no order was forthcoming

When the United States went to war in 1917 the Charlottesville company attempted to shift at least part of its production to war contracts. Negotiations with the Navy Department were carried on in 1918 at Washington and New York, but no order was forthcoming. Despite its wide experience in uniform cloth making the mill was never able to secure a government contract for war work.
As a result, the plant was forced to stick to the manufacture of uniforms for schools, railroads, and municipal civil servants. Faced with unsettled business conditions , an unpredictable wool supply, and rising wages, the management felt that it would be content if it could retain its workers, keep the mill runnlng, and earn enough to pay expenses. Fortunately, supplies were somehow obtained to fill orders with reasonable promptness. Except for a few schools which delayed buying uniforms in the hope that the government would furnish them, the mill kept a firm hold on its market and added some new customers.--Harry Poindexter