Evening star., 1944-08-19
New Boiling Field
Hospital Construction
Demanded al Once
House Committee Is Told
Building Is q 'Firetrop,
Unworthy of the Nation

Demands for immediate correc.
ton of conditions at the Boiling
Field Army evacuation hospital
came late yesterday from Chairman
May of the House Military Affairs
Committee after member reported
the building "a firetrap, inadequate
and unworthy of the Nation
Acting at the request of Chairman
May, Representative Fenton, Re-
publican, Of Pennsylvania, physi-
clan member of the committee
made personal inspection Of the
hospital, where more than 600
wounded veterans have been treated
IN recent months.
In report to Chairman May,
Mr. Fenton recommended that a
modern hospital be erected with
out moments delay" and that
meanwhile more comfortable and
appropriate quarters" be obtained
for the wounded from the fronts
and any others needing hospitali-
zation. Use of the .'inexcusable"
quarters at Boiling Field, he added
should be discontinued at once.
Chief Surgeon Quoted.
Extra Importance was attached to
the report since it quoted Col. Carl
S. Williamson, chief surgeon at the
station, as saying the construction
OF the one-story building and its
condition are mot peculiar to Bol-
ling Field"-that it is the rule
rather than the exception for sta
ton hospitals of this type.
On receiving the Fenton report
Chairman May Immediately sought
to contact the Surgeon General OF
the Army and said if he was unsuc-
cessful he was going to go some
place else" He added: IF anybody
on earth should be taken care of
1t is our wounded soldiers. I don't
intend to allow them to be mis-
treated in the shadow of the Capt.
toll"
Mr.. Fenton said he found the $50
bed building in very rundown
condition." with flooring of low
grade pine which had "rotted away"
in places, the floors being uncovered
and unpainted. Asked to explain
this condition, Col Williamson said
he had asked the Engineering De-
partment to improve the corridors
but they refused to do So
Tells of Recent Fire.
Continuing, Mr.. Fenton reported: ::
THE building has every appearance
of being a flretrap, although some
extinguishers are placed here and
there and some parts of it have a
sprinkler system. But in the event
of a fire, bedridden patients would
have little If any chance to escape.
Recently, in what was formerly the
nurses quarters, they did have a
fire and 1t was miraculous that they
were able to save the building at all
because of its inf1ammable construc-
ton
He added that the location of the
hospital itself constitutes a hazard
in time of foods and that at one
time river water came up to the
floor level
The principal complaints among
patents, Mr.. F'enton continued, was
that they suffered intensely from
oppressive heat in the wards, las
could readily be observed" He
pointed out there is no second story
or air chamber below the roof
Several air-cooling units now are
being installed as the gift of civilians
who were shocked" at the con-
ditions they saw there, but Mr.. Fen
ton said these would affect only
isolated spots.
The investigator said he felt Col.
Williamson was doing the best he
could with the existing facilities and
conditions. Col. Williamson, sta
toned at the hospital since last jan
uary. has a staff including II med
ical officers, 1l6 enlisted men, 80
WACS, IA nurses and II nurses
aides.