Evening star., 1926-11-25
CAPITAL GIRL TELLS OF LABOR
IN OUAKE-STRICKEN ARMENIA
Miss Elsie L. Jarvis, 26,
Writes to Parents of
Recent Experience.
Patients Prefer Open Fields
as Shocks Terrify Within
Hospital Walls.

year r-old Washington girl, returned to
her work of nursing the injured while
plaster and other debris fell around
her during the recent earthquakes in
Armenia, it is disclosed in a letter
received here by her parents, Mr. and
Mrs. Wilbur Jarvis Of 2515 Park Place
southeast
Il was suturlng a scalp wound
while the doctor was amputating a
hand when we had the next sudden
shock" the girl wrote. Suddenly we
found ourselves outside, and then
rushing back in. Funny how, against
our wills, instinct governs us and, un-
consciously, for f-preserVation, we
dashed out, to realize before the quake
had finished what we had done, and to
rush IN again to find the place still
shaking, plaster all over the operating
room and the patients where we had
left them.
1T was all SO sudden as to be un-
belIeNeable. Such blanched faces and
stern looks of determination on all
as we went on with our work"
Local School Product.
This spirited young woman who
writes so modestly of her heroism is
a product of the local schools. She
graduated several years ago from
Eastern High School and took a course
IN nursing at Murphy's Hospital in
Baltimore. Later she went to the Nir-
gin Islands as a Navy nurse, and now
is lnStructing a school Of native nurses
in the Caucasian division of the Near
East Relief at Leninakan, Armenia.
Miss JARVIS is believed to be the
only washington representative with
the workers at that point.
Excerpts from her colorful letter
follow:
To-day is Wednesday. From Friday
night until now we have all lived 10
years, though time sped quickly
enough at times.
Jimmy and 1, having finished
dinner, were in my room, sitting on
the couch reading some Of the latest
magazine mail from America. The
electric lights suddenly went out, but
chs was quite "A usual occurrence, 70,
they are run on an ancient Ford
motor, and we only have lights half
of the time. | rose to light candles
we all have a large supply in each
room-and had just comfortably re-
arranged myself among the cushions
when a loud rumbling of thunder and
instantaneous shaking began.
Jimmy shrieked get out of the
house and clutching one another we
stumbled through the dining room and
out the front door-plaster falling on
our heads and the entire house rock
ing like a ship in the stormy sea.
Our house is on the edge of the plain
wheat fieldS-and the railroad to Fri
van passes directly in front. We got
out on the railroad track and still
under our feet was this violent pitch
ing. Suddenly from the city q mile
down the hill rose wild cries--a whole
city in terror. Lights went out and
through the moonlight such a haze
of dust covered all! When it seemed
to be quiet we went back into the
house for wraps, for it was quite cold,
and climbing over the debris, had no
sooner grabbed a coat before the sec
Ond quake shook us again, and we
fled.
Americans Are Safe.
After we'd time to compose our
selves we realized that the loud report
following which there had been
tremor early in the evening had not
been a cannon as we had supposed,
but was the first quake. Assuring
ourselves that all the Americans in
our house We're safe, our first thought
was for our hospital, just renovated
and running smoothly. SO Jimmy
you've heard me speak of Jimmy Mac
Fetridge-She'S my 'comrade' in this
Work-floor supervisor in the hos
l ran the quarter mile to
the group of gray stone barracks
which are our hospital
buildings. We found gathered on the
compound all patients who could walk
and all the day nurses, who ran to
meet US, laughing and crying. Thank
goodness those huge old buildings,
built by the Cossack Army, were
steady as Gibraltar.
I'VE made rounds through them all
10 talk TO the patients and found
our admirable little student night
nurses busy with the routine Of things
as though nothing had happened. One
said L am afraid, but my duty Is
here and that voiced the attitude of
them all. They We're cleaning up
plaster and sand which had fallen
all OF the attic floors are covered with
a foot deep Of sand to insure Winter
warmth, and when the seams opened
this ShoWered down.
Then the ambulanceS began to come |
in. The Near East Relief at once
sent all cars and trucks to the lSpol- !
com for service and the injured began +!
to come up the hill from the city to |
all empty beds turned down to receive |
patients and all day nurses came back, |
unasked, to work. Six teams oper. |
ated all night on the steady stream |
Of injured coming in. Fractures and !
head wounds from falling houses and |
many amputatiOnS Were necessary.
Somehow we got through the |
night and day came, slight QuakeS !
following one another all night.
Shock Alarms Patients.
The next morning the emergencies |
Stacked up a little, but the patients |
from the city hospitals were trans |
ferred up because they (the city hos |
pitals) were in condition totally unfit |
for occupancy. Those of the per- |
sonnet VINO lived in the city failed to |
come ana the nurses ran the place, |
having worked all the night and all |
the day before.
When we made our rounds, pa |
tients would cry to please be taken |
out OF doors and for us, who could |
move, 1t became harder and harder |
request to ignore. Finally along
about 2 in the afternoon we had
another shock--less severe than be-
fore-but to the nervous patients
Just as bad. They got panicky and
the nurses could not subdue them. |
Limping and crawling. they made their
Nav TO the doors. Finally in despera-
ton l told our chief that l was going /
10 move all out into the field nearby.
we did. Row upon low of beds out |
under the sky and we were all CRATE |
ful for a warm. sunny day.
Il had a brilliant idea to bring over |
the big boys from Polygon and TO |
tents and have them put i
chow, III, No phOueS were working |
So | hoped on a forgoun-a spring i