NOTES
On April 16th the Headquarters of the American National Red Cross were moved to the office, room 341, provided for them in the Surgeon-General’s Division of the War Department. Through the kindness of Mr. F. A. Keep some new articles of furniture were purchased for the office, and the more spacious quarters and better equipment for office work have proved of the greatest advantage in the large amount of additional labor entailed by the San Francisco Relief.
The delegates appointed by the U. S. Government to represent it at the Convention of Geneva for the Revision of the Red Cross Treaty, held June, 1906, are Brigadier-General George B. Davis, Judge Advocate General of the U. S. Army; Brigadier-General Robert M. O’Reilly, Surgeon-General of the U. S. Army, who is also Chairman of the Red Cross Central Committee; Rear Admiral Charles S. Sperry, U. S. Navy, and Colonel William Cary Sanger, President of the New York Red Cross Branch. A report for the Bulletin on the revisions agreed upon by this Convention will be made by one of the U. S. delegates.
Since the publication of the last Bulletin the following new State Branches have been organized:
Colorado.—President, C. C. Hemming; Secretary, W. DeF. Curtis; Trustees, John A. Thatcher, Pueblo; F. B. Gibson, Denver.
Indian Territory.—President, Dr. F. B. Fite; Vice-Presidents, Hon. D. H. Johnston, Chief Chickasaw Nation; Hon. John Brown, Chief Seminole Nation; Hon. W. C. Rogers, Chief Cherokee Nation; Hon. Green McCurtain, Chief Choctaw Nation; General P. Porter, Chief Creek Nation; Secretary, Dr. Fred S. Clinton; Treasurer, J. H. McBirney.
Minnesota.—President, Governor John A. Johnson; Vice-Presidents, Dr. Cyrus Northrup, Archbishop John Ireland, Hon. David Percy Jones, Hon. William H. Lacid, Rev. A. W. Ryan; Secretary, Edward C. Stringer; Treasurer, Kenneth Clark; Chairman of Executive Committee, Hon. Daniel R. Noyes.
Missouri.—President, J. C. Van Blarcom; Vice-Presidents, Hon. John W. Noble (1st), Robert A. Holland, Jr., (2d); Secretary, Leighton Shields; Treasurer not yet designated.
North Carolina.—President, Mrs. Zepulon B. Vance; Vice-Presidents, Dr. S. Westray Battle and James H. Caine; Secretary, and Treasurer, Mrs. Theodore F. Davidson.
Texas.—President, Mrs. Mary Sherman Allen; 1st Vice-President, John A. Ewton; 2d Vice-President, M. P. Exline; 3d Vice-President, Mrs.Sarah Danover; 4th Vice-President, Mrs. C. Burton Griggs; Treasurer, Royal A. Ferris; Secretary, Mrs. Green Scheyler Hill.
Washington.—President, Mr. John T. Redman; Vice-Presidents, Captain E. G. Griggs and Dr. Carsley Balabanoff; Recording Secretary, Mrs. Henry McCleary; Corresponding Secretary, Mrs. James W. Cloes; Treasurer, Mr. Louis W. Pratt.
The records of the Philippine Red Cross Branch show a membership of 119 annual and 4 life members.
On December 30th there died at Manila Captain Joaquin Monet of the Manila police force as the direct result of a cold contracted in the performance of duty during the tornado which devastated Manila and particularly his precinct, Paso, on the 26th day of last September, when for twenty-four hours he worked without changing his wet clothing, amidst live electric wires, in the ravages of storm and flood, to protect property and to relieve the sufferings and fears of people under his care. He left a widow and children, and as there is no provision for pensions for the families of men who give themselves at the call of duty, the Philippine Red Cross Society decided to appropriate out of its relief funds $15.00 a month for six months for the support of this man’s family, and the Secretary of the Philippine Red Cross writes: “Had you relieved only this one case it is worth the while to have founded here a Branch of the National Red Cross.”
Hon. A. C. Kaufman, President of the South Carolina Branch of the Red Cross, writes as follows:
The formation and management of a Red Cross Branch, in this section, has called for extreme diplomacy, conservatism and caution. Our effort has been to place this Branch upon a high plane, following closely the standard of the parent organization.
By pursuing this course, we have established confidence in the movement, and have won friends in every portion of the State. That has been clearly demonstrated in our ability to secure as a Vice-President, from each of the seven Congressional Districts, in South Carolina, gentlemen of exalted standing in the social, professional and business walks of life.
