The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-04-04
REFUGEES WORK FOR
 WHAT THEY JET Charity Work of An American
 Woman IN SYRACUSE, SICILY Provided for Many of the Earthquake Sufferers at Messina-Work of pr. Katharine B. Davis of
 New York.
SICILY
IN SYRACUSE,
Exclusive Service the Survey Pres
 

Bureau.)
 American organized charity methods transplanted to the earthquake district of Italy. That is what happened down in Syracuse, Sicily, where an American wom-
 an has thought out and perfected prae-
 tical scheme for making refugees work
 for what they get. It was new idea to the municipal authorities of Syracuse, but their cooperation was secured and as
 result occupations were found for hun
 dreds of destitute sufferers. Dr. Katha-
 rine B. Davis, superintendent of the State Reformatory for Women, at Bedford, N Y. was the only American woman near l Syracuse at the time of the disaster, and to her is the credit due for the unique
 work established. This story of what
 happened in Syracuse after the earth
 quake is taken from letters written by Dr. Davis to friends in this country.
 A few days after the disaster. when the Russian and English warships com menced to unload their hundreds of wounded in Sicily, Dr. Davis returned from Girgenti to Syracuse, where many of the victims were landed. There were no adequate hospital accommodations, one trained nurse (an English woman who had escaped from Messina), and prac- tically no clothing for the sufferers who were barracked at Syracuse. Coupled with these handicaps were "the Sicilian ignorance, inefficiency, incapacity for con certed action and dirt"
 Dr. Davis writes that "a thousand mangled people at time is quite enough" For two days she assisted in the hospital and then the German and Italian Red Cross physicians came, leav- ing the local doctors opportunity to con- centrate their efforts outside the hospitals. Enough cannot be said of the way the Germans took hold" Dr. Davis writes. '"They brought several car loads of ma 1 terials. The chief of the expedition told | me that two hours from the time he re- 1 ceived his orders, he had his list of nec- i essities completed. In "A hours everything had been bought, packed and loaded in the train and the expedition had started It took them five days to get here. They brought folding iron cots, mattress cov- CTS, baled excelsior to stuff them, bedding, | food all surgical supplies, eight trained | nurses-everything. They came with the | same military discipline they used when they went to the Russian Japanese war, for this is the same man, one of them, who went there. They built brick ovens | for cooking and hot water. and in less | than two days everything was running | smoothly; but 1t was two weeks after | the first wounded got here and much un- i necessary suffering and loss of life had | resulted.'
 With the coming of the Red Cross pr. ! Davis left the hospital and organized r-1rTra for x1yha uif anla clothing could be made and at least a few of the refugees could be given work at a nominal wage. The municipal authori- ties were trying to meet the problem of necessary clothing with one sewing ma chine in the municipio and a few ladys maids taking work home. The ladies l themselves don't know how"
 In a short time Dr. Davis had three different sewing rooms opened and 60 women refugees at work making sheets. pillow cases, pillows and mattresses for 30 cents a day. She was appointed Amer ican Red Cross representative, was given an office in the municipio and finally per suaded the mayor to start relief work for men-road building and shoemaking--"a la American as she writes. The mayor furnished the tools and the oversight and the Red Cross paid the wages. Tn short" pr. Davis says, '1 am organizing all 1 can in the good charity organization so- ciety plan of making the people work for what they get. The authorities are very amenable and l think it would not be difficult proposition to become 'ty- rant of Syracuse again The people are not so different now from what they were in the old days"
 The relief work was started Ion too generous a scale and now they are afraid to stop; for example, when the refugees first came naturally all the town hotels filled up with the better class of refugees. That was all right, of course; but then the hotel keepers went to the authorities and asked them to be responsible for their board They agreed, and up to now have been paying s1.60 (eight lira) per day - person. In the Grand hotel there was one family of II persons all told. Friday and yesterday there had been big howl The mayor decided he would pay only three lira per person. The hotel keepers came down to five Ira. The mayor stands firm. How it will turn out I do not know"
 In addition to establishing worhrooms for women and co-ope<ating with the mayor in starting work for men. Dr. Davis turned the pension near the old hotel, in which she was living, into d convaescent hospital. Among the wound ed were many who were not seriously hurt who were able to leave the hospitals shortly after the disaster. They were persons accustomed to good living Who had lost their families and their homes. It is for these people that the conyales- cent home was established.
 It Is connected with the hotel and will accommodate 30 people. Although at this time of year the pension is usually as fuii ax the hotel, few are going to Sicily at present. Dr. Davis says. Among the first guests are two girls of IS and 20 and their 14-year-old brother The boy was in the foutrh story and fell to the bottom without a scratch. He dug out his two sisters and they stayed under some boards for three days, until they were found by one of the Russian naval squad. Then there is an old lady, left entirely alone in the world and not badly hurt, and a mother and two daughters, and the lead ing art merchant of Messna. This will be the American Red Cross Home for Convalescents or others needing 8 place to stay few days or weeks"
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