Chapter III: Preface (2)

The hospitals of Catania alone took almost all the clothes, blankets and medical stores we had to give. Yet the hospitals were in an enviable situation compared to the refuges. Here the inmates were in a worse plight than when they had escaped, half-naked from the ruins of Messina. A blanket, a heap of straw, and a daily bread ration, was about all the average inmate had received since his arrival. Few of them had changed their clothes or brushed their hair once: all were living in a state of filth, which extended to their persons and their habitations and which was a menace to the health of the town. Let no one think that their plight was the result of neglect. The Catanians showed no neglect or inefficiency. They worked hard and they worked with intelligence, but they had no money.

A curious and by no means reassuring feature of the refuges was the willingness of their inmates to stay where they were, or rather their unwillingness to move. I noticed the same fact at Palermo, where the condition of the refugees was similar, though perhaps less distressing. The inertia induced originally by the complex action of physical and moral shocks on an oriental fatalistic temperament increased rapidly, alarmingly, under the influence of a life without interest, occupation, pleasure or duty. Dependent squalor soon became pleasant, and any return to independence uninviting. The hope of getting a cigar from some visitor was enough to fill the day satisfactorily. Dirt, we know, soon became endurable; as a philosopher once said, “Every man is clean enough for himself.” What had happened already at the time of our visit was that the inmates of the refuges had begun to regard their present life as permanent, and had abandoned even the desire to change it; they had been turned into paupers. Three-quarters of them spent the days in aimless loafing and chatter; the other quarter lay gloomily on the straw, thinking of the dead. Unless these people could be awakened, unless someone should compel them soon to work and to be clean, there were signs that they would become a permanent burden; and, what is more, a permanent menace to the population. Criminals are easily made in Sicily and when they are made they have no difficulty in finding occupation.

The problem of the refuges, then, was less to make them more comfortable than to abolish them as soon as possible and in the meantime to compel cleanliness and induce work among the inmates. But there was a scarcely less difficult and more elusive problem connected with the thousands of refugees scattered about the town in private houses, living in the garrets and stables. Many of them were skilled laborers of various kinds; not a few belonged to families of merchants or professional men and to the well-to-do classes. Their destitution was as complete, of course, as that of the rest, and the relief awarded to them was the same—a daily loaf of bread. Some of them were rich, if they could only find their evidences of wealth. To enable them to do this, and to support them meanwhile, the Catania business men had formed an association to which we were glad to be able to make a small contribution.

The general impression created by our visit to Catania was that of a problem too vast, too complicated, too closely connected with the habits and temperament of the people for any outsider to solve. To “rehabilitate” these thousands of peasants, artisans, professional men, merchants, landed proprietors, would require a carefully matured plan, which must proceed from the central authorities. But meanwhile, until the plan should be matured, there was ample scope for beneficent foreign intervention, and the most useful way to intervene was also the simplest—by direct money gifts, not indeed to individual refugees, but to the local relief bodies already organized by Italians. It was not necessary or even advisable to make large donations to the central authorities of each place. The system was already rather too much centralized than too little, as the authorities were the first to recognize. Far from being jealous of direct donations to the subordinate or independent institutions, they welcomed anyone who would investigate the various needs, and give help when help was most wanted. It appeared to us that the best way to dispose of American money was to entrust it to an agent on the spot, who should travel up and down the coasts of Sicily and encourage every well-directed movement by immediate money gifts. In time such movements would no doubt receive help from Rome; but in the meantime ready cash from unofficial sources might make the difference between success and failure.

SYRACUSE.

The _Bayern_ spent three days at Catania. During that time I made a trip of investigation to Syracuse. Here the refugees numbered only 3,000—one-eighth of the number at Catania; but 900 of these were hospital patients. Syracuse, too, has only one-seventh of Catania’s population. Its hospital accommodations at the time of the earthquake were for one hundred patients. If Syracuse had succeeded better than any other place in mastering the difficulties of the situation it was not because the difficulties were insignificant. Syracuse was fortunate in a Prefect and a Mayor of resource and capacity; in an unusually efficient body of volunteer workers, with one woman of great ability at their head; and in the fact that the importance of the work, as a moral and mental tonic for the refugees, was realized from the very beginning. Syracuse was the first place where refugees were set to work. The credit for this is due to an American, Miss Katherine Bennett Davis, head of the New York State Reformatory for Women.

When Miss Davis first thought of employing refugee women to make clothes for the hospitals, relief work at Syracuse was just emerging from a state of chaos. Four hospitals had been equipped after a fashion for the reception of patients. The Municipal hospital was already in good running order, through the efforts of Signor Broggi-Reale, head of the local Red Cross; the Archbishop’s palace was being rapidly transformed into a second hospital by a number of ladies; at the big barracks conditions were more primitive until the arrival of a splendidly equipped expedition of the German Red Cross. Most of the hospitals were short of blankets; all needed sheets, and all were entirely unsupplied with clothes for the patients. Of the two thousand able-bodied refugees, eight hundred were maintained aboard the steamship _Nord Amerika_; the rest were scattered about the town. A woman’s branch of the Red Cross was being organized by the Marchesa di Rudini, whose activity covered every branch of the work of relief and extended beyond the confines of Syracuse, to all the towns of the province. Her position as wife of one of the largest landowners of the province and daughter-in-law of Italy’s lamented premier; her independence of any particular organization; her skill and tact in uniting individuals and parties made her the most influential person in Syracuse. To her is due more than to anyone else the excellent organization of the Syracuse relief work.

