The government provided many sheets, many cots, many pillows, but the demand ever outran the supply, and the Red Cross was called on continually to supply the lack.
The government made no provision for ice, milk, eggs, lemons, malted milk, peptonoids, clam bouillon, beef extracts and delicacies of all kinds until after the first of September, when each patient was allowed sixty cents a day. All supplies of this sort were furnished by the Red Cross, or by the beneficient agencies.
At the Second Division Hospital the Red Cross paid for a bath house, kitchen and large circular tent for convalescents—100 cots, mattresses and 1000 pillows. Sheets, pillow cases, night shirts, pajamas and towels were sent by the thousand.
The Red Cross furnished over $1000 worth of medicines not on the government list, over 1000 bath and surgical sponges, 50 ice chests, over 700 buckets, tumblers by the barrel, medicine glasses, ice bags, hypodermic syringes, etc.
Over $1300 was spent for hospital equipment and supplies of various kinds; in addition to this, large shipments were received from New York.
An important part of the work in this camp was the supplying of ice for the purpose of cooling the drinking water. The cost of this ice, $6000, was met by Auxiliary No. 10.
The milk bills averaged $500 a week.
When the Recuperating Hospital was opened at Pablo Beach, the Red Cross, at the request of the chief surgeon, supplied 250 sets of dishes, with a complete outfit of pitchers, trays, buckets, etc.
The several heads of divisional hospitals have said to the agent again and again, “The hospitals never could have equipped themselves. They would have broken down utterly without the aid of the Red Cross.”