American National Red Cross; Red Cross and Red Crescent
When he returned to his plantation, he called his neighbors together and
gave them as many of the instructive points as he could remember, and
they now plant seeds of their own raising and have established, in a
very crude way, an exchange of seeds from "up country" and neighboring
islands.
An early crop was of great importance to the wards of the Red Cross, and
our president began to look around for white potatoes, knowing their
early productiveness. The merchants said the soil would not raise them;
the negro would not take care of them; they did not know what they were,
and if they did raise them, they would not eat them.
Inquiry showed them to cost $5.00 per barrel, and was it any wonder they
did not eat them?
In the face of all this opposition Miss Barton ordered over one thousand
bushels of white potatoes for planting. These were brought to
headquarters and cut into small pieces (each having an eye or sprout)--a
novel sight, the forty women cutting potatoes for seed. These were
distributed from headquarters and from the two Red Cross
sub-stations--Wadmalaw Island and Hilton Head Island--representing
respectively the northern and southern end of the district. It is almost
needless to add that the potatoes were planted, from which a fine crop
was raised and eaten, and the people were grateful.
Corn for planting was another important distribution; 2200 bushels of
corn were distributed, and a second crop raised by many who had never
asked mother earth for more than one crop. There were many doubts among
the people as to the possibility of a second crop, so a second planting
was urged to get the fodder for their cattle, and the full corn in the
ear rewarded their second planting.
MEDICAL AND SANITARY REPORT.
BY E. WINFIELD EGAN, M.D.
The storm had left the sanitary condition of the islands in a very
unhealthy state, and it became necessary to establish a medical and
surgical department at headquarters.
Dr. Magruder of the United States Marine Hospital Service had done very
efficient work in the vicinity of Beaufort, but many of the wells
refilled with a brackish red-colored water and there were many cases of
illness, two-thirds of which were fever, which, in the healthiest times,
exists upon the islands.
It required many emptyings of the wells to get good water and many wells
had to be abandoned, as good water could not be brought into them.
A clinic and dispensary was opened from 12 till 2 daily, at
headquarters, and patients were required to see a local physician before
they applied to the Red Cross, and if they could not get medical aid
from any other source they were admitted and treated.
This precaution was taken to protect the local physicians, who were
themselves heavy losers by the cyclone and could not afford to do as
much as they wished to. There were some noble-hearted men among them who
counted no sacrifice too great to relieve their fellow beings.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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