The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-05-08

|
Ernest q. BickneI, national director
OF the Anerican Red Cross, arrived In
Birmingham yesterday afternoon at $50
from Chicago Immediately upon his
arrival a meeting of a committee was
called by Mr.. Nelson. consisting of Il.
| H. Cabaniss, John L. Kaul, Leo X.
Steiner, Maurice Willows, Erskine Ram
saw and ]. B. Babb to confer with Mr..
Bicknell as to the best way to relieve
the sufferers from the Palos disaster
| The above call was a result of the
meeting and those at the conference are
very anxious to have a large attendance
| tomorrow.
| At the mass meeting a committee Will
be appointed to raise money for the suf-
ferers. There will be a general com
mittee with subcommittee working I'M
der them Birmingham will be thorough
ly canvassed.
Maurice Willows, who returned from
Palos yesterday, spoke to the committee,
| outlining the conditions at Palos and urg-
| ing that immediate action be taken in
|
| en- and children.
Mr.. Bicknel stopped off for an hour
| Yesterday afternoon at Palos. but left
immediately for Birmingham to meet the
| committee at the Hotel Hillman.
II will go out to Palos tomorrow
| said Mr.. Bicknell last night, land will
| take charge of the Red Cross opera
tions there L was in Palos for an hour
this afternoon and upon my return to-
morrow will be able to take full control
| of the operations. I talked with the
officers of the company and with some
| OF the men this afternoon The condh-
tions at Palos are pitiable. They move
| anyone.
From my knowledge of conditions,
would say emphatically that everything
has been done at the mines that could
| nc ssibly be done. The officers or the
| company have been heroic in their work
and great praise is due them for their
courage and devotion to the interests
OF their employees.
1.-THE people of Birmingham have re-
sponded nobly to the call for aid ana
the loyalty of the people on the scene
| is inspiring. The local men at Palos
have been making superhuman efforts In
| the rescue work.
"The Red Cross Is prepared, IL 1t is
desired, to continue to have charge of
the work at the mines. If necessary we
will have man who will live at faios
until 1t is through. The work of the
Red Cross will come in large meas
ure after the people have recovered from
| their stupor. At present they are stunned
and numbed by the magnitude of the
disaster and until the last body Is re-
moved from the mine they Will remain
| az Palos and not attempt to make any
plans for the future 1t Is the office of
the Red Cross to get suffering ones To-
| Gated with friends and relatives In ad-
| Joining counties and states.
Hope dies hard with mining people
Until they see the body they still be-
lieye that their man was spared and
will, come out alive. 1t is not, until after
the excitement has died away that the
strain upon the women and children Will
come. 1t will be when they begin to
pick I'D the broken threads of life that
the full realization Of their loss will come
to them Tt is the purpose of the Red
Cross to aid them at that time.
1.-THE Red Cross deals with each fam
ily individually. We have found through
long experience that the distribution Of
sum Of money per capita is not salts
factory Some of the people have friends
who will take them in and care for
them. We will enter into correspondence
with their relatives and will locate each
family. In anticipation of this. wired
J. C. Logan, secretary of the Atlanta
Associated Charities, to come to Birmins-
ham and aid me in this work He ar
rived in the city this morning and has
prepared a list Of questions that will
give us the desired information. He will
go to Palos on the early morning train.
milne disasters are attended by Pc
cu,iar horror that does not accompany
any other class of accidents. When the
explosion occurs on the surface the peo-
ple can see exactly what has happened.
hut when the accident is in the bowels
of the earth there Is no way OF telling
what has happened or who has been
killed. SO the people hope on against
hope.
.'In many respects this disaster re-
semDleS tnaL At OncrTy, ILL.,, puI Iheho 10
one thing that is in favor of the rescuers
here There is no fire to contend with.
At Cherry 1t was necessary to seal the
mine up for three months before the
fire could be gotten under control. At
the time that I was In Paios the fire
In the mine had been extinguished and
rescue work resumed. After a week
there we're 20 men found alive in the
Cherry mine, but l do not think 1t Is
nossible at Palos. Yet one can never
tell what will happen.
II want especially to impress that the
Red Cross is not exclusive. 1t asks, nay
bess, the aid of the people and we will
have use for all the men that will volun-
teer. 1t will take not only money to
relieve the situation, but much patient,
personal work. Money is but a part, and
a small one in affairs of this kind. The
real help is to aid the people in deciding
what to do when they have recovered in
a measure from the force of the blow.
II will be in Palos several days but
will return to Birmingham before go
north. II desired 1 will order represent
tative Of the Red Cross to go to Palos
and remain until work IL completed. 1t
remains with the people whether the Red
Cross shall continue in charge or whether
the work shall be turned over to local