Primary tabs
Transcription
[Page 12]
by means of davits, but there were no such appliances on the Emden. One German Surgeon, Dr. Luther, was intact, but he had been unable to do much, and for a short time was a nervous wreck, having had 24 hours with so many wounded on a battered ship with none of his staff left and very few dressings, lotions and appliances. The state of things on board the Emden, according to Dr. Ollerhead was truly awful.
Men were lying killed and mutilated in heaps, with large blackened flesh wounds. One man had a horizontal section of the head taken off, exposing mangled brain tissue. The ship was riddled with gaping holes, and it was with difficulty one could walk about the decks, and she was gutted with fire. Some of the men who were brought off to the Sydney presented horrible sights, and by this time the wounds were practically all foul & stinking, and maggots ΒΌ inch long were crawling over them, i.e., only 24 hours to 30 hours after injury. Practically nothing had been done to the wounded sailors, and they were roughly attended by our party and despatched to us as quickly as possible. A Cook's mate, named Fulton, did some exceedingly disagreeable work with great credit to himself in connexion with this.
The best arrangements possible were made under the circumstances for the receipt and treatment of the wounded as they arrived. All blankets & beds available were drawn from the stores, & most of the officers went without them. Still we had nothing like enough, and the German Sailors had, in many cases, to put up with beds most unsuitable for wounded men. As they came on board they were taken down to the temporary hospital in the ward room, where