The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1915-07-26
Relief Fund For Eastland Survivors Amounts to
Hundreds of Thousands of Dollars at
the First Call For Money.
EVERYONE IS ANXIOUS TO CONTRIBUTE
Western Electric Company Gives 100000 and
Red Cross Branch Has Charge of the
Distribution of Relief.

IUnited Press Leased Wire Service
CHICAGO, July 26.-Chicago opened
it's heart and its purse today for the
immediate relief Of the survivors OF
the Eastland. Three hundred thou
sand dollars was put to the disposal
OF the Chicago branch of the Red
Cross which will act as the disburs-
ing agent. City Health Commissioner
John d. Robertson is in general
charge of the relief work. Under him
are working half dozen special COM
mittees, health department nurses.
city welfare department employees and
dozens OF volunteers.
Needed funds were raised in
whirlwind campaign among Chicago
bankers, department store operators
and capitalists. Popular subscription
funds are now being made up through
appeals in the newspapers. But the
Immediate need was felt to be too
great to wait for even the great re-
sponse OF the general public. Presi-
dent Harry Thayer Of the Western
Electric company, who rushed mere
from New York, Immediately an
nounced that his company placed
100000 at the disposal of the COM
mittee. D. F. Keller, T. w. Upham
and William Wrigley telegraphed in
large subscriptions. Wrigley later an
nounced that he would raise $4,000 to-
day while coming into Chicago on
the millionaire special" from Lake
Geneva. The Peoples Gaslight and
Coke company gave $4,000, and Chi
cago newspapers personally gave sew
eral thousands Of dollars. The NOV
ing picture department of the Chicago
Tribune secured several thousand feet
of film Of the disaster and this will
be shown and all proceeds given to
the relief fund Over the long dis
tance telephone from San Francisco,
Mayor Thompson pledged $1,000 and
declared he would be In the city
Wednesday.
Ernest Bicknell, national director OF
the Red Cross. is in Chicago working
with the local committees in an adj
visory capacity.
Theatrical managers, actors and ac-
tresses expected to add approximately
$50 900 to the general relief fund by
n monster performance to be staged at
the Auditorium on Friday afternoon.
All loon theatres on that day Will
split their receipts, movie houses will
turn over the money they take in on
that day and all outlying show houses
are expected to add materially to this
fund.
Physicians, quick to see the danger
os a tvphoid epidemic caused by sur
viors taking the polluted water from
tb, foul Chicago river, held a meet
ing and passed resolutions aimed to
offset this danger.
All survivors have been requested
to call at the city health department
and subject themselves to anti-typhoid
vaccination treatment
JB. Lyons, in charge of relief work
for the Western Electric company,
ernloves OF which furnished the
heaviest toll, ordered the plant to
open today. In this way the company
officials hope to check up on the miss
ing and collect figures as to the actual
number of their employees lost in the
catastrophe.
An emergency call to clergymen OF
Chicago and all visiting pastors in the
citv to offer their services to officiate
at funerals OF Eastland victims was
made today by the Inter-Demonina-
tional committee headed by Bishop
Samuel Fa1lows. Headquarters have
been esta blished at the LaSalLe hotel.
Response was prompt and hundreds OF
c1ervmen are now registered and pre-
paring to answer calls made upon
them
Bodies will be carried free to the
cemeteries, reached by the Chicago,
Milwaukee and st. Paul railway, and
ALL relatives and friends will be Civ
en- free transportation, apnounced an
official of that road today.
Wednesday will be funeral day at
Cicero. an industrial suburb, where
majority of the Eastland victims lived.
From nine until four OF that day this
little city will leave everything to
give vent to visible expression OF its