Evening star., 1909-03-02
RED CROSS IN ITALY
How Succor Was Carried to
Earthquake Sufferers.
AMERICAS GREAT FUND
Contribution of 81 800, ,626.02 Nearly
Equals Sum All Europe Gave.
$25O.000 FOR ORPHANAGE
Prompt Distribution of Food, Sup
plies and Homes to Destitute
and Shelterless.
BY WILLIAM T.. GU RTIS.

| Inc VI tlle hilc' obdlCS ho Z
| contributed $500. .626o2 to the earth
| quake sufferers of Italy. Three times as
| much as any other nation. and nearly as
! much as all Europe combined
| The appropriation of Ss00.0OO made by
! Congress has been expended; S3OO,o0O for
food supplies, which were on their way
| to the battleship fleet at the time of the
| earthquake. and were diverted to Mes
| sna. and SJO0.O9O for portable houses and
| extra lumber. tools and hardware. for
| their transportation to Sicily and for the
! employment of labor to set up the houses
/ on the scenes of destruction.
| The Red Cross Society has sent a to-
! tai of $9l6.OOO and has a balance of Ssh
G26.02 on hand. remaining from a total
| subscription of $1,000, 626O2 mp to and in
| Guiding February 10. There may be ad-
ditional sums in the hands of local treas
| urers throughout the United States to
| be reported later.
Almost All Cash.
| The Red Cross money has been sent
| to Italy in cash, with the exception of
| 100000 expended in this country for lum
| Der and portable houses and charter
| ing q steamer to transport them to Sicily.
| Between $1,000 and $1,000 was spent for
forty-nine portable houses such AS are
! used extensively in the mining regions of
| the west and down on the Canal Zone in
| Panama They can be taken apart and
| put together very easily with the simplest
| tools
| The Red Cross committee was not able
| to obtain any more of them, but bought
| JJJ frame houses. ready to be put togeth-
| er i'm short order, with doors, windows,
| floors partitions, roofs and everything
else matched and numbered. They were
/ made in the southern part of Mississippi
| of pine lumber and VIII last for several
| years.
These houses were shipped to Messina
on chartered steamer from New Orleans
| and will be erected by local labor under
! the direction of master carpenters, who
| We're sent with them, with supplies of
| tools and builders hardware.
Mr.. Bicknell national director of the
| Red Cross who did such thorough work
| in San Francisco has gone to Sicily and
| will have general command. The steamer
! carrying the Red Cross houses should ar
| rive at Messina about the middle of
| March.
United States Bought Houses.
| The government of the United States
invested 100000 of the relief appro-
priation made by Congress in $500 simi
lar houses, and extra lumber. tools.
builders hardware and other necessary
|
three chartered steamers. One steamer
! has already arrived in Sicily, the other
| two are on their way.
| Lieut. Commander Belknap. naval at
| tache at Rome was at Messina to re-
| ceive the cargo and will Superintend the
| erection of the houses The United States
government pays for putting them up
and will hire local labor under the di-
rection of the Red Cross master car
penters.
| This u,iII o,,va eupJoyuanf IN sayeraI
| thousand poor people of Sicily, who lost
| everything in the earthquake and have
not been able to earn anything since.
The government appropriation will not
| be sufficient to complete the erection of
the houses. but whatever additional is
necessary will be supplied from the sur
plus fund of the Red Cross Society.
| Houses Most Needed.
| Houses were sent in preference to
| other supplies because they were most
needed. Food could be obtained in the
neighborhood, but lumber is scarce in
Italy and expensive. 1t was the one
| thing that the relief committees were
| unable to obtain there.
| Nearly all the buildings in Sicily and
| other parts of Italy are erected of stone
brick and cement, which is much cheaper
than wood and lasts for centuries. 1t
| takes much longer to build.
MT. MlCnelSOH, AlIftTlCul CONSUL III
| Turin. has made a report to the bureau
| of manufactures concerning the plans
| of a society in that city for the recon-
struction of Messina, Reggie, Palmi and
| Bagnara. AS soon as the debris left
| by the earthquake is cleared away en-
| gineers of the department of public
| works will divide the areas formerly
| occupied by the cities into building lots
| and call for proposals from both Italian
| and foreign contractors 10 undertake
4 CT of
| Prizes are offered for a competition of
| designs, and steel and reinforced con-
| crete will be the materials used
The height of buildings will be limited
| construction, floors, ceilings and roofs
will 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, builders
hardware and other supplies, and the bu-
| reau of manufactures at Washington
will furnish detailed information upon
| application.
| The Red Cross Society. however. has
| nothing to do with this. 1t is exclusive
| ly a matter of the Italian government
| and the Public Works Cooperative So
| ciety 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 $320.
900 which was transmitted to the Italian
Red Cross officials Immediately after the
earthquake, and was spent in 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 complete organization of skilled
! physicians, nurses and other employees for
| war purposes. II was able, therefore, to
| make good use of the funds. which were
| badly needed.
| Shortly after this 100000 was sent to
| Mr. Griscom, the American ambassador
at Rome, and was expended by him in
fitting out the Red Cross relief ship
| Bayen, chartered for the purpose of car
! rying immediate relief Sixty hours after
| the steamer was obtained 1t sailed into
! the harbor of Messina under command of
Commander Belknap loaded with doc
| tors, nurses. medicines, supplies of cloth
/ ing, a full equipment for two field hos
| pitfalls and food for the starving. Com
mander Belknap was furnished with an
adequate sum of money for the employ
| ment of labor and to use at his dis
cretion to relieve the distressed.
| Mr. Griscom has written Miss Mabel
J Boardman. secretary of the Red Cross
| Society. that he has been fairly buried
under letters of gratitude from mayors
vate person because of the relief brought
| to them by the Bayen.
Direction of Succor.
The American Red Cross Society also
| Do, a.1 C,,%t;