H.—l9b.

232

W. H. POWELL.

8. Where were you quartered —in a tent or a hut ?—The first night I was in a tent, and henceforth I was down in a loose-box. 9. The Chairman.] Not because you were ill, but because they were comfortable quarters ? —lt was supposed to be nearer our work at the tea-kiosk. 10. You were not put there by way of punishment ? —Not that I am aware of. 1 1. Mr. Skerrett.] What have you got to say about the loose-boxes ?- -Well, not a very great deal about the loose-boxes themselves. Of course, we settled down and got fairly comfortable in them. There were only four men to each loose-box. I cannot complain, or say there was any disagreeable odour or anything of the sort, but one of my main objections to sleeping in the loose-box was that there was a horse there handy--just across in the opposite loose-box. 12. Actually stabled there ? —Yes, for several days. 13. The Chairman.] It belonged to some one in the camp, I suppose ? —I could not say. 14. Mr. Ferguson.] How many feet away would that be from some of the men ?—1 suppose about 6 ft. from some of the men at the end of the loose-box. 15. The men were in the adjacent box ?—Yes. 16. Mr. Skerrett!] And how far would it be from you ? —I suppose, 15 ft. or 16 ft. 17. Were there any men ill with influenza anywhere adjacent to the place where the horse was stabled ? —Yes, there were four or five men suffering from influenza, I understand, in the, box adjacent to the animal, and they were supplied with food by their mates about the place. They seemed to have an objection to going into the, hospital, and were dodging it. 18. Dr. Martin.] Had they reported ill to the Medical Officer ? —I could not say. 19. Mr. Skerrett,.] I think while you were living in the loose-box } 7 ou were acting as orderly in the tea-kiosk, were you not ? —Yes. 20. What have you to say with regard to the organization or equipment of the tea-kiosk at that time I—When1 —When I went on duty first in the tea-kiosk, and practically all the time, there was a shortage of thermometers. On one or two occasions it was impossible to obtain any sterilizing agent whatever. Of course, to my mind the taking of the temperatures was most unsatisfactory. 21. The Chairman.] In what way —in the manner of taking them, or the result ? —I was with a man the first night who did not know how to do it. There was no instruction given at all. A man was put on, and they would trust to luck that he knew how to take temperatures. 22. Dr. Martin.] What was that orderly's name ? —I do not remember his name. 23. The orderly used to take the temperature but had had no training ?— Yes. He asked me how tho thing was done, and the upshot of the thing was that I did the lot myself. Then, as the admissions to the hospital gradually increased they gradually got beds, or stretchers and mattresses, and I had great difficulty in getting about at all among the men at night because the beds were absolutely jammed tightly one against the other. It was a matter of crawling over the sick men really to get at them at all. 24. The Chairman.] What doctors were then in attendance —Drs. Ferguson and Harrison ? —Yes, they were both there. 25. Who was in charge ? -Major Stout was in charge of the hospital at that time, I think. 26. Mr. Skerrett.] Then, may I take it that during the time you wore orderly in the tea-kiosk hospital there, was a shortage, of thermometers, and there was no sterilizing agent. ?—-On one, or two occasions I could not obtain any sterilizing agent. 27. And on those occasions I suppose you were compelled to use the same thermometer on a great many patients without cleansing ? The only thing I could do was to take a piece of rag and make some pretence at cleansing. 28. Dr. Martin.] Did you take the mouth-temperature ?- Yes. 29. Mr. Skerrett!] What was the lighting of the hospital at this time ?—-Well, somebody might have a lantern, and towards the end when the nurses arrived the nurse would take a stable-lamp. There was only one I saw, and I would have to get a candle and wedge it into a cup and wander round with that. 30. May I ask whether in your judgment there was any reasonable organization in the hospital ? —Well, I am not a medical man, but as far as I could see to my mind there appeared to be a fair lack of organization in the conduct of the place. 31. The Chairman.] Are you speaking only of the kiosk ?—Yes, only of the kiosk. 32. Mr. Ferguson.] That is up to the time the nurses came and afterwards ?—Yes ; they were just beginning to settle down a little bit when I was taken ill. 33. Have you the date . —I went into the hospital on the 3rd July, and I was pottering about for two or three days previously. 34. The Chairman.] You only had four days in the kiosk and the loose-box ?—I was working until Saturday, the 3rd July. 35. Mr. Skerrett,.] What arrangements were made for the ablutions of your portion of the Force ? When I went into camp I inquired where the ablutions were to be performed, and I was directed to a lavatory at the end of the trainers' quarters. 36. The Chairman.] Those are the ablutions within the racecourse area and not the camp proper ? —Yes. I was told that that was set apart for the orderlies' use. I made a practice, with one or two others, of going there for washing until T discovered, I think, three patients in there, one being pretty bad with measles at the time, and the other two were contacts. 37. Mr. Skerrett.] I think before you became incapacitated there were, as many as three hundred in the hospital ?—Yes, close on that on some occasions. 38. Apparently after you had been about a week in the camp you contracted influenza, and were admitted into the hospital yourself in the tea-kiosk on the 3rd July ?,— Yes. 39. Tell me what your experience was there ?—I was taken over on the Saturday into the kiosk and there was nothing much to do except to wait for the turning/iHlie tide.