Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-12-02
NOBLE WORK DONE HERE
BY RED CROSS CANTEEN
More Than l 900, 900 Service Men
Have Been Fed and Attention
Given to Wounded

More than 100000 men in service have
been fed by canteen workers in the South
eastern Pennsylvania CHAPTER of the Amer
lean Red Cross as the men passed through
Philadelphia during the last year. The
women are now anticipating the arrival here
of many wounded men by equpping rooms
at the piers where the men may be taken
care of.
with the lifting of the censorship on in
formation concerning Red Cross activities,
something of the great work of the local
organization Is being made public. Citizens
are realizing not only that thousands of
troops embarked for France from the Della
ware River piers, but that many Red Cross
canteen workers rode to the piers in motor
trucks at daybreak to serve hot breakfasts
to tired, dusty soldiers
At all times of day or night through rain
snow or sunshine, the women were in readi-
ness to meet trains, boats and ferries with
their well-prepared refreshments. They fed
as many as $4,000 men in one day. the
menu varying according to the needs of the
particular contingent. Sometimes it was ice
cream. fruit. cake. and at other times 1t
was hot coffee and sandwiches.
At the Delaware River piers the canteen
workers served breakfasts in the long sheds
There was no fuss ostentation about the
dispensing OF the hot coffee and steamng
breakfast things-nothng but machine-like
precision and unfailing service. Not man
was missed.
But neither the railroad stations with their
troop trains nor the piers with their embark
Ing regiments begin to tell the story The
more recent work has included the care of
returned wounded soldiers. For many months
the canteen workers have met all hospital
trains passing through the city and supplied
the boys with cigarettes, chocolates fruit or
Whatever they most wanted. Since last
August the canteen women have met fifty
five hospital trains in Philadelphia and
cared for 400 wounded men.
The canteensworkers have also had charge
of the transfer of wounded men from one
hospital to another. Motor messengers have
met every detail of such men from Cape
May at the Camden terminals and trans
ferred them to other depots in automobiles
whenever necessary the men were supplied
with hot meals.
When Charles NJ. Schwab decided to move
the Emergency Fleet offices from Washington
to Philadelphia, the Red Cross attended to
billeting and feeding thousands of the en-
poyes and their families till permanent
homes were obtained.
No distinction has ever been made by Red
Cross as to creed or color. Negro regiments
were provided for in the same way as the
white.
Thousands of lunch boxes were provided
by the Red Cross for draftees. This was
| done at the request of the local draft boards
| and the cost of the lunches was paid by the
| city. In the same way the canteen depart
ment was called upon when an emergency
| rose In the feeding of troops. The Govern
ment paid for the food and the Red Cross
| did the work
There are more than 200 active Red Cross
! workers directed from the Headquarters at
| Eighteenth and Locust streets. They are
| under forty chiefs, each of whom has been
| through special training course of three
| months. Mrs. George w. Childs Drexel Is
| head of the organization with official rank
| as commandant. Mrs. George w. Boyd and
Mrs. George 3 Evans the vice COM
| mandants. The canteen work Is in four a.
| visions: embarkation service Mrs. Henry
Vaux. chairman hospital train service. Mrs
| George B. Evans chief; motor truck service,
| Mrs. Somers Rhodes, chief and information
| canteen bureau. Mrs. w. H. Donner chief