Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1917-03-27
ROUNDING Up Al
LEGGED GERMAN SPIES
IN CITY OF CHICAGO
AMERICAN SEWING
CIRCLE IN ENGLAND


Freeman Tribune from J. w. Paglel
United Press Correspondents: TIL
only American sewing circle in Eng
land worked in mute silence unit
President Wilson broke off relation
with Germany. Then disciplin,
strained, stretched and snapped.
A gush of pent up sentiments brok
over the sewing tables of The Ameri
can Womens Club Workrooms. AT
ter while it was all said and the cir
Gle subsidized. The industrious thrun
of sewing machines and bandag'
Ispools resumed and the relief worl
went right along.
Mrs Stokes Waite, the chairman
however, decided little whispering
is good for the tired workers nerves
So the silence rule that made the
sewing circle unique was sent tt
abide with the late lamented German
relations
When we began making Red Gross
Materials said Mrs. Waite, eve
wanted to prevent workroom gossip
That is why we adopted the silence
rule. But we cant work in silence
all the time
AS if to prove that a little whisper
! ing doesn't retard the work. work
table in the sewing room was grad
Iually becoming heaped up with the
days output of hospital things. There
were surgical swabs, bandage rolls,
ward suits, pajamas, flannel socks for
| the wounded or frostbitten feet,
woolly coverings for hot water bot
| tles-every article of bandage or
lclothing that wounded soldier
needs.
Stacked in a corner near the work
| room door three big bales of burlap
ienvelopes awaited the coming of
1.-THE war office expressman to start
lthcm on their way to the Italian
front. "Ospedaletto de Campo 70. III
Armata. Italy read the stencilled
address and the Red Cross blaZed in
each corner to insure the speediest
shipping.
Mrs. Waite organized her friends
as a Red Cross unit back in Deem
hoy Worly Iaooo IN IoD,,or,, 9 Tn
one month the war Office lorries back
ed up to the workrooms dozen times
and carried away 1000 articles that
ultimately reached the various allied
fronts Of France, Italy and the Bal
kans. The present big rush is caus-
ed by an order for 240 suits of pa
jamas for the English officers hospi-
tai at Lancaster Gate.
The American women We're quick
to learn the new work. Eye band
Iages for wet dressings must be lined
with oiled silk, the spotless white cap
which stretches out to envelope ban
daged heads require a different kind
of needle skill. Yet there were no
seconds" among the production.
Every week the workrooms sends out
200 roles of bandages. as neatly done
as any from trained hands of more
experienced Red Crossers.
Even if there is rag chewing in
the workroom the lint is not wasted.
Even the stray threads travelled from
the edges of working cloth are utiliz-
ed along with rags from the cutting
table. These are gathered up at the
end of each day and stored until
there are enough to make cushions
for injured arms or legs.
eve used to have an assessment
lof II cents day for each worker"
Mrs. Waite said, explaining the fl
nancial workings of the institution.
That was to pay the operating ex-
penses aside from materials. 1t left
a surplus, so we abolished the plan,
substituting voluntary contribution.
Now the surplus is even larger.
Il never saw greater enthusiasm
than that of the American women
who come here to make things for
the wounded. Some have lived here
for number of years and become ac-
|customed to their afternoon tea, but
they work right on through the tea
hour here without pause.
eve send little surprise package
with every bale of supplies leaving
for the front. 1t contains hypoder-
mic syringes and hot water bottles
with flannel covers. | nursed in a
hospital in France so know just how
welcome these things are in any hos
pital camp, no matter how well it
may be equipped.
Collars shaped over steam heat
ed collar shaper have that desired