Los Angeles herald., 1906-04-22
CONDITIONS IN
PARKS IMPROVED
HOMELESS THOUSANDS ARE
SUFFERING LITTLE
Fresh Supply Of Milk Brings Joy to
Women and Children Who Are
camped in Golden Gate
Park
Ar As-nclate ted Press.

Bv Associated Press-
SAN FRANCISCO, April 21.-Among
the homeless hundreds now being shell
tered at jefferson square conditions are
as admirable as they could be under the
awful circumstances.
The relief committee has supplied
every sufferer with food, blankets have
been supplied and many tents are In
place.
An effort has been made by the mill
tary and civil authorities to provide
some kind of an accurate list of the
dead in the neighborhood.
So far they have been greatly handi-
capped in their work through their in
ability to get reliable people to engage
in the work.
Milk Supply Arrives
Among the homeless in the square
are many little ones. Last night there
was a shortage in the milk supply, but
this condition was relieved at an early
hour this morning by the arrival of
many cans of the precious fluid.
Early this morning there was great
excitement among the refugees over the
reported shooting of looter in the
square. Certainly a shot was fired,
but by whom and at what point neither
military or civil authorities doing police
duty in the neighborhood have been
able to ascertain.
1t is known, however, that no one
was shot by either soldier or police at
jefferson square during the night.
Condition Demands Attention
The sanitary condition of the camp in
the square is a matter that must be
given immediate attention if the health
of the homeless is to be preserved.
This matter is in the hands of the en-
gineering corps of the army and no time
will be lost in looking to the sanitation
of the whole city, but meanwhile there
is great fear that sickness will wipe out
the lives of many unfortunates who
have been saved from earthquake and
fire.
There was some relief of the crowded
condition of the camp in the square be-
fore noon today when little army of
refugees, carrying all they had in the
world upon their backs, made their way
through debris and wreckage to the
ferry building. Here those who were
out of funds were given transportation
across the bay.
Conditions Are Improving
In Golden Gate park where there are
camped probably the greatest number
of refugees, conditions today are i'm
proved. No estimate of the number of
time, but some sort of a canvass is be-
ing made by the military authorities to
ascertain the approximate number of
people as we'll as to relieve all the in
dividual cases of suffering and to i'm
prove the sanitary conditions.
The food situation is not serious.
There was plenty of food of the sim
plest sort, of course, provided for every
one at the different bread lines this
morning and more will be dealt out this
afternoon
Headquarters at Tennis Courts
Major F. H. Keesling of the First bat
talon of the coast artillery of the N. G.
G. is in command of relief measures in
the park.
His headquarters have been estab-
flished at the tennis courts. Here sup
plies of sugar, coffee, bread and canned
goods are being distributed and at an
other point some prepared meats were
given out.
Army tents, as many as could be OBJ
tanned, were set UP everywhere and
other canvas projections were made of
blankets, rugs, carpets, bedclothing and
every other sort of material that could
be used for the purpose
In some places refugees had cleared
out spaces beneath the thick shrubbery
and the semi-tropical plants, for which
Golden Gate park is famous and under
these found some sort of natural pro-
lection from the chill night air.
Very Little Sickness
AS yet there has been very little sick
ness aside from nervous shock and
physical exhaustion and from these
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