Evening star., 1914-11-12
CHRISTMAS SHIP
FAST BEING FILLED
Work of Loading U. S. Co..
Iier Jason Proceeding
Night and Day.
"lNASMUCH" PENNANT
TOBE HOISTED SATURDAY
Toys and Clothing for War Orphans
Will Start Across Ocean
Then.
"INASMUCH" PENNANT
TOBE HOISTED SATURDAY
From a Stafr Correspondent.


beled, began pouring into the holds OF
the naval collier Jason, the officially
designated Christmas ship. yesterday
afternoon, when the work of loading
the big collier-the Santa Claus ship
for the war widows and war orphans OF
Europe-began.
The Jason left the Brooklyn navy
yard shortly before noon yesterday and
steamed to the Bush Terminal, where a
string of 100 loaded freight cars was
waiting. The work of loading Ameri-
cas- Christmas gifts for the war suf-
ferers began Immediately, and through
out the afternoon and last night the
heavy. solidly built export cases poured
in steady stream into the Jasons
capacious holds.
AS dusk drew on groups of electric
lights began to glimmer all about the
dock. over the decks and even down in
the holds of the big ship, and the work
of slowing the immense cargo was not
interrupted even for a minute. Sol
diers, sailors, civilians, members of the
JaSons crew. dock hands working for
the big Bush Terminal Company. and
volunteers from the Red Cross, work
ing as unit under the command Of
Maj. F. Fl. Lawton and Lieut.. Com
nander Courtney, moved the steady
stream of boxes in a manner that was
simply marvellous for its celerity. AS
soon as a few of the cars were emptied
other full ones took their places. and
the work of loading went on with abb
soiutely no hitch or delay of any kind.
Will Sail Saturday.
Lieut.. Commander Courtney, who Is
to command the Jason on the voyage
across the Atlantic; Maj. Lawton and
Irving T. Bush. president of the Bush
Terminal Company, said today that the
work of loading the Christmas ship
would probably be finished in time to
permit the sailing of the Jason to-
morrow afternoon. But the calendar
forbids. Tomorrow will be Friday, and
il also will be the 18th of ,he month.
and no sailor man or anybody who
knows the superstitious nature Of
them that go down to the sea in ships
would think of starting even a Christ
and date so unpropitious. Therefore
plenty of time will be taken to get
the huge assortment of gifts carefully
slowed away beneath the decks of the
iels as Santa Claus ship. and the
Jason will cast off and start on her
journey Saturday morning.
And what a task it has been to get
this cargo ready to go on the big ship.
Only those who participated in the
work, or watched its progress, can
have any adequate idea of the magni-
tude of the job that has been sue
cessfully and speedily handled by
those who have had it to do.
Every box, barrel. package and parcel
which did not bear on the outside a
complete list of it's contents had to
be opened. it's contents had to be sort
ed, and then the gifts had to be re-
packed in the big, heavy cases used
for export purposes. Dolls We're packed
to themselves; toys of other kinds
went in separate boxes; children's un-
derwear was repacked by itself; chill
dren's stockings-hundreds of thous-
ands of pairs of them-have been
packed by themselves, and it is true,
also, of the dresses for girls, the suits
for boys and the clothing for women.
Each Box Plainly Marked.
Every box has been plainly marked
as to it's contents, so that those in
charge of the distribution on the other
side will not be compelled to open
scores of cases in order to find what
they are after.
If all this had been done by the
donors of the gifts a very great deal
of work would have been saved
Andsin the unpacking and sorting OF
the thousands upon thousands OF
boxes, etc, what surprises have been
found.
At one corner of one of the huge
rooms in building No. l9 at the Bush
terminal is heap of clothing, etc,
large enough to load two or three big
freight cars. This is all old. worn,
damaged clothing and shoes. Trousers
patched in the seat and frayed at the
bottoms: skirts draggled, faded and
worn: shoes lacking soIes: silk petit
coats split and worn into tatters: cor
sets resurrected from the trash boxes.
from all appearances-these are IN
cluded in this miscellaneous heap OF
Christmas gifts.
Old Clothes Rejected.
stuff that wouldn't be offered to the
wife of the ash man has been boxed
and sent as gifts to those across the
sea who have suffered the loss of theil
ALL Somebody. who failed to send his
name with his gift shipped to the
Bush Terminal a jumbled collection o.
colored collars They were all new. bu
faded and soiled from much handling
And what good this heap of collar:
would be to the war widows and wal
orphans il is hard to imagine.
All of this stuff, however, Will find I
use. 1t is all to go to the quarantine
station at Ellis Island-all, that is. ex
cept the wholly worn out shoes that arr
past repair. and the garments good fo
nothing but the junkpile-there to b.
fumigated and distributed either a
home abroad. as "old clothes"
happier side. TOO. One package. sen
with the huge collection of The Sta
and coming from Annapolis. Md, con
tanned a set of infants garments tina
brought eXclamations of delight from
the women who sorted the gifts. Made
of the finest. softest, creamit st fanne
and the sheerest cambric, every stitcl
in the tiny garments had been placet
there by hand No well-born American
baby ever had a daintier, prettier out
nit that these garments worked by the
Annapolis girls who sent the package.
These were the gifts that made the
army women who opened sorted anC
helped to repack them proud of theil
Americanism: just as the soleless shoe.
and stained, tattered garments in otheI
boxes caused many a blush of shame a
the thought that any American woult
even think of sending such things az
Christmas gifts to any one, no matter
how sore the straits in which the
sufferers might be.
No More Gifts Now.
Last night was the final time lmI
set for the receipt of gifts at the Bust
Terminal. Several final limits' hat
been fixed. but the postponement of tn,
Christmas ships sailing date has mad,
IT possible to extend the limit unit
now. No more gifts can or will be re
ceived, however; last night was the alb
solute, definite limit. Nothing will b.
received for the Christmas ship from