Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1918-12-20
DINNERS
FOR SICK SOLDIERS
Being Wounded Or Sick Not Bad
For Soldiers At Camp Mills
Base Hospital
RESIDENT WOMEN HELP

Just as the bell in the little stone
church not far from Mineola, Long
Island, lazily began tolling off the
strokes that marked the hour of high
noon, there was an interruption in the
form of a rasping "honk, honk;" and
then around bend and into the main
road dashed great automobile, NOV
ing at a rate which set the local
speed regulations at defiance.
The cross roads policeman noted
the on-rushing vehicle, but instead of
raising OBTAINING hand, he signalled
for all other traffic to stop, and smiled
and waved to the driver of the speed
ing vehicle as 1t tore by. And in many
other places within few miles radius
almost identical happenings took
place.
Unusual, of course, for the Long
Island traffic policemen are the last
persons in world to encourage speed
ing But there was a reason-a good
one.
Each of those rushing, roaring au-
tomobiles, owned by some resident of
Long Island whose name long had
figured among those prominent in
social, financial or business circles,
bore capacity cargo of piping hot
chicken dinners, intended for the
wounded and i'll doughboys in the gi-
gantic base hospital at Camp Mills,
the debarkation camp situated be-
tween Mineola and Garden City, Long
Island, not for from the great turn
pixies which are a Mecca for touring
automobilists and a play spot for
New York's driving thousands.
The great base hospital at Camp
Mills, when completed, will contain
4,400 beds For some time past more
than half that number have been in
use and many times most of those
have been occupied. Some time ago,
when part of the hospital had been
completed and the first contingents
of i'll and wounded men were sent
there, the Y. NJ. G. A. secretaries sta
toned at the camp determined to take
these boys under their wings" and
supply them with unusual comforts
Approaching. from past experience,
good home-cooked dinner, particularly
if it is a chicken dinner, it was de-
cided to call to their assistance the
hundreds of splendid women in the
nearby portions of Long Island who
had done such fine and patriotic serv-
ice ever since the Germans first began
their crusade to trample over human
ity. A conference was called and the
women readily and enthusiastically
agreed to shoulder their share Of the
new program. and it was arranged,
without delay, that each day the VIC
men would either cook with their own
hands, or have their kitchen forces
prepare sufficient dinners for all of
the men at the hospital who we're able
to partake of solids. The only problem
was how to get these. dinners steam
ing hot, prepared in the big handsome
homes scattered through hills and
valleys of Long Island, to the base
hospital.
OF course, it did not take long to de-
termine that automobiles would serve
as carriers, and then the Y. NJ c. A.
supplied the other defciency-large
vacuum containers in which the food
could be transported and kept piping
hot until its arrival atsthe hospital.
For some time past now, these splen-
did women have been furnishing from
100 to 500 hot chicken dinners daily.
and the traffic policemen along the
roadways, knowing exactly what the
speeding vehicles contain and whittier
they are bound, wink" at the efforts
fConffnued from Pame ID