davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1918-08-21
ANDREW RENNES
IS in HOSPITAL
Invalided Home, But Elk
poets to be in Grand
Forks Soon.

Mrs. Carrie Rennes. eos Chestnut
street. today received a. letter from
her son., Andrew, who at the present
time is in a hospital in Washington,
D. c., after having lost one of his legs
at the front.
Andrew Rennes was of the first
Grand Forks men reported wounded
overseas. and after having been for
some time in a base hospital in
France. he was transferred to New
York where he spent some time, be-
ing finally removed to a Washington
hospital.
In his letter, Andrew Rennes prais-
es the surgeons and nurses for the ex-
cellent n in which they treat
him, and he also is enthusiastic at
the interest which society and other
people in the national capital take in
wounded soldiers; they often come to
the wards. he says, talking to the
men, and whenever the invalids are
we'll enough to stand slight exertions,
the hospital visitors take them out
for rides about the city.
Andrew Rennes who enlisted in the
coast artillery at Seattle, is expected
to return to Grand Forks within the
near future as he is feeling consider
ably improved since his arrival in
Washington, he says.
Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1918-08-21

Of promptness in answering you I
was waiting for the little girls photo
graph to send to you but 1 haven't
received it yet; I hope to be able to
send it soon. i,
THE little girl Joins me in present.
ing o my thanks and kind regards"
Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1918-08-21

the s%;,a ground s,,, and 8. Il !. expected ct aa tina. the
some time in October.
The roof OF the plant is nearing
completion and but little cement work
to be done. About half Of the
floors have been put In and work is
being rush on remaining ones: nj OF
the two wells have been completed.
and the machinery for the power
plant is being installed as fast as the
work can be done.
The labor shortage has o serious
ly hampered the progress Of the con-
%struction work and as things appear
at the present time. officials Of the
company say that the plant will be
ready for business some time in Oc-
tober.
Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1918-08-21
MATRON'S WORK
ELECTS PRAISE
BY MERCHANTS
Attention Called to Habit of
cashing Checks for
Strangers.

In the current issue of the Grand
Forks Merchants Weekly Credit
Bulletin" published for members by
he Credit Bureau of this city. atten-
ton is called to the work recently
done by Police Matron Mary Berg in
connection with the arrest of a young
woman who asst week acknowledged
having passed bad checks here.
n Bulletin writes as follows:
THE manner in which the young
woman who flooded the city with
bogus checks last week, vas located
reflects a good deal of credit on the
police department. Chief overly
very generously states that Miss Berg,
police patron, deserves all h honor.
We know that Miss Berg took up tho
investigation with all possible earn
estness and the result sufficiently in
dicates with what intelligence her
work was done. The young woman
was not prosecuted, as she is only
about IL years of age and had never
before, so far as known, engaged in
any wrong-doing. All checks were
made good by her relatives. She told
her family that she had been work.
ing here and that she had bought the
different articles at a o price on
special sales. AS she and her family
were on the point of leaving for the
"&SS JAN was AotoISu holkC NOO ooS1ls
We believe we can say in behalf
of all our merchants that Miss Berg's
good work in connection with this
case is very much appreciated. We
should. be all the more ready to give
expression to our appreciation be-
cause of the difficulties that go with
her office. She must of necessity
antagonize a,good many people. and
very often those people are inclined
to revenge themselves on >her in
petty. undetermined ways. A woman
in her position needs to feel that she
has at all times the backing. Of the
best elements in the community"
More Bad Checks.
The Bulletin" also says that a
Mrs. James Riley Of Reserve,
Mont, driving through Grand Forks
in an automobile distributed some
worthless pieces of paper here a
couple Of weeks ago in exchange for
merchandise. The credit bureau
knows Sof two bad checks, one for So
and another for $12.5o.
Mrs. Riley did not even contri-
butte the blank checks, as in each
case she explained that she had run
out of blanks and asked for blanks
from local banks; she then crossed
out the name of Grand Forks. sub
%stituting Reserve. Mont" and dis
appeared. The police department is
working on the case and has some
clues.
Investigation at Reserve. Mont,
fails to reveal the identity Of any
Mrs. James Riley"
Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1918-08-21

