Evening star., 1927-05-22
coast Guard NteN and
boats leave Washinqtott
to relieve flood sufferers.
Mtnt. News Rea1.

pany with Acting Chairman J. L.
Fieser of the Red Cross, and confer.
ences ensued with prominent financiers
OF New York and Boston as the mag.
nitude of the disaster became appar.
| ent.
WITH the outbreak of the diseases
incident to large groups of people
suffering from exposure and want. IL
was necessary to secure the aid of the
United States Public Health Service.
10 cooperate with other medical ad.
tlsers from st. Louis and Middle
western cities. Physicians have been
dispatched to start preventive work
among the refugee camps and else.
Where, while scores of trained nurses
are already in the field.
Ihe tales Of the establishment Of
supply depots at all the concentration
cehtefs are reminiscent of the days
OF the war. as are the accounts of
the tons of groceries that are being
dlspatched by rail. water and air to
tne thousands made homeless bv the
flood ~ '"e
hundreds of horses and cattle stand
IN miserable groups on the leyeeS
Where workers carry the hay and feed
10 tide them past this critical period.
Wlld animals Of various kinds have
also been driven from the swampland
nauhts and in some cases approach
priVate MONIES for bits Of bread and
handfuls of grain.
Special traffic men have been as.
signed by the railroads to route the
shipments of these supplies to the
heu cross as rapidly as possible. as
no delay can be brooked, with 300 0O0
persons depending on aid from these
reiief workers. This type of work is
SO highly organized that serving three
meals a day to these thousands of
nelpIess proteges is no more difficult
tnan 1t is for the average hotel keeper
to attend to the wants of several hun.
dred guests.
Usually the groceries are purchased
by the relief director right in the
VHiage or town that requires them.
put II this is no longer possible, the
grocery list" is radioed to the base
al Memphis. Tenn. and it IS then
started out within hours Of its
receipt from the nearest warehouse.
will provide foodstuffs Sufficient for
three weeks for a total of several
thousand persons.
The officials of the United States
weather Bureau in Washington are
also cooperating with the flood aeen.
cies by dispatching news Of special
conditions to be watched for, so that
warnings Of new storms in the threat
ened areas reach the local authorities
IN time to avert dangers from this
additional hazard.
Thus all the government agencies
are co.ordinated to aid the sufferers in
he Mississippi Valley in every posi-.
Die way. The Red Cross has the &C.
i've management Of the funds and
workers allotted by it to the different
needs, and the several bureaus con.
rlDute their quota of trained workers
and valuable equipment under the
guidance OF Mr.. Hoover. The latter
arising from this grave
emergency will be thrashed out in
congress, to the end that no subse-
luent flood may find the dwellers OF
he valley of that mighty river in
uch acute distress. .
For. as in the days Of old, when the
I'M dwellers of the valley built tall
mounds and caves overlooking the
lats. each Spring sees the Father
I Waters on the rampage. But his
asst efforts have been much too sue.
esstul. and Army engineers, as wen
s other official authorities, intend to
evelop system that shall curb and
onfine the Mississippi to certain rea.
enable limits. At least, that is what
1ey say.