The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1918-03-05
CANTEENS SERVE
HOT FOOD TO
men EN- ROUTE:
RED CROSS PROVIDES RE-
FRESHMENTS TO SOLDIERS
AT ALL HOURS OF
DAY OR NIGHT.
Troop Trains Halt in Dismal Sta4
tons as Uniformed Women
Distribute Fruit, Sand
witches and Coffee.

The Atlantic Division of the Ameri.
can Red Cross, which embraces New
York, New Jersey and Connecticut. ia
covered with a network of canteens
for the benefit Of Joldiers en- route.
according to a statement made public
by John s. Ellsworth, division direc.
tor of canteen service.
Canteen units are established at all
principal points through New York.
New Jersey and Connecticut where
trains stop or are delayed. The chief
point is naturally in New York city.
with its terminals and ferries. where
vast numbers of military men are
passing to their camps.
The division canteen headquarters
is q clearing house for information re-
garding troop movements, camps. etc.
Confidential advice is supplied by the
government to aid the direction Of
canteen- service throughout the three
states. The railroad companies also
cooperate, holding trains over If pos
sible until refreshments can be served
to all the men,
The division canteen service director
has two assistants and ten aides, all
of them women in uniform. They are
either at headquarters or on call by
telephone during the waking hours"
which are from 6 a. ~ to II D. IN.
These aides are ready to go to any of
the nearby canteen stations and assist
the local women in serving the soldiers
during these hours.
In fact, the canteen is a twenty
four-hour service. If the Red Cross is
informed that refreshments are needed
at any time during the day or night
they are on hand to meet the needs of
the men. The hotels In New York city
generously give coffee, cheese. etc, for
the Red Cross canteens.
Soldiers Given "smokes."
Sandwiches, fruit sweet buns, ehoc-
olate and hot coffee comprise the usual
fare. If the men are not actually hun
CRY they are given chocolate and
food of any kind they are always given
the emergency" service The Red
Cross supplies them with postal cards,
attends to the censoring and posting
of their mail, relieves any sickness and
meets any need 1t can possibly allie
viate.
The emergency nature of the can
teen service, the out-of-the-way spots
where it Is often needed, the irregular
hours when it is called for, the dark
wharves and crowded ferry houses
where the trains are held-aIl. these
features make the work difficult one,
In spite Of these difficulties, however,
the. canteen is considered one of the
most efficient branches Of the Red
Cross.
An example OF this efficiency was in
the service rendered the Three Hun
dred and Eighth Infantry just before
its recent parade in New York city.
Fifty minutes before the men left the
armory the Red Cross received word
that they needed a canteen service he
fore starting the parade. The Red
Cross responded Immediately. In less
than an hour from the time theiy re-
ceived the request they had served
$500 men with sandwiches, sweet buns.
and coffee.
Soldiers Laud canteen Service.
One of the many expressions OF ap-
probation that came to the director
was from the colonel of the Three
Hundred and Eighth Infantry, who con
Guided his letter of thanks with "Thase'
never seen anything surprising 1t or
nearly as efficiently DONE"
Another letter from a first lieuten-
ant says of "the delicious coffee and
ham sandwiches" served on board a
troop train to 300 men early one MORN
ing: ITO say they were appreciated Is
only half expressing the feelings of the
men, who spent the rest of the day
praising the Red Cross from top to
bottom"
From the postals Of the men them
selves some less formal appropriations
have been culled as follows:
"On our way south the Red Cross
provided us with the dandiest lunch
just when we were as hungry as
wolves"
STARTED to write pop, but made him
a missus Tell him TO join the Red
Gross or will disown him.
''The Red Cross gave me this card
and also swell dinner. They are a
bunch of angels"
81 am having a swell feed now The
Red Cross is giving it to all the boys.
Thank God for the work they are car
rying on, and may God bless them"
"The American Red Cross. through
its women, is the most wonderful OF
organizations"
The Red Cross has thus found the
way to a soldiers heart Friendly
faces, good food-above ALL hot coffee
send thousands OF homesick hoys TO
their environments with stouter cour-
i; re-