These are mostly tan sailor
styles, and are unusually at
tractive. Navy blue is always
a practical. and becoming col
or. While there is not q full
range of sizes, there are still
enough to afford satisfactory
selections. We urge you to In
vestigate these.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-05-05

showed into a great oven or what might
be called steam cooker. The cloth
contracts during this steaming and
within half hour 1t can be taken out
with the required shrinkage effected.
It is then dried and ready for cutting
into the pieces Of which the uniforms
are to be made.
Taking the elevator, 1 followed tho
shrunken cloth to the great rooms
above, where it is rolled out. layer on
layer, and cut into suits for the SOL
diers. The laying is done by machinery.
A bolt of cloth containing. perhaps.
sixty yards is suspended horizontally
over the table. which is longer than
the length of the cloth. 1t rests upon
supports over wheels on the floor, and
as it unrolls the cloth Is left fiat on
down. and this process continues until
there are fifty or sixty. or even more.
layers Of cloth. one on top of the other,
running the full length of the table.
These layers are smooth, and as you
look at them they seem to be sub
eight inches thick.
After the pile is completed the pat
terms are marked out and the clothes
are cut after much the same plan that
The Army tailor lays the thick card
board patterns on the top layer. and
marks with tailor's chalk the exact
outlines. This is so done that almost
the whole of the top cloth is covered
with patterns. great regard to the
saving of waste being taken. The
marking must be done very carefully,
for the single design on the top must
do for the fifty or more layers below,
all of which are to be cut at one time.
This cutting is especially interesting.
No scissors have ever been made which
will cut more than one thickness of
overcoat cloth at one time, and the
long knives which were formerly
moved up and down through a slot in
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-05-05

esses Of making uniforms for tho Army.
The orders are SO large and the neces.
sity OF speedy production SO great, that
almost everything Is done by machin-
cry. 1t is far different from the making
OF clothes for civilians. Their ready
styles and much OF the work on the bet
ter grade is by hand. Tho suit for the
soldiers 10 expected to be worn without
change. and It Is issued in sizes, grad
cd to the different physiques Of the
Army.
Indeed. the industry of making ready
made clothing was founded upon Army
demands. The uniforms Of tho rsvo-
luton were cut out and sewed up by
hand in the homes of the people, and
for long after that time the most Of the
clothing used by our people was made
either by the women in the family or by
custom tailors. who. in some cases, went
from house to house. Much Of the cloth
was woven at home. and this was so of
both wool and cotton.
A little later still ready-made cloth
Ing began to be sold. but the garments
were cut out by the manufacturers and
sent out to the women folk of the towns
ana country about. who sewed on them
ct their leisure. Much of the work waa
better grades of clothing that were
sewed in the cities.
This condition continued until the
civil war broke out. Then the demand
Tor uniforms was much like that We
have now. There was no cloth to speak
Of and no soldiers clothing. Some uni.
forms were brought in from Europe.
manufacturers. One man received an or
der amounting to Sl.aSo.ooo. and othes
orders were equally large. Il was i'm
possible to have them 1nllsA- from the
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-05-05

make many styles. and one old Arm in
New York city. which formerly con-
hned Its product to two styles of over
coats and one style of sack coat, now
has nineteen styles of overcoats and
fifteen styles of sack coat. The public
has been educated to demand novelties
In ready-made garments and now every
manufacturer has to watch tho fash
ions as carefully as the dressmakers do
those of Paris. Much Of the fine work
ia done by hand. and It is Difficult to
tell the product from that made by the
best custom tailors.
Today the making Of mems clothing
has become a great industry, and nine
men and boys out Of every ten wear
clothes made either in factories or
shops. More than a quarter of a billion
dollars Is invested in the business. and
the wages annually paid are about
$87.000.000. The factories include those
making garments Of every sort, such
as overcoats. coats. raincoats and
smoking jackets. and such as overalls.
bathing suits. knee pants and gymna-
SUM and sporting clothes. There are
also many establishments which make
only parts Of garments. such as Shout
some that mako button holes in mems
clothing sent out by other shops. In
deed the specialization in some of the
factories has gone SO far that a coat
may be made in New York, to 20 with
q pair OF trousers made in Philadel-
phis ana /waistcoat from Boston.
When the several garments are COM
pletsdj they are shipped to the oriei-
mating arm and there assembled into a
suit.
Some Of. The clothes ar. mad. In
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-05-05

