Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-06-15
Mayor Gourley to Call a Meeting to
Put the Plan in Execution.
A FUND TO BE ALWAYS ON HAND.
More Money Needed for the Relief Of the
Gil City Victims
CONTRIBUTIONS STILL POURING IN

mittee to be ready for emergencies such as
have been precipitated upon this end OF
the State so frequently of late years, and
to which Pittsburg has contributed so lib
orally to relieve those who have suffered.
The suggestion was made by S. S. Marvin
at the meeting of the Titusville and Oil
City relief committee held yesterday MORN
ing, and was taken up promptly as an e1-
cellent idea by the balance of the members.
The plan as explained by Mr.. Marvin is
to make the Mayor chairman of the perma-
nent organization so long as his tenure of
office holds, and when his successor is in
Rugurated he takes the place. Other Off
GERS are to be elected by the committee from
its membership for stated period. The
principal object of the organization will be
to be ready at a moments notice to proceed
with the work of relief in any case of acci-
dent, flood or other disaster without the de-
Law necessary where, as now, public meet
ing must be called, committees appointed
and moneys collected before q step can be
made
To Be Ready for any Emergency.
Under the supervision of the main COM
whom will be apportioned certain lines of
work SO that every contingency will be
covered and met promptly without consulta-
tion with other persons. One feature of the
organization will probably be the creation
of a permanent fund of ready cash that will
be available for the immediate relief and
assistance always necessary in a great
calamity such as that which devastated the
Oil Creek Valley ten days ago.
Mayor Gourley is heartily in sympathy
with the proposed organization and at the
suggestion of Mr.. Marvin will call meet
ing of the prominent citizens of the two
cities who, in time of necessity, are always
ready and willing to do more than their
share in relieving suffering and distress, for
the purpose of discussing the proposition.
If it meets with favor the organization will
be formed at once. The meeting will be
held this or early next week.
Demanded by Pittsburs's Location.
1.-The commercial and geographical situa-
tion of Pittsburg," said the Mayor last night,
demands that she be always ready for
emergencies 1 don't believe there is a city
in the country where greater necessity ex-
lists for permanent relief organization than
this Philadelphia and other more impor-
tant cities OF the country already have such
bodies, aud they have, upon more than one
occasion, rendered invaluable service in
time of disaster. Pittsburg is the great
manufacturing center of the country, and
in our countless great workshops and fac
tories there is an ever-present danger to hu-
man life among the toilers upon whom our
10 lar
Gus other possibilities of disaster here such
as any other city has cause to fear More
over history has demonstrated that our geo.
graphical situation is such that we are likely
at any time to have precipitated upon us or
our neighbors flood like that which only
recently visited Oil City and Titusville
AMI within few years other districts in
our State. With such a committee as this
the moment food or other calamity oc-
CURED representatives could be hurried to
the scene and within few hours substan-
tial, intelligent aid could be rendered
The Mayor Expects n Ready Response.
81 believe that if permanent relief fund
were established under the care of such a
committee it would be as generously sup
ported as have been calls for relief in times
Of disaster in the past, and opportunity
would be afforded to charitably inclined
men of wealth to make subscriptions to a
charity of the most practical kind The
lessons our people have learned in matters
of this kind have educated them to such a
movement as this, and expect that at the
meeting to be held this week or next no
difficulty will be experienced in perma-
nently organizing"
In connection with the Oil Creek disaster
the local relief committee Yesterday re-
ceived information that somewhat surprised
them. 1t mad been supposed that when the
funds on hand would be distributed among
the sufferers there would be comparatively
little more to be done, but from a report
made by John Eaton, of the Oil Well Sup-
ply Company, who has been making an in
vestigation of the necessities of the people
in the stricken district, 5000, 900 more will
be required to meet the absolute wants of
the suffering people.
Sending Money to the Sufferers.
The committee yesterday sent S., 500 to
Iitusville, and So, 500 to Oil City. From
all the information the committee has re-
ceived $4,000 has been sent to the two
cities from all sources, of which S28, 900 has
been contributed by Pi.tsburg and ALLIE |
gheny, the Pittsburg Relief Committee
having raised 500, 295 of that sum. The
committee hopes that the contributions from |
Pittsburg and Allegheny will be increased |
to $4,000 There is now lust 1895 in |
Treasurer Thompson's HANDS, and the COM |
mittee earnestly begs that those who have
not already contributed will forward such |
sums as they may feel able to give at the |
earliest possible moment to Treasurer
Thompson.
A brief statement of the condition of |
sffairs at Oil City and Titusville was re-
ceived by the committee yesterday from |
Chairman n Oap of the Oil Cifv RaIiaf /
Committee. 1t states that the circumstances
of last week were such that accurate statis- |
tics could not be prepared, that all their |
time was employed in burying the dead and |
caring for the living. A careful estimate |
places the number of houses burned, flooded |
or destroyed at more than 200, and the num- |
Der of people assisted will exceed 700.
Several Bodies Are Still Missing.
The number of burials to date has been |
81, and several are still missing There is |
no insurance whatever on the loss by food |
and very little on dwellings burned The |
total receipts have been $45, 200, of which |
$10, 600 has been spent By the destruction |
of manufactures the earning and support |
ing power of the working people has been |
lost and they must be maintained for an in |
definite period. They must be provided |
with homes and support until they can be |
The letter also states that |
q committee from Erie examined the dis |
trict yesterday morning and believed the
loss much greater than had been reported.
The following contributions were received
by Treasurer William R. Thompson yester- |
day: Wellsville Plate and Sheet Iron Com
pany, Wellsville, O., 500; j. s. McCaleb,
81 90; First English Lutheran Church, /
SIs3 o3; w. NJ Leatherman, g;
y, p, s. c. e of Mt Washington Baptist /