night with twenty or thirty Ambulance men had just arrived at this
place. Eight sick and wounded Americans were being treated in hospital.
Arranged for two more rooms so capacity of hospital might be increased.

It was vitally important that these cases be evacuated at once, but
there was no possible way except by river, which was heavily mined.
Decided it best to attempt evacuation by rowboat. Sgt. Clair Petit
volunteered to conduct convoy to hospital boat at Troitza. Convoy was
arranged and patients safely placed on board hospital boat, where they
were hurriedly carried to Archangel.

Returned to headquarters boat the following morning and all seemed to be
suffering from enteritis, due to the water not being boiled. Sanitation
in these villages almost an impossibility. Barn built in one end of
home, with possibly a hallway between it and the kitchen. The hay loft
is usually on a level with the kitchen floor, a hole in many houses is
cut through this floor and used as a toilet. Or it quite often is
nothing more than a two-inch board nailed over the sills. In the very
best southern villagers' homes there may be a closed toilet in the
hallway between the barn and kitchen. These are the billets used by the
Allied troops on the river front in North Russia. The native seldom
drinks raw water, but nearly always quenches his thirst by drinking tea.
Wired Major Longley at base Sept. 22nd for one-half of 337th Field
Hospital to be sent to Beresnik, to take over civilian hospital.
Communication with the base was very poor. Unable to get any definite
answer to my telegrams.

Another trip was made from Troitza to Beresnik with hospital boat
"Currier." Sick and wounded Royal Scots taken to Field Hospital at
Beresnik. After arrival they were loaded on two-wheeled carts and hauled
two miles to the hospital.

Upon arrival at Beresnik found Capt. Martin, with one-half of Field
Hospital 337th, had taken over civilian hospital.

On Sept. 28th it was decided to establish a detention hospital at
Shenkursk, so Capt. Watson and twelve R. A. M. C. men with medical
supplies for a twenty-bed hospital were placed on board hospital boat
"Currier." After posting two guards with machine guns on the boat we
started on the trip to Shenkursk. A distance of about ninety-five versts
from Beresnik on the Vaga River.

All along the way the boat stopped to pick up wood and at each stop
natives would come down to the river banks with vegetables and eg