Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-09-29
NOW MY IDEA IS THIS!
Daily Talks With Thinking Philadephians Subjects They
KnO,U Best

yeomcn (F) and served in Philadelphia and
wherever else they were ordered by the Navy
Department.
"A number of Philadelphia women were
Marinettes.' while at least 1000 nurses from
the hospitals and training schools of the city
served with the troops at home and in the
\. +. f. Not only did the women of the
city serve in the navy as telephone operators.
clerks. ETC.. and in the army as nurses. but
they also played an active part in the de-
velopmcnt of war industries. The series OF
photographs lately shown in the EVENING
PUBLIC LEDGER have given some idea of the
variety of occupations in which the women
OF the city were employed.
Enthusiastically. the city answered praCti-
cally every kind of call sent out from the
Allies and from tho government at home
From great plants with contracts aggregat
ing more than $3.50 900. 900 to the smallest
jobber who took subcontracts. every section
of the city was busy with war work.
More than 1,60O,OOO steel helmets were
made and shipped in and from Philadelphia,
and it was the Philadelphia branch of the
Ford Motor Company that cut thr cost of
the finishing work from thirty one cents to
ten cents per helmet. The turnover from
n peace to n war basis of many plants was
as remarkable as it was rapid. BY the in
PRODUCTION Of one or two machines a whole
plant would change from the manufacture
of its usual products to those intended for a
sterner purpose.
Work Of the Arsena!s
''Thc two great arsenas in Philadelphia
which were established in Colonial days met
and answered every demand placed upon
them. At FrankfOrd Arsenal vast quantities
OF ordnance were manufactured. 1t is we'll
worth visit to the museum to see what
was actually done during the war period.
1t was at this arsenal that Colonel Clay
perfected the inccndiary and tracer bullets
for aerial warfare. The range finders and
other instruments in which lenses are en-
ployed were manufactured and there the
lenses were ground and set.
"Whcn war broke out the glass from
which these lenses were made was imported
from Germany and later from southern
France; now the glass comes from Pitts
burgh.
'Schuylkill Arsenal was the great store.
house for the Quartcrmastcr corps and took
over some seventy acres, where tens of thou
sands Of articles were delivered and from
which point they were later shipped to the
camps at home and abroad The marine
supply depot at Broad street and Washing
ton avenue supplied the needs of the United
States marine corps and furnished upon
short order all equipment, etc, that was
needed.
AT the very outset Of the war the natural
generosity of the city was challenged by the
needs OF people overseas, and by careful or
GaniHatiOn and the 90 ordination Of various
activities there was very little OvcrlapDinC
and unnecessary overhead expenses.
Work of Organizations
Five relief ships, the first chartered bv
John Wanamaker, carried supplies TO thc
T~Ople of Belgium. The splendid orgauza
tion of the Emergency Aid of PENNSYLVANIA.
which was started in 1914, dcycloped
through it's committee, worked for the vari
Gus countries affected by the war. The
Emergency Aid thus carried on the relief
work ut home and abroad
''Ihe National League for WOmcn's Scry.
ice had its state aud city headquarters in
Philadelphia, and the Navy League operated
branch here. Among the organizations
recognized by the government for work with
tn" troops were the Young Mems Christian
Association, Knights of Columbus. Jewish
Welfare Board, Salvation Army, American
Library Association. The War Camp Com.
nunity Service provided comfort and enter.
tainmcnt for troops in the city.
The headquarters of the Pennsylvania
Delaware division of the American Red Gross
were located in this city. and the South.
eastern Chapter of the Red Cross was tho
local unit for carrying out its work ana
hclpfulncss to those in the service and t6ci,
civilian dependents.
The clubs Of the city established snori,l
work for the entertainment of the troors
and 1t was the hOmy atmosphere proyidrd
by the men and women of these clubg thnt
kept many men true Americans and sent
them on to meet the sterner realities Of life.D