The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1918-12-18
TWOMEAEOlD
!04,GQ0 gAUzE
COMPRESSEs
n '4..
Remarkable Record of Judge
Bates and w. H. Bradford
l,Ess, gst---- t
IN LESS THAN 9 MONTHS
Finished Work Sent to Hospital IN
France Now Caring For Many
American Wounded.
IN LESS THAN 9 MONTHS

1Sora hundred and four thousand
ttouse compresses folded py TWO pe
ningfon men in period covering ieso
tharl nine months Is record ina. n,ss
have been equalled somewhere III lne
II. s. A." but up to the present uine
No renort of such remarkable accom-
nI,shment has been received here'
This star folding team is composer
~ William IL. Bradford, president oi
the II. Z. Bradford company, Inc, anu
Edward H.. Bates, OF Vermont oiues'
law Arm. Batchelder & Bates. AS
sociated with the folders were ,wo
natriotic residents, Mrs. f. d. 1en
nings Of North Bennington VINO pro
v;ded the material and Dr. l.. II. ROSS
who cut the gauze and packed the
congresses for shipment to the heau
quarters in New York
These congresses have been pre-
nared for the hospital work that mas
been carried on by Nine. Taufieb IN
France, a work that began almost I'M
mediateiy after the war opened. Al
the present time the hospital Is locat'
cd In temporary quarters. The form
or location was abandoned during the
great drive by the Germany army IN
the spring and fell into the hands OF
the enemy. Recent letters received
from Nine. Taufiieb state that the
greater number of patients being
cared for are American soldiers.
One hundred and four thousand
folded congresses in 32 weeks means
m, average of more than three thous
and week. The women Red Cross
folders. who have been engaged IN
this work during the past year. are
much better able to appreciate the
magnitude OF the task than any one
else. II is to he doubted If there are
fHany Tcmcn ~ the whole country
who can claim TO have MADE any such
record.
To fully grasp the significance OF
what these two men have done in be-
haIf OF the wounded soldiers in
France one must take into considera-
.ion ali OF the civ Instances. The
two folders are both built on rather
generous lines. When they 80 to the
scales to be weighed the first thing
tosbe done is reach for the round
niece of iron marked 200, they mad
hoth arrived in this vale of tears be-
fore Lee closed the civil war with the
surrender at Appomattox and Dou
win admit that their fingers are not SC
nimble as they were 80 years ago
such slight handicaps, however, were
overcome by the persistency VIII
which they stuck to their self-imposeo
task. DR.. Ross could depend upon n
that no would be called upon every
Thursday or Friday for 5000 pieces o.
yauze and every Monday he would re
ceiye the folded congresses neatl!
tied in packages OF 25.
The physician put in considerable
Of his time during the past year pack
Ing congresses for the Red cross
both those folded at the branch mead
quarters and those that came iron
other workers in the great cause
but. he Is willing to 20 on the witnes
stand and give expert testimony ina
no better folded congresses or NOR
neatly tied packages came to nj
hand than those from the manuiactul
or and tho attorney. In fact. after tn
two folders had once learned IN
chang of It. their work ACQUIRED sue
reputation at the New York hea'
Uuarters that Il was sent on
Eurone without inspection, Il distln
ton that was accorded to few shi
ments out OF the many thousands th'
were receiyed
White the work was in progrei
mr. ROSS visited the headquarters
New York and was shown the pr pr
scrlbeda method OF shipping III
pacl1ets OF compresses were nr
CLOSELY, crowded into a large paper D'
and the filled bag was then put INTO
wooden box which was properly stra
irbned for it's trip across the Atlantl
Al the headquarters DR.. Ross was
formed that seven hundred was u
limit to each bag but the physics
found no difficulty in putting nj
hundred OF the evenly folded a
closely tied congresses that cal
from the hands OF the two Benningt
workers.
Mr.. hartford had been folding co
presses for some time before he "
one evening found busily engag
with the gause squares by Jud
Bates who had called for a frien'
visiL
'"What are you doing, Will?'
quired the Judge
Folding congresses for the
diers in France" replied the ma
facthreD
"why can't do that, too9' asl
the attorney.
."Im afraid not. Ed. You know
takes an expert to do this trick
The argument ended right tn
but when, the judge left the house
his own home he stopped at the of