Evening star., 1898-08-25
Caring for the :, Soldiers Passing
Through the City.
WORK Done BY BENEVOLENT WOMEN
What is Being Done Along Mary
land Avenue.
MORE MONEY IS NEEDED

Soldiers VINO pass through this city on
their way home hungry and thirsty or too
Ill to eat the food provided for them on
the train have reason to bless the good
women who have struggled during the past
two weeks to care for them as well as they
could while their trains waited at the sid
ing or stopped for a few minutes on the
track as they have come up Maryland ave-
nue..
A couple of weeks ago a number of the
people living along or near Maryland ave
nue. southwest had to face scenes of suffer-
ing unknown to the people in other parts
of the city. Trains coming in Maryland
avenue would stop a few minutes or half
an hour. They were laden with soldiers
either convalescent and weak from late ill
ness or burning with fever-some stretch
ed on their backs debilitated from other
dlseases In many instances these men had
been without food for twenty-four hours
VI tHe iood available for the sick ones was
,iol ll VI sucn character as to enable them
to eat it.
IL was this silent appeal to the SYM
Patlies oi women living near Maryland
avenue that gave rise to three fourishing
institutions IN that neighberhood for the
purpose Of caring for the soldiers while
they We're passing through the city Now
THIS work is under charge Of the Society
OF the Red Cross ard the Ladies' Aid As
Office.
The Beginning.
Two weeks ago Mrs. Sarah Cornwall and
Mrs. Helen Hecht, living at 926 D street
southwest, having had these scenes of suf-
ieiihs fpelofe them for some time, began
" care LOT as many Of the men as their
resources would allow. They subscribed
i,oeraIiy themselves, took up a collection in
sl.e ..Ahisaiate neighborhood and proceed I'd
70 ~ urn tnelr nome into an emergency hos
pltal and hotel. They began their work
by having some of the soldiers come to me
mouse as the train stopped or by carving
such food as they could provide to the
tfain' I, One day they fed twenty-five sol.
diers and the next day they were abIe 10
provide for seventy-fve of them Rut the
work was far beyond the power of a few
individuals to perform, Some days several
thousands Of soldiers came through the
CITY IN a condition calling for assistance.
When the work had reached this stage
the Ladies Aid Association of the United
states Pension Office was formed, and in
beginning active operations the association
utilized the services, OF the ladies' whose
self-sacrifice had allowed them to begin the
work. Miss Ida NJ. Neunieyer was placed
IN charge of the work, and besides Mrs.
Cornwall and Mrs. Hecht., she has been as
sisted by Mrs. Kate Militzer. 43O I0th street
southwest; Mrs, Carrie a Dent and Mrs
BARBARA Roth 434 10th street southwest
and Miss Sallie Mccoy, 81 I street south
east, east IN IA addition to the above, good old
lines Hn,'t in frances, ran rcologeed woman, who
seen more than three scoYe and ten wears
volunteered her SERVICES, and she has work
ed from early in the, morping until late at
night supplying fresh coffee
Busy DayIand Night.
one night she was kept up until o. clock
am. in performing this work, and all the
while her little hong at A18 10th street has
been neglected in every way IN order that
she might care for the soldiers Ali the
ladies doing this work are busy day and
night. Frequently they have had to leave
hcme after midnight or before dawn in
order to get food and coffee to the SOL
diers.
After the work came under the charge of
the Ladies' Aid Association mentioned, Po-
tomac Hall and the third story of the
building in which it is located at the cor
ner of 11th and d streets southwest. was
hired and there the work has since been
done. wash room Is provided there
where the soldiers may bathe their faces
and hands, after which they enter the hall
filled with tables and benches and are given
sandwiches, coffee or tea, crackers, toma-
toes and other fruits, and milk The tables
are laid with paper plates and tin cups are
provided. Such soldiers as can walk from
the train are invited to this dining hall
while milk is carried through the cars to
the sick who cannot leave their beds.
Since the work has been taken in charge
by the Ladies' Aid Association, which is
row providing money with which to carry
1t on, Major E, r. Campbell of the pension
office, and late commanding the 4th Battal-
ion of the District Of Columbia National
Guard, has been at the hall constantly, do
ing much work to make the efforts of the
association d success.
Train Load Today.
Early this morning a train passed through
the city carrying more than 200 sick SOL
diers, all of whom were provided with fresh
milk. During the time this work has been
in progress over 10.0oO soldiers, many of
them sick, have been given food by this
body of energetic women, none of whom
has any member of her immediate family in
the war at the present time.
The trains usually stop but very short
TINE, and the work has to be done quickly
On one occasion fresh milk was supplied to
800 soldiers within half an hour.
The need for this work was never greater
than at present and any subscriptions for
paying expenses incurred will greatly as
Sist in prov1jng the soldiers with food
Very similar work is being done by the
Society OF the Red Cross at 915 and G1j
Maryland avenue southwest. This work
was also started as an individual enter
prise.
Mrs. L. Z. Pond lives at 9t5 MARYLAND
avenue, and with Miss E. NJ. Gillespie and
Mrs. M G. Fletcher began feeding the SOL
diers as best they could. Now they work
under the direction Of the Red Cross Mrs.
Electa E. Smith is also engaged in the
work at GIG Maryland avenue Mrs Comp
ton and Mrs. Reese began looking after the
soldiers ard now they too have the Red
Cross flag flying over their home The
Red Cross is expending 5000 daily at these
two houses. Besides providing food for the
soldiers, they carry the sick men fans en-.
velopes, paper and Pencils, with which tc
write to their homes, and pillows for those
who are not providedIwtth them.
Plentiful SapIyaof Food.
All day today trains were passing along
Maryland avenue, and Whenever one stop
ped with a load of soldiers a plentiful sup
ply of good food was taken to the hun
cry men, 81 - 'h
Eight car loads of oftsold.ers bound for the
north went through the city at 12:3O
O'Clock today They were from Chicka-
mauga Park. and aiiargsi number of them
were sick. They had been provided with
money with which to purchase .rations on
their way home, but there was little op-
poftunity for them to buy anything
THE .COURfs.