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TRANSPORT EPIDEMIC.

THE STRICKEN FORTIETHS. A SOLDIER'S GRAPHIC LETTER. The following graphic letter regarding the epidemic on the transport carrying the Fortieth Reinforcement, which resulted in the death of over 70 Zealand soldiers, is republished from The Christchurch Sun. It was written from England, on completion ot the voyage, by one of the men who , Was on the stricken vessel, and sent to a resident of Christchurch. "Spanish influenza"—which is as good a name as any other for a. fatal sort of lever which shows some of the symptoms ot pulmonary plague-got ua in Sierra Leone. Eighty died on board, half a dozen are missing owing to some idiot laying that! the sea was cool, 250 are still m hospital, and myself and about ou more are merely out and aboutThaU all After-effects include lung trouble and damaged hearts. Thanks ci-\+i » } y free from either > though slightly touohed by both. Sierra Leona is a stinking, steaming, native town green and poisonous as tne filth paddock of a sew*-* la rm. The-niggers are chattering, grinning animals who do about one-thirtieth as much work as a worn-out white wharf laborer .who i 8 following the go-slow policy Our lads had much fun throwing tlnnga at them, but were stuck for something heavy until it occurred to a returning "Aussy" to fill a biscuit tin with boiling water. The result of this oomb being dropped from 40 feet were startling. They included our being forbidden to go near the rails at all. Of course, there was no shore leave, though three officers went ashore on business, and three sailoru "hooked it" to learn the delights of cheap-trade whisky. We lay there for five days-lazy days of heat and damp-and watched another steamer dump her dead each night at twilight. Our health was good-men never looked fitter than we. Concerts m the evening kept things going, and we were always interested in the gathering of the convoy—qtiAintly-camou-naged ships of every nation. First day out some of us felt rather rotten, and showed high temperatures, ihe next day the hospital was full, and the third day, 800 were down. Always the same symptoms—weariness, general feeling of not being up to the mark a temperature, and . the man dropped where he was, I went out with 100, and lay for three days in a breathless hell-hole, where the dead jostled the hvmg. Dysentry made matters worse, especially as sanitary needs could not be considered, and the ship had run out of disinfectants. The doctors worked like heroes, although sick men themselves The nurses saved many a life, and one has since died as a reward for her efforts. Most of the officers and many men kept going while they could keep their feet, washing and aiding the sick. Then, of all the soldiers and ship's crew, only 70 odd were left on their feet. Four men lad to do all the butchering and coofcmg for the crowd, the dispenser was out through fever and overwork, both doctors were "bust," and the stock of drugs began to fail—not that it mattered much, for one of the strange features ot the disease was that drugs had no effect. Mere boys who had never used the drug before were taking 40 grains of quinine —with no result. Great slugs of chloral, which should have put a. man out for a long spall, did not produce sleep at all. Injections of morphia made no difference. Sulphonal had no effect. Later they found that nun, in small teaspoon doses, enabled men to gulp down their unappetising portions of boiled rice—about all the food chat was going. On account of submarines, we were in the dark from 6 to 6—12 hours of lying awake amid such scenes is hell. Many were delirious. Men stripped themselves naked and danced, wept, Sang, prayed, cursed, rode imaginary horses, felled imaginary trees, drank imaginary beer, and grew very drunk. Next I was down on deck with a temperature of 103. I had no clothes except my shirt and my denim shorts, and nobody was fit to go after my kitbag, But I was absolutely determined that, whatever were the rules of the game, I would not let my wife enjoy being a widow I got up when they found me an old pair of breeches and a "civvy" singlet, and began an amazing series of efforts to back my staying power against high temperature. I was thoroughly convinced that if I once went down I should do like the rest, and maybe die. The chief cook saved 'my life by taking me to his cabin and feeding nie up on soup and soft stuff other than the eternal rice. The day we i-sached England I was still too weak to walk. The arrangements were perfect, our sick going at once into hospital at Portsmouth, the milder cases being sent by special train to Codford, and the rest of us met by motor ambulances from the railway station to, our present camp. Our bunks had been made up, and it was quite funny to note the unanimity with which each man dropped into them and lay there coughing, with the short, dry, symtomatic cough. Next a hot feed of stew, hot tea—and to bed.

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/TDN19181217.2.67

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Taranaki Daily News, 17 December 1918, Page 7

Word count
Tapeke kupu
877

TRANSPORT EPIDEMIC. Taranaki Daily News, 17 December 1918, Page 7

TRANSPORT EPIDEMIC. Taranaki Daily News, 17 December 1918, Page 7

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