Los Angeles herald., 1906-07-06
QUEER LOT OF
RELIEF GOODS
Gifts Range From Opera HATS and
Cioaks to Dog Collars and
Diamonds.

Correspondence New York Evening Post
An overhauling Of the gifts of the
charitable to the stricken people Of
san Francisco that has Just been made
In the Durant school demonstrates
tnat sudden impulses Of generosity are
otten hysterical In some cases II
would seem that these impulses had
caused almost temporary insanity.
especially I'm the case of the voure
woman of Peoria, ILL.,. who sent the
| refugees an ermne-trimmed opera
Cloak IN which she left a diamond SIM
! burst. sun
Many of the boxes that have recentIv
been opened show that the senders were
elther folk who did not stop to reason.
! or that they delegated the sending of
Ine Sltts to ignorant. If not half
! Wltted, servants. More crush opera
hats than viii be worn i'm san Fran
CISCO for many months to come have
| Teen, round in the cases of gifts re-
! Gently opened. There also are several
score of evening dress suits of various
patterns. One box contained three
! varieties of evening clothing. half a
fuozen pairs of patent leather shoes.
ana three opera hats. There are
/ ''a'ipAiS tic SlllS Il IulllDef oil inverness
| coats, quantities of dress waistcoats
and dress shirts in which the studs re-
NAMED. AS these relief supplies of
clothing came by the carload and
choked the schoolhouse storerooms and
warehouses where they were sent for
| distribution, there has been consider
able delay in getting at the contents
| AT first the army officers In, charge
OF the distribution of clothing opened
hat i
clothing stores and manufacturers.
There were also liberal contributions of
shoes from retail and wholesale houses.
AS these were easily handled, and
showed excellent Judgment in seec-
ton, they were disposed of first. Then
came the sorting of individual con-
tributions. These were sent in every
variety of package, some even in fine
leather grips and handbags. great
| deal of children's clothing of very fine
material was received, but has not
been, and is not likely to be- distributed
A few children of the refugees clad in
such garments would present amazing
contrasts with their neighbors'.
The same may be said of several tons
| of Women's clothing. Much of it would
be only suitable for wear either at thz
opera, a ball, or some similar enter
| tainment. Some of the gowns that
were evidently sent by wealthy women
are of Paris Importation, and have been
very little worn. There are boxes of
silk stockings of every shade in the
prism. There are even silk tights that
were undoubtedly sent by lkind-hearted,
| if light-headed, chorus girls. There
are also other bits of fnery appro-
pirate only for the stage.
In the matter of hats there is the
same magnificent disregard of the fit
ness of things. Opera hats came with
and, without opera cloaks. Millinery
creations for street wear that are fairly
Canopied with plumes were jammed in
boxes with odds and ends of eXtrava-
CANT finery. There was no stint of
lace and handsome embroidery, and
many of the Historically generous are
undoubtedly reCretting their moment
of blind impulse.
Gvers Who Made Mistakes
Many letters have come to the officers
| of the army in charge of the relief
work, calling attention to mistakes they
made personally, or errors of their
servants. who packed treasured gar
ments and pieces of finery in the boxes
| of gifts. AS there are hardly any
names of the givers on the boxes, how
ever, it is not likely that many of these
contributions will ever be returned.
| Already a vain search has been made
to locate the diamond sunburst sent
by the young woman from Peoria. A
variety of stick-pins and less valuable
articles of jewelry have been found
in these gift boxes, and they are being
stored away in case their owners might
wish to journey to San Francisco and
| reclaim them.
Many men who sent their fine raj
ment for distribution among the desti-
/ In letters and
memoranda from their pockets. In
teresting documents of this sort have
come to light in the overhauling Of
this clothing. Whenever there is an
envelope and an address, these letters