American National Red Cross; Red Cross and Red Crescent
A band of little folks in Chicago, called the "Busy Bees," were
organized in a plan to extend succor to the suffering and collected
a large box of goods which they sent to Miss Barton, with the
request that it might be put where it would do the most good. She
was some time in finding a place where she could put it with the
greatest satisfaction to the givers and the donees. She found the
opportunity she had been looking for yesterday. On her last voyage a
gentleman at Cave-in-Rock told her that a poor, but worthy, family
was in that vicinity, and on becoming acquainted with the family
Miss Barton gave them some supplies and left fifteen dollars with
the gentleman aforesaid, to either give to the family or spend for
them as he might think best. He concluded that it would be
judiciously expended by the people for whom it was intended and
accordingly turned it over to them. The woman of the family came
some days afterward to the gentleman, bringing with her another
woman who was very destitute, and said: "This is my neighbor, and I
have come to ask you if you think Miss Barton would care if I
divided my fifteen dollars with her." "Most certainly not," was the
reply; and then, out of her penury did this poor woman give. She
retained ten dollars and gave five. Yesterday Miss Barton divided
the contents of the store the "Busy Bees" had gathered among these
two families, consisting of eight and five persons respectively.
When she was delivering the goods to the poor woman who had
generously shared with her neighbor, Miss Barton gave her back her
five dollars, and said: "You have read where it is said, _He that
giveth to the poor lendeth to the Lord_, and He has sent it back
already."
On February 11, 1884, Congress, in response to appeals from Ohio,
Kentucky and West Virginia, appropriated $300,000 for the relief of the
people who had lost their homes and other property by the Ohio River
floods. On February 15, the first appropriation having been considered
hardly sufficient to meet the demands, $200,000 more were appropriated
for the same purpose, making $500,000 in all to be expended under the
direction of the War Department. A boat load of supplies was sent down
the river from Pittsburg; two boats left Cincinnati, one going up the
river and the other down; one boat went down the river from Louisville
and a fifth boat was sent down the river from Evansville. Afterward some
additional boats were sent out from other places. Between February 15
and March 15, 536,000 rations were distributed by the government at a
cost of $350,000. The remaining $150,000 were transferred to the
Mississippi flood relief.
In the official report of the relief furnished to the Ohio River flood
sufferers, written by R.P.M. Ames, Assistant Surgeon U.S. Marine
Hospital Service, Evansville, Ind., he speaks as follows of the part
taken by the Red Cross in this work:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account