crew, is received, and I have to return my most grateful thanks. A
commander's duties not only embrace the safe navigation of his
craft, but the comfort and happiness of his passengers and crew, and
it is a great pleasure to know that my efforts in that direction,
combined with the propitious conditions of the elements, have met
with your approval, and I shall always treasure your approbation as
one of the bright spots in my rather monotonous calling. I esteem it
one of the greatest honors to have as passenger and friend one who
has so distinguished and endeared herself to all the civilized world
by her many years of faithful and never-ceasing devotion to
suffering humanity, and it is my sincere hope that God may grant you
many years more in which to continue your work of love, and that
every success may crown your efforts. I have the honor to subscribe
myself,
Your devoted friend,
P.C. WERTSCH, _Captain_.
We arrived at Egmont Key on the morning of September 3, and the party
went into camp for a five days' quarantine, which, barring the heat and
mosquitoes, was rather a pleasant rest after the worry and suspense of
the past week. Dr. Geddings, of the Marine Hospital Service, the surgeon
in charge of the quarantine station, did everything in his power to make
our stay agreeable, and he succeeded far better than we had anticipated.
As our party was about to break up, after a pleasant union of seven
months, in which we had become like one family, and had conceived a
mutual esteem and regard for each other, it seemed fitting that some
little expression of good feeling should be manifested in a way that
would be lasting and memorable. The following address to Miss Barton was
accordingly drawn up, signed by all the members present and read to her:
TO MISS CLARA BARTON.
Now that our work has ceased for a time, and our party which has
labored so long and so harmoniously together, is returning home, we,
the members of the Cuban relief expedition, desire to express to
you, our leader, as delicately and fittingly as may be, our
unbounded confidence and admiration, and our sincere and heartfelt
gratitude and love. As we look back over the past few months, and
recall the many scenes of suffering and death that we have
witnessed, and remember how ceaselessly, faithfully and tirelessly
you have worked, and how much you have accomplished under the most
unpromising circumstances, our wonder grows and we cannot help but
reverence and admire your wisdom, patience and industry. No more
trying position than you have occupied during the past seven months,
could well be imagined, and no one not possessed of nerves of steel
and of ripest wisdom and the rarest judgment, combined with a
purpose as fixed as the stars could have made the great success that
you have made of the work we had in hand. When it is remembered how
many thousands of brave soldiers have been saved from suffering and
death through your efforts, and how many starving and sick people
have been brought back to health and happiness, and all with so
little cost of actual money, our warmest admiration is excited, and
we cannot withhold that praise which you so justly deserve.
Personally each of us wishes to express his or her acknowledgment of
your unfailing kindness and interest in our comfort and general
welfare, and we have to thank you for thousands of those little
considerations of word and look that go so far to brighten one's
thoughts and make life a pleasure. We all have the greatest
satisfaction in knowing that all the work we were permitted to do
has been done with thoroughness and economy, and we are vain enough
to think that no one could have done more under the conditions that
existed. We shall soon separate and go our several ways, and it will
be with the deepest sorrow and regret that we shall say good by to
our leader; but throughout life it will always be a pleasure to call
to mind her image and remember all the happy moments we have passed
with her. So in parting, it will no doubt be a satisfaction to you
to have the assurance that you hold our warmest love and good will,
and that at any time each and all of us will be ready to serve you
in any way that lies within our power.
A. VON SCHELLE,
_Membre du Comité Directeur de la Croix Rouge de Belgique, Membre de
l'Association Nationale de la Croix Rouge des Etats Unis l'Amerique_.
J.B. HUBBELL,
_General Field Agent of the American National Red Cross_.
E. WINFIELD EGAN,
_Surgeon American National Red Cross_.
C.H.H. COTTRELL,
_Financial Secretary_.
LUCY M. GRAVES,
J.A. MCDOWELL,
CHAS. R. GILL, M.D.,
C.D. COTTRELL,
ANNIE M. FOWLER,
J.K. ELWELL,
GEO. J. HASSETT.
At the conclusion of this kind and just tribute to our beloved leader
there was a moment of profound silence, our feelings being too deep for
utterance. At length, when Miss Barton had subdued her emotions
sufficiently to speak clearly, she responded in most graceful terms,
expressing her warm and sincere appreciation of the work performed, and
the loyal support that had ever been accorded her; that no words could
fully express the gratitude she felt for this thoughtful little memento
of our comradeship, and she should prize it quite as much as any badge
or decoration she had ever received.
Farewells were said, and the party separated, going to their several
homes; and so ended our first Cuban expedition.
FINANCIAL.
