The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1918-01-10
WOMEN Work WONDERS
War Wives in Southern Cantonments
Perform Miracles Of Mending- Metal
Is Carefully Saved Captain
Levy Serves Well.

/ "War-Work in Waco" might fitting
ly be the title Of letter recently re-
ceived by G. B. Voorhis Of the local
Red Cross chapter from Sheridan Gal
lageher, a f'Keno Volunteer now
serving Uncle Sam at Camp Macarthur.
The communication is overlooking with
patriotism and novel information re-
garding life in military cantonment
In fact it contains so much that is new
ana interesting that we are publishing
the letter in It's entirety.
The message is addressed primarily
to the Kenosha County Chapter of the
American Red Gross Association and
secondarily to Mr.. Voorhis. It was
written on January 4th and reads as
follows:
CT sincerely thank you for the Chris
tmas Packet I received from the Ken
osha Red Cross.
9'I am sure all the boys, as well as
myself, received as much pleasure from
the packet as you people had in the
preparation. The people at home are
thinking of US boys but know one
thing, we are doing our share of the
thinking too.
"Chrismas Eve two or three of
us from the detachment I am now in,
went into the city of Waco. The citi-
zens had just started to celebrate. They
celebrate the Birth Of Christ like the
people in the North celebrate the Fourth
of July. Fireworks, Automobiles with
wash tubs, tin-cans and cow-bells and
in fact anything that would make some
kind of noise, tied on behind. I stood
on the street corner and wondered just
how busy the Kenosha Police Force
would be if the Kenosha people would
celebrate the Birth of Christ in such
manner.
"You have been hearing all about
camp life and most things that go with
it but I do not think you have heard
of Uncle Sam s latest style It is con-
servation.
"The Conservation Department is
under the charge Of Captain Levy, who
must be one of the most efficient Of
fcers in the army.
the sleeve is in shreds or the collar is
frayed, or the back is split, he turns it
in and gets another. Maybe at the
same time he turns in an old hat,
wornout pair Of shoes and pair of can
vas puttees that are ripping up the
side seams. The shirt and puttees have
to be clean when they are turned in.
but there the soldiers responsibility
has ended. The clean but worn shirt
is then turned in for inspection. 1t is
tagged and sent into long, narrow
| building where about SO women work
at sewing machines or at long tables.
One of the seamstresses, who is more
THAI likely an enlisted mans wife, who
would rather work here, than live down
town while her husband is training to
go over the top, takes the shirts, match
es it to a roll of clean patching o. D.,
patches the sleeve, sews up the ripped
collars and puts button on.
eff she had found that the shirt
was beyond repair, she would have re-
moved the good sleeve, the unframed
collar and the remaining buttons.
These she would have put with other
collars, other bundles of sleeves and
boxes Of buttons, to be used for repair
ing other shirts. The impossible sleeve
is put with wooden rags, baled and
sold.
The woman sews at power ma
chine, which is operated with the mer-
est touch of the foot. The work is
light, but steady. talked to one of
the young women, the wife of an en-
listed man. 1sThe work is easy to
learn, she said, without stopping her
sewing. 7 work eight hours and not
on Sunday at all. That makes me earn
So a week. OF course we come on the
car, we don t have to walk at all. A
truck meets us at the car line and takes
us back to the car at night. 1t is GER
tainly better than staying in rented
room all day. And we do get to see
our husbands some time. Some Of the
women work II hours day and eight
hours on Sunday, so you see they make
$40 week.
sThe room where the puttees are re-
paired is another long sewing room,