The following is a complete list of the Vice-Presidents of the South Carolina Branch: First Congressional District, Maj. Theodore G. Barker, Charleston; Second Congressional District, Hon. D. S. Henderson, Aiken; Third Congressional District, Rev. James A. B. Scherer, Ph.D., Newberry; Fourth Congressional District, Rev. Robert P. Pell, Litt D., Spartanburg; Fifth Congressional District, Col. Leroy Springs, Lancaster; Sixth Congressional District, Hon. W. D. Morgan, Georgetown; Seventh Congressional District, Hon. W. C. Benet, Columbia.
Again, we have done well under the circumstances, in contributions that have come to us, in aid of sufferers of Japan, Italy and San Francisco. Our purpose was, not to go around begging alms, but to trust to the generosity of our fellow citizens, and thereby to test their confidence in us, as representatives of this great International body. The success of this plan has been shown in the reports that have been made by us to the National Headquarters. Every penny we have accounted for has been a voluntary gift, that has come to us, not been run after. Thisdignified course has produced a marked effect upon the people of the State who have witnessed this well ordered procedure. This plan may have diminished somewhat the amount of our receipts, but it has raised the organization very high in the estimation and respect of the entire citizenship of our State.
The Branch is now in a most healthy and flourishing condition and we feel proud of the position it occupies in the brilliant galaxy of Red Cross Branches.
The Secretary of the Michigan Branch, Mr. R. M. Dyar, writes under date of June 6:
We have adopted a method for increasing our membership of getting in communication with men in small towns, who acted as Treasurer or Chairman of local relief committees for the San Francisco Fund, our idea being to appoint such men as Vice-Presidents and to have them decide on becoming members themselves, and endeavor to secure additional members in their cities or towns.
The following is a list of the Sub-divisions of the Massachusetts Branch, with the officers of each:
Worcester County.—Chairman, Charles G. Washburn; Treasurer, Dr. Homer Gage; Secretary, Mrs. Lincoln W. Kinnicutt.
Berkshire County.—President, Judge John C. Crosby; Vice-President, Rev. J. C. Smoots; Secretary and Treasurer, Dr. Alfreda B. Withington; Executive Committee: Dr. J. F. A. Adams, Mrs. H. A. Brewster, Miss Julia W. Redfield, Rev. James Boyle, Pittsfield; Mrs. W. Murray Crane, Jr., Dalton; Miss Cornelia Barnes, Lenox; Miss Caroline T. Lawrence, Stockbridge; Mrs. William Stanley, Great Barrington.
Hampden County.—President, Mr. George Dwight Pratt; Treasurer, Mr. Ralph P. Alden; Secretary, Miss Amy B. Alexander.
A Division is being organized in Essex County, of which Gen. Francis H. Appleton will be Chairman and Mr. W. O. Chapman, of the Asiatic Bank, Salem, Treasurer.
The Secretary of the Massachusetts Branch, Miss Katherine P. Loring, reports that, “A man has been representing himself as an agent of the Red Cross and has been begging for subscriptions for our purposes. We have put notices in the newspapers and have notified the police that we never employ agents.”
The Connecticut Branch reports six Sub-divisions and another in process of formation. They have a total membership of 900, including 89 life members. Of the foregoing membership four hundred are members of the Norwich Society.
The Secretary of the Connecticut Branch of the Red Cross in a letter dated June 12th states that the Bristol Sub-division, which is composed of twenty-five boys, members of a Sunday-school class, accomplished wonders in their efforts in behalf of the unfortunate people of California. They not only collected and shipped to California clothing, blankets, linen, etc., amounting to 1272 pieces, but contributed in cash $1,235.04. No better work than this has been done by any organization, and as Mrs. Kinney says—good for the boys!
The New York State Branch now has twelve sub-divisions. Since the April number of the Bulletin, four new sub-divisions have been organized, namely: Chautauqua County, Columbia County, Duchess County and New York County. It is probable that organization will be effected soon in Chemung, Oswego and St. Lawrence Counties. Work is now progressing and organization is under consideration in seven other Counties, namely: Broome, Greene, Orange, Nassau, Suffolk, Tompkins and Jefferson.
The membership of the sub-divisions is as follows:
In other counties of the State there are forty-nine members, making the total membership for the State, so far as reported on June 16th, one thousand, six hundred and thirty-six.
