The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1909-01-01
Supplies on American VarshipS
VIII Probably Be Used
to Aid Sufferers
CONGRESS WILL DECIDE
The MATTER ON MONDAY
Humanitarian Purpose May Be Accom-
plished BY the American Fleet BY
Going to Messina to Rem
der Aid.

Washington, December 31.-The great
American battleship fleet built for pur-
poses of destruction may after all have
to go down in history as one of the
greatest humanitarian agencies in mod
ern times. Not content with the outpour
ings of private charities It is believed the
American government will direct the great
fleet away from its own maritime prog
ress toward home to the stricken citv of
Messlna and the other Italian ports where
devastation beyond the unaided efforts
of the Italian people themselves to re-
pair has been wrought by earthquake and
tidal wave
The matter of dispatching the fleet on
TINS mission of mercy is now under con-
! sideration and a speedy decision in favor
OF such employment is expected
Inc 10 Warships are now making their
way through the Red Sea and will arrive
at Port Said on the eastern entrance Of
the suez canal by Sunday. Here the
3, ships will get orders by cable If, indeed.
they have not previously been in touch
with the cable station at Port Said bv
/ wireless.
Location of Fleet.
| memorandum showing the location
and proposed disposition of the Atlantic
Meet is now before the state department
! for use when the decision is announced
| to offer the Italian government the as
| sistance of these vessels and their crews
IN caring foi he sick and wounded For
the time being the matter has not Vet
been taken up with the Italian govern
ment.
Inc navy department has asked the
commanding officer of the Culgoa as to
the condition of his stores, but after
| careful examination the officials are in
clIned to think there are no more aboard
.ian are necessary to supply the larders
of the 16 battleships
Congress will be again in sassion ~,
Monday and if there should exist any
doubt at the state and navy departments
as TO their authority to utilize anv of
the stores on board the battleships or
the supply vessels for relief purposes this
can be at once cleared up by Joint res
oiution, directing such use. 1t is not for
a moment doubted by officials that prompt
consent will be given to the Immediate
! passage of such measure
Gratitude of Ambassador.
Baron Des Planches. the Italian am.
! bassador, called on Secretary Root and
assistant Secretary Bacon today and ex-
pressed the gratitude of his government
and people over the sympathy of the
! United States with Italy in her misfor-
! tune.
The Scorpion. which is ordered tn ren-
der all service possible, will be partic,-
| larly valuable perhaps to the American
! diplomatic and consular officers who NAV
1eel the necessity of using her in going
from place to place in the stricken dis
! trict and in assisting any American tour
ISIS VINO may have been injured or have
lost everything from the earthquake.
Aside from this it is also desirable that
the American flag should be represented
in Italian waters during these times
active work on the part of the Amer
leah RED cross characterized the day
Approximately 100000 already has
been made available by it from pre-
Vlous FUNDS or has been promised. much
OF which already has been cabled to
the American embassy at Rome to ha
turned over to the Italian Red Cross
society. That society the Italian en-
passy as Washington reports, is the
! organization through which all relier
J for earthquake sufferers will he ad-
ministered. The governors of Illinois
mississippi, New York, Virginia and
view hampshire have issued appeals for
| contributions. President Roosevelt will
! personally subscribe $500 toward tba
| relief fund
| Aid Accepted
Because of the immensity of the dis
~S'S'i tHe itdllhH government will
gratefully accept aid from foreipn
countries for the sufferers Mr. Cris
| com. the American ambassador a+
Rome, made this communication TO tba
state department today. having re-
celNed lnforma tion TO that effect from
| the Italian foreign office. whose or
nelals thlnk that the estimate of the
exaggerated
Mr. Griscom is going to Messna. He
Will leave Rome tomorrow and will
place his vice consul at Milan tempor-
arlly in charge of the consulate at
Messna and secure a formal recoeni-
ton for him from the Italian govern
ment He also will take with him M
interpreter OF the embassy at Rome
and one of the staff of the consulate al
Naples; also Winthrop Chandler, a pri-
vate citizen, to do special work search
ing for and relieving American citi-
zens. He says in his dispatch he will
be glad TO have few thousand dollars
IN case it is necessary for relieving
Americans.
Americans Dead.
Mr.. Griscom's dispatch says that a
local newspaper has a telegram this
morning from Messina which says that
Stuart *. Lupton. the American vice
consul there, is dead. as well as Con-
sui Arthur S. Cheney and his family
whose deaths have been heretofore re-
ported.
Some doubt is expressed at the ds-
partment as to the correctness of this
report, because only recently a dis
patch presumed to have been sent bv
Lupton came to the department from
Messina via Malta.
The newspaper dispatch also reports
the death of Vice Consul Pierce and
family. This presumably refers to the
predecessor of Mr.. Lupton who had
been relieved by the latter very re-
Gently Mr.. Pierce. or Peirce, as his
name is spelled in the state adepart-
ment register, was an Italian by birth
and appointment.
Mrs. Donald Mclean. president of the
Daughters of the American Revolution.
today issued a call to the members OF
that organization throughout the coun- 4
try to contribute to the fund for til =
Italian earthquake suffers through
National Rad Cross aocioty.