The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-07-18
BANDED FOR NOBLE DEEDS.
The Savannah Benevolent ASSOCiltiOn'S
Great Work.

DEVASTATING Piague-1he Men Who
Orranized and Have Prosecuted the
Rsnevolence-T The Fortunes It Has
HandIed-Its Fund Is Now Nearly
s1Oo. ooo-The Institution to Be Per-
petuated.
The application of the Savannah Be
,sy9reut Associat ton to the superior court
LIST week for rcincorporation, its charter
being about to expire by limitation, which
,,,s noted in the MORNING NEWS at the
time. brings to public attention one Of
Savannah's most notable and most praise
worthy institutions.
The Savannah Benevolent Association
has been in existence for nearly 40 years,
hut because of the fortunate exemption
of the city from any devastating calamity
IN recent years it has attracted very little
attention, and many of the younger resi-
dents of the city are doubtless unaware
of its existence. The association was or
ranized in 1854 during the yellow fever
endemic of that year. 1t was ncorpO-
rated in 1873 for 20 years. which term is
about to expire. The inception of the
idea of such an organization is credited to
MtSSrS. AldIlCS IL 1AAAlOAOs W. Al
exander, VIM. Hone and Geo. L. Cope,
who saw the necessity of an effective or
rauization of private citizens in dealing
with the dread scourge and superlntend-
ing the work of providing for and caring
for the great number Of helpless sufferers
and dependents.
THE FIRST MEETING.
The first meeting looking to such an or
ranilation was held by the gentlemen
named. and perhaps one or two others, at
tbe home of Mr. Alexander, then editor of
the Republican, in the summer of 1851
out of this meeting shortly grew the as
ISOLATION which has proved TO be one of
themOst benevolent and effective institu-
lions of the kind ever organized in any
The following is list of its charter
members: p w. Alexander James b.
Read. r Nj Stone John w. Owens, X. B.
Hilton VIM. Hone, John n. Lewis, John
NJ B. Lowell, Geo. l.. Cope, c. L. Arnold,
James T. Webb A. G. Davenport, F. G.
Dana. James A FahmS, w II. Kelly, r
w. Bailey, VIM. w. Oates, John W. An
dersOn. John K. johnson, Thomas Smith.
Michael Finney, s. A. T. Lawrence, NJ.
T. Dukes, B. H Hardee, Geo b. Mitch
ell, NJ. J. Buckner, VIM. Wade, Daniel II
Stewart Thomas A. F'arris Thomas J.
Pitt Isaac Drummer and K. Byron Camp
bell, 81 names in all.
OF this lumber only William Wade, DR.
James B. Read and John n. Lewis are
living to-day All the others are dead
except perhaps, h. b. Hilton, who may
still be living in Florida.
The association. was effectuauy a close
corporation, its memberships being lin
tied and its directors having entire con
troll. The wisdom of its constitution has
been well proven. Its present bylaws
1T,,,iY fl,, 70 I'll,
limit has never been exceeded. In times
of public distress, however, its practice
is to enroll volunteers TO assist the aSSO-
citation i'll its work
IN TRYING TIMES.
The association did effective work dur
ing the epipemic of 1854, receiving SUP
plies of money and provisions and dis
tributing them to the needy, attending to
the sick and burying the dead At the
close of the epidemic of 1854 the associa-
ton found itself with about s.. 600 unex-
pended. This fund was carefully husband
ed, the treasurer having charge of its in
yestment To Mr.. Cope the credit was
due of boarding the fund during the civil
war, so that it suffered no serious reduc-
ton.
When the yellow fever was declared
epidemic in September 1876, the associa-
ton had $4,000 in hand, the result of the
took hold. divided the city into districts,
appointing two members to superintend
the work in each district, enrolled about
IJu volunteers, appointed committees for
each department and endeavOred in every
way TO alleviate the miseries incident to
the epidemic. Shortly after the epidemic
began the city found itself on the verge of
starvation. The supplies of food were
nearly exhausted and no more was COM
ing IN. a call for assistance was sent out
by Mayor Edward G. Anderson, which
was literally responded to by the whole
country north and south. The people in
The counties around Savannah sent in so
many chickens that they could not be
consumed as fast as they were brought in
and numbers were turned loose in the
yard at police barracks, and many
escaped. The city found itself without
The force necessary to distribute the
supplies and care for the sick. and by
request of Mayor Anderson the whole
work OF receiving and distributing the
supplies sent in was undertaken by the
Benevolent Association
GREAT WORK.
In the two months of the epidemic
something over 100000, in money, was
received and handled besides supplies
ana provisions of every character of the
value of many thousands of dollars. A
'ommissarY was established on Bay
street near the city exchange and was
paced IN charge of w. r. Boyd. 1t was
afterwards found necessary to establish
Slocommissaries in the various districts
orders were giVenOn the commissaries by
lne district superintendent for articles
Oh every description, from coffin to a
tllcken, and for bacon, -four, whisky,
Ie" and everything else required by the
PICK and helpless. The well population,
Iea9 without means of support, had to
Oe Ied as well as TIE sick.
Each district superintendent was ex-
PycJed TO visit every house in his district
o1ce IN every "a hours. and to report at
.Le daily meeting of the association the
number Of deaths, the number. of new
uses and the number of coHvalescents,
oesloes statement of what he had eX-
pended or given orders for. A complete
'-tord was kept of these reports. 'J
AS the epidemic increased and the num-
ugr Oh assistants grew less, the members
were themselves compelled to nurse the
PICK and bury the dead, and even in some
Instances to dig the graves It was a
-1aIul time and the work required bravo
men Next to the bravery Of the men
mo !abored SO unsGltishly at the cost of
c -it uFes Ct many of them, the libcrallty
f l4e whole country in responding so
IT, Y IN the aid of the stricken city is
'No brightest feature of that dark period.
IN THE EPIDEMIC OF '76.