The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-03-28
Red Cross in Urgent Need of
Front Line Dressings.
Topeka Asked To Furnish co.
600 Packages a Month.
MANY WORKERS ARE NEEDED
Every Woman Who Can Sew
Asked To Volunteer.
All Surgical Dressing Work Is
To Be Abandoned.

A radical change in the work to be
done by the women of Topeka for the
Red Cross will be made Monday morn
ing, and an urgent call for more
women workers in the surgical dress
ing rooms has been made. The To-
peka chapter of the Red Cross has
been directed to change its operations
from hospital dressings to front line
or first aid dressings, and the work
will begin Monday morning. The To-
twenty thousand packages or 10000
separate articles each month until the
summer war operations in France are
ended.
That is some little job. about three
times as much work as has been
asked of the Topeka chapter hereto
fore. So there is urgent need of
women workers right away. The
surgical dressing rooms at Crosby
Bros, Pelletier's and Warren M.
full capacity from o'clock in the
morning until at night to turn out
this amount of work. 1t may be
necessary to close all other activities
for the time being in order to fill this
order. If enough additional women
go to the surgical dressing rooms at
the three stores to maintain the work
at the full capacity of the rooms and
thus get out the required amount of
dressing. it will it be necessary to close
all other activities.
What Workers Must Make.
The front packages consist of nine
articles. Each package must be COM
plete. They are the surgical dressings
which are used for first aid to the men
on the battlefield. The surgeons and
ambulance men go out on the field
and pick up the men. AS they reach
each one first aid treatment is given
and these packages are the ones con-
q mo
The front package consists of the
following articles:
Envelope bag of unbleached muslin
Two tantonS.
Small pad of gauze and absorbent
and non-absorbent cotton with an un-
bleached muslin binding.
Four AKA congresses.
One applicator.
A complete set of each article is
then wrapped in a sterilized bag.
Call Is an Urgent One.
These articles are all easily made.
Any woman can make them and the
need is so urgent and the call for the
20. 900 packages is so imperative that
the women of Topeka are asked to let
part of their spring house cleaning
and spring sewing and other spring
work go for the present that the sup
plies of these articles may be ample.
The 10000 packages is the minimum.
The Red Cross hopes that the mini
mum will be exceeded. Having
plentiful supply of these articles at
the front will mean the saving of hum
dreds of lives on the battlefield.
Ample room will be provided for ev-
cry woman who comes to the surgi-
cal dressing rooms. Each should have
a white apron that will cover her
clothing and a white cloth cap to COW
er her hair. Those who have been
sewing on garments and those who
surgical
too difficult for them should take ad-
vantage of this opportunity to help.
None of the surgical dressings now be-
ing made will be made in Topeka as
long as the call for the front pack
ages continues. The surgical Dress
ings which Topeka women have been
making are for use in the base hos
pitfalls.