The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-03-02

delivering laundry to and from the
buildings. Each truck visits on an
average of forty barracks each day
Two trucks are used in the work of
picking up and delivering laundry to
the base hospital and detention camp.
According to Superintendent Goepfert,
it would be impossible to handle the
voluminous work were it not for the
trucks.
So careful is the management of the
laundry that no articles shall be lost.
the following triple check is made on
each bundle entering the institution.
picks up the bundles. signs for the
number he receives from the supply
sergeant of the organization. The
second check is made by the fore
man of the checking room; he signs
receipt to the driver for the number of
packages he receives. After the
clothes have been laundered and re-
turned in the truck to the supply SER
geant of the organization to which
they go, he signs receipt to the
driver for the number of packages re
turned to him. With this system it is
almost impossible to lose a parcel.
The greatest conservation of ma
terials is adhered to at all times One
instances which demonstrates this
NOR clearly than anything else is the
matter of saving on wrapping paper.
OF course a saving on this article may
seem small to the average person. but
at the end of the week it amounts to
quite figure. Every piece of paper
which is not torn or mutilated in
manner that makes it impracticable to
Use is USED in wrapping the outgoing
bundles. Often times the same piece
CT paper is used five or six times il
| wrapping laundry bundles Paper,
washing powder, soap and other ma
| terials are purchased in carload guam
| titles. Recently Lieutenant Yeager
sod RI of a
carload of Wyandotte soda, used for
washing wooden cloths and in addition
to the very low price secured in buy
| ing these articles in carload lots he has
saved the government $500 in ad-
vance in price since these articles were
purchased. There has also been a
market advance in the price of wrap
ping paper since the carload was pur-
chased only few weeks ago.
The first thing done when laundry
| is received is to open the package and
sort the various articles in their re-
spective classes. For instance, all of
| the o. D. shirts are placed in one sec
| ton, the underwear in another class,
socks in another class, towels in an
| other etc. The laundry is divided into
sections, each handling only one re-
spective article. After all of the arti-
cles of on, kind have been Numbered
| they are placed in the wrapping de-
1 partment, where they are again sorted
| into INDIVIDUAL packages, WHICH 20 "
| the barracks to be distributed to the
owner. Each article of apparel is
marked by an electric driven marker,
| SO that it is impossible for a piece
of laundry to be lost or placed in the
wrong mans bundle. This marking
system is done by companies, each
man in the company being given a
certain number. Before bundle is
washed the owners name and laun-
dry number are compiled and placed
| on record in the office. Each soldier
r1akes out his own laundry list and
| checks over same when the package
| is delivered to him. In this manner it
| is pra ct:cally impossible for him to be
shor- any piece of clothing. Each
piece of clothing is carefully inspected
for the purpose of ascertaining If any
buttons are missing. If any buttons
are missing they are sewed on without
| charge. This is the one cantonment
laundry in which the articles are in
spected and buttons sewed on each
piece.
| Extreme care is taken in the SAM
| tation of the building and it is KEPT
| clean at all times. Four men are en-
ployed in sweeping and moppine
floors
in the training camp many officers and
| enlisted men found it very inconven-
| lent to have their uniforms Numbered
| and pressed. Realizing the urgent
need for an altering and pressing de-
partment, Lieut.. Yeager and Super
| intendent Goepfert installed an up-to-
date alteration and pressing depart
ment. Two tailors are employed in
this department and are kept busy in
| the alteration of uniforms. For the
! sponging and pressing the very nom-
ina1 price of SO cents is charged. AL