Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-10-25
GAL ESTON'S NEEDS
Clara Barton Describes Conditions. in
the Stricken City.
HOMES WANTED FOR THE DESTITUTE
Appeal to Lumbermen and House.
furnishers.
DISTRESS ON THE MAINLAND

The Washington office of the National
Red Cross Society has received from Miss
Clara Barton, president of the national So
ciety, who is now at Galveston, an interest
ing letter, in which she refers to the desti-
tute people on the mainland. She says:
1.-THE governor made his apportionment
for the mainland and two counties nearest
Galveston, 100000, to be distributed by
Mr.. Talliaferro. This gentleman came yes
terday to tell me that he had placed the
entire sum in the hands of committeeman
who were distributing it. He thought 1t
would provide for the people for the next
two or three weeks. His own work vas
finished, he said, and the remainder, after
the distribution of the governors fund.
would fall under our care.
There are at least six destitute counties,
some of which have received very little
indeed. With these prospects it seemed
necessary for us to learn definitely the
condition of the people of these counties.
| The heavy supplies shipped here come ad-
| vertently, or inadvertently, addressed to
Galveston merely. Thus Galveston has no
legal right to distribute them on any other
territory. This leaves the mainland help
less, so far as they are concerned. I de-
| cided to send at once one of our men as an
agent to go among these people, visit them
and learn their needs and select some good,
| true, capable man from each needy village
or community to act for them. This man
must be sent to us, with full instructions,
a complete list of these needs, and remain
| for the filling of the order, taking the ship
ment back with him TO his people Under
this method there could be neither delay,
fraud nor politics. Some of these villages
have seven or eight hundred families.
obtained transportation for our agent, and
ne Will leave tomorrow
Galveston's Needs.
| Miss Barton has written the following
description of conditions at Galveston to
show that that stricken city still needs
help:
although six seven thousand lives
went out, there are yet many living, for
Galveston had a population of $4,000 OF
these, 5000 have not yet either house, home
or shelter of any kind, only as they are
huddled into the poor broken wrecks of the
houses of other people which did not quite
| go down; and there they are staying,
crowded like cattle in pen, under a shell
ter barely not condemned.
These people have nothing in the world
! left, for when the house went it took the
last thing they possessed; and through a
terrible day of storm and a night of black
horror they floated and swan and struggled
amid the storm-beaten waves, with the
broken slate roofs of all these houses hurled
| like cannon shot against them, cutting
| breaking, crushing-me citing in the waves
| obstacles of every sort, from crazed COW
hghtlng for its life to mad moccasi snake
perhaps to come out at last on some
beach miles away, among people strange
and bewildered like themselves. Some of
| them have struggled back to fEd possibly
few members of the family left, the rest
among the several thousand of whom noth
ing is known.
No Home Nor Shelter.
"These are the people of whom 1 am try
ing to tell you, who have now neither
| homes shelter nj hoy
session-not a dollar, only the food and
clothing that people have sent by carloads
ana shiplCads, and which we are distribut-
ing For them l have put out an appeal
to the lumbermen and hardware merchants
of the United States, a copy of which l
will send you, to kindly send some mate
rails of which houses can be made. They
cannot build of spinters: but suitable ma
terials needed for little rough, tempo
rary homes, where these people can be shell
tered from the winter, now scarcely a
month away.
They have no warm clothing, bedding,
blankets; for of all the clothing that has
been sent the kind donors felt it must be
for hot weather. There is plenty of this
summer clothing, but nothing to protect
| against the blasts of the north that comes
from time to time-quick and sharp. even
to freezing. OF the houses for which l
ask the material not one is yet finished.
"A few are in course of construction: some
little huts are going up. out of broken
boards; but when you reflect that there
was not one unchanged house left in Gal
weston, scarcely a roof or chimney left
and more than half that remain partly up
right under condemnation until repaired
or torn down you will understand that there
is something to do even to get ready to
put up the new houses, We're there some
thing to make them of.
No One without Food.
please understand that there is no one
| here wanting food, no one without clothing
such it is. and children uncared for
| There are few orphans to trouble over. for
where the storm was great enough to take
the father and mother what rejecting per-
son suDposes that the children would be
| left? The weakest always go first in these
! great disasters. We caring for every
orphan here; but the homeless, houseless
unprotected eight on ten thousand people
must be done something with, some homes
must be made for them, some furnishings
must be given them and they must be
placed in condition to earn their living as
they did before.
True, nearly all have lost a part of their
family, but that does not make the burden
| easier for them to bear.
Il have made as plain an estimate as
| possible of what is needed for the con-
struction of these homes, and am sending
! it over the entire United States, to all lum-
| bermen, hardwaremen, furniture men, and
| other persons whose Imagination can pict-
ure what might be needed in a little new
| pine house, where not even the smallest
| implement of living exists.
| Help Still Needed.
II have stated over and over, as to you
the amount of money that has been received
by the committees of Galveston, showing
what they have to do this work with. If
still the report goes out that too much has
| already been sent, and that nothing more
| is needed. and that it is too late for those
| even desiring to do 50 to send more help,
can only say to you that the people who
| make these statements not here, and
! cannot put their fingers in the wound; but
| If you Ssn believe me- your countrywoman
| / am helA and my fingers are in the wound
| and 1 assure you that the side was pierced
| and the nails did go through"
| Widow and Children PensiOned.
| The District Commissioners have directed
| that Mrs. Ella F. Heare, widow of
! Policeman NJ. G. Heare, be placed on the