Miss Davis was in Sicily in order to rest. The funds at her disposal amounted to six hundred lire only. But she saw an opportunity to help in the moral regeneration of the refugees and at the same time to supply one of the most pressing needs of the city. She went to the mayor and offered to employ refugee women in making clothes for the hospitals. Like everyone else, the Mayor had been told that the refugees would not work; but unlike everyone else, he decided to make the experiment. He gave Miss Davis two of his own rooms in the Municipio, supplied her with sewing machines, and promised to furnish all the necessary materials. She opened her shop on January 8th and soon had fifty women at work.

Miss Davis was not alone in her labors. Besides the support of the officials and of Madame di Rudini, she had the direct assistance, from the first, of Mrs. Musson, wife of the British clergyman, and later of Mrs. Sisco, of Florida. When gifts of money from the American Red Cross and from the Committee of the _Bayern_ enabled Miss Davis to found a second workshop at Santa Lucia, the quarter of Syracuse situated on the mainland, Mrs. Musson became its manager. To supplement her own scanty knowledge of Italian, Miss Davis employed as interpreter and paymaster an English resident of Messina, Miss Smith, who had escaped from the earthquake without any of her belongings beyond what she could carry. The Syracusan ladies took an active interest in the workshops; two of them, the Baronesses del Bosco, whose principal work was in the hospitals, found time nevertheless to give much of their attention to Miss Davis’ work, and assisted her particularly in the cutting-out department.

The workshops were a success from the beginning. Under Miss Davis’ unceasing supervision the women showed no tendency to idleness. A piece wage which would have put the unskillful and the beginners at a disadvantage was not found necessary; the women were paid by the day, one lira and a lunch of bread, cheese and wine. The question naturally suggested itself, could not the men also be induced to work? And could not their work be made to contribute, like that of the women, to supply their own wants?

Miss Davis had now the money to carry out her plans. But she had to face a new difficulty—the jealousy of the local artisans, who resented any influx of labor. Miss Davis began with the shoemakers because shoes, next to underwear, were the articles of clothing most needed by the refugees. She found a number of shoemakers among the refugees. These she induced the local shoemakers to employ by offering the following advantageous terms: The local man was to supply the materials and tools and to receive the price of the product, which Miss Davis promised to buy. She was also to pay wages to the refugee worker. Thus the refugee was employed, the local shoemaker profited and the stock of shoes was increased. At a later date Miss Davis found employment for all the carpenters, masons and painters among the refugees by paying them to complete a large two-story building, of which only one story had been built. When finished the building became an orphan asylum for seventy-five refugee children. The money for this work was furnished by Mr. Billings out of the Massachusetts funds.

So far only skilled laborers had been employed. But the persons who most needed work, those who deteriorated most rapidly when idle, were the common unskilled laborers belonging to the lowest classes. Even in their normal condition nothing but hunger would induce these people to work; now they were fed and were in a state of moral inertia. Miss Davis’ proposal to the Mayor to employ a squad of sixty day laborers in improving the roads seemed almost certain to fail. The Mayor, however, decided to make the attempt; he was to supply tools, materials and supervision; Miss Davis was to pay the wages. Once more the unexpected happened; the men worked moderately well at first, then better every day. In a short time all traces of idleness and discontent had disappeared.

From the point of view of actual achievement and also of example Miss Davis’ feat at Syracuse seems to me the most important single contribution to the problem of rehabilitating the sufferers from the Messina earthquake. Her efforts were not limited, however, to giving employment. With funds allotted by the _Bayern_ Committee she opened a pension or home for forty-two refugees of the better class, giving preference to convalescents from the hospitals. Here for the first time the refugees found soap, brushes, combs, clean clothes, all the articles of first necessity of which they had been deprived since the earthquake. The home was so successful that the Marchesa di Rudini devoted most of the American money which had been given her, to spend at her discretion, to founding two similar institutions at Nolo and Avola, small towns of the province of Syracuse. These homes the Prefect of Syracuse promised to support out of Government funds when the original donations should be spent. In Miss Davis’ home at Syracuse the moral health of the inmates was never forgotten. Before the home had been opened a fortnight the women among the inmates were busy making clothes, voluntarily and without pay, for less fortunate refugees. Every scheme of Miss Davis served a double end—practical utility and moral rehabilitation.

Upon my return to Catania I found the _Bayern_ ready to start for Reggio. During her stay she had not only dispensed relief to Catania and the environs, but had also supplied the wants of the Taormina and Giardini hospitals.

REGGIO.

Of our second visit to Reggio I need say little. It was the saddest place of any, perhaps; nowhere else were the inhabitants plunged in such a state of complete dejection. There were no adventurers or imposters at Reggio: only the remains of families, sitting or standing mournfully among the ruins of their own homes. There was no danger in giving money to these people; their need was too obvious, their distress too genuine. We distributed our cargo, gave what help we could, paid a second visit to Messina and after two days proceeded to Palermo.

PALERMO.

Conditions at Palermo were only less desperate than at Catania. The refugees numbered about 11,000, of whom about 900 were in the hospitals. Nearly all of the remainder were in refuges, very few having been taken into private houses. All the barracks, the prison, half the schools, several convents, several theaters, and even a number of churches had been turned into refuges, of which the largest held as many as a thousand inmates. The city is larger than Catania, with more wealthy residents; it was therefore better off in many respects. But it suffered, like Catania, from the want of money from the outside, from the scarcity of intelligent workers, and from the particular dangers connected with