Evening star., 1937-08-08

when they came to receive work as
signments, the work reliefers jostled
into the spacious confines of the
woodward Mecca Of work and pay.
Miraculously they spread out into or
derly groups, supervised by their job
foremen. The foremen had been sup
piled in advance with a numbered
ticket for each man.
There would be sudden rafting of
windows in the pay booths. Clerks
would enter with capacious valises,
crammed with checks. A great shout
echoed through the waiting crowds
and the ghost began to walk" Five,
six, sometimes seven thousand men
passed IN steady, rapid procession past
the Windows-marching to the heart
ening tempo of the Pay Day Hop"
In an hour they had gone. laugh
ing, shouting, some with worried eve
calculating the size of the grocery
basket they could take home, others
gleefully contemplating a week end
with money in their pockets, but all
adding TO the echoes of human hope,
happiness and misery that so often re-
verberated on the way to and from the
"Woodyard."
A IL OF the stories of hope and dis
appointment. of gratitude and
ingratitude, would fill book. AS
signment clerks listened to hundreds
of pleas for work, of tales of hunger
and cold, of children and kinfolk i'll
a-bed. One clerk related how a neat
ly-dressed white man walked up with
an assignment to work.
He was told there were only Jobs
involving the use of pick and shovel.
L don't care. just so I work. l
used to be bank teller. haven't had
a job for two years
"All right" said the clerk. "re-
port to - High School tomorrow,
ready to work You will work on the
resurfacing of the grounds in front of
the school"
The mans face fell.
Cant you put me some place else?
I don't care if have to dig a hundred
feet underground, but please don't
send me there"
The clerk, at first thinking the man
was attempting TO soldier" curiouslv
asked why the particular project was
objected to.
WELL said the man, I'll tell YOU
MY daughter, my little girl, graduates
from that school tomorrow and I don't
want her to see her daddy working
with pick and shovel while she is so
happy
The man was given an assignment
TO project on the other side of the
city.
Among the thousands who visited
the 'Woodyard' for work assignments
and pay checks and among the MANY
who worked in the supervision of the
work relief activities there were char
acters outstanding for their unusual
personalities or other distinguishing
aspects.
THROUGHOUT the woodward s"
history sturdy. elderly man of
German birth occupied a sort of jani-
torlal position. He became affection
ately known to all of those who worked
there. His story was real one.
1t seems the old fellow was born
IN Germany. but at an early age
abandoned his terraced hillside farm
home. He went to many lands. farm
ing IN the Australian bush. stevedor-
ing on the Pacific Coast. A prospect
ing trip to Alaska brought him small,
tidy fortune.
With his wife, the man came to
Washington and purchased small
home. They planned to live a happy, |
comfortable and safe existence. But
an investment firm they had en-
trusted with their savings hit the
sklds. Practically all of the mans
means were wiped out. his hopes for
pleasant old age gone.
Bitter he painted a pair of signs
proclaiming his misfortune and casti-
eating those whom he believed re-
sponsible for his plight. He paraded, |
wearing the signs sandwich fashion
before the offices Of the defunct in
vestment concern
A relief worker talked with him
and, upon hearing his story, secured !