The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-03-05
MILITARY IS RELIEVED BY
ARRIVAL OF FRESH TROOPS
Citizens Insist That They Can Care
for Sufferers, But Vardaman Takes
Prompt Action-ToWn Will
Be Rebuilt.
BY FRANK n. BELL.

Thousands or people Vlslleu llhs SeiiNhSii
city today to view the havoc played by
the cyclone of Friday evening. All day
the railroads have been pouring In hun
dreds and hundreds of people on every
train. and there are several thousand
visitors in the city.
So great were the crowds last night
many could not find place to sleep.
The Southern hotel lobby was filled with
people unable to secure beds, and fully
fifty spent the night in the lobby. Ev-
ery room in every hotel in the city was
filed, and In many instances several peo-
pie slept in one room, cots being pro-
vided.
The city presented an unusual scene
after 9 o'clock. The proclamation issued
by the Mayor, sheriff and chief of police
that the o'clock eurfew law would be
strictly enforced, resulted in keeping ev-
cry one off the streets. By that hour there
were not 100 people to be found on the
streets in the business portion of the
city, and majority of them were out of
town people roaming about seeking some
place to sleep.
At every corner in the stricken portion
of the city were to be found squads OF
soldiers gathered around the camp fires
Soldiers patroled every street. All per-
sons were stopped and asked to give an
account of themselves if their actions
we're in any manner suspicious. NO one
was allowed to approach the ruins OF
the wrecked buildings
Good Order Maintained.
BETTER order could not have been MAIN
tanned anywhere than has existed In
Meridian since the cyclone. Probably halt
a dozen drunken men have peeh seen.
The number was very limited when one
considers the great calamity and the
hundreds of strangers. The negroes nave
been unusually orderly and the better
element of negroes have gone to work
In an effort to help clear the city Oh
the debris.
The soldiers have handled the situa-
+ion with great skill While there have
been no attempts at disorder of any
kind. this condition is probably due TO
the firm stand taken by the o1llcers III
charge 1t has been generally understood
that any attempt to start trouble Would
be severely dealt with and everyone
seems to thoroughly understand lhe CON
dltions.
If will probably be some days before
the exact number OF dead and injured
can be obtained. The relief committee is
making a systematic effort TO reach eV-
cry one that was injured or who needs AID
of any kind and through this means the
LIST of injured is being secured. Physicians
of Meridian are giving their aid wher-
ever necessary free of charge, and even
the injured negroes are being visited two
or three times daily.
Relief Committee Working.
The relief committee has been divided
into several subcommittee and each of
these has a certain portion of the strick-
en- district under its jurisdiction. Food
and other supplies are being given those
in actual need.
The greatest need in the city now seems
To be dwellings for those whose homes
were blown away. AS far as possible they
are being supplied. At a conservative
estimate there were over 700 homes blown
down, and they were exclusively among
the laboring classes and negroes.
Governor Vardaman has acted quickly
and wisely AS soon as the true condi-
tions were learned he ordered military
companies from other cities to relieve
the local companies. Some of the relief
companies arrived yesterday morning and
others last night. The relief was well
come, for some of the members of the
local organizations had been on duty for
twenty-four hours before they were able
to secure rest.
ed after tomorrow or Tuesday as there
Is every indication that no attempts to
loot will be made. even by the negroes.
People Need Sleep.
Many Meridian people slept last night
and today for the first time since the
cyclone. Friday night everyone was at
the scene of the storm aiding in rescuing
the people under the debris and getting
out the bodies. Yesterday every one was
a. work trying to straighten out their
places of business if they were not ruin
ed, and in extending aid to their friends
in trouble so last night everyone was
willing to turn in early and get the
much needed rest.
The citizens of Meridian still protest
that they do not need outside aid Gov
ernor vardaman thinks differently and
saws that from what he can see 100000
would not be too much to send the city.
The citizens have raised over $4,000 and
subscriptions for that much more have
been volunteered from other portions or
the state. The governor said last night
that If necessary he would come to Meri-
dian receive funds from out Of the city
and distribute them as he thought best.
Through his foresight and energy, the
legislature appropriated 5000 to the suf-
fering city in less than five minutes Sat
urday morning. and forty members of
that body spent several hours in the city
yesterday seeing for themselves what was
needed.
The stricken district will be built up
at once. The announcement has been
made by number of the owners of build
ings which were destroyed that they
would rebuild. The sentiment in regard
TO the future is well expressed in the
following editorial. which appeared in
the Sunday morning edition of the Mer-
dian Evening Star yesterday:
Look to the Future.
1--WE have suffered a property loss.
counting firms and individuals. of perhaps
q million dollars. but such loss as that
II no bar to our growth. Many cities
have sustained losses ten fold greater and