The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1943-05-05
Three WOMEN
HOLD JOBS ON
U. S. FREIGHTER

Balboa, Canal Zone, May CUP
Three women believed to be the
first TO hold papers from the Ma
tional Maritime Union certifying
them as seagoing cooks and bakers,
arrived here recently aboard me-
diminished freighter loaded with
cargo from the west coast of the
U. s. for the Canal oZne.
Two of the women, Mrs. Ruth
Bogard, 25, of San Francisco, Cal,
and Mrs. Mary Cotton, 35, also
Of San Francisco, have their union
certificates already, while the GER
tificate for pretty Summalla La
vieia, Is, from San Francisco, too,
is being completed. She left SO sud-
denly that she did not have time to
obtain 1t before sailing.
Called from their quarters, the
, door of which bore the sign Three
Mess Boys" Mrs. Bogard and Mrs.
Cotton proudly displayed their GER
tificates of service issued by the
U. S. Department of Commerce and
told how they had been accepted
for service at sea when eight other
women were turned down for sim
liar jobs.
They declare they are the first
Americans Of their sex to be carried
on seamens papers anywhere.
Quietest of three is Mrs. Cot
ton. She doesn't know whether she
is a wife or a widow since her
husband, an enlisted man in the
Navy aboard the USS Juail, which
was in Cavite Bay during the
Philippine battle last year, was re-
ported last May 80 as missing in
| action"
Worked as Hotel Clerk
Born in ontario, Canada, Mrs.
Cotton lived in Sault Ste. Marie
before going to San Francisco,
where she worked as hotel clerk.
II figured that he Cher huSband)
isn't going to sea right now and it
seemed to me that might as well
sign up so that I could relieve some
young man for active service" Mrs.
| Cotton said. She is mess attendant
for the ships officers.
Also missing, but not by notifica-
! ton from the Navy Department, is
| Mrs. Bogard's husband. He is a
gunnerS mate in the Navy. They
were married in February, 1912, in
Reno, and he was called back to his
ship the following day. She hasn't
seen him since.
Hes af1oat somewhere" she said,
land I thought that maybe if I
went to sea I could catch up with
him in some port"
Mrs. Bogard worked in the transit
department of the Federal Reserve
Bank in San Francisco before she
ran into Mrs. Cotton, and her idea
of signing up on a merchant ship,
and here I am" She is mess attend
ant for the Navy gun crew aboard
the ship.
Miss Lavieia--knoWn aboard ship
as "F'renchie"-waS working as a
welder in Kaiser shipyard at $72
a week when she got the idea of
seeing the working side of the ships
she had been hedping to build.
Weren't Seasick
She applied for job three days
before the ship sailed for the Canal
but was given only two hours to get
her kit together and get aboard.
The women had an argument over
Miss Lavieia'S title, but finally de-
cided that she might be called the
salon girl"
All three were proud at not being
oh eAy,on 1F H1,a x,,a,, AZ,
crew were. They all were covered
with bruises for the first few days
until they learned how to walk with
the roll of the ship, but now con-
slider they have gotten their sea
legs.
All of them declared that they
like their new lime and the skipper
and his crew lust fine" Although
the freighter carries several guns
and sails under all wartime rules,
one Of the three has been afraid.
They take part in all the ships
drills, and attend classes given to
the gun crew on rescue and life
saving work. For recreation they
play cards with other crew men,
bers, or read. Mrs. Bogard punches
a bag with the gun crew when the
men are not busy teaching Miss
Levieia jiu-jitsu. In addition so
their other duties, they all keep an
eye on Miss Lavieia's wire-haired
5-month-old puppy, PATSY"
They earn sos monthly, includ-
ing the bonus. They all want to go
to Australia. and are supposed to
have a ship bound for there waiting
for them when they get back to the
States.
They have broken all seafaring
tradition in getting aboard the
freighter at all. Other members of
the crew believe that the women
will break still another and get to
where they want to go-Australia.