sweatshops. the wholesale firms letting
out the Jobs to contractors. who in turn
subiet It to other contractors until it is
finally done in little shops or by per-
sons who do 1t at home. Much Of this
Is done on very low wages and the
work Is largely performed by foreign
ers. who in all branches of manufacture
do more work than Americans on
ready-made clothing. In New York
much of the industry is in the hands Of
Russian Jews and In Chicago Poles,
swedes. Bohemians and Jews make up
a large proportion of the workers.
Polish. Swedish and Bohemian shops
there are far more women than men.
The clothes made for the soldiers are
manufactured mostly in factories. The
business is different from that of ordi-
nary ready made clothing. The STYLES
are fxed and the manufacture has
nothing to do with the selection of
goods nor the prices of raw materials.
The cloth is furnished by the govern
ment and shipped direct from the mills
to the factories. That used for the uni
forms comes in great bolts. fifty-four
inches wide and from forty to sixty
Yards long. and the manufacturer is
charged with every. yard and he has to
dellyer or account for that much Of the
clothing. The manufacturer measures
the goods when they come in, and he
measures them again after shrinking
and sponging. During this necessary
process the cloth may shrink three
inches in width and several inches in
length. and this has to be allowed by
the government. according to the actual
shrinkage
In my visit to this Philadelphia plant
! started in at the basement. where the
huge bolts brought from the factories
are shrunken before cutting. Each bolt
Is about four and one-half feet in
length and bigger around than a fat
man at the waist. To shrink it. It is
first wound upon rollers, and then
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-05-05

The problem brought him by old Bar
ney Wisdom. II noised about town,
would have sudiced to crowd the levee
during several summer nights. 1t was
a case of the kind in which Shagbark
would be at his best. When it came
down to facts old Barney had no proof
that Jimmy had stolen the money, al
though he had no doubt his son had
taken it. The money was gone; there
was nothing to pin the theft to Jimmy
or any other person; and to find the
real thief and the money would be to
solve real mystery.
But it was too late in the season to
profit by it, and Shagbark would have
bear, he was alternating for the win
ter. had not old Barney offered him a
fee Of 5000 for finding the stolen
money. Grown mercenary, Shagbark
could not resist this. 1t would nearly
pay his winter expenses.
thing like THAR he drawled lazily.
Sort of insultin' to me, dod- Wink it.!
to ask me to bother with anything 30
easy, but amt got much to do. I git
on this here sofa and yell for 'Lando
to fetch me my astrology chart, and
I'd tell you in minute who took
the money and where 1t is; only the
stars amt propickuous today"
They amt what?" asked old Barney.
The conjusations. Of the stars and
planets amt propickuous today" said
Shagbark. They won't be propicku-
GUS until next Tuesday. Next Tuesday
they'll be as propickuous as all get out.
You come back next Tuesday"
This was Monday. and it was q tough
mystery that Shagbark. with Alice's
assistance. could not solve in a week
and a day. When old Barney had de-
parted. Sbagbark raised his head and
called.
Allie"
Yes. dad!" she answered from her
room, and came out into the cabin
You heard what that old skeezicls
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-05-05

was sayin'. Allie? We got to flnd that
money for him, and who stole 1t. Five
thousand dollars. Allie. mostly in green
backs. in an old sock. 1 guess, from
what he says. this Jimmy son of his is
around town somewhere. probably
boardin' at the Scott House. You heard
old skeezicks say where he kept the
money when it was stole?"
Under board under his bed
"Yes-a sort of teeter-bo board. You had
to move one leg of the bed onto it and
the other end Of the board tilted up,
and you could shove your arm in be-
twixt the floor and the laths and reach
the sock with the money in it: Most
woman got it. You'd better go uptown
sellin' infallible grease remover and
find out what you can. and maybe go
out to the farm and get the old woman
to talkin'. Find out everything, AL
lie. and come back and tell me-"
IT'S sort Of cold out" she ventured.
Nice fresh. air will do you good.
Allie, he replied. She had limited sew
eral times that she needed winter gar
ments. but the old man had put her on.
and put on her hat and went out.
She was Shagbarks eyes and. feet in
all these affairs. It WAS Alice, now
eighteen and keen Of mind and sight.
who brought to the mystery man the
details he wove into solution Of the
most difficult cases She had hardly
closed the door this time before she
came back.
PA, I ought to have few dollars.
any way" she said. "If I'm going to
talk to the young fellow, ought to
have some money to hire room at the
Scott House and pretend I'm peddling
from there. 1 can get to talking with
him at dinner"
why. Allie" said Shagbark COM
plainingly. 'ain't you got a valise full
of irfallible to sell? You can sell 1t
and get money, can't your"
She went out without another word.
The irfallible grease remover was plain
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-05-05

