The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1909-03-15

stTuction. floors, ceilings and roofs viii
be of metal paper, wood, asbestos and
other light materials.
This offers a profitable opportunity
for the manufacturers in the United
States of construction material, build
ers' hardware and other supplies. and
the bureau of manufactures at Wash
ingtOn will furnish detailed information
upon application.
The Red Cross society, however. has
nothing to do with this. 1t is exclu-
sively a matter of the Italian govern
ment and the Public Works Corpora
tive society of Lombardy, which has
interested itself in the matter.
Use of First Funds.
The first money sent to Italy by the
Red Cross society was the sum Of $500
900. which was transmitted to the
Italian Red Cross officials Immediately
after the earthquake and was spent I'm
relief work among the wounded and
sick
The Italian branch Of the Red Cross
IS admirably equipped with hospital
ships. hospital railway trains. hospital
wagons. ambulances. field hospitals and
has q complete organization of skilled
physicians, nurses and other employees
for war purposes. 1t was able there
fore, to make good use of the funds.
which were badly needed.
Shortly after this 100000 was sent to
Mr.. GriscOm, the American ambassa-
dor at Rome, and was expended by him
in fitting out the Red Cross relief ship
Bayen. chartered for the purpose Of
carrying immediate relief. Sixty hours
after The steamer was obtained it sailed
into the harbor of Messina. under COM
mand of Commander Belknap. loaded
with doctors. nurses. medicines. sup
plies OF clothing, full equipment for
two field hospitals and food for the
starving. Commander Belknap was
furnished with ar adequate sum of
money for the employment Of labor and
to use at his discretion to relieve the
stressed.
Mr.. GriscCm has written Miss Mabel
Boardman, secretary of the Red Cross
society. that he has been fairly buried
under letters of gratitude from mayors
and other officials a. Sicily and from
private persons because of the relief
brought to- them by the Bayen.
Direction Of succor.
The American Red Cross society also
sent to Sicily Bayard Cutting, jr., vice
consul at Milan. with $4,000 cash to
use at his discretion to relieve the dis
tress of any Americans who might have
been caught by the earthquake. He
found few naturalized Italians. but no
native Americans except one family
from Maine, which claimed to have
lost everything it had and applied for
assistance to go back to their home.
Mr. Cutting was making an investiga-
ton into their circumstances, but has
not reported.
A Miss Davis, who has been superiu-
tendent of an industrial school in New
York, happened to be at Syracuse,
Sicily. as a tourist at the time of the
earthquake. She is woman of energy
and executive ability, and Immediate
ly gave her attention to relief work
Mr.. Cutting furnished her Red Cross
funds to buy large quantities Of cheap
material and she, organized the native
women into groups and set them at
work making clothing of all kinds. Miss
Davis proved capable and her work
was effective for great good.
Mr.. Cutting also supplied several
United states consular agents in Sicily
with funds to relieve extreme cases and
answer appeals that were made to them
for food. He also assisted the local au-
thorities in equipping improvised hos
pitfalls in railway stations, churches and
other buildings that survived.
Mr.. Griscom was given $4,000 to use
at his discretion. and was also author
lied to use a balance of $1,000 remain
ing from the steamer Bayen relief ex-
/ petition, making s37 900 In ALL which
was expended in furnishing food, cloth
ing, medicine and medical attendance
to the people back in the mountains
whose homes were entirely destroyed.
and who lost everything in the earth
| quake.
| Many of these families were a long
distance from the cities and other cen
tiers of relief. Until discovered in their
terrible plight they were not even
aware that anything was being done TO
suceor their neighbors.
/ Acting upon the recommendation of
the Italian government a quarter of a
million of dollars has been invested in
American securities by the treasurer of
| the Red Cross society for the main
tenance of an American Red Cross or
| phanage at some convenient ioca ton IN
Sicily for the permanent care of the