The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1919-05-31
Santa Fe Store Department
Proud of War Work.
Thomas ]. Brennan Writes of
Loyalty Showing.
GAVE MONEY AND ITS MEN
Supplies From Home Appreci-
ated by Boys in France.
Department Kept Going by
Girls During the War.

Situated within twenty minutes walk
of the heart of Topeka, about three
blocks northeast of the Santa Fe de-
pot, is the store department of the
A. T. & S. F. railway. Now 1 do not
mean to give you history of this de-
partment in its relation to furnishing
material and supplies to the road. but
rather more from a patriotic stand
point and the manner it did justice to
itself and the Santa Fe family in con-
Quoting the various liberty loan cam
paigns and the part it played in max
ing this world safe for democracy.
will also refrain from giving descrip-
ton OF the building, but therein are
two departments. the store and fuel
departments under the direct super
vision of H. E. Ray, general store
Keeper. who is mainly responsible for
the success encountered-the fuel de-
partment on one side and the store on
the other. always a standing rivalry
existing among those two hundred as
loyal hearts as ever throbbed within
a human breast, each trying to Guido
the other when their time, energy and
purse would be needed for any good
cause-yea, their very lives in the de-
Tense of their country.
Supply Men Have Spirit.
Not alone does this spirit prevail in
the office end of the department, but
also on the supply end. and also in the
offices and shops of tie department
along the entire system. When the
first call came to buy bonds the en-
ployes both in Topeka and along the
Santa Fe system, in the store depart
ment. from Chicago to San Francisco,
responded with S4450. On the sec
ond loan $3.50 was subscribed. When
the third call came, Ray thought there
was not enough team work and energy
put forth on the two previous ones.
so to obtain better results appointed
the following committee:
A. j. Murray, chairman; Miss
Bertha Lautherbach, secretary; Mr.. E.
a. Brennan, treasurer; Miss Mary
Miller, Miss Margaret Murphy, VIM. S.
Riach, VIM. J. Duff. G. E. Herring, w
L. +. Kirk. James McLeish, Philip
Stachelbeck, Walter Hutson, A. L.
Chamberlain, Richard Roundtree
Herbert French and S. S. Boyd. Sub
committee: Romie Scales, Jess Rid
ley. Milton Duncan, Charles Dand-
ridge.
1t would be amiss to make special
mention of any individual on the fore
going as each put forth heart and
soul in their work with the result that
$32.0O0.O0 was subscribed for the
third loan or over twice as much as
for the first and second together. This
same committee handled all subse-
quent drives, and with the hearty CO.
operation of the other employees, made
a bowling success of the fourth, OBJ
tanning a subscription of $47,600.00;
and for the Red Cross membership
united war work drive, $1,944.5O.
Also for the fifth victory loan, $37,-
10000. In this latter loan, altho the
store department was not up to the
fourth loan, which was their banner
drive, the Santa Fe as a whole had
in the number of subscribing en-
ployes 4.96 subscribers per mile as
against 4.S2 for the Rock Island and
400 for the Burlington railway.
Liberal With Men, Too.
In the meantime while all this was
going on Uncle Sam was sending out
a call for volunteers as he needed
man-power as we'll as money to put a
stop to the ravages of the Hun. There
was no need of glazing signs or allur-
ing pictures to entice men from this
department to do their bit, and when
the very first call came in 1917, the
Santa Fe were among the first troops
20 land in France and the store de-
partment was well represented in
Tame-some over the draft age, sacri-
ficing good positions and close family
ties-all eager to get in the fray. Dur
ing subsequent calls and enlistments
1,1l2 of the men traded their "civies"
for Uncle SamueIs garb.
And while those boys were going
over the top and hauling in German
prisoners or lodging missiles from
Jerry their places had to be supplant-
ed by the fair sex, as previous to our
entry into that great conflict, the store
department on account of its location,
did not have the honor of a lady's
name being inscribed on it's payroll,
but when the boys answered to the
summons. the fair sex Immediately
left their colleges. schools and homes
to carry on the daily routine of labor
which was necessary to keep the
wheels of this great organization NOV
ing. And still the same teamwork
prevailed and the good work carried
on as each month the employees thru
out the system would donate their bit
and transmit same thru their various
committees to Thomas H. MacRae,
managing editor of the Santa Fe Mag
azine. who, in turn. sent thousands of
dollars to the various Santa Fe en-
ployes in Europe for the purchase of