Anna Louise Tittman Memoir - University of Illinois Springfield

Anna Tittm
Q. Why is silk better for lice?
A. Tney can't penetrate it. Wool is what they like, you
I
know. Well,
now that I said that, that's somthing else, isn't it?
Naw about here I wrote that there were eighteen men in o
we got going. And I have all their nares listed here,
was fYom here [Springfield]. They were from all over
as the nurses were.
Q. mat was the reason for their being with you?
A. Oh, they were making up the codssion, an office thai did thin@ for
militaxy who was over there already. They had seven thowand troops over
there at that tlrre, and in a nurher of other countries, tbey had an equal
rider. But I can tell you about that later, I guess, whqn I get there.
So I have the nms of all the nurses who were in it, none mrn here. Now
you were asking nore about the clothes, were you? I bouefft thlneg after I
got down to China, after I was thro- with Siberia. I @ow that I paid
a lot for a party dress to go out with a young man, a foml dress fbr
a fomnal party, because the man I was Interested in was sick. He was one
of the reasons I went down to China. I mt him on the train in Siberia
which yau will hear about. It was a black lace dress, net dress. LSttle
mff1es.this wide all the way down the skirt, and little beads, little
glass beads. Paid a hundred dollars for it, and I wore It after I came
back, foml, of course. The wn that I had mt on the tmin in Siberia,
was a ni@t editor of the Chicago Tribune, Fred Smith. 31, well-and I
can't remn-ber too many other things that we d.id in San Francisco, but they're
r
here. I' m having tmub le reading it.
Q. Could I turn a li@t on for you or somthing?
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A. I have all the m s here and the aides too. 1 had s@m aides, nurses
aides, and I have their names and the nurses backgrounds. And here I say,
"1 appointed the following officers, Miss Bridge, social and edcuat4onal
director," this is on the boat. "Miss MacInti~, unifom director. " me
displayed her executive ability, smtimes to excess, and she was one of
the older ladies that had taught. And then Miss Iast was
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plbrarian, Lucy
Last. And the squad captains, I made squad captains, ea one was charge
of a corridor on the boat. It was a amall boat, I can't m&er the tonnage,
but it was considered a small boat. And the squad aptaks ware mss
Ayres, Miss Howell, M3ss McCawley and mss Faye. Now ev body was f'rlendly,
there was no fl&tSng or anything Eke that. '"We sdled t exactly 1: 00 p.m.
waving farewell to a large asse&ly on the pier. Ihe Re Cross ladies and
the mayor's codttee supplied us with flowers, candies d so forth, (pame)
and threw streamers over us. Passing throw the Golden ate was a thrilling
experience. It did not long stay thdlling; however for m y of i us
began to pt seasick. " & too.
Q. Oh, were you? !
A. Yes. % were in mu& water for nearly two days and nearly all on board
were M&tfully ill. I shared a cabin "A" with Miss HoTer and Mss Howell.
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