The Portland daily press., 1898-12-07
To Aid the Widows and Orphans
Of the Portland.
SAD CASES OF Distribution IN
YEsTIGATED BY THE PRESS.

Do The people of Portland realize how
many families have beon left destitute by
the loss of the steamer Portland? Do
they stop to think how many little chill
dren are brought face to face with want
and poverty by the loss of that steamer,
or how many aged parents there are in
this city whose only support has been
taken suddenly away from them, of the
number of widows there are left without
q dollar in the world and with d family
of little children to feed, clothe and pro-
vide for at the beginning of a long
winter?
On all sides there have been heard ex-
prsssions of sympathy. But sympathy
alone will not provide food or fuel for
those whose main support persisted in the
wreck of the i'll fased steamer. 1t is time
that this sympathy assumed a more
practical form and that the large hearted
and generous people of this section con-
tributed something of their means to-
wards alternating in some measure the
restitution which this terrible disaster
has caused.
A representative of the PRESS called
yesterday upon the pastor of the Abys.
sinian Methodist Episcopal church and
asked him to tell Of some of the sad cases
which have come to his knowledge. Mr.
Smythe is the pastor of the largest colored
church in Portland and nineteen or
twenty of those lost on tho Portland were
memb ers of his flock.
He told the PRESS reporter of one
case which is perhaps but one Of many of
the same kind. One of the colored
ing, honest and God fearing man was the
only support of mother over eighty
years old and wife with child only
five years old. This man by dint of hard
work and great economy, for the pay he
received was very small, had put all his
hard earned money into little house for
which he has been trying to pay for some
years. This HOUSE cost him $500 and he
had only paid $500 towards 1t when he
was lost His wife is not very strong
woman and will not be able to save her
home or do much to provide food or cloth
ing for herself or the aged mother, In
the face OF this terrible loss the wife has
brayely shouldered the burden and is
making a heroic attempt to save her
home Mr. Smythe said that this was
one of the worst cases he knew of in his
church If the mortgage on the little
home of this widow is foreclosed as it IL
bound to be when the payments stop. she
will not be able to realize anything upon
it in comparison with the money which
has already been paid. This family is
not one which would accept charity as it
| is usually proffered and were their CON-
ditioD not known to the world, they
would suffer the pangs of starvation be.
fore they would ask aims.
Another case which the PRESS reporter
Investigated was that of the wife Of
watchman ON the Portland, who lives on
very unpretentious street in this city
The house is small and is not owned by
the widow Her husband was a watch
man on the Portland and received for
his work the salary of S22za month. Out
of this sum he had to pay large doctors
bills, clothe and feed his family and him
| fined to her bed for the most of the time
| for years. The thrse children are all
young, the Oldest not being more than
eight. and the widow has not dollar in
the world with which to care for herself
or the little ones. With this terrible load
to carry with his very small pay, the
Waterman has been struggling for years
| to keep out of debt and give to his chill
dren all the comfort which the children
of more fortunate men enjoy and to give
to his wife all the attention which her
condition required. He made brave
| fight TO do this. The home which the re
porter visited was not very large or pre-
tentious but it was a NICE comfortable
place which the loving care of a father
had made heaven for the little ones an
the invalid wife. Judging from all that
the PRESS reporter saw aud heard in
this little home the Waterman who doubt
less did his duty manfully to the end, was
hero at home whose thoughtfulness and
careful ministrations to his invalid wife
and the little ones can never be supplied
by even the tenderest and most liberal
charity.
This family is in dire want. They will
never ask for aid from the usual sources.
| Cannot some assistance be given them
| from those whose bank accounts are
large and from those who now have all
| that they could ask or desire?
| Here is another case which Mr.. Snythe
/ told the PRESS representative about. An
old lady eighty years old who attends his
! church was dependent for support upon II
daughter who was stewardess on the Port
land. They lived in little house which
they own but which is located on rented
and. 1t had taken about all of the money
the daughter could earn on the boat to
supply the wants of her mother and pay
for the house. 1t was her plan to buy the
little lot of land in the end, and then she
would have home for her old mother
and herself This noble hearted daughter
who has been struggling for years to
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