The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1907-03-29


1898. The flour and bean shops OF tho
city have been closed. There are no
foodstuffs available. All are depend.
ent on charity.
In large camp at Antung the desti.
tute peasants ara also facing death,
Tho Chinese officials acknowledge
their helplessness, and say that the
only feasible course is to let one hall
the people die and endeavor to obtain
seed and scanty food for those who re,
main.
In Suchien, 20 per cent of the peo.
pie have been living on cruel for
weeks. Al: the cattle have been sold
and the donkeys, sheep, hogs, and
even the dogs have been eaten.
Pitiful Scenes in Refugees Camps,
In these camps the starving people
find shelter in tlimsy huts of matted
grass and strip the bark from trees,
devouring them ravenously to allay
the pangs of their hunger. In the bet.
ter camps the people are fortunate
if they receive 4 scanty tea cup Of
rice day.
This is usually supplied at the
kitchens established by the relief com.
mittees. Some of the most pitlful
scenes in the camps are enacted al
the crowds Of refugees, emaciated, dis,
eased, and in rags, besiege the kitch.
ems for the dole of food which means
their lives.
J. L. Rogers, American consul OF
the district, who is acting as the spel
cia] Red Cross representative among
the famine sufferers, visited refugee
camps at Chinkiang and Marking re.
Gently He was told that these were
infinitely better than the other camps
along the canal, yet he found the
Wretchedness, misery. and appalling
horror of the sight almost indescrib.
| able
There is no attempt at sanitation,
he says. The mat huts are crowded
| together, and each contains many
men, women, and children, who ara
| clothed in rags and are disheveled
beyond description. To make matters
worse, smallpox and other diseases
have appeared among them
Widespread Measures for Relief.
| The famine will continue for f1va
more months, or until the crop Of
spring wheat is harvested. Each sun
| ferer needs little yet in the aggregate
the requirements for their relief are
formidable. 1t is said that ten cents
day will save family, and 800 will
relieve small community. Assume
ing that the total number of destitute
is 100000, the relief fund must ba
$4,000 a day for five months, or at
least $3,000,000. The relief thus far
has been trifling in comparison with
| the need.
In all parts of America purse
strings have been loosened by men,
| women and even little children to
| save their kind from the pangs OF
| hunger and death. The contributions
range from five cents to $1,000 OF
more. Nearly every State is repre-.
| scented.
Fund for Sufferers.
A fund. started by contributions OF
800 each from President Roosevelt
| and Secretary Root, is being raised
| by the Christian Herald of this city.
From this fund 5000 has been sent
to China through the state depart.
ment at Washington. The newspaper
has promised to raise $4,000 4 month
additional for February, March, April
and May
The Red Cross Society has raised
about 100000. OF this $4,000 has
been sent to China Several weeks
ago 300 tons of foodstuffs were ship
ped from America to the canine dis
tricts. The California Red Cross 20
ciety was also instrumental in send
ing $500 bushels Of seed wheat from
San Francisco two weeks ago on the
Siberia, free transportation having
been offered by the Pacific Mail
Steamship company. Five thousand
bushels of seed wheat hav% been
given to the Red Cross at Portland,
Ore, and it is being gathered at Seat
tie for shipment.
There are two relief committees in
China. One is composed of Chinese.
| Europeans and Americans, at Shang.
hal. The other comprises missionar'
| les exclusively. They are sending
food into the districts where thu
| greatest suffering prevails, but have
been unable to do more than relieve
the starving peasants that are neat
at hand, owing to the lack Of funds
AS early as possible in the famine
! the American Missionary society load
ed $500 bags of millet and rice on
boats and sent them up to the great
| canal to the starving peasants An.
other consignment of 10000 bags fol
| lowed soon after. Thus far fully 49,.
500 more bags Of grain have been dis.
tributed, making 10000 in all.
| The Chinese officials realize thai
| the crisis is at hand, and have taken
extraordinary measures to aid their
starving fellows Taxes in the affect.
| ed provinces have been abated. Many
officials have had their salaries redues
| ed, the saving being devoted to re-
lief. The minis are running overtime
| to coin cash. The acute sufferers In
some of the districts are receiving
three cash "a sixth OF a cent? 4 day
for month. 1t is also proposed to re-
open old canals and rebuild old roads,
and thus afford the starving an oppor.
tunity to earn living.
They landed in boat which was