It is a very hard matter to express in dollars and cents the value of
the relief distributed, as it was all donated in either material or
money which was turned into material; and the kinds were so varied, the
market value so fluctuating, and the data so scattered, that only an
approximation can be ventured. It is probably underestimating the amount
of relief stores that have been sent to Cuba by the Central
Cuban Relief Committee and the American National Red Cross to place it
at six thousand tons, approximating in value half a million dollars in
New York. Had these same goods been bought in Cuba, their cost would
easily have been doubled.
In estimating the cost of distribution great difficulties present
themselves, as large numbers of laborers, sometimes as many as two
hundred per day were paid in food taken from the stores; but such labor
can only be paid in that way while the need is extreme; and the moment
the direst wants are satisfied money is demanded for every service.
We found a considerable number of people who had once been wealthy, but
who were utterly helpless after being despoiled of their riches, and
gave up in despair, and would have died without making any adequate
effort to save themselves, had not relief been brought to them. There
were, however, many sterling families who had cast their fortunes with
the revolution; had sacrificed everything for "Cuba libre," and were
willing to give life itself, if necessary; these people accepted relief
reluctantly and sparingly, and with warmest gratitude.
For nearly two months after our arrival in Havana the entire expenses of
the relief work were borne by Miss Barton from her private purse. It is
but just to state that when this fact was discovered, by the committee
the money was refunded. Then the Central Cuban Relief Committee began to
furnish her with means which came thereafter in abundance, and nothing
that was needed that money could procure was ever omitted. Volunteers
for work were plentiful, but they were generally without experience and
therefore not available. For this reason, and considering the magnitude
of the work to be attempted and the celerity with which it must be
carried on in order to be effective, it was necessary to override a
time-honored precedent of the Red Cross, and pay salaries to certain
grades of professional workers who could not be obtained otherwise. It
should be stated though, that all these people who were engaged required
no more money than was sufficient to meet the necessities of those who
were dependent on them; and the few salaries that were paid were very
low considering the high grade of ability that was secured.
The first funds sent for our use were in drafts payable in Spanish gold
at Havana. Gold was then held at a premium of about thirty-five per cent
over Spanish silver, with which the greater part of the ordinary
business of the country was carried on.
On entering Santiago we found both American and Spanish money
in circulation, and consequently considerable confusion resulted on
account of the fluctuation in values, there being no established
standard. The military governor made an arbitrary ruling that there
should be a premium of one hundred per cent on American money over
Spanish silver, or, in other words, that one dollar in American money
should be worth two dollars in Spanish silver. Spanish gold and American
gold were on a par in ordinary transactions of limited amounts, but in
large amounts American gold was worth a small percentage more than the
Spanish.
While we were in Santiago our supply of condensed milk ran short, owing
to the large amount that was used in the hospitals. Fortunately there
was at that time in the harbor a merchant ship loaded with groceries
which could not be disposed of satisfactorily, and we were able to
purchase at a very reasonable figure quite a large amount of that
greatly needed delicacy, and continue filling all requisitions.
The following is a statement of our accounts at the end of the
expedition:
FINANCIAL STATEMENT.
Central Cuban Relief Committee, cash $11,296.55
Contributions 172.93
Exchange 236.83
Household Expenses $1,521.41
General Expenses 2,040.92
Cuban Relief Expenses 3,699.79
Traveling Expenses 968.22
Telegrams 105.02
Office Expenses, Stationery, etc 22.45
Salaries 2,541.24
American National Red Cross Relief Committee
Army Expenses 807.26
----------------------
$11,706.31 $11,706.31
The expense accounts will generally explain themselves by their titles,
with a few exceptions which will be noted. "Cuban Relief Expenses"
covered all charges for labor outside of that performed by our own
party, and for supplies, etc., that were purchased outside of those we
had brought from New York. "American Red Cross Expenses" included
expenses of nurses and hospitals on account of army work, as distinct
from Cuban relief work; also the maintenance of forty mules that had
been sent us by that organization. "Household Expenses" covered house
rent, servant hire, and maintenance of the entire party, which numbered
as high as thirty people at times, and averaged twenty most of the time,
making an average of less than $2.50 expense per week for each person.
"General Expenses" included work on hospitals and other buildings
necessary to make them habitable and comfortable, and all other expenses
not properly chargeable to any other account.
On an estimated distribution of relief supplies, valued at half a
million dollars, the cost of distribution, covering a period of seven
months, exclusive of the charter price for the steamer "State of Texas,"
amounts to less than three per cent of the value of the goods
distributed.
[Illustration: REFUGEES FROM SANTIAGO.]
LETTER OF SANTIAGO COMMITTEE.
MISS CLARA BARTON,
_President of the American National Red Cross, Santiago de Cuba_:
MADAM:--The undersigned, who have had the honor to form your
committee to assist you in the distribution of relief to this city
during the permanence in it of the Red Cross, desire on the eve of
your departure to "give an account of their stewardship," presenting
at same time in a condensed form an idea of the work that has been
done.
