New-York tribune., 1918-01-06
Neu, York Gets
Little Relief
In Coal Crisis
Continued from paxc 1


fue which marked an absolutely new
sphere of social service to be entered
upon, by the department--w con-
t'nuc to-day. The 1856 tons of coal
represents the work of approximately
a,00o policemen. The 3,O82 families
which benefited by the police dstribu-
ton were not all needy in the sense
of lacking funds to purchase fuel;
some of them had the means with
which to buy. but had tried in vain to
spend their money at the empty coal
yards.
Police Help the Poor
But they were the actual poor, for
the greater part, who benefited most
from the work of the police The FIRST
police inspection district, the lower
East Side, sent out the largest number
OF appeals for help-for the canvassers
sought not only the names Of those
willing to give, but also those anxious
to receive. In District !. ,156 families
/ had induced luckier and generous citi-
zens to part with
The coal was distributed and COL
lected in small quantities, sometimes
only mere shovelfrl at a time. The
1,156 needy families at the lower East
| Side received only Al tons of coal all
told--a little more than 70 pounds to a
family, on the average.
In the Fifth District, the Fast Side,
from Forty second Street to the Har-
lem River, Lib families were relieved
and they obtained rather more than
tEcir neghbors to the south, for their
portion was n tons, or nearly 1913
pounds to each family.
AS far as possible, the patrolmcn
kept to their own districts, so that all
who gave coal knew that it went to
those in their own neighborhood. AS
the policemen received offers they re-
received also the names of those in
need. and distribution bases. were
established.
An appeal was sent out for carts and
trucks for delivery purposes, and the
response from stores and private citi-
zens was so good that it was not neces-
sary to use the Street Cleaning Depart
ment's vehicles.
Many people who were not "needy"
in the ordinary sense Of the word ap-
piled at the police stations for coal. In
urgent cases their need was supplied
gratis, but they were asked for dona-
tlons to help those who had neither
money nor coal. The police report
that the response was good. some CIV
ing more than the actual value Of the
coal they received.
Big hotels, restaurants and apart
ment houses were among the most
generous givers when the police called
Coal Prescriptions Filled
Doctors on Staten Island whose pa
tients were in danger through lack of
fuel wrote prescriptions for coal and
sent them to the police station. where
Inspector Cahalane made haste to I'LL
them. One needed to be no chemist
to understand the prescriptions; they
were in plain English, not Latin. and
usually they bore the one word. "Coal.'
!. Many Of the physicians, called up on
the telephone Try Inspector Calahane,
promised to give coal or money to
purchase it. The using Of doctors pre-
scriptions as coal tickets was prompted
largely by the fact that the police had
received reports Of babies being born
in cold rooms, where even furniture
had been broken up and burned to keep
alive the little cnes.
The police Of Staten Island found
in their canvass that one hundred fam
lilies were destitute, some being with
out warm clothes and without food, as
we'll as coal. Several families had had
no coal for four days
The police reported that they found
no coal in any of the Staten Island
yards. The manufacturing plants, they
said, had only enough to last a few
days. The schools are without it, and
some of the churches will not be able
to open their doors to-day, the police
found.
In Brooklyn the situation was similar
Hugh Caffrey. watchman, WHO lives
with his family On the premises Of the
Sackctt Coal Company, Sackett Stree.
and the Gowanus Canal, swept the
empty yard with a broom yesterday at
ternoon to gather enough dust and
chips of coal to heat his own home.
The Sackett company SUPPLIES several
of the Brooklyn hospitals, or at least
it did when there was coal to be had;
it could net even help the hospitals
yesterday.
Coal Fund Grows
Mayor Hylan yesterday called a
meeting of department heads in the
City Hall to discuss ways and means
for assisting the fuel admin stration
in distribution. The city department
heads offered to furnish the fuel au-
thoritics 500 laborers on the city pay
roll to break up frozen coal in cars
and otherwise assis. in distribution.
committee of the department heads
is to be appointed to work with the
fuel administration and enforce in
particular the price margins for ped
lers. 1t was announced that the Police
and Fire commissioners and the Com
missioner of Tenements will worl. out
the problem of enforcing price regula-
tions.
Mayor Hylan's Coal Committed g
fund for the poor yesterday reached
nearly $1,000, and it is expected that
the sum of $50,00O which the commit
tee set out to raise, will be collected in
few days. One of the first to con-
tribute to the poor fund was State Fuel
Administrator A. II. Wiggin. who do
mated 81 900. City Chamberlain Alfred
j. Johnson announced that the follow
ing contributions had been received
yesterday:
Daniel G.. Reid, $1,000; A. H. Wiggin
! e1 n0n. AnnnMnanus G1 n00. A I