PHILADELPHIA, Independence Hall Building, _June 14, 1906_.
We awoke the day after the earthquake horrified to read in the
morning papers that California had been devastated and San
Francisco was in flames. It needed no second reading to know
that a call for help would soon reach us, so our officers and
executive committee reported to our State Headquarters where
soon the expected telegram from Washington was received. It
was a brief message instructing us to issue an appeal and
appoint local treasurers.
Our official printer, who, by special arrangement, is obligated
to take our copy and run on our emergency work night and day,
was in a few hours delivering to headquarters the necessary
printed matter.
“The Society for Organizing Charities,” represented by Miss
Richmond and Mr. Esterbrook, volunteered to do the addressing
of our appeals and at an hour’s notice had more than a score of
their splendid young lady volunteers addressing and mailing our
Red Cross appeal, using their Charity list of fifteen thousand
selected names.
By a wise arrangement our Secretary is authorized to make
emergency expenditures subject to reimbursement at later
meeting of the Executive Committee, so the postage alone of
some $300 was made instantly available from his personal funds.
In all such appeals it is vital to determine the psychological
moment of greatest effect and the force of our appeal was at
its highest on Monday morning following the reading of the
Sunday papers.
An early call was sent to each city daily and evening newspaper
and a publicity department was established where all telegrams,
letters, abstracts and daily subscription lists were furnished
in typewritten copy to all reporters. Such returns must
be made quickly and we kept a regular volunteer force of
messengers taking reports at certain convenient intervals to
newspaper headquarters. These State Headquarters realizing the
necessity and value of the coöperation of the towns, other
than Philadelphia, throughout the commonwealth, promptly
acted upon the suggestion of President Talcott Williams and
the Secretary who were in daily conference with heads of
all departments. A telegram was therefore sent to some two
hundred towns throughout the State, addressing the leading
bank, or trust company, asking them to confer with their
Mayor or Chief Burgess as chairman, appointing a Red Cross
Committee, and with aid of local newspapers to publish a fund
and solicit subscriptions, same to be promptly forwarded to
State Treasurer, Mrs. Alexander J. Cassatt, at Philadelphia,
who daily deposited the amounts received for transmission to
Washington. An immediate response was forthcoming from some
score of towns and in a few days the funds were massing up.
This secured the hearty interest and coöperation of thousands
of citizens of the State and established the groundwork of Red
Cross Sub-Branches in every city, hamlet and village.
The State Headquarters, at Philadelphia, in the old
Independence Hall Building, with its Executive Committee and
volunteer clerks, stenographers and messengers was a busy
office for the three weeks following the disaster.
Our facilities were admirable to the purpose. The two telephone
companies, the Bell and Keystone, gave us free of cost each
three extra telephones of unlimited service. The Postal
and Western Union Telegraph companies franked our official
messages. The Adams, United States and Wells Fargo Express
companies sent forward our packages free of charge and the
Relief Trains of the _North American_ and _Evening Telegraph_
put their cars at our disposal, and sent their wagons for our
heavy freight, thereby greatly assisting us with a matter that
was assuming serious proportions.
The Ladies’ Auxiliary Committees under the able advice of
Mrs. John Dye, herself a veteran nurse of the Civil War and a
trained Red Cross worker of the Spanish War, took full charge
of the packing and inspection of all materials submitted and
nothing of worthless or inappropriate kind went forward bearing
the tag of the Pennsylvania Branch.
It was an honor and privilege extended our Secretary to act in
conjunction with the National body in the purchase of large
quantities of Army Blankets from local mills. These vital
essentials were early despatched by rush express to the Red
Cross Field Agents in San Francisco and thus can the State
Branches assist the great National Headquarters in other ways
than the forwarding of funds alone.
An item of a thousand baby nursing bottles and a dozen boxes of
infant necessaries and a shipment of condensed milk for future
’Frisco citizens shows that the little ones were also well
remembered.
In Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and other of our large cities there
has existed for years many splendid and efficient Permanent
Relief and Citizens Emergency Committees all of whom, with
the many trades organizations, were early in the field with
their appeals. Though the millions of dollars thus raised were
speedily and properly expended it yet served to exhaust the
giving power of many who would have gladly subscribed to the
Red Cross appeal.
This serves to urge us to the immediate completion of a
full State organization of Sub-divisions, and any of our
Pennsylvania citizens reading this would help our cause should
they proceed to organize local bodies and address these
Headquarters for instructions.
It is impossible in so brief a report to mention the many
incidents of our “California Earthquake and San Francisco Fire
Appeal” as we called it. The pathetic letters, the sad plight
of the refugees who came to us for succor and employment, of
our inquiries for the dead and missing, of the free telegraphic
bureau and of the letters written by the many who called to ask
a seemingly hopeless question. Nor must we overlook thanking
Dr. Devine for his quick and always satisfactory replies to our
inquiries. The marvel of it all is that it was possible to so
quickly bring the relief work to such a state of high potential
efficiency, conclusive and splendid record of the success of
the National Red Cross and its responsible State Branches. In a
later report we will send you a list of the Pennsylvania State
towns with their financial statements of subscriptions sent
through these Headquarters. We wish now to thank the citizens
of the entire State and particularly of those cities that
responded so promptly and so liberally.
“Who gives quickly gives twice.”
Very respectfully yours,
JOSEPH ALLISON STEINMETZ.
_Secretary for Pennsylvania._
The National Secretary received the following letter from Miss Emily P.
Bissell, Secretary of the Delaware Branch, who is making a tour of Europe:
ROME, _May 27, 1906_.
MR. CHARLES L. MAGEE, _Secretary the American National Red
Cross, Washington, D. C._