The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-03-22

DIR. Louis KIOpsch Describes the Sit
uasiOn in the Island.


NEW YORK, March M-Dr. Louis
Klopsch. now in Cuba. in charge of the
American relief work, cables from Havana.
under date of March 21, to the Christian
| Herald THE situation is simply this: Two
hundred and five thousand reconcentrados
| in over four hundred accessible towns are
| helplessly destitute. Unless we can get reg
| ularly, without a break, three hundred tons
| of corn meal and fifty tons of lard or bacon
| every week, We cannot effectively relieve
the suffering Spasmodic and unsystematic
| efforts defeat all good intentions. Canned
| goods are useless and condensed milk
should be substituted Fifteen thousand dol
lars weekly will feed every starving man,
woman and child in Cuba. Small, Irregular
shipments are only tantalizing.''
The Central Cuban Relief Commission
gives notice that no shipment of Cuban re-
lief supplies should be made to gulf ports.
The Plant system of ships sailing from Sa-
vannah and Tampa will furnish free trans
portation, but these vessels, being small.
can carry only supplies originating along
the line of the Plant system of railroad.
All other shipments from any part of the
United States should be consigned to the
Cuban Central Relief Committee at New
York, and the committee requests all ship
pers to give notice before shipments are
made, in order that provision for steamship
transportation may be arranged. The Ward,
Munson, Mallory and Spanish-American
Steamship lines are giving free all of their
spare capacity for Cuban relief supplies and
the committee wishes to furnish to them all
possible notice before delivering the goods
at their respective piers. The Omaha
World-Herald telegraphed to-day that 1T
will send several carloads of provisions and
medicines by April /, and asked for free
transportation. The contributors requested
the dispatch to Matanzas cf such stuffs as
they shall forward. The committee has
guaranteed free transportation to New York
and thence to the requested destination by
the Munson line of steamers.
The committee has decided to charter a
vessel of not less than two thousand tons
burden to take two thousand tons of corn
meal and two hundred tons of bacon to
Cuba within ten days from Saturday last.
The supplies have been purchased at cost
of $50 600 and will be delivered in this city
during the week. The committee has most
gratifying response to its ten thousand cir
culars widely distributed in New York and
New Jersey, and it Is thought quite prob
able that second steamer will have to be
chartered within four weeks. This, too, in
spite of the fact that all the regular lines
are taking as much of the relief supplies as
they can handle in addition to their regular
cargoes and free of charge.
The receipts daily are now so large that
the committee has opened warehouse at
No. As Ferry street. and here the goods are
carefully examined, repacked and arranged
in shipments and then forwarded to the va
rious American consuls Notification has
reached the committee that carload of
ear corn is en- route from North English
Ia. carload of provisions from Rome.
Ind; a box of supplies from Decatur, Ind,
Winchester and Fredericksburg, Va; 5000
pounds of beans, 163,125 grains of quinine,
1000 pounds of Goldfish, $50 pounds of con-
densed milk and other supplies from Port
land Me-, and numerous smaller consign-
ments from other places.
Rev. J. V. Corta writes from Tampa, Fla,
asking for aid for the '15,000 refugees here,
5000 OF whom have no means of making a
living. They must be fed clothed and
healed" Stephen E. Barton, president of
the committee, made arrangements at once
with the Clyde line to send contributions to
Jacksonville and from there to Tampa by
the Southern Express Company, both corpo-
rations agreeing to make the transportation
free of charge. Mr.. Barton explained that
no supplies will be sent to Tampa which
have been expressly marked for Cuba. He
said the committee is perfectly willing to
forward such supplies as are marked for
Tampa to that place. II understand that
the destitution of the refugees if Tampa
is very great" said Mr.. Barton. "Of course
we will do what we can for them"