The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1913-08-21
Nv FRANCES sHAFFER.

BY FnANSnS ArEASss
Folk who have the misfortune to be
shipwrecked anywhere In the United
States and the good fortune to be picked
up by the Iife-saving service are hos
pitably sheltered. fed. warmed. and
coaxed back to normal life again by
kindly Uncle Sam.
1t was over thirty years ago. SO the
story is told, that Mrs. Gabriel Kent, of
New York, was visiting the wife of Chief
Justice Waite. At that time the public
was much interested in the new head
quarters of the life-saving service. and
the visitor was shown around and ex-
planned its workings .-...
When told what the government did
for the shipwrecked in the way of shell
ter. food, and the like. Mrs. Kent won
dered who looked after their clothes.
Inquiry revealed the fact that the life
savers, none too prodigal with clothes
themselves and none too generously paid,
drew upon their own scanty wardrobes
10 supply the hapless folk gathered in
from the waters. II did not require
much figuring to know that at times that
was pretty embarrassing to the life
savers themselves and inadequate to the
beneficiaries.
III
women, and the matter. WAS talked over
by Mrs. Kent, Mrs. Waite, and others.
among them Miss Alice Sanford. who Is
still actively interested in the rather
unusual service. In the little circle OF
women, drawn from washington ana
New York, there were some well-known
names-Mrs Rutherford b. Hayes, Mrs
James A. Garfield, Mrs. William Astor.
Mrs. John Jacob Aston, and few others
who counted clothes a pretty important
feature of life-saving work
They formed what they called the
woman's National Relief Association
when they wanted to be quite pretentious
or lust the Blue Anchor Society IN their
uuieter times and the membership never
has grown very large. They are only
faithful few. ready to respond to any
call from a life station anywhere along
the coasts. and also offering and IN tunes
of national disaster when floods, or even
great fires, come with their devastating
hands
Reserve supplies in Storage.
At first these women made all the gar
ments themselyes-quite some task when
one remembers that they send out be-
tween 800 and 400 boxes Of clothing each
year. But they soon found that too much
of a tax in labor and not very efficient
method. either, so they have hasing
agents, who buy the clothing in quanti-
ties, 1t is kept in storage. and the pur-
chasing committee never allows the
s,orerooms to become depleted. and does
not wait for emergencies. When the IKE
saving stations find their supplies run
ming low they make application direct
10 the department at Washington, whicn
passes on the requisition to the niue
group of thirty or forty women In new
York who have the work IN cnarse. Anu
sometimes the society finds II necessary
to log the memory of the ife-savhs
heads, that they always may be ready
for sudden call.
40 the work of this Blue Anchor So
ciety is carried on very quietly and neon
spicuousy, perhaps most OF FOLK peieSe
that the clothing sent out 10 the snip
wrecked is furnished by the government
itself. Miss Sanford. who has served
as secretary for the last thirty-three
ears, says that many a person saved
from an encounter with the hungry waves
has gratefully sent back gifts to the cour'
ageous workers at the life-saving sta
tiors. And all have gone away with a
little warmer feeling in their hearts foI
the government which remembered them
In the hour of their distress.
Uncle Sam Not the Donor.
But not one has ever made contri'
button to the clothing fund. because, you
see, it is naturally enough taken fol
granted that the same generous Uncle
Sam that; distributes the rest of the
bounties is responsible for the clothing
too. Not even the life-savers themselves
ways realize that the clothing comes
from the hands of women, rather thar
f. m the government they serve.
- II is sometimes said that one OF thu
worst features of philanthropic organfza
tons is the expenditure of large sum-
for salaried officials and employees. Blu