Worcester Democrat and the ledger-enterprise. (Pocomoke City, Md.) 1921-1953, 1921-07-16
AWARDED MEDALS
FOR HEROIC ACTION
Three Maryland Women Given Dis
tinguished Service Medals.
One From Ocean City.

1
is a Baltimorean, Miss May P. Sci
bert, 1888 East Both street, and was
the Private Branch Exchange opera
tor at Mt. Holly Inn the night of De-
cember when the hotel burned. The
ether two are Miss Naomiek Work
man, Chesapeake & Potomac Tele-
phone Company operator at Ocean
City, Md, and Miss Helen B. Adams,
Chesapeake G. Potomac Telephone
Company operator at Cambridge, Md.
They will be given medals with cita-
tions, descriptive of the action which
impelled the Theodore N. Vail Mem
orial Committee of the telephone
company to make the awards. The
Vail medal was recently established
/ by the Bell system as memorial to
the late Theodore N. Vail. The cita-
lions are:
Miss Naomi X. Workman, a Grip
pie who can only walk with the aid
of clutches, remained on duty at the
telephone office at Ocean City, Nd,
for fifteen hours during the worst
storm experienced there in many
years. This storm was the cause of
damage estimated at $250,OOO. The
boardwalk was ruined and several
houses were completely demolished,
the basement and the first floor of
practically every house in the town
being under water. The Coast Guard
was unable to make it's customary
patrol and the water supply was
broken and the electric light plant
put OUT of service.
In spite of the fact that the house
in which the telephone exchange is
located was surrounded by water and
the foundations were in danger of be-
ing washed out, Miss Workman con-
tinued to operate the switchboard
during the entire storm and complet-
ed many emergency calls for help
from che flooded districts.
On June 10, 1920, a severe electric
al storm in the vicinity of Travers
Wharf killed one of a party of young
people who were bathing in the vi
entity and stunned several others.
One of the party Immediately hur-
ned to the nearest telephone, rural
line about two miles distant to secure
assistance. When the call came in at
Cambridge, Maryland, Central office,
the storm was at it's worst and Miss
Helen B. Adams, the operator who
answered the call heard someone
say, "Send doctor quick, someone is
killed" The line then went out of
service and Miss Adams was unable
to get any further details. She imme-
diately got in touch with a doctor
and told him of the telephone call, adj
vising him to go to Travers Wharf as
the call was from rural line in that
vicinity and that was popular place
for people to swim. 1t later devel-
oped that one person had been killed,
two others severely injured would I'M
doubtedly have died if it had not
been for the prompt work of Miss
Adams IN sending doctor.
Miss Adams has been an operator
at Cambridge, Md, for the last four
years.
Miss May P. Seibert, PIX. opera
tor at Mt. Holly Inn, Baltimore came
on duty about $50 P. M, Tuesday
December 2, 1920. and was about to
take her place at the switchboard to
relieve Miss Wapole, when one of
the guests called out, "There is fire
somewhere upstairs" and another
guest said, "The roof is on fire." AS
the elevator. located directly along
side the switchboard, came down,
Miss Seibert smelled smoke and i'm
mediately called the fire department.
She then notified all the guests in
their rooms, and continued to call the
ICON telephones until service was put
out of order, due to the outside trunks
t. The central office being burned
through. 1t was some time before the
fire department responded to the
alarm, and in the meantime, Miss
Seibert together with Miss Wam-
pole and Mr.. Schwartz a manager,
carried cut of the burning building
what records and books they could
and locked other valuables in the
safe; only leaving the building when
the elevator supports were burned
through, allowing the car to crash to
the first floor, when they were order
ed out by the police.
Miss Seibert was engaged by the
C. & P. Telephone Company in 1911
as clerk in the Billing department.
She afterward became a local opera
tor at Mt. Vernon exchange and then
long distance operator in Balti-
| moro .osiUninu Decanher 1919 She