brown laundry soap cut into small
pieces and wrapped in paper. 1t was
ton with people and not meant to sell.
She crossed the snowy levee and hur :
rfed up the avenue. down which the
wind was blowing keenly. She crossed
I'd street and stopped before the Scott
House. at the corner of Sd street. In
the doorway two men were standing In
conversation. One was a farmer youth
the other might have been (and was)
q lawyer.
He needn't be afraid of his bail
money. If that's what is fretting him.
said the youth. IT amt going to skip
out; l amt going back on friend
Il know it. Jimmy, but he's become
frightened" said the lawyer. Hes go
ing to ask to be released from the
bond. III try to get another bond. but
I'll hate like sin to have to go to
JAIL" said the youth. but II I have
The lawyer said a few words of
hopeful import and hurried away.
Can / sell you cake of infallible
grease remover" asked Alice. only
rs cents. Say. is this a hotel a lady
can board at7"
We'll. 1t amt any palace. II it comes
to that" said Jimmy Wisdom. Il guess
ing to boarding house man gave
me the name of. if don't have to go to
Jail instead"
What would you haye to go to Jail
for?' asked Alice.
When Alice returned to the boat her
report was delivered to her father
Dad" she said. I'm awfully afraid
he did it. I had a long talk with him
over half an hour-and while he didn't
say he took the money. he kind of
talked like it served the old man right.
He talked like he thought the old man
owed 1t to him. working him SO hard
and beating him up and never paying
him q cent. It's a shame. He's nice
boy. I guess he took the money, dad.
I guess he had made up his mind he
couldn't stand the way the old man
was treating him and took the money
to run away with. He's twenty-one,"
How come he didn't get away?'
asked Shagba
III he meant to run away" said Alice,
he didn't have chance. His father
came home from town drunk and
knocked him down. His father had sold
load Of hogs. Jimmy went Into the
house-he told me so-and his father
put up the team, and Jimmy started for
town on horseback while his father was
coming into the house. His father was
going to put the hog money in the
sock. I guess. and found out the money
was gone. He hurried to the next
farm. where there was telephone, and
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-05-05

was never safe to leave a houseboat
or shanty boat in the river unless in
some protected slough, and heavy tim
bers had to be found and the boat
drawn up on the shore and raised on a
temporary structure of the criss-crossed
timbera beyond the danger Of the ir-
resistible sweep of the outgoing ice in
the epring season.
During the better weather following
the first storm Shagbark occasionally
gave his grand musical entertainment
and anatomical lecture, but the even
ings were chilly and few came to the
bleak levee, and the sales of oil were
small. Not until the boat was we'll
shored up and a real snow had fallen
did anything that could be counted
mystery suitable for Shagbark to solve
occur, and 1t was then too late in the
season to attract an outdoor crowd.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-05-05

the table had a capacity Of only a
dozen layers or SO. The cutting Is
now done by pns
with which Is a knife eight or ten
inches long. An electric light globe
fastened to the machine over the knife
throws the light on the drawing as
the cutter moves the machine along
through the goods The knife goes
through the fifty layers as though they
were cheese, and the fifty patterns
when taken out are exactly alike. Inc
machine sharpens the knife as 1t goes.
and 1t Is so accurate that it does equal
ly we'll in cutting a crescent which
has the short curve of a watch case
as in making the long line when
measures the back of coat. Win
this machine pieces for fifty overcoats
can be cut out within very few
minutes The waste is carefully saved,
and it now goes back to the govern
ment to be reworked over for the wool
in it, which is used for making more
cloth.
=
Tn this same room I saw them cutting
out the Innings and trimmings. The
cut goods go from the cutters to trim
mers who match up the fabrics with
buttons and thread, assembling as 1t
were everything employed in making
the garment. The materials for each
uniform are laid up together and the
pieces are sent in bundles of ten gar
ments to the shops where they are
made into uniforms.
The most of the sewing and pressing
and finishing is done in one enormous
room which covers almost an acre.
This room is filled with machinery OF
many kinds, and it looks more like
great mill or manufacturing establish
ment than a tailor shop. One thousand
or more men and women are engaged
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-05-05

