The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-03-25

Washington, March 24.-CitizenS OF
the United States residing in Che Fee,
China, have made an earnest appeal,
through Consul Fowler at Che Foo, to
the charitable in America. and else
where on behalf Of the sufferers from
the appalling Yellow river floods of this
year. These floods have been described
by the natives as "China's SORROW -
fand the petitioners state that never be-
fore was the distress so great and
heartrending as now. The most con-
Servative estimates place the number
of starving at two millions, and time
and the increasing cold weather will
undoubtedly augment the distress. The
petitioners say that they are daily, al
most hourly in receipt of reports from
their cOuntrymen in the interior depict
ing the condition Of the famine refu-
gees; hundreds of villages are submerg-
ed, cities surrounded by water; homes,
furniture, clOthing-in fact, everything
is under water Or destroyed; the ma
tiveS themselves are living in straw
huts; many have absolutely no shelter
from the winters cold and snow; sub
sisting on bark, willow twigs, roots,
etc. The summers crops have been a
failure, the seed for next springs SOW
ing is gone, and there is nothing Cor
the starving millions to hope for in the
future.
with our knowledge of the terrible
want prevailing" says the American
committee. I'VE venture to call uDon
the charitable in our home land to as
sist US in trying to alleviate at least a
portion of this misery.
Therefore, We shall be glad to re-
ceiVe contributions of money and corn
We earnestly beg the merchants and
others. ON the Pacific coast to contrib
ute a steamerlOad of corn; the natives
of Shan Tung, unlike those down south,
subsist upon corn, and We believe that
If the grainmen of the west will ship
to the United States consul at Che Foo
direct from the Pacific slope a steamer
loaded with corn, it will be the means
of not only saving thousands of lives,
but of opening a market of from 25,-
coo, eco to 80, 100000 consumers later on
as under normal conditions American
corn can easily compete with native,
and if this corn be sent, We guarantee
that it will be distributed under the
direct and personal supervision of the
Americans now residing in or near the
submerged districts. We ask for money
to be sent to the United States consul
here. with which food and clothing and
stock can be bought for the sufferers,
and we can guarantee q. strict ac-
counting for every dollar received. Shan
TUng is peculiarly interesting to Amer
lean merchants as the best market for
their products in all China; to the mis-
sionaries, because there are five de-
nominations represented, comprising
11S adults, scattered all over this vast
province, and to whom we look to as
sist US in distributing such relief as we
may receive. Probably in no other place
in the world. and probably not in this
generation, has there been so much suf-
fering as is now being endured in Shan
Tung. The natives are doing all in their
power; one firm in Che Foo has contrib
uted the equivalent of $4,000 in cash
and 10, 900 bags of corn, and all classes
are contributing, but let US not forget
there are two million starving