The Americans in London sent through the Honorable Whitelaw Reid, the American Ambassador, $20,000.00 for the California Fund.
The New York County Sub-division opened two clothing depots where contributions of clothing were received, assorted, repacked and shipped, sending 181 cases to San Francisco. During the first three weeks every night a list of supplies that day shipped or en route was sent to Dr. Devine. Service was also systematically arranged in telegraphing inquiries for missing relatives and friends and forwarding the information when received. The business public evinced the greatest interest and most practical coöperation in the relief work by furnishing free service and by lending or giving ample equipment to carry on the work.
The work of the State Branch has so increased as to render it necessary to move into a larger office—Room No. 507—in the same building, No. 500 Fifth Avenue, New York City.
PENNSYLVANIA BRANCH HEADQUARTERS.
Philadelphia, Independence Hall Building,June 14, 1906.
We awoke the day after the earthquake horrified to read in the morning papers that California had been devastated and San Francisco was in flames. It needed no second reading to know that a call for help would soon reach us, so our officers and executive committee reported to our State Headquarters where soon the expected telegram from Washingtonwas received. It was a brief message instructing us to issue an appeal and appoint local treasurers.
Our official printer, who, by special arrangement, is obligated to take our copy and run on our emergency work night and day, was in a few hours delivering to headquarters the necessary printed matter.
“The Society for Organizing Charities,” represented by Miss Richmond and Mr. Esterbrook, volunteered to do the addressing of our appeals and at an hour’s notice had more than a score of their splendid young lady volunteers addressing and mailing our Red Cross appeal, using their Charity list of fifteen thousand selected names.
By a wise arrangement our Secretary is authorized to make emergency expenditures subject to reimbursement at later meeting of the Executive Committee, so the postage alone of some $300 was made instantly available from his personal funds.
In all such appeals it is vital to determine the psychological moment of greatest effect and the force of our appeal was at its highest on Monday morning following the reading of the Sunday papers.
An early call was sent to each city daily and evening newspaper and a publicity department was established where all telegrams, letters, abstracts and daily subscription lists were furnished in typewritten copy to all reporters. Such returns must be made quickly and we kept a regular volunteer force of messengers taking reports at certain convenient intervals to newspaper headquarters. These State Headquarters realizing the necessity and value of the coöperation of the towns, other than Philadelphia, throughout the commonwealth, promptly acted upon the suggestion of President Talcott Williams and the Secretary who were in daily conference with heads of all departments. A telegram was therefore sent to some two hundred towns throughout the State, addressing the leading bank, or trust company, asking them to confer with their Mayor or Chief Burgess as chairman, appointing a Red Cross Committee, and with aid of local newspapers to publish a fund and solicit subscriptions, same to be promptly forwarded to State Treasurer, Mrs. Alexander J. Cassatt, at Philadelphia, who daily deposited the amounts received for transmission to Washington. An immediate response was forthcoming from some score of towns and in a few days the funds were massing up.
This secured the hearty interest and coöperation of thousands of citizens of the State and established the groundwork of Red Cross Sub-Branches in every city, hamlet and village.
The State Headquarters, at Philadelphia, in the old Independence Hall Building, with its Executive Committee and volunteer clerks, stenographers and messengers was a busy office for the three weeks following the disaster.
Our facilities were admirable to the purpose. The two telephone companies, the Bell and Keystone, gave us free of cost each three extra telephones of unlimited service. The Postal and Western Union Telegraph companies franked our official messages. The Adams, United States and Wells Fargo Express companies sent forward our packagesfree of charge and the Relief Trains of theNorth AmericanandEvening Telegraphput their cars at our disposal, and sent their wagons for our heavy freight, thereby greatly assisting us with a matter that was assuming serious proportions.
The Ladies’ Auxiliary Committees under the able advice of Mrs. John Dye, herself a veteran nurse of the Civil War and a trained Red Cross worker of the Spanish War, took full charge of the packing and inspection of all materials submitted and nothing of worthless or inappropriate kind went forward bearing the tag of the Pennsylvania Branch.
It was an honor and privilege extended our Secretary to act in conjunction with the National body in the purchase of large quantities of Army Blankets from local mills. These vital essentials were early despatched by rush express to the Red Cross Field Agents in San Francisco and thus can the State Branches assist the great National Headquarters in other ways than the forwarding of funds alone.
