The following day the coffins that had done service for seven years, formed the basis of a large bonfire, to which was added all the decayed wood flooring, garbage, old clothing and bedding—the accumulation of years. A band of workers, about sixty in number, carpenters, masons, painters, cabinet-makers and representatives of other trades, were put to work renovating and rebuilding. With only rations for pay, these men deemed it a privilege to be permitted to assist. These men were in a few days relayed by others, so that both the work and the food might be divided. Great quantities of lime and paint were used, the building was raised in some places, and in others completely rebuilt, and ventilators put in. A marsh which had existed near the hospital and extending into the yard, was drained and the dense vegetation removed. The land around the building is now dry and clear, and is used for laundry purposes and for sunning the bedding and drying the clothing.
After the building was repaired, painted, whitewashed and disinfected, even below the foundation, new cots were placed in the “Salons” and the wards arranged. The patients were brought in until the hospital was filled, the women and children being first cared for. Thus the streets were cleared of all mendicants. The institution was then provided by the Red Cross with medicines and general provisions for three months, and a good supply of clothing and bedding furnished. Dr. Mena, the city physician, was appointed to take charge with a corps of select assistants, and the hospital was left under the supervision of the alcalde, or mayor, and we passed on to other places where assistance was badly needed.
After opening all the institutions which our stock of supplies from the “City of San Antonio” permitted, we returned to Havana.
Shortly afterward, in company with Mr. D.L. Cobb, of the Red Cross, a final tour of inspection was made, and all the institutions left in good running order. Through the efforts of Mr. Cobb, assisted by Dr. Sollosso and others, permission was obtained from the Spanish authorities in Havana to open a hospital at Mariano, a suburb some seven miles from the capital. A Central Committee was formed in Havana, and the women of the city interested in the work. A large amount of money and supplies were contributed, and the hospital at Mariano is now one of the most complete and practical in all the western provinces. In addition to the usual wards, there are administration offices, a fine dispensary fully stocked, a modern kitchen, bath rooms, operating room, a steam laundry plant and storerooms. The sanitary arrangements are as perfect as could be attained under the circumstances, and everything is neat, clean and orderly. The institution was established especially for the sick, wounded and enfeebled men who had served in the insurgent army, many of whom had been without proper medical attention for months, with their old wounds still open and in bad condition.
Over five hundred have been treated at this hospital, out of which number but twenty-six have died, a remarkably good showing considering the terrible condition in which the patients were brought from the interior.
All the members of the American Evacuation Commission were always courteous and kind; they were helpful in their advice and otherwise assisted the work in many ways. To Mr. S.M. Jarvis, vice-president of the North American Trust Company, the fiscal agents of the United States Government in Havana, the Red Cross is indebted for valuable suggestions and material aid. The tour of inspection being completed, I returned to Havana with Mr. Cobb, and, in response to instructions by cable from headquarters, we left for Washington on the “Mascotte” sailing November 30.
CLOTHING DEPARTMENT.
Report of Miss Annie M. Fowler.[G]
On July 26, in the large back room on the ground floor, and opening out upon the flagged courtyard of the warehouse, Casa Buena Santiago, was undertaken, under the direction of Mrs. Gardner, the work of the Department of Clothing, to sort out the garments as to kind and quality, and to re-pack them for distribution among the people of Santiago, and the outlying districts and towns.