The Detroit times., 1908-10-26
FIRE SUFFERERS IN
MICHIGAN WOODS
NUMBER z 1880
CHARLES q. SAWYER. BACK FROM
DEVASTATED DISTRICT, MAKES
DETAILED REPORT ON WORK
or RELIEF.

Secretary Charles b. Sawyer, OF the
citizens FIRE relief committee. sub
mitted. in Mondays meeting, u detail
ed report on his recent trip to the
fire-swept section OF the state. The
report In part follows:
"As nearly as can be estimated, 200
families In Pressure Isle county. pos
stbly a few more. and 125 families in
Alpena county, are either entirely
destitute or nearly SO. The relief
work at Metz and Posen | inspected
personally, and 1t seems to me that
IL Is being well handled, all things
considered. Ii must be borne In mind
| that at Metz there Is nothing which
can be used as a warehouse, and that
the supplies have to be opened. sorted
and distributed in freight cars. As
compared with the city OF Alpena,
where hundreds OF willing women sort
the clothing. separating the perfect
and clean wearing apparel from the
filthy and imperfect and kurning the
latter over to the Salvation Army tor
washing and mending, after which IL
Is distributed. the difficulties under
which those at Metz and Posen labor
Will be at once apparent. The ID. Il
NJ. freight house at Posen Is being
rapidly fitted up for use as a store
house in which supplies will be sorted
and distributed.
The work In PresQue Isle county,
under the charge OF j. ID. Hawks and
his helpers. Is being prosecuted in
careful and systematic manner. I'm
doubleday the most pressing need was
to issue some rattons and some cloth
ing without delaying to elaborate a
careful system, but after the first few
days, a system has been installed
which seems TO give as perfect pro.
lection against imposture as can be
secured
The supervisors of Pressure Isle
county claim to have an absolutely ac-
curate list Of the sufferers in their
district, and this list. for reasons best
known TO themselves, they have not
as yet turned over to those actually in
charge OF the relief work
1t seemed to be taken as conserva-
tive to estimate seven to family,
and on this basis, there would Do
about 1,400 fire sufferers In Pressure
Isle county and nearly 800 i'm Alpena
county.
The usual amount of cheap talk
Is in evidence regarding this. that and
the other individual who succeeded in
tiimfamming the men in charge OF
supplies, but this talk Is chiefly eeH-
fined To clothing, and no lasting harm
is done II a man does happen to get two
coats or woman two skirts In place
OF one. The work Is pressed with In
telligence and energy by the ID. d Al.
fficials.
THE matter was left In this way
that practically all supplies, with the
possible exception Of potatoes, would
be bought in. Detroit by your purchas-
ing committee on the requisition- OF
+. b. Merrill OF Presque Isle county
and Bert Taber for Alpena county, the
latter acquisitions to bear due pro-
portion t. thed Inference in the number
account the work which the city OF
Alpena itself should do. Mr.. Rober-
son. chairman OF the relief commit
tee. explained that they had actually
collected nearly $4,000. but that the
purchases made and contracts already
entered into would consume nearly all
this fund. He further explained that
more money would be available 9de-
mand, among other contributions, one
from the Michigan Alkali Works OF
$1,000. He thought that the shelter
needs OF Alpena county could easily De
provided for with the money In hand
or in sight"
The following are the latest sub
scrlptions received by the citizens'
committee for the relief OF nre SUI
fSreIS.