Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1906-04-22
CONDITIONS IN PARK CAMPS
Every Sufferer Provided with Food and
Many with Tents.
SANITATION REQUIRES ATTENTIoNAToN
Insufficient Drainage May Result
in sickness that VIII Cause
Loss of Hundreds of
Lives.

SAN FRANCISCO. April 2i-Among the
homeless hundreds now being sheltered at
Jefferson square conditions are as admirable
as they could be under the awful circnm-
stances. The relief committee has supplied
every sufferer with food, blankets have
been supplied and many tents are in place.
An effort probably will be made by the
military and civil authorities to secure
some kind Of an accurate list of the dead
i'm the neighborhood. SO far they have been
greatly handicapped through their inability
to get reliable people to engage In the
work.
Among the homeless in the square are
many little ones. Last night there was a
shortage in the milk supply, but this condi-
ton was relieved at an early hour this
morning by the arrival Of many cans Of
the precious fluid.
Early this morning there was great ex-
element among the refugees over the re-
ported shooting Of a looter in the square.
Certainly shot was fired, but by whom
and at what point neither military nor civil
authorities doing police duty in the neigh
borhood have been able to ascertain. 1t
is known, however, that no one was shot
by either soldiers or police at jefferson
square during the night.
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 engineer corps Of
the army and no time will be lost in look
/ ing 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 before
noon today. when a little army of refugees,
carrying all they had in the world upon
! their backs, made their way through the
! debris and wreckage to the ferry building.
Here those who we're out of funds were
given transportation across the bay.
In Golden Gate Park.
| AT Golden Gate park, where there are
camped probably the greatest number of
refugees. conditions today are improved.
No estimate of the number of people in
the park can be made at this time, but
some sort of a canvass is being made by
| the military authorities to ascertain the
| approximate number of people, as well as
! to relieve all the individual cases of suffer
ing and to improve the sanitary conditions
The food situation is not serious There
! was plenty of food of the simplest sort
of course, provided for everyone in the
bread line
Major f. II. Keesling of the First bat
TALON of the coast artillery, n. @. c., is
in command of the military relief measures
in the park His headquarters have beer
established at the tennis courts. Here sup
plies of sugar, coffee, bread and canned
goods are being distributed and at another
point some prepared meats were giVer
out.
Army tents, as many as It is possible
to obtain, will be set up everywhere anC
other canvas projections were made OF
blankets, rugs, carpets, bedclothing anC
every other sort of material that coulC
be used for the purpose. In some places
refugees had cleared out spaces beneath
the thick shrubbery and the semi-tropiC
plants for which Golden Gate park 1.
famous and under these found some sor
of natural protection from the chill nigh
air.
AS yet there has been very little sick
ness aside from nervous shock and physi
cal exhaustion, and from these most of tn,
people have had time to recover. The eff
forts of the military authorities today ar,
all in the direction of improving the SAM
tary condition and providing safeguard
against any possible epidemic that may re
suit from the exposed situation of so man!
people. All refuse and debris of ever!
, sort must be deposited in trenche
dug for that purpose and the park ha
been divided into various sanitary districts
. over which military officers have been givel
| command and which are patrolled by reg
ular soldiers or municipal police.
Sanitary Conditions Poor.
A visit along the north beach Of Sal
Francisco, including the Preside reserva
ton, revealed conditions which may de
velop into a serious menace to the healtl
of the city. People who have been per
mitted by good fortune TO remain within
! their homes have violated ordinary healtl
precautions, having been deprived OF waite
, for flushing purposes.
, In the Preside the military authoritie
: are using every endeavor to create health
full conditions. Large corps of men are be
ing detailed TO provide sewage systems
and disnfectants are being freely dis
tributed TO prevent the threatened epidemi
OF disease.
At the general hospital at the Presidi,
700 patients are being cared for in tn
: wards Many of these patients were re
moved to the general hospital from public
and private hospitals in various parts o
the city. Several hundred persons were at