It would probably be difficult to cite an instance in which a relief
vessel has arrived so opportunely anywhere as the steamship "State
of Texas" arrived in Santiago de Cuba. After a rigorous blockade of
two months, during which stocks of provisions had run very low, the
greatest part of the inhabitants of the city, under stress of
threatened bombardment, had abandoned their homes and taken refuge
in the neighboring villages. On their return, after the occupation
of the city by the American troops, many of the citizens found that
during their absence their homes had been looted and the small store
of provisions which they counted upon had disappeared. The same fate
had overtaken many shops, and the establishments which had escaped,
and which anyhow had hardly anything left to dispose of, remained
closed for many days. It may therefore safely be said that the
immense majority of the inhabitants of this city had nothing to eat,
and it was at this moment that you most providentially arrived with
the "State of Texas."
The organizing of a system of relief, and the discharge of the
vessel were started simultaneously and with such success that on the
twentieth of July a ration of cooked food was distributed by means
of the local "Cocina Economica," 6000 persons being relieved on that
day, and 9000 the next, the whole gratis distribution of rations by
that institution exceeding, in the three weeks such distribution
lasted, 200,000.
By advice of your committee, in order to proceed to the distribution
of uncooked food, a number of commissioners were appointed, each of
whom presented a detailed list of the families that he agreed to
distribute among, some of these lists embracing over one thousand
persons. By this means the pressure of great crowds round the Red
Cross deposits, which would have rendered impossible a prompt and
efficacious distribution, was avoided, and to the limited number of
commissioners, who had agreed to distribute among the great number
of the needy, a large amount daily was supplied.
We consider it a duty and take a special pleasure in manifesting our
appreciation of the efficiency displayed by your whole staff in
these days, and of the energy with which they discharged the vessel,
carted and stored the cargo; and proceeded with its distribution;
and can only congratulate them on the result of their labors and
yourself on being at the head of such a well-organized corporation.
In the very important items of directing the relief to be given into
proper channels and keeping it out of improper ones, your committee
had at the commencement an easy task, for the reasons already
explained, the whole city being in want, by simply giving to all
that applied, and in the first days that was what was done, so much
so that three-fourths, more or less, of the entire community
received some assistance.
But after the first ten days it began to be evident that the strain
was removing. Cargoes of provisions for sale had arrived and were
being retailed. The government were employing quite a number of
workmen on and around the wharves at high wages, and some few
workmen were moving out to the country. It behooved then the
committee to be more conservative in admitting lists of applicants
for rations, and this necessity was accentuated by complaints which
began to arise of the difficulty of getting people to work,
complaints which became general extending from the governor of the
city who could not find workmen even at good wages, to clean the
streets of the city, to the heads of households who found no one to
cook, serve or wash, while such important minor industries, as the
supplying of the city with charcoal or even firewood, were almost
wholly abandoned.
[Illustration: SANTIAGO REFUGEES AT EL CANEY,
_Where it is estimated that twelve thousand people were fed with Red
Cross supplies before the surrender of Santiago._]
[Illustration: ESTABLISHING HEADQUARTERS ASHORE.]
Finally the moment arrived when the end of the necessity of the
permanence of the Red Cross was in sight, and, coinciding with the
raising of the blockade of Havana and other large cities where want
and sickness had necessarily to be more accentuated than here, made
it a question of the greatest good to the greatest number, made its
removal to the west end of the island a necessity. There necessarily
remained some poverty, some sickness, and some misery, but the
public, and more especially the military government, had taken
efficacious measures to cope with these evils, and while in one
sense deploring your departure, your committee could only coincide
with your views on the subject, and offer their conscientious
opinion that the present state of affairs in Santiago de Cuba fully
justified the departure of the Red Cross to districts where its
presence was much more urgently required.
In conclusion, your committee beg to express their gratitude for the
confidence which you have so kindly bestowed on them, and to deplore
that owing to sickness and extreme press of work, they have not been
able so fully to assist in your benevolent undertaking as would have
been their ardent desire.
(Signed) ROBERT MASON,
H. MICHAELSEN,
WM. RAMSDEN.
_Santiago de Cuba._
REPORT OF E. WINFIELD EGAN, M.D.
When the Red Cross was asked by the Department of State, and the Central
Cuban Relief Committee, to go to Cuba in charge of the relief work among
the reconcentrados, the members of Miss Barton's personal staff, who had
worked on other fields, were called to join the expedition. On the
twentieth of February, while in my office in Boston, a telegram arrived
containing the usual call to service in the field. Six days later, I
reported at headquarters in the city of Havana.
Already the preliminary work was in progress. Committees were in the
process of formation. A working census was being rapidly taken and
information collected concerning the conditions in Havana and the cities
and towns of the interior, upon which to base a plan of operations.
