Evening star., 1940-08-06
Commissioners
Ask Full Report
On AmbuIances
Police, Coroner Fail
To Fix Delay Blame
In Two Cases

an ambulance reached the scene.
The matter was officially dis
cussed at a meeting of the city
heads today, and they decided to
ask Health Officer George C. Ruh-
land for complete report on every
ambulance in the city. If possible,
DR.. Rutland will be asked to get
list of every call during the past
year and the length of time required
to answer it.
In addition, the Commissioners
asked for a detailed report on the
case of William E. Greaves, who
died a few hours after an ambu-
lance took so minutes to reach the
scene of his injury last Friday
Meanwhile, DR.. Ruhland has al
ready made plans to confer within
the next few days with various hos
pital officials to discuss the CO.
ordination of ambulance service.
30Minute Delay Charged.
Official police reports failed today
to fix responsibility for the delay in
dispatching aid to heat victim who
collapsed on Georgetown street
Sunday. Similarly, coroner's in
quest yesterday failed to establish
blame in an ambulance delay Incl
dent to the traffic death of Mr..
Greaves Friday.
Mrs. Elizabeth Hartung, 1647 Wis
consin avenue NV. a childhood
friend of Mr.. Greaves, charged that
seventh precinct police were 80 min
utes responding to her call for
assistance in behalf of Al Wesley,
35, colored, of Mclean, Va, whom
she found unconscious on the street
in front of her home She said she
notified the precinct at 1876 am.
Inquiry to Continue.
Following an investigation in
which he interviewed Mrs Hartung
and two other persons who made
calls asking aid for the i'll man, and
presumably all officers having any,
thing to do with the case, 1t. Eugene
L. Eby of No 7 reported to Inspector
l.. I. H. Edwards at headquarters
today that the first call concerning
the heat victim recorded at the pre-
cinct was at approximately 1910
pm.-about the same time the other
two callers said they notified the
station.
The report indicated that Mrs.
Hartung's call might have been an
sWered by beat officer who had
stopped by the station momentarily
and left, forgetting to notify the
desk sergeant of Mrs. Hartung's
message.
Capt. Clarence A. Talley, head of
the precince, was asked by Inspector
Edwards to continue the investiga-
ton to determine if this had hap
pened. The heat victim was treated
at Georgetown Hospital and released.
Testimony Fails to Fix Blame.
Coroner A. Magruder Macdonald,
following the inquest into the death
of Mr.. Greaves, who lay at Twenty
second and Quincy streets NE. Fri
day for 55 minutes before an ambu-
lance arrived, said testimony failed
to point the finger of blame at either
the hospital, the policemen at the
scene or the Police Department.
I'm the confusion" DR.. Macdonald
said, there was mixup somewhere,
but I can't tell where"
The coroners jury, after hearing
testimony that the bus which struck
Mr.. Greaves car was travelling
about IS miles an hour, ordered the
bus driver, Joseph Bennett, 20, of
655 Maine avenue S:W., held for
Police Court action under the Negli-
gent Homicide Act. Mr.. Bennett,
however, claimed he was driving
not more than 20 miles an hour.
The estimate of the 35-mile speed
was made by passenger on the
bus, V. M. Clagett, jr., 1849 L
street NE.
First Call at 1880.
From the testimony given, the
first call for the ambulance, put in
by w. c. Cusick 1928 Quincy street
NE, shortly before 730 o'clock,
was held up somewhere along the
line. Mr.. Cusick said he telephoned
police headquarters to send an
ambulance and the police, but at
first was told he would have to call
NO. IL precinct SGdClOn.
II told the officer it was his duty
to get an ambulance there" Mr..
Cusick related, "and then he said
he would take care of it."
However, DR.. j. Rogers Young,
chief of the medical staff of Casualty
Hospital, said the first call received
by the hospital was at 1856 o'clock.
The call was promptly answered,
DR.. Young said, and the injured
man arrived at the hospital at
$50. DR.. Young's testimony was
corroborated by DR.. Warren G.
Fletcher, who was in the ambu-
lance.
Rutland Suggestion Lauded.
The suggestion of DR.. Ruhland
that an emergency ambulance serv-
ice be established at Gallinger Mu-
nicipal Hospital was described today
as grand idea and most worthy
project" in letter written DR..
Ruhland by DR.. Allen S. Cross, a
physician with an active practice in
Southeast Washington. DR.. Ruh-
lands suggestion was made after
the death of Mr.. Greaves.
DR.. Cross wrote that if a fund
were to be established toward pro-
vision of such municipal ambu-
lance service, he would "be happy
to forward at any time a check for
$100." DR.. Cross complimented the
Health Department on being awake
and sensitive to the real needs of
our citizens for health protection"