The sun., 1919-07-08
nun CHOPS ICE TO
GIVE RELIEF TO POOR
Mother Mercy Cuts 1900 Lbs.
Into Chunks and Hands
Them to Applicants.
TOLLS AMID BLESSINGS
Man Sent to Use Pick Failed
10 Show, So Sister Took
Place Until End.

Fifteen hundred pounds of ice was
dumped yesterday by direction Of the
Mayors Committee on Ice Distribution
in an areaway in front Of the Presen-
tation Day Nursery. gao East Thirty
second street few minutes later the
pile of ice was the centre of attraction
of a crowd of women and children.
Even r stranger to Manhattan would
have recognized the gasplng ones as
mothers and children of the poorest or
East Side tenements
Mother Mercy, superior OF the non
sectarian institution, came out. and 70
did the sun. but the man engaged by
the committee TO chop the ice into twenty
pound chunks 40 the mothers could tote
1t home to irnprovised refrigerators didn't
show up. The ice began to melt Mother
Mercy watched the small streams trickle
over the pavement until she couldn't
stand 1t any longer. She sent girl
out to scour the neighborhood for an
Ice pick and the girl returned soon
with one borrowed from Tony, the cellar
ice man. Then Mother Mercy began TO
cut the big blocks into pieces which she
thought ought to weigh twenty pounds
and the ice distribution was on.
Under the rules of the Mayors Com
rnittce, those in charge of the free ice
stations give TO poor mothers whom they
know to be in every way worthy, books
containing thirty-one coupons. These
books entitle a holder to one twenty
pound piece OF ice a day and a forty
pound piece on Saturday. Had the day
nursery's allowance of Ice been greater,
all of 1t would have been put to good
use, as the demand was far greater than
the supply
1t was a pitifully patient crowd who
watched Mother Mercy as she carefully
split the big blocks into the proper sizes.
and with the aid of two small boys
passed them to eagerly outstretched
hands. And while playing the ice man
1t was necessary. too. to collect a coupon
from each person who got ice in order
that the record might be kept straight,
and this naturally increased the labor.
However, by working the Ice pick fast
and making the small boys stop pushing
and preventing ice from going to per-
sons who didn't have coupons and help
ing to wrap the pieces up In newspapers
and dumping them into dish pans and
pals. Mother Mercy managed to finish
her big job before the sun had a chance
to cause much wastage
During the distribution a little, feeble
woman of 20 or more hobbled up to
the ice chopper and said: .'Oh. mother.
] have neither chick nor child, but l
do so feel the heat these terrible days !!
Do you suppose l could have a piece.
Just little piece, Of this ice?''
You surely may" replied Mother
Mercy. pushing out chunk And to
the great delight OF the lonely old
woman the Mother Superior provided
her with book OF coupons all for her.
self. and now she isn't going to be
without ice for a month at least. To
be assured that you can have more Ice
than you ever dreamed of in the face
OF an Ice famine Is really big thing
in the life OF motherless old lady to
whom ice is a luxury when the sun beats
do~n on her tenement house window.
Then there occurred one OF those in
cidents which Is as likely TO happen on
the East Side as any where else on the
face OF the earth. a tired. small look
ing girl. with pinched cheeks. sided UP
10 the little old lady and said, "Pea se
ma am, won't you let me carry your
ice home for you?"
God bless you, my child" said the
little old lady as they walked OF to-
scther.
IT never saw poor people SO patient
and so grateful said Mother Mercy
They didn't push and they didn't Grove
while waiting for the ice to be cut VI
and distributed"
during the morning at the Office of Cit,
Chamberlain Philip Berolzheimer. chair
man OF the Mayors Committee on Ic,
Distribution. II came from Mother
Mercy and II ran something like this:
I'm afraid didn't cut all the pieces
to weigh Just twenty pounds. but hop,
you won't find fault with me for givini
short OF over weight"
You're all right, Mother" replied tn,
receiver OF the message.
Assurances were given that a mai
will be sent to the Presentation Da!
Nursery to-day to cut the ice and tn
Mother Superior will be able to give III
all her time to collecting the coupons.
City Chamberlain Berolzheimer an
nounced that two other free ice station
were opened yesterday. One was in tn
Rowling Green Settlement House. q
West street. and the other at $40 Yves
Ut,ty-flrst street. Other stations vii
~ established to-day at 231 East 120tl
street and at John Jay Park, foot o
Sersnty-siXth street.
bach station will receive 1900 pound
OF ice daily. excepting Sundays, with
double allowance on Saturdays.