One of the first things essential to a systematic prosecution of the
work was a commodious and convenient warehouse. This privilege was
secured from the proprietors of the Almacen de San José, one of the
largest bonded warehouses in Havana. Here the Red Cross supplies were
carefully stored and classified, and from thence shipped upon
requisitions to all points reached in the relief work.
But the feeding of the hungry was not the only work of the Red Cross.
Aside from the distribution of food and clothing, hospitals and asylums
were necessary for the care of the sick, and for the orphan children.
One of the first asylums established was located in the Cerro, a
suburban ward of Havana, and was known as the _Asilo de Niños_. Here, in
addition to the usual work in the hospital department, outpatient
clinics were instituted, including medical, surgical, gynecological,
and, lastly, an eye and ear clinic. As the building selected for the
asylum was originally built for a family residence, it was difficult to
adapt it to all the needs of both an asylum and a hospital. For the last
named clinic a dark room was of course needed, and for this reason this
department was open during the evenings, from 8 to 11 p.m., when, with
nature's kind co-operation, the necessary obscurity was always assured.
The nightly attendance averaged about seventy. Among these patients, the
diseases of the eye were generally traceable to starvation; the
proportion of cases for "refraction" were comparatively few.
These clinics continued at the asylum until the United States
Government, through the Consul-General, advised all American citizens to
leave the island.
On March 2, the leading physicians of Havana were called in council, and
methods of caring for the sick of the city were discussed, especially
with reference to the best plan for avoiding the creation of a pauper
element, through the abuse of the out-patient clinics. The plans
formulated at the council were adopted and adhered to in the prosecution
of the hospital work.
With the work in Havana still in progress, it was decided to make a trip
to the interior. A special train was placed at the disposal of the Red
Cross staff, and a visit was made to the principal towns in the
provinces of Havana, Matanzas and Santa Clara. It was from the
information gained by personal observation upon this trip, that Senator
Proctor compiled his famous speech, delivered in the United States
Senate, upon the starvation and distress among the reconcentrados in the
Western Provinces of Cuba.
At Matanzas, Sagua la Grande and Cienfuegos, well-conducted dispensaries
were already in existence, but were almost destitute of means. Supplies
sufficient for two months were immediately ordered forward from the
storehouse in Havana, and these institutions were left in good
condition. After doing what relief work was possible at the time, the
party returned to Havana.
On arrival at the headquarters, Miss Barton called the staff together to
consider what action should be taken upon the Consul-General's
recommendation that all Americans should return home. The entire staff
expressed their willingness to remain, but it was decided to confer with
Captain-General Blanco. The Captain-General stated that he would be glad
to have the Red Cross remain, and that so far as concerned the regulars
of the Spanish army, the staff and equipment would be entirely safe, but
that, owing to the irregular and unruly element in the army, the
volunteers, whose actions could not be controlled, he considered it best
that the Red Cross should retire before hostilities began. General
Blanco, however, offered to be personally responsible for the safety of
Miss Barton so long as she remained.
On the ninth of April the Red Cross retired, arriving at Port Tampa on
the "Olivette" three days later, and Miss Barton and staff took up
temporary quarters at Tampa, awaiting the time when the work in Cuba
might be again taken up.
During the stay in Tampa the nurses were daily instructed in emergency
field work. All the appliances usually considered indispensable were
left at the headquarters, and they were compelled to depend upon such
conveniences as might be improvised on the spot. Stretchers and splints
were made from the limbs of trees; bindings and bandages were made from
the long grass, which was pliable and easily woven. These exercises were
accompanied by lectures on discipline in the field.
On May 1, the entire party again arrived at Key West and joined the
steamship "State of Texas," where the active work of relief began, our
attention being first directed to the refugees in Key West, and
afterward to the Spanish prisoners of war on the vessels captured by the
blockading squadron. The crews of these vessels were, in many instances,
short of provisions, and in some cases had had nothing whatever to eat,
except fish, for fifteen days or more. The government appropriation was
not yet available, and several weeks must elapse before government
rations could be obtained for them. At the request of the United States
Marshal, the prisoners were supplied by the "State of Texas," and were
cared for medically by the surgeons of the Red Cross staff. A number of
surgical operations were performed.
Not only were the prisoners fed, clothed and cared for, but by an
arrangement made with the United States court and the naval authorities
the men were permitted to write to their homes and friends, the letters
being left open and certified by the Red Cross, and afterward forwarded
to their destinations, those for Spain being transmitted through the Red
Cross of Portugal, which had kindly offered to act as intermediary for
the transmission of such communications. Thus the prisoners were not
only enabled to write to their parents and friends, but the Red Cross
was able, by this means, to show to the Spanish people in Spain and
Cuba, through the letters from the captives themselves, what manner of
treatment they were receiving as prisoners of war. This, it was hoped,
would not fail to have its effect if in the course of the hostilities
men of our own army or navy should be captured.