Los Angeles herald., 1907-05-01
BAND PLAYS As
BUFORD STARTS
FOR THE ORIENT
Relief Awaits Famine
Sufferers
Four Million Pounds of American
Flour Contributed by Citizens of
the United States-More
to Follow
BY Associated Press.

BY Associated Press
SAN FRANCISCO, April 9O.-Con-
voyed into the stream by the army tug
Slocum, with the Twenty-second infan-
try band playing martial airs and
crowds on the quay cheering and wav-
ing a farewell salute, the government
transport Buford sailed at o'clock to-
day from the Folsom street dock for
Chinkiang, with 100000 pounds of
American flour on board for the famine
sufferers in Northeast China, con-
tributed and collected through the eff
forts of the Christian Herald of New
York.
The transport Logan will sail May
6 for Chinkiang with 100000 pounds
additional. The entire consignment of
5000 tons was to have been carried by
the Buford but later arrangements di-
vided the lot into two cargoes.
The Buford is in command of Nav
igating officer Frank Hall and Quar-
termaster Lieutenant Charles B.
Moore. Accompanying as ship surgeon
is Captain Usher. The Buford is eX-
pected to arrive at the mouth of the
Yang-tse-kiang river about five weeks
hence, as she will lie over at Honolulu
a week.
Eight or nine days will be consumed
in ascending the Yang-tse-kiang 200
miles to Chinkiang, which is the port
nearest to the famine provinces. so
that six or seven weeks will elapse be-
fore the work of distributing flour can
be begun.
The Logan is to meet the Buford in
the Yang-tse-k -kiang and accompany her
to the point of discharge. After the
Buford has been unloaded she will pro-
ceed to Manila to bring troops to San
Francisco.
Musical Program
A program of music and addresses
was carried out on the wharf just be-
fore the sailing On a rude platform,
draped with American flags, sat Gov
ernor Gillett, the Rev. Frank Dewitt
Talmage of Los Angeles who directed
the program; General J. B. Rawles,
U. S. army, retired; James d. .Phelan,
president of the California branch of
the American National Red Cross; e.
r. Johnstone, representative of the
Christian Herald in charge of the relief
cargo; Bishop William F. Nichols of
the Episcopal church; Benjamin Ide
Wheeler, president of the University of
California; Poon Chew, editor of the
Chinese daily paper, "The Chung Sal
Vat Po;" the Rev. DR.. John Hemphill
of the Presbyterian church, and score
of others.
About 500 persons made up the au-
dience and occupied improvised seats
atop of great piles of merchandise
awaiting shipment. The Twenty-sec-
ond infantry band, drawn up in hollow
square, led the singing of hymns and
national anthems.
The program was opened with the
singing of the Doxology. DR.. Hemp
hill led in responsive reading of scrip
tural selections. The Rev. E. E. Baker
of Oakland led in prayer, pronouncing
a blessing on the Bufords cargo and
asking for divine guidance of her
trans-pacific course. my Country IT'S
of Thee was sung in chorus.
Lauds Editor kIopsch
DR.. Talmage introduced Mr.. Johns
tone, who spoke briefly and stirringly
of the relief works undertaken and car
ried to successful completion by the
Christian Herald and DR.. Louis
Klopsch, it's editor and owner. DR..
Klopsch, said Mr.. Johnstone, during
the fifteen years of his ownership and
editorship of that paper, has been di-
nearly $8,000,000 worth of food and
other material relief to the needy of
many lands
Mr. tombstone read letter from DIR.
Klopsch heartily thanking the people
of the United States for their cordial
cooperation and generous sympathy
fshown toward the starving people of
China, who are now in the grasp of the
greatest famine of modern times" and
concluding with this sentiment: "May
every one of the 100000 pounds of
-four on the Buford save a precious
life
Mr.. Johnstone read also the fol-
lowing telegram from DR.. KIopsch
"The $4,000 mentioned in my letter
has been already sent to the state de-
partment, to be cabled simultaneously
with the sailing of the Buford. Prob
ably $4,000 more will follow, aggre-
eating our cash contributions of $780,
000 which, with the value of the cargo,
makes the Christian Herald's total
$3.50, ,000 Bon voyage"
DR.. Benjamin Ide Wheeler, Bishop
Nichols. Governor Gillett and Mr.. Phe-
Ian made each a brief address, the lat
ter expressing the hope that the Bu-
ford's cargo, and the Logan's, may
stand as a solid token of the truth
that the people of the Pacific coast en-
tertain no race antagonism against the
Chinese, but that the anti-Mongollan
sentiment rife is an expression of what
appears to them to be the vital neces-
sity of preserving those trade condi-
tions presumed under a republican
form of government. The program was
concluded with prayer by the Rev. Mr..
Baker, after which the band played
"The Red, White and Blue"
An hour later the Buford sailed.