Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1917-07-01
RED CROSS HEADQUARTERS
PRESENTS BUSY SCENE
Many Women Engaged in Making
Articles for Proposed 800
Bed Hospital.
, KNITTING AGAIN IN FASHION
'SInstructions Are Given for Making
Sleeveless Sweaters and Other Ar
ticies Of Use to American Soldiers
and Sailors OH Duty.

and Sailors OH Duty.
Looking for the headquarters of the
home laid committee Of the Richmond
Chapter of tn. American Red Cross.
one locates the familiar flags Tying
from the second story OF the building
on Franklin Street at Seventh Street,
once occupied as "A temporary post
Office. The lower floor liz the Richmond
Cafeteria. and to an inquiry about the
location Of the workroomS of the Red
Cross. one Is pleasantly told that they
are Somewhere or III: second floor"
and one goes right up the steps" lead Z.
ing from the dining room.
Somewhere on the second floor" is
as ambiguous as Somewhere in France"
but there is no further mystery when
one reaches the second floor. for 4
most interesting scene discloses itself.
The second floor is one big room. spa
cious ana wcll-liEhtcd. There are
many tables at which arc seated or
standing busy groups of women vari-
ously occupied in mcasuring. cutting
or sewing. The hum cf conversation
fills the room Questions are cunS
from one group TO another, and there
IL the buzz of sewing machines in the
far corner.
EVERY ONE HAS SOM:
DEFINITE: WORK no DO
Between scvcnty-fvc and 100 hun.
dred women are in the room. and no
one is :dle. In the center of ;hc
room there is u desk and a phoic. Mrs.
Charles I. Williams and Mrs. Robert
Vincent. tho latter in the uniform OF a
Red cross nursc, are at the desk with
! Its business like equipment Mrs. Will
lians is the chairman of all the hos
pltal supplies. She has I number Of
subcom mittccs. and there is chair
man Cor each branch OF the work. and
chairman for different days in the
week. Everybody has a Definite work
to perform. and the work moves right
along.
What are they making in the work
rooms? tour OF the room answers
that question Surgical dressings. for
one thinE-quantitics OF them. To the
unnitiated II is all Sauze variously
manipulated. but To the trained intel
ligcnce OF the workers the gauzc trans
latcs itself intobandages OF several
separate and distinct kinds. congresses,
rolls and wipes. laparotomy pads and
drains, bandagcs of crinoline and flan-
ncl. as well As of gauze. oakum pads
and fracture pillows. Hospital linen
is big item. Sheets, spreads. pillow
cases, towels, table napk ms tray COW
css, wash cloths. hot-watcr bag covers,
ice-baE covers, scrub cloths. dust
cloths. all come under this head. and
there is the linen for the operating
room. Operating gowns. for instance.
for doctors and nurses. caps helmets
leggins, sheets and towels. and cloth
Ing for the patient. which includes
hospital bed shirts pajamas conva les
cent gowns or bathrobes, shoulder
wraps or "nightingalcs," socks. bed
socks. handkerchicfs and substitutes
for handkcrchiefs and miscellaneous
supplies, such as ward slippers, com
fort bags and on.
PLANNING: TO EQUIP
5OO-BED HOSPITAL
Just why. in particular. are they
making these things in definite quaint
tics. so carefully marked and packed
as soon as finished? The inquirer is
told that the end in view is the equip
ment of base hospital unit OF 500
beds. The Colonial DANES Chapter has
promised TO equip the navy unit of $50
beds. In addition TO this definite OBJ
ject which these patriotic women arc
working for. the home aid committee
OF the Richmond Chapter Of the Amer
lean Red Cross holds itself in rcadi-
ness at any time TO fill a hurry call
from the national headquarters for sup
plies Such a call came two weeks
ago for 500 comfort bags. Two days
was given in which to fill the order
that comfort bags were not SO i'm
portant. and they did not have a single
one in stock. Furthermore. they had
no material on hand with which to
make them. and not even one spool Of
the No. 80 sewing cotton with which
they are equipped.
Now. properly constructed comfort
bag is-as one worker expressed it
mo joke" The bags are made of
washable material, ten by thirteen
inches "a dr. frip
and may contain any or all of the
following articles: khaki-colored sew
ing cotton. No. 80; white sewing cot
ton. No. 80; white darning cotton,
needles No. 3; darnins needle, needle
case. khaki-colored and white buttons,
in bags three by five inches: large
thimble. blunt-pointed scissors, cake
of soap. safety pins. common pins,
small comb. toothbrush. tooth paste,
small round mirror. handkerchiefs.
lead pencil. writing pad envelopes and
post cards, playing cards, collapsiblc
aluminium drinking cup. rocket knife
and shoe laces, tan for the army and
black for the navy. 1t goes on record
that not only the 500 were ready in
the two days. but there were SOL
really! The Capitol City Division of
the National League for womans Ser
vice gave fifty of the bags. but the
others were made in the Red Cross
workrooms. Another order Of 500 sur
ginia War Relief Association recently.
OUTSIDE WOMEN ARE
INTERESTED IN KNITTING:
Perhaps more women outside the
workrooms are really more interested
in knitting than in anything else, since
one cannot crochet for the soldiers
Mrs. Bessie Berry Grabowskii. for sew
cral years fancy work editor OF the
Ladies' Home Journal. is chairman of
the knitting. Her table Is piled high
with hanks Of gray yarn. Hithcr come
dozens of women for yarn and nstruc-
tions relative to the knitting Of sweat
ers. mufjers and mittens for the SOL
diers The yarn is supplied free to
the knittcrs. and they are only urged
to complete the sets as quickly as
possible and return them 10 the work
rooms.
Farmers wives thus have a .chance
through friends to do their bit" and
dear old ladies who have bewailed for
hat Init nod -