An item of a thousand baby nursing bottles and a dozen boxes of infant necessaries and a shipment of condensed milk for future ’Frisco citizens shows that the little ones were also well remembered.
In Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and other of our large cities there has existed for years many splendid and efficient Permanent Relief and Citizens Emergency Committees all of whom, with the many trades organizations, were early in the field with their appeals. Though the millions of dollars thus raised were speedily and properly expended it yet served to exhaust the giving power of many who would have gladly subscribed to the Red Cross appeal.
This serves to urge us to the immediate completion of a full State organization of Sub-divisions, and any of our Pennsylvania citizens reading this would help our cause should they proceed to organize local bodies and address these Headquarters for instructions.
It is impossible in so brief a report to mention the many incidents of our “California Earthquake and San Francisco Fire Appeal” as we called it. The pathetic letters, the sad plight of the refugees who came to us for succor and employment, of our inquiries for the dead and missing, of the free telegraphic bureau and of the letters written by the many who called to ask a seemingly hopeless question. Nor must we overlook thanking Dr. Devine for his quick and always satisfactory replies to our inquiries. The marvel of it all is that it was possible to so quickly bring the relief work to such a state of high potential efficiency, conclusive and splendid record of the success of the National Red Cross and its responsible State Branches. In a later report we will send you a list of the Pennsylvania State towns with their financial statements of subscriptions sent through these Headquarters. We wish now to thank the citizens of the entire State and particularly of those cities that responded so promptly and so liberally.
“Who gives quickly gives twice.”
Very respectfully yours,
JOSEPH ALLISON STEINMETZ.Secretary for Pennsylvania.
The National Secretary received the following letter from Miss Emily P. Bissell, Secretary of the Delaware Branch, who is making a tour of Europe:
Rome,May 27, 1906.
Mr. Charles L. Magee,Secretary the American National Red Cross, Washington, D. C.
My Dear Mr. Magee:
I am sorry to say that I could not find out anything much about Red Cross relief work in Naples. When I landed there on May 8th, the eruption of Vesuvius was a thing of the past. The streets were all cleaned up, the roads open, and the people who had at first crowded into the city from the destroyed towns had all been sent back or away. I went to the Red Cross rooms, and was shown the garments for distribution, which a committee of ladies had been attending to. That was the only sign of activity there, and only one man, and he not an official, but a subordinate, was in the rooms. He told me all the relief work now carried on was in the towns themselves—Bosco Tre Case and Ottajano. So I started off for them next day.
Bosco Tre Case is very easy to reach and to examine. The road is clear, up to where the mass of lava has blocked the railway. The officers of the municipality, three in number, were standing at the entrance of the road into the village, with a plate, asking contributions from the tourists, who were driving through in numbers. The lava, a black, rough mass, covering fields, and what had been houses, was still smoking. But its path was not very wide, this village only being destroyed, and on each side of it the fields were in their usual state. The destruction in the path of the lava was absolutely complete, of course. I could not find any Red Cross people there, so I drove on to Pompeii, and took the next train to Ottajano. As we went up toward Ottajano, the ashes began to show in the fields. At first only a thin gray dust, they increased as we ascended. It was a pitiful sight, the vineyards and orchards dying in the ashes. It was like a tremendous snowfall, with drifts here and there, but smooth in most places. For miles, the vineyards are three feet deep in ashes. Here and there, women and children, with small baskets on their heads, were laborously carrying away the ashes and dumping them on the side of the roads. But it would be about as easy to empty Lake Erie with a tablespoon. At Ottajano, I found the army and the Red Cross in full control. Seven hundred homeless people are here cared for. One thousand have been sent to friends or to America, or scattered here and there where work can be found for them. The Red Cross people said that it was impossible to tell how long those who remained would have to be looked after. Perhaps six months would not be enough. Three hundred was too large an estimate, they said, of those killed in the eruption; but certainly over one hundred had perished, and very likely many more. The soldiers and the men were at work digging ashes, and casting them away on tiny freight cars. The women were sitting in groups, with nothing to do. Some sewing is now being given out by the Red Cross. The houses are full of ashes to the second story, and the roofs either gone altogether, or broken and unsafe from the weight of the ashes on them. The Red Cross gives out rations and clothes and seems to be extremely well conducted. There are various officials and Sisters of Mercy, all working constantly and with great system.
