Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1917-10-11
RED CROSS WORK OF YEAR
Burlington Branch of American
Society in Annual Meeting.
Women Of Burlington and Vicinity
Have Accomplished Much-1nter-
estins Talk By Miss Emerson
Of Boston.

The Burlington branch Of the American
Cross held it's annual meeting in the
city hall yesterday afternoon. The presi-
lent, Mrs. F. W. Ward, opened the meeting
and expressed her appreciation as we'll as
that of the other officers for the work
by the members and the financial aid
given by the people Of Burlington.
Miss Constance Wheeler. the secretary.
then presented her report. She gave a
short sketch of the life Of the local branch
since June, 1916. telling now a special
was called at that time to arouse
interest In starting military relief work
for American troops at the Mexican bor-
der. During the next two months the
membership was increased very much n
4,494 surgical dressings were made. The
branch. in cooperation with the Burling-
ton Merchants association. supplied the
men Of Companies c and M at the border
with pajamas.
The report also described the county
branch headquarters Three rooms have
been fitted out for making surgical dress
ings, hospital garments and for giving
out and receiving knitting.
Last July the name Of the local branch
was changed to the Burlington branch
and includes Burlington. South Burling-
ton, Underhill Center and West Bolton.
Since April from the surgical Dress
ings department 28. 1896 dressings, including
gauze congresses. sponges, rolls. laparo-
tony pads, drains and oakum pads. mus
lin, crinoline and canton flannel bandages,
four-tailed bandages. fracture pillows.
T bandages, abdominal binders and
triangular bandages have been sent to
Boston. Garments to the number Of 642.
including pajamas. hospital shirts. con-
valescent robes and n~ightingales. CHA
hospital supplies other than garments. in
Guiding bedding. towels and other linen.
hankerchiefs. comfort pillows. bed socks.
hot water bottle covers, knitted cotton
articles, and G2 knitted wooden articles.
including sweaters. mufflers, socks. wrist
let's and helmets. have also been sent to
Boston. Besides the things sent to Boston.
the Vermont National Guard has been
supplied with 230 pairs of pajamas, 66
comfort bags and 6S housewives" Ono
hundred and twenty-eight knitted articles
have been supplied to enlisted men from
Burlington and vicinity and 125 articles,
including pajamas. comfort bags and
knitted articles. have been given to the
drafted men.
There are on hand at present 1888 gar
ments and other hospital supplies and 25
knitted articles. The total membership of
the Burlington branch is at present 2,S01.
| Miss Laura Wales, the treasurer. gave
her report for the year. The total re-
ceipts were 81, 1859. So, including receipts
from subscriptions from Burlington. 81
932. 13: from Chittenden county towns ST.
03O. %; from the sale Of yarn $4l2.S1; from
49, -11n - ~~~.%@~ A1- vnnAor;n1c en- ~
The total disbursements were $5.2S9.24.
These include materials for surgical Dress
ings, $1.065.02 materials for garments.
comfort bags and contents. $l.6os.11; for
yarn. $1.5s2.11. The balance in Merchants
bank October 6 was 81 .sS0.62.
After the reports had been read and
accepted the report of the nominating
committee was accepted and the officers
elected as read. They are as follows:
President, Mrs. F. w. Ward; first vice.
president, Mrs. NJ. D. Chittenden: second
vice-president. Miss Katherine Worces-
ter; secretary. Mrs. j. Holmes jackson;
treasurer, Mrs. Thurman w. Dix; chair
man of the surgical dressings committee.
Miss Constance Wheeler; chairman of the
finance committee, H. l.. Winter; chair
man of the supply committee. Mrs. Max
L.. Powell; chairman of the civil relief
committee, Mrs. Edward s. 1sham; chair
man of the membership committee. Mrs.
A. B. Simonds.
Miss Ellen r. Emerson of Boston. a
member Of the executive committee of
the New England board of the Red
Cross in America, who has been con-
nected with the Red Cross for many
years. then spoke. She told how the
Red Cross in Boston had started two
years ago with a tiny room with one
girl working as a s~tenographer and
had developed until now 1t occupies
three floors of the old Youths Com
panion building and the workers are
still crowded. She explained that the
great confusion in the work at frs
was caused by the Red Cross at Wash
ington trying to manage the Red Cross
throughout the United States. Now
there are 10 divisions, each division
having a head. The head of the New
England division is Mrs. James jackson
of Boston. The larger head still han
dies the big things, but all the execu'
tive work is In charge of the division
heads.
Miss Emerson explained what tht
Red Cross has been and is doing
abroad. The first thing they did was
to send out six base hospitals to hell
the English and French. Civilian doc
tors, surgeons and nurses went out u
these hospitals. They were ready Ions
before the military men were ready
and early in Tune they were on thu
spot. They went out with the idea o.
taking care of 5000 and every da,
hundreds Of wounded people arr
brought in. Miss Emerson said 9TH
I, beauty of a base hospital is that i
isn't" She explained what she mean
4 by saying that a base hospital SHOULD
r include everything necessary for
: hospital except the walls, foo
, and roof so that 1t could b
2 moved wherever it was most needed
r with very little trouble These hos
. pitfalls were fully equipped within
week after the need for them was ex
pressed. The next big thing the Re
Cross did WAs to raise 500. 000. 900 10
it's work. Then committees were sen
D to Russia. France. Italy. Servia, Rou
o mania, Belgium and England to Sc
U what could be done In a social an
moral sense in the devastated countries
. The expenses of these committees wer
not paid out of the fund raised for tn
5 Red Cross but by money raised b
, subscriptions for his purpose by In
. %dividuals. Architects also went over I
. help build up the towns destroyed
. They went over with the dream Of re
= storing the beauty to the quaint oil
. French towns but found they had to cor
g fine their efforts to making temporar
homes for the people out of third elias
lumber and corrugated iron. They ais