homes Of the workers. and factories
were established and machinery of one
kind or another began to be used. The
sewing machine, which had been In
vented some years before, had been
used in making clothes for the French
clothes for the Federal soldiers. The
Army demands stimulated invention.
and Singer and others took out patents
Tor improvements toward the end OF the
war. These improvements have gone
steadily on since then, SO that now the
machine has been adapted to almost
everything that can be sewed. Up to
1898 our government had issued more
than 1000 patents for sewing machines
and their parts
When the civil war was over there
were hundreds Of thousands Of soldiers
who went back to tho business Of every
worn out in tho meantime. and when
they gave up their uniforms they had
to have another supply. This made q
big demand for factory made garments,
and the ready-made stuff grew better
and better.
This demand was increased by the
wants Of the pioneers and immigrants,
and the business steadily grew. Chicago
became one Of the chief markets and
there were many. clothing dealers whose
annual sales were upward Of 3l.000.-
600. The workmanship improved ana
new styles were added until 1t was
dimoult to tell whether name suit
was made to order or not. This has
gone on until there are almost as many
varieties Of cut In mems clothing az in
womsn,s clothing. Single 3actorass
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-05-05

on the many processes required for
making uniforms, and the pieces 60
through process after process and ma
chine after machine, starting in at one
end of the room as pieces of cloth and
coming out at the other SO nearly COM
pleted that they have only to fly down
to be ready for shipment to the armies.
Every garment is inspected again and
again. and it goes from the hands OF
the packers into the train for the
camps or for shipment across the ocean
to Europe.
The making OF the clothes requires
many different operations. More than
forty are used in making the breeches
alone and almost as many in the coats
and overcoatS.
Among the Interesting machines which
are used in the process is one that
makes stitches at the rate of from two
other that makes shoulder pads at tho
rate of 1,S00 per day. There is but
ton-hole machine, run by electricity.
which can be speeded up to 1000
stitches minute, and the button-holeS
turned out look better and are stronger
than those made by hand. They have
in that factory machines for sewing on
buttons by which one man can sew
5000 buttons on coats in day, and
this machine will put just the same
number of stitches in each button, and
will tie the stitches and trim off the
thread. The button machine looks not
There are also machines for MAKING
pockets which work at 5000 stitches
per minute. There are machines which
mako collars, which sew on labels,
machines which put tape around the
edges. and in fact machines for almost
everything connected with the making
Of clothing. The best factories are
modelled along cost efficiency lines and
are worked according to the idea of eff
fciency as given me by David Kirsch-
baum, who has some Of the largest of
these Army contracts. Mr.. Kfrschbaum
said: Modern efficiency means the ac-
complishment Of task as we'll as 1t is
humanity possible to do 1t, with the
least expenditure of time, effort and
money"
" 4
In this connection would say that
most of the ready-made clothing Of tho
country Is not manufactured in sweat
shops and also that some of the up-to-
date factories show as good service
work as is done in any branch of in
dustry. The agents for the Department
Of Commerce at Washington. which
have recently Investigated this indus
try. give the story of one factory which
is worthy of mention along welfare
lines. This ready-made clothing fac
tory employs many hundreds of work.
men. Its plant is modelled after the
latest of sanitary methods. The light :
ing is all overhead and so arranged
that no shadows are cast on the work.
So much air space is allotted to each
workman. There are sanitary drinking
spouts and running water everywhere.
There are bathing arrangements for
women and men. and the women have
shower baths which come only shoul-
der high to keep their hair dry. Liquid
soap and paper towels are used.
FRANK q. LCARPENTER.