The Washington herald., 1908-03-15
MODERN BETSY ROSS
Woman in Brooklyn Makes
Flags for Uncle Sam.
SHE HAS 35 ASSISTANTS NOW
In One Year 10000 Yards of Bunt-
ing Are Used in Navy Yard Sewing
Room by Women and Men Work
ing for Miss Mary A. Woods, For
merIy n DressmRker.

II was considered a wonderful achieve
ment when patriotic Betsy Ross made
the first flag for Uncle Sam
Ever since she has been giorified in
story and song. and there is not q school
child in the land who has not heard her
name. In fact, there are still to be seen
old-fashioned lithograph pictures OF the
prim, quaint little woman sitting On her
back piazza working on the Stars and
Stripes
But there is a second Betsy Ross among
US who deserves great deal of credit.
for where the former turned out one flag
/ our modern Betsy turns out thousands.
The average visitor 70 the Brooklyn
Navy Yard has no idea Of what goes on
within those grim military walls Neither
does he know that up on the third floor
OF the equipment department is our Betsy
Ross No. ?, whose real name is Miss Mary
A. Woods
1T is twenty-eight years since Miss
Woods entered the employ Of the equip
ment department at the navy yars. Al
that time she was turning cut almy
gowns and beautiful costumes for the
fair ladies of Brooklyn, when she sud
denly decided to make flags for Uncle
Sam instead. Accordingly she presented
herself at the navy yard with the proper
credentials and impressed the officials so
agreeably that an armful Of piece work
was given to her 10 take home, as was
the custom in those days. Soon thereaf-
ter she was made "quarterwoman' of the
flag room IN the equipment department,
where she has been for more than a quar-
ter OF a century.
Has Thirty-nre Assistants.
When Miss Woods first became quar-
/ terwOman' -forewOman we would say ia
civil parlance-she had only six assist
ants. To-day she has under her thirty
two women and three men. who last year
turned out 1000 flags under her direction.
OF these, 1.5SO were American. 500 were
foreign ensigns. and the rest were signal
flags
Miss Woods has made and handled
more flags than any other woman in the
world. and 80 per cent Of all the work
done at the equipment department is cut
by her. as she is a past mistress in the
art Of cutting. II requires something
bunting 10 cut for Uncle sam Yoa must
know all about fag-maling. not only our
own Stars and Stripes. but the emblems
Of other countries. You must also know
just how 10 fold the bunting SO several
strips can be cut at a time. and this re-
ouires a level head Miss Woods was so
busy looking after her assistants making
patterns. and attending 10 the thousand
and one details incidental 10 flag making
that she had no time for cutting until
the Spanish-American war. Then she
Was obliged 10 be even more economical
of her busy moments. and also 70 roll up
her sleeves, tiguratively speaking. and
cut miles Of bunting in order 10 keep pace
with the tremendous output.
She became such an adept AT that time
that she still attends TO nearly all the
cutting, and IL is an interesting process
10 watch her manipulate the bright
colored bunting.
First 4 roll is deftIy spread on the long
bench, then another is placed over il, and
still others until there arr. several These
are weighted a. each end and a long chalk
line extends from weight TO weight at Just
the right intervals for the strips which
are 10 be cut
Marks Line with String.
With a little twang Of the string. Miss
Woods leaves a white mark on the bunt-
ing. The weights are then moved 70 the
next interval-a distance which is meas
ured by an accurate pair Of eyes. and so
on until the entire width Of bunting is
marked for cutting. leaving the selvages
for the outside stripe Of the flag Then
the shears are brought into requisition
huge pair Of government shears il YOU
please. and the strips are cut so rapidly
that il seems no time until Miss Woods
is ready 20 work with the chalk line
again
Miss Woods also makes all the patterns
that are used. and when IL Is remembered
that the American flag output is only a
drop in the bucket. one can readily un-
derstand what a task this is. II IS still
more surprising 20 know that Miss Woods
has never taken any lessons IN drawing.
and it is an interesting process to watch
her prepare to make n pattern.
First she takes Flags OF Maritime Ma
tons. the textbook Of her department
presented by Uncle Sam. and which she
knows by heart; she then turns quickly
TO the pages on which is printed II. col
Ors has the flag she has been ordered TO
make. She already knows il we'll but
she must be accurate.
Furnished with Drawing
She also has a small drawing furnished
by the Bureau of Equipment. and this she
is obliged 20 enlarge 20 correspond with
the size of the flag she 4 about "a make
To do this she takes a huge piece OF ma
Mia paper. spreads it before her. and on
this she draws her design Afterward
each star stripe. or emblem must be cut
out separately. and the sectional pat
tern is then put away in a compact box
until il is needed
When Miss Woods has cut her bunting
emblems they are turned over to their
respective workers who do nothing but
that particular thing 513 days in the year
There are eight hand workers, who baste
embroidery and do the fancy stitches re
qured by our fastidious Uncle Sam and
foreign despots. These women receive
from S1-52, fourth-clsss work, 1924 a day
first-class work. for the pay in the navy
is always by the multiple of eight Many
middle-aged women find employment in
this department. and in eight years not
one has been discharged for lack or work.
Miss Woods herself has taught her
assistants all that they known Of flag
making.
Miss Woods loves the beautiful. soft
all-wool bunting and takes great pride
in displaying It even before It is trans
formed into a flag. The velvets. laces.
silks and satins of her, dressmaking DAYS
seem frivilOus compared with the fast
colored buntings. the choicest output of
the Lowell mills
Use 100000 Yards n Year.
Last year said she, I'VE used 10000
yards. Can you imagine 1t? And ten
years ago we used only 5000 yards. 1t
cost Uncle Sam last year to run this
room alone $4,000. OF this amount $4,000
was used for materials and $4,000 for