(Signed) D. PERCY HICKLING, M. D.
REPORTS TO RED CROSS.
March 18th, 1909.
I have the honor to submit the following report:
The weather on the Fourth of March was unusually stormy, especially early in the morning, and six of the tents (Nos. 1, 4, 5, 11, 12 and 16) were blown down and the ice and snow made them so heavy that it was impossible for the men to place them again in position.
Cases at stations Nos. 1, 4, 5 and 11 were treated in the ambulances—that is, the slight ones, and the others were taken to the hospitals. Stations 12 and 16 were removed to a room in the District and War Department Buildings, respectively, and very comfortable quarters were provided indoors for these two stations.
On March the second I took Sergt. Frank G. Motz, of Company H, Engineer Corps, around to the different places where you wished the tents pitched, and early on the morning of March 4 he had his corps of eight good men at work pitching the tents. I was with them until they finished at six o’clock in the evening. These men deserve great credit, as they were compelled to work in the rain all the afternoon and they were wet to the skin, but did not give up until the last tent was pitched. The next morning when they knew it was snowing they came out without orders and pitched some of the tents that had blown down.
Too much praise cannot be given the good corps of nurses that so faithfully did splendid duty on that day. I visited several stations about nine o’clock in the morning and no one was there but the faithful nurses under your command. There was not a station at which the nurses did not report. In the reports from the different physicians much praise is given the nurses for their excellent work.
Every station had work to do, except No. 19, which was not on the route of parade.