The Winslow mail., 1925-05-29
GRIPPE EPIDEMIC
ON BOARD SHIP
CAUSES ALARM
BY CHARLES F. RENICH,
Special Correspondent OF
The WinsloW Mail.

A sharp outbreak or the SO-cdlle,l
grippe" is in progress on board
the West Virginia at this time and
has caused prompt precautions 10
be taken to prevent further
spread of the disease.
There have been nearly 100 men
slightly sick with this malady since
leaving San Francisco and Com
mander H. A. May, the ship sur
geon, and his staff are making
every effort to stop it's further
spread.
Orders have been issued to the
men how to prevent the disease
and they are being rigidly enforced.
Up to this time there have been no
serious cases, all being slight, and
it is believed that as the fleet
moves into a gradually warmer
zone the disease will disappear en-
tirely.
The orders issued to the men are
as follows:
81. All men off duty get up on
deck into the fresh air. Stop sleep
ing or loafing in passageways anu
corners below deck during the day.
"2. Do not talk into the face OF
other men. Protect them by cover
ing your mouth and nose when you
cough or sneeze. Remember the
spray of moisture that passes
directly from your mouth to that OF
the other fellow.
"3. Do not use another mans
towel and do not smoke another
mans pipe or cigarette. Such &C
ton is an offense against decency,
and against clean, hygienic living.
"a. Everyone should swing his
hammock so that the head OF one
man will be at the foot of the men
on either side of him.
SO. Compartment cleaners must
be very thorough in cleaning the
decks and using the disinfectlng So
luton that is provided for them
Extra care must be given to clean
ing swabs with salt water. They
can be made thoroughly clean il
YOU take time enough to do it"
While we are passing through
this slight epidemic of the grippe
the health of the men otherwise Is
comparatively good.
There have been a few cases OF
illness. One of these is a case Of
appendicitis, which was operated
on a few days ago. The patient Is
getting along fine.
A case of gall bladder trouble
has developed, also a mental case
"a new recruit who has become
demented under stress of home
sickness, seasickness and changed
conditions of life.
These patients have been trans
ferred to the hospital ship Relief
which is part of the train being
convoyed. The men were placed IN
a small motorboat and taken to the
Relief. where they will receive the
best of expert care.
Among our readers we imagine
most of them think of the men II
the navy only as seamen, but this
is hardly an adequate idea OF then
activities.
Thus on the hospital ship Relic
there are the necessary seamen K
man the/ ship, but otherwise thu
organization is just the same al
that of hospital on land, eXcep
that the nurses are all young men
navy gobs, just as are the patient
they attend.
The thought of how men ar
taught to specialize comes to u
forcibly as we watch the destroy
ers and cruisers pass back AM
forth. While on the battleshlp
are crews of 1000 to 1,5OO men
MANY of them recruits who hav
seen only a few months service
the smaller craft are manned b,
the minimum number of men, VIII
~are all chosen because OF thel
experience for the duties they ar
TO perform. There are no Surplu
men on these cruisers and destroy
ers. because there is no room I
care for them
The West Virginia went int
commission in the latter part c
1928 with only 500 experience
men on board, made trip up tn
Atlantic coast and later receive
recruits who knew nothing of sea
faring life but what had bee
taught them at training station.
The story was told me by one
the older men how with the min
mum crew to man the ship, ever
one of the older men went on III
honor to help the recruits max
good and make record for I'd