The Washington times., 1914-11-19
REDCROSS7 ENDORSES
APPEAL FOR COTTON
Headquarters Urges Sending OF
Individual Packages by Par
eel Post.

The American Red Cross headauar-
tiers Endorses the appeal in The Times
Yesterday that cotton be sent to the
wounded of war-stricken Austria. 1t is
| urged that every citizen Of this country
neutral, but a believer in humanity
do his part 20 alleviate the suffering Of
Eu!ope's wounded by sending abroad a
package of cotton, today, tomorrow, or
the next day.
The Red Cross is doing the best it
can. 1t has sent and is sending hun
| dreds of thousands of pounds of alb
sorbent cotton to Paris. Vienna, and
| other centers for distribution among the
! hospitals where the wounded lie. But
| ships are few and far between, and
there is more or less delay, and. no
| matter how much may be sent. the Red
Cross officials say Europe can use more
| on the wounds Of its soldiers.
In a Vienna letter published in The
! Times. William G. Shepherd declared
| Is the oversupply of cotton. In Aus
| tria. wounded men are dying in agony
| for the lack of a few ounces of it,
II was asserted that for days at a
| tire the hospitals are without cotton
| to apply to the wounds of soldiers. In
stead, rough cloth must be used or the
cloth unraveled and the strings applied
| to sore and bleeding surfaces 1t was
| suggested that IL Americans-with
Christmas approaching and with cotton
about them-would buy just a pound or
so and send it. care Of the Red Cross,
wounded" humanity will be served.
Suggestion Helpful"
DR.. T. M. Phillips, OF the Red Cross
headquarters, who keeps track of the
shipments abroad Of cotton, surgical
| instruments. dressings. and other ar
ticles needed for the sick and dying,
says the suggestion is a helpful one.
Undoubtedly there is a scarcity of
cotton in European hospitals" said
DR.. Phillips. We are sending il abroad
| as fast as We can purchase It, but we
| have not been able to meet all the
| pressing wants. Recently We sent
to Austria, and with 1t went, quantities
\ OF gauze surgical instruments, and
1 bandages. We have now awaiting ship
ment from New York about 10000
| pounds Of absorbent cotton. to be dis
! tributed in Europe. This is cotton we
have purchased. and more will be pur.
| chased and sent. together with drugs
| medicines, and instruments, from time
| to time.
But, as the Vienna story says, the
individual may do his part, and / see
nothing impractical In the suggestion
that small packages of cotton be sent
by parcel post to the Red Cross In
Vienna and other places.
| 1T should be remembered, however
| that only absorbent cotton, which has
been sterilized. is suitable for applica
ton to wounds. The ordinary cotton
untreated. is fit only for padding spllnt.
and similar uses. The sending of 8
| pound of absorbent cotton helps just
to that extent toward relieving a scar
city which exists over the entire battle
area of Europe
What Has Been Done.
Since the European war began. says
Dr.. Phillips. the Red Cross has SEN
on its own ship and other vessels ser.
eral hundred thousand pounds Of alb
sorbent and nonabsorbent cotton.
In one consignment to Paris there
were 264 600 pounds Of absorbent and
l11.0C0 pounds of nonabsorbent cotton
10000 yards Of absorbent gauze, OoC
Yards of starchcd gauze, and large
quantities of drugs, plasters, stretchers
and surgical instruments. All nations
have been advised that the Red Cross
will do q in it's power to supply them
with these necessities and all nations
are eagerly receiving the comparatively
limited quantities which are sent, be.
lcause-uhen the hundreds of thousands
Of wounded are considered-there's no,
enough to go around anywhere.
Send a pound of absorbent cotton to
Vienna or some other place where the
wounded lie," appears to be a good
motto for the near-Christmas season. II
sent now it may temper the suffering
Of some wounded man during the period
when that part Of the world rot at wal
is celebrating the season of peace on
earth: good will TO men,