with determination
tried to keep up with their comrades
! Army trucks and ambulances following
picked up those who had fallen and took
them back to the camp hospital. How
many men or how much equipment We
| lost on that march has never been de
| termined.
| On board the transport men continued
to be stricken and 100 of these were
taken off and returned to shore befor,
sailing, On Sunday afternoon the 29tl
tugs pulled the great ship into mid
stream, turned her PROV in the direction
of open ocean, the great propellors began
to turn and we were off to the Great Ad
venture
We had on board 9,033 officers and mel
and about 200 army nurses on their wa,
to hospitals in France. The presenc
of the nurses was very fortunate as
afterwards turned out. The ship wa
packed conditions were such that tn
influenza bacillus could breed and multi
ply with extraordinary swiftness. "
were much of the way without convoy
The U-boat menace made it necessar
to keep every port hole closed at nigh
! land the air below decks. where the me
! slept, was hot and heavy. The numbg
of sick increased rapidly Washingto
was appraised of the situation, but til
call for men for the allied armies was 5
great that we must 90 on at any cos
The sick bay became oyercrowded and
became necessary to evacuate the create
{ portion of + deck and turn that int
sick quarters. Doctors and nurses Vel
I stricken. Every available doctor al
. nurse was utilized to the limit OF ei
! durance The official report of the med
{ cal officer to the commanding officer ma,
J Oct. II. 1918, on file with the war d
! partment, is correct and interestif
Y account of the conditions. 1t follows
part:
; There are no means of knowing Il
/. actual number of sick at any one tim
! but it is estimated that fully 700 cas-
had developed by night of September J
! They were brought to the sick bay fro
:, all parts Of the ship, in contiiiuol
= stream. only TO be turned away becau
all beds were occupied. Most of the
lay down on the decks, inside and OF
y and made no effort to reach the compal
!, ment where they belonged. In fact, pra
= tically no one had the slightest id
. where he did belong, and he left |
blankets, clothing, kit, and all his pc
sessions TO be salyaged at the end Of t
= voyage.
= Late in the evening of this day t
90 f deck ward was opened on the st;
ar board side, and was filled before mo-
rs ing.
a The conditions during this night es
not be visualized by anyone who
It's not actually seen them Pools of bio
ne from the severe nasal hemorrhages
no many patients, were scattered throu!
tn out the compartment, and the attenda1
up We're powerless to escape track
ut through this mess because of the narr
nd passages between hunks. Everyone cal
let for water and lemons and oranges.
be plentiful supply enabled their desire
or. be gratified But within a few minu
EN- of the first distribution of fruit. the SIX
In and pulp were added to the blood !;
Ter vomitus upon the deck. The decks
came wet and slippery; the filth ch