If the immediate adoption of comprehensive, carefully considered plans,
and the unification of all important resources of relief can accomplish
it, the Red Cross work in the flooded district of Ohio will mean
rehabilitation at every stage rather than merely the distribution of
supplies. This is the end toward which the efforts of Mr. Bicknell and
his associates have been directed. The state and local authorities
readily grasped the idea, and showed a real sympathy with its aim.
First of all, the Red Cross has itself received in direct contributions
at Washington the sum of $1,750,000. Much the larger part of this was,
of course, contributed with the appalling disaster at Dayton in view,
though from the beginning it was recognized that there were serious
needs elsewhere in Ohio, in Indiana and other states. The Ohio
authorities received in contributions $611,632, and it was decided by
the governor and the flood commission which he appointed, to expend this
also through the Red Cross. Finally, the Dayton citizens’ relief
committee, appointed by the governor and presided over by John H.
Patterson, who had taken complete charge of the situation even while the
river was overflowing the levees and inundating the town, has been
receiving donations directly. It has been selected as the channel
through which Red Cross funds available are to be disbursed.
While Edward T. Devine and Eugene T. Lies went to Dayton originally for
the Washington Headquarters of the Red Cross, they also are doing their
work under the authority and with appropriations from the local
committee. They are assisted by Amelia N. Sears, secretary of Woman’s
City Club, Chicago, who took part in the San Francisco rehabilitation
work; Rose J. McHugh, secretary of Funds to Parents Committee, Chicago;
Ada H. Rankin and Johanne Bojesen of the New York Charity Organization
Society, who helped in the relief of the victims of the Triangle shirt
waist fire and the Titanic disaster; Grace O. Edwards of the Chicago
United Charities; Edna E. Hatfield, probation officer, Indiana Harbor,
Ind.; Edith S. Reider, general secretary, Associated Charities,
Evanston, Ill.; Helen Zegar of the Compulsory Education Department,
Chicago, who was in special charge of the relief of Polish and other
immigrant families at the time of the Cherry Mine disaster. These Red
Cross agents are in turn aided by a corps of local citizens, especially
principals and teachers in the public schools, members of spontaneously
organized local committees, and others.
There is no longer talk of plans for rehabilitation, for rehabilitation
is in actual process. The careful Red Cross registration which was begun
before the end of the week in which the disaster occurred, is proceeding
rapidly. Four thousand families had been registered and the
supplementary visits largely completed at the end of two weeks. On the
basis of this registration, furniture is being provided, assistance in
repairing houses and cash donations of moderate amounts, and other
measures taken. All of these are intended to be a distinct step, even if
in some instances not a very long one, towards the restoration of
ordinary family life.
Among the measures which have been adopted in the rehabilitation stage,
as distinct from the emergent distribution of supplies, are the
following:
Houses which were occupied by owners of limited means and which were
comparatively slightly injured are being repaired by gangs of carpenters
who work in one section of the city after another. The work mainly
consists of putting frame houses on their foundations, moving them back
across the street, or doing such other things as an owner unaided cannot
do, but which a gang of half a dozen men, some of whom are skilled
carpenters can do in half a day or a day. This service is not rendered
if the owner is in position to hire men to do it, or if the house is so
badly injured that it involves much labor and expense.
Owners of lots, whose houses have been entirely demolished, and who wish
to rebuild on the same site, are to be given an army pyramidal tent
equipped with cots and tent stove. These tents will be put up by a
hospital corps, under the direction of an army surgeon who will advise
where on the lot the tent should be pitched, see that sewer connection
or latrine is in order, and give instructions as to the use and care of
the tent, so that the investment of about $100 which the donation
represents may not be wasted.
The greatest immediate need after food and dry clothing, is for
furniture and mattresses to replenish the thousands of homes whose
furniture is utterly demolished, or so badly wrecked as to be
practically useless. The first impulse was to ship in large quantities
of furniture and give it away, or sell it at cost. Fortunately, a live
furniture man, the president, in fact, of the National Retail Furniture
Dealers’ Association, was encountered accidentally early in the
proceedings. He was asked whether the retail dealers of Dayton could not
handle this matter themselves. One large furniture house was entirely
destroyed, but twelve others remained. All were in the flooded district,
but all proved to be uninjured above the first floor. On the first floor
the more expensive kinds of furniture had usually been displayed. This
was all gone, either bodily out of the window—these were the more
fortunate—or in a hopeless mess of mud and wreckage in the building. The
less expensive kinds of beds, tables, chairs and dressers were largely
stored on the upper floors. It was, therefore, only a question of
cleaning out the first floor—getting the elevators into operation—often
a hard job in itself—and securing trucks or wagons for delivery. This
was a still harder job, for those that were not gone in the flood had
been impressed into military or relief service. But the retail dealers
held a meeting of their association, and agreed to handle the problem,
and later the department stores which carry furniture came into line. By
resolution they bound themselves not to increase prices. Requisitions
are therefore given after the Red Cross registration is completed, for
from $10 to $100 worth of furniture, according to the losses and
circumstances of the family, to be selected by the purchaser at any one
of a dozen stores from a list printed on the back of the requisition.
These orders are filled in the usual way by the dealer and already such
goods are being delivered.
Transportation from Dayton and other points for women, children and
disabled men has been given by the railways through to the real
destination after the usual inquiries and precautions familiar to those
who work under the national transportation agreement.
In the first few days refugees were carried free without question to
points in the vicinity of Dayton, but on the opening of the Red Cross
headquarters, this indiscriminate free travelling was at once replaced
by the other system.
The first considerable issue of cash and furniture orders was made on
April 9—about $10,000. Since that time the number of registered families
ready for decision has been so great that it taxes the energy of the
central office in spite of the excellent facilities at its disposal. In
some instances these grants will have to be only first installments on
account of a larger plan; in many others, and it is hoped the large
majority, it will be all that is necessary. In each envelope with
furniture order or check, Mr. Devine is inserting, over his signature, a
printed slip as follows:
“The Dayton Citizens’ Relief Committee and the American Red Cross beg
you to accept this expression of sympathy for your losses and
hardships and their best wishes for the speedy restoration of your
prosperity and accustomed manner of living.”