The covering of the fields by ashes is the worst part of the disaster, for it means that the livelihood of the people is gone for an indefinite time. They are hardworking, deserving peasants, and now their crops are gone, and the soil will not bear anything for three or four years, till the ashes are assimilated. They are far too deep to be plowed in atpresent. There is no possible place to dump them. Every road is full, every waste space heaped up high.
The Red Cross has not as yet published any bulletin or account of their work. They will do so, however, in the end. Of course they need money, and will continue to need it for months. I hope America can send them some, for they certainly deserve it.
Sincerely yours,
EMILY P. BISSELL.
Items from the AprilBulletinof the Red Cross International Committee of Geneva.
TheBulletincontains a report of the hospital sent to and maintained in Manchuria by the German Red Cross Society. The equipment filled 24 cars, providing for a hospital of 120 beds, a disinfecting apparatus, Röntgen plant, a bacteriological laboratory, and provisions for six months. Its personnel consisted of the Chief Surgeon, four Assistant Surgeons, two students, an administrator, a technical officer, 12 sister nurses and nine lay nurses. A large part of the personnel spoke Russian. Dr. Brentano, the Chief Surgeon, who considered the collaboration of feminine service of inestimable value, exacted that the sister nurses should belong to strictly religious orders, and that the character of the lay nurses should be strongly vouched for.
At the termination of the war, in returning to their country, 59 Japanese officers and 1721 soldiers who had been prisoners in Russia passed through Germany. For those who had been sick or wounded the German Red Cross turned the cars into veritable hospitals. At Berlin, upon order of the Emperor and Empress, the German Red Cross prepared a reception for them. Tea, cigarettes and some Japanese papers were distributed among them. At Hamburg the transportation of the sick and wounded to the ship was quickly accomplished by the Red Cross sanitary columns, and those who were well taken by a Red Cross detachment to see the city.
In France a movement is on foot to organize a volunteer automobile corps for the transportation of wounded. With the excellent roads that exist in that country, the wounded could often be transported in a few hours by automobiles to the reserve hospitals—thirty or forty miles from the front—instead of by the slow process of transportation by ambulance.
It is proposed to organize a volunteer corps of chauffeurs, including women, who are experts in the running of these machines.
In Italy the Red Cross has been continuing its great anti-malarial work in the Roman Campagna. It has several stations, and each station has a wagon, an ambulance and medical supplies, and a personnel of a medical officer, a man nurse and a conductor, each giving two months’ service.
In 1900 when the work began, 31 per cent. of those receiving the preventive treatment suffered from the fever. The report for 1905 shows that only a little over 5 per cent. were attacked by the malady; that is, out of 16,427 treated only 839 suffered from fever.
The Red Cross of the Netherlands reports relief rendered to a village which was partially destroyed by fire.
TheBulletincontains a long article on the Russian Red Cross. On January 1, 1905, not including Port Arthur, it had 158 ambulances of various kinds including hospital trains, and hospital accommodations in Manchuria for 27,911. This article shows so strongly the need of system and preparation beforehand that it is hoped a portion of it may be printed in some subsequentBulletinof the American National Red Cross.
The Saxon Red Cross reports 70 Sanitary Columns with 2161 members, all of whom have received a special course of instruction. At Loschwitz a house for convalescents has been established and utilized for German soldiers returning from campaigns in South Africa.
The importance of the Revision of the Treaty of Geneva and some of the subjects to be discussed, for which the Convention is now being held in that city, occupies considerable space in theInternational Bulletin. Among the questions are: the protection of the wounded from ill treatment and pillage, the wearing by all military persons of some mark of identification, a provision that a list of the dead, the wounded and sick found or taken by the enemy shall be sent as soon as possible to the opposing Army or its government, a complete enumeration of the sanitary personnel protected by the Treaty, if in this enumeration shall be included the personnel of the volunteer aid, and under what conditions? Fourteen questions are given.
It is much regretted by the National Officers that so few of the Branch Societies have sent in any notes for publication in this number of theBulletin.
Copies of this quarterlyBulletinare sent to all foreign Red Cross Societies and to every member of the American National Red Cross free of charge.
Members of the Red Cross may obtain from the Secretary of the Branch to which he or she belongs a Red Cross pin or button upon the payment of fifty cents.
The new life-membership certificates are now being sent out from the National Headquarters, and any life member not receiving one will confer a favor by notifying the National Secretary.
The Red Cross is having made some special pins to be worn by Red Cross nurses. These will be furnished the nurses without charge.