The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-04-29
LACK OF SYSTEM
IN SAN FRANCISCO
Relief Work Much Hampered
by Unnecessary Delays Due
to imperfect Method.
DR.. CRITCHLOW'S CRITICISM
TELLS OF EXPERIENCES IN DE-
LIVERING SUPPLIES.

DR.. John F. CritchlOw arrived in
Salt Lake from San Francisco yester-
day after a strenuous experience of
several days spent in organizing a hos
pitaI near the Presidio and in deliver
ing the carload of medical supplies sent
to the sufferers in his charge. DR..
Critchlow left ogden a week ago last
evening over the Hartman special, ar
irving in Oakland Sunday afternoon.
He would have remained in San Fran
cisco several days longer but for the
fact that he was called home by the
illness of his infant son.
THE difficulty about the receipt and
distribution of supplies said DR..
CritchIow, ''is lack of system. There
should be a great central station in
charge of an officer, who would make
it his personal business to know what
is needed in the sub-statiOns and see
that they get it. Many carloads of
supplies will undoubtedly be wasted
and spoiled because of this lack of
system. There is no sense, for exam
pie, in rushing blankets from the Oak
land mole over to the city and allow
ing a carload of eggs, standing on the
same Sidetrack, to rot. There is no
system in issuing canned goods, which
are not perishable, and allowing sand
wiches to go to waste"
roubie to Deliver supplies
1t was learned that Dr. CritchIow ex-
perienced no little difficulty in dis
tributing his car of medical supplies.
He had been instructed to report to a
Mr. Grant, chairman of the Massachu-
sets relief committee. Mr.. Grant. it
was said, or one of his representatives,
would be at the Sixteenth Street sta
ton in Oakland awaiting the Salt LAX
er and prepared to take over the sup
,1f 1Srf,-
Grant nor anybody for him was at the
station. Concluding that if the sup
plies were needed at all they were
needed at once, l.. CritchlOw under
took to forward them to San Francisco
at once.
He had the car sent out to the end
of the Oakland mole. There, after
much persuasion, he chartered a tug
to take the supplies over to Fort Ma
SON. It was close to midnight before
the start was made. and on arrival
at Fort Mason DR.. CritchlOw found no.
body that was authorized to accept the
supplies. He was told to take them
to the PresidiO. To the Presidio he
steamed, arriving at the dock at
o'clock in the morning. There DR..
Critchlow found that everybody in au-
thority had gone to bed, utterly worn
out, so he found an automobile and
made a tour of inspection on his own
account
Sick Persons in the Storm.
Conditions were even worse than he
had anticipated. BY this time
drenching rain had set in. Sick and
well were out in the storm. The more
fortunate ones had a bit of shelter tent
The others were fully exposed. There
was no prospect of delivering the sup
plies before morning, SO DR.. Critchlow
returned to the tug and tried to sleep.
He, too, was wet to the skin and thor
Oughly chilled, so sleep was out of the
question. Early the same morning
Monday, he found Colonel Brechemin
chief distributor of medical supplies
To the colonel he reported his mis-
sion.
Colonel Brechemin was not certain
that any medical supplies were needed.
He asked Dr. CritchlOW to enumerate
the articles he had brought. AS the
doctor ran through the list Colonel
Brechemin interrupted at nearly every
item with. Good, we're out of that, -
Just what we needed" I'm glad you
brought that" So the supplies were
finally unIOaded at the general supply
station and, armed with a card from
General Funston, DR.. Critchlow re-
ported to Brigadier General Girard,
formerly surgeon, with the rank of ma
jor, at Fort Douglas.
Red Tape Conditions.
1nlnBS were III d CndOllC COIlulLlOH-
The medical department was run on
the old red tape lines acquisitions
that had been sent in three days ear
lier had not been hOnored, notwith-
standing the pressing need for imme-
date action. A school building at I'LL
Page street had been impressed for
use as a hospital, but there was no
hospital equipment in it nor patients.
Some doctors and nurses were there,
but they seemed TO have nothing to
do.
1t would be hard to imagine more
eXaSperating conditions. Men, women
and children were suffering, perhaps
dying within easy reach of the hospi-
tai, suffering and dying because they
could not get the attention a properly
organized hospital could give them. 1t
was up to DR.. Critchlow to organize
the hospital and, acting under author
ity from General Girard. he proceeded
to do it. By dint of constant pound
ing supplies were procured, a detail of
nurses and assistant physicians gotten
into shape and by the time DR.. Critch-
low was called home the hospital was
running along in very good order.
DR. CritChlOW last night expressed a
doubt as to the rebuilding of San Fran
cisco. He said the severe earthquake
shock Of last Wednesday, a shock in
which one woman was killed, had dis
turbed the faith of even the most ar
dent believers in the future of the city
The Bismarck
No go West Second South street is the