On the morning of Wednesday, April 18th, before ten o’clock, the news of
the earthquake in California was received at Red Cross Headquarters from
the War Department. Immediately the following telegram was sent to Judge
Morrow, President of the California Red Cross Branch, and a meeting of
the Executive Committee was called for that afternoon:
WASHINGTON, _April 18, 1906_.
_Judge W. W. Morrow, President of California Red Cross, U. S.
Circuit Court, San Francisco, Cal._:
Have just been advised of disaster. Can Red Cross be of
assistance?
CHAS. L. MAGEE, _Secretary_.
Somewhat later in the day the following telegrams were sent to Judge
Morrow, the Honorable Horace Davis, Treasurer of the California Red
Cross, and to the Mayor of San Francisco:
WASHINGTON, _April 18, 1906_.
National Red Cross ready to aid San Francisco. Please confer
with Mayor as to best means of assistance. Reply care of War
Department.
CHAS. L. MAGEE, _Secretary_.
* * * * *
WASHINGTON, _April 18, 1906_.
_To the Mayor of San Francisco_:
National Red Cross ready to aid San Francisco. How can most
effective service be rendered? Please confer with Judge Morrow
and Hon. Horace Davis of California Red Cross. Reply care of
War Department.
CHAS. L. MAGEE, _Secretary_.
As it was found impossible to obtain a prompt reply to these dispatches
because of the condition of the telegraph service, it was decided at the
Executive Committee meeting to send to the Secretaries of the Red Cross
Branches the following telegram:
WASHINGTON, _April 18, 1906_.
Make Red Cross appeal for San Francisco. Name local Treasurer.
CHAS. L. MAGEE, _Secretary_.
On Thursday, April 19th, no word having been received from any of the
officers of the California Branch, the Hon. William H. Taft, President of
the Red Cross, appointed as special Red Cross Agent, Dr. Edward T. Devine
of New York, who had had experience in such relief work at Johnstown and
Baltimore. Dr. Devine being instructed to proceed immediately to San
Francisco, started Thursday afternoon. General Funston, Judge Morrow and
Mayor Schmitz were sent telegraphic notice of his appointment.
Judge Morrow reported by letter later that directly after the disaster
he sent several dispatches to the National Red Cross, none of which were
ever received.
A large number of telegrams were received at Red Cross Headquarters
asking to whom car-loads of provisions donated for San Francisco were to
be consigned. Before Dr. Devine had started instructions were returned to
ship such supplies to General Funston. As soon as Dr. Devine had started
all further contributions of supplies of which the Red Cross was notified
were consigned to him as Special Red Cross Agent. A report of these
contributions will be given in a later Bulletin when a fall report of
contributions of money, food, clothing and other supplies received by the
Red Cross will be made.
April 25th, Dr. Devine telegraphed to the Red Cross that a consolidation
of the Finance Committee with the California Red Cross Branch had been
effected, which was entirely satisfactory to Judge Morrow, President of
the Branch. The new committee was called the “Finance Committee of Relief
and Red Cross,” Mr. James D. Phelan being chairman. There was great local
desire to have this consolidation recognized. An immediate reply was sent
as follows:
_Dr. Edward T. Devine, Red Cross Agent, San Francisco, Cal._:
Executive Committee gladly recognizes Committee of Relief and
Red Cross. Will forward funds to credit of James D. Phelan.
Law requires Red Cross accounts to be audited by the War
Department. Please keep accounts so that this may be done.
ROBERT M. O’REILLY,
_Chairman Red Cross Central Committee_.
On April 23d, the following telegram was sent to the Secretaries of the
Red Cross Branches:
WASHINGTON, _April 23, 1906_.
Appoint Committee of women to collect, sort, pack summer
clothing, blankets, linen, etc., to await further orders for
shipment.
CHAS. L. MAGEE, _Secretary_.
This was succeeded on April 24th by the following instructions:
WASHINGTON, _April 24, 1906_.
Sort and pack contributions of clothing. Ship to Dr. Edward T.
Devine, Red Cross, San Francisco. Indicate as far as possible
on outside nature and contents of each box. Wire Dr. Devine of
shipment. Report Red Cross Headquarters by letter amount and
character of shipment.
CHAS. L. MAGEE, _Secretary_.
On April 19th a request was made by the Maryland Red Cross to have a
contribution of $5,000 immediately forwarded to San Francisco. As even
the U. S. Treasury Department was as yet unable to get into communication
with the United States Mint there was no way of transmitting these funds,
and the President of the Red Cross telegraphed to General Funston to
inquire if relief funds would be of use there and received word that such
funds were not then required. The business portion of the city had been
so largely destroyed by fire there was nothing to be purchased in the way
of supplies.
Very shortly after the relief work for California began, the Western
Union Telegraph Company, the Postal Telegraph Company and the Long
Distance Telephone Company gave to the Red Cross the free use of their
wires for all communications connected with this relief work. The
railroads and express companies throughout the country were most generous
in providing for the free transportation of supplies of various kinds
that the Red Cross Branches received for California. A more complete
acknowledgment of this will be made later when fuller data are obtained
from the reports of the Branch Societies.
The response made throughout the country to the appeal for the sufferers
from the great disaster was most generous and sympathetic, finding
expression in the children’s pennies as well as the checks for thousands
of dollars, and many interesting incidents were reported in the letters
from the State Branches. A Chicago letter says: “Little girls are
even bringing in dolls and dolls’ dresses for the little girls in San
Francisco who have lost theirs in the fire. Some of the incidents
occurring in the Armory where the ladies are receiving, packing and
sending off clothing, are most touching. Yesterday a boy about eleven or
twelve years of age came in, sat down on the floor and pulled off his
shoes. He was asked what he meant by doing that and he said: ‘Well you
see it is nearly summer time now and I can go bare-footed, so you can
just take them shoes and send them to one of them boys who is getting
his feet burned in them hot streets.’ It was with difficulty the little
fellow could be persuaded to put on his shoes again and go away.” In many
cases garments were brought in the giving away of which must have meant
serious deprivation to the givers and yet there was evident joy at the
opportunity of helping those even more unfortunate.
Only a brief general statement can be made in this Bulletin of the
contributions from the various Branches for San Francisco, the more
detailed report will be given later when the returns are all received. In
this Bulletin the receipts from the Branches for the Japanese Famine Fund
and for the Vesuvian Relief are reported.
The prompt sympathy that was shown outside our own country for the
California sufferers manifested itself in several cases by generous
appropriations by foreign governments and by contributions from firms
and individuals. These were generally sent to the State Department.
As the President felt that the liberality of our own people would
meet the required aid and, moreover, if accepted by the Government
from one country others might feel a necessity of also making relief
appropriations, it seemed wise to decline with most sincere expressions
of thanks such contributions.
Acting under the apprehension that the President deemed it best that
no foreign contributions be accepted, two generous contributions made
directly to the Red Cross, one from the Canadian Pacific Railroad and one
from the Chinese Diplomatic and Consular Service in this country, though
deeply appreciated, were declined. In the case of the money offered by
the Chinese Legation and Consuls, the Chinese Minister, at the suggestion
of the Red Cross, placed the contribution in the hands of the First
Secretary of the Chinese Legation, Mr. Chow Tszchi, who was sent by him
to the Pacific Slope with a letter from the Red Cross to Dr. Devine,
requesting the latter to assist in every way possible Mr. Chow Tszchi’s
work for the Chinese sufferers.
On May 5th the following letter was received by the Honorable Wm. H.
Taft, President of the American National Red Cross:
JAPANESE EMBASSY, WASHINGTON, _May 5, 1906_.
_Honorable Wm. H. Taft, President of the American National Red
Cross_:
SIR:—I beg to inform you that the Red Cross Society of Japan
has solicited contributions from the general public in Japan
for the relief of distress caused to the population of
California by the recent earthquake, and transmitted to me by
telegraph as the first installment the sum of 50,000 dollars
with the request that it be applied to the above named purpose
through the kindness of the American National Red Cross.
Will you kindly inform me at your earliest convenience whether
you can use your good offices in the premises or not?
Yours sincerely,