The Washington herald., 1918-03-19
j Army and Nay Ne,y.SsN,: ,y.SsN
Best Service Column in tie CITY.

Insurance of more than s1i.ooo. .oOo. .Ooo
has already been written on the lives
Of American soldiers. sailors. and
nurses by the Bureau Of war-Risk
Insurance, Secretary McAdoo an
nounces. Up TO the close Of business
March Q. l,ss2.s24 applications, repre-
senting insurance Of s,t4S,SOO, had
been received at the bureau.
sLate reports from the American Ex-
peditionary Forces, together with In
surance now In transit from distant
points, indicate that the total insur-
ance written to date is well above
81, ,0oo. .ooo.o 900, covering more than I.5Oo.-
600 persons in the military or naval
service.
The average amount OF insurance
applied for is ts,0S. The maximum
permitted Is $4,000 and the minimum
s., 900.
In the month of February more than
s.. .0oO. 900 Of insurance was written.
The lowest amount Of insurance re-
ceived on q given day during the
month Of February was 81, 900 900 and
the highest S5Ol, so. 900. In the week
from February 8 to Is. 500. .Ooo, 900 OF
insurance was written. This week
marked the first climax in the netion-
wide campaign to make Americas q
fighting forces 100 per cent insured.
Insurance is still being written at al
most a billion-doIlar-a-week rate.
Final figures show that the United
States army, both here and abroad, is
well above 20 per cent insured. In
many camps % per cent OF the per
sonnel is protected by government in
surance.
The department of civilian relief
Of the American National Red Cross
will. as soon as is practicable, con-
duct home service work at the camps
and cantonments through its OWL
representatives.
1t has been found that the efficiency
Of the men as soldiers is impaired
by anxiety about the welfare OF
their families at home, and the Red
Cross has been the natural agency
to relieve this anxiety by establish.
ing connections with these familie,
and assuring them OF the required
aid. This work was formerly carried
on in person by the representative
Of the Red Cross department Of mill.
tary relief. but the work assumed
such proportions that It demanded
separate administration, and will now
be handled by the department OF
civilian relief
The Secretary Of the Treasury has
awarded to Wallace Odell Prater
machinist's mate, second class, now
| on duty in France. a gold nfe-sav.
| ing medal in recognition Of his hero.
| ism in saving a man from drown
| ing, July T. 1916.
In the waters on OIongapo a sea.
man was attacked by a shark, which
bit on his right leg. Though foul
! other sharks were plainly visible in
the vicinity Prater Jumped into the
blood-stained water and rescued the
injured seaman.
Prater has been In the service about
/ five years and last enlisted in the
United States Naval Reserve Forct
at Kansas City. Mo. His home ad.
dress is Stafford. Kan.
The Navy Department has received
| by mail, though Vice Admiral Sims
the report Of the commander OF tn,
armed guard of an American line,
which hred on a United States de
stroyer on January 16, killing on,
man, William Lusso. seaman seconC
class, and sighting wounding foul
/ others. The report states that th'
| gun crew. in the darkness, mistooI
/ one Of the conveying destroyers TO
a submarine and fired on her.
! court Of inquiry was ordered and hal
been conducting a thorough investiga
ton.
! Lusso's next of kin il his mother
( Mrs. Barbara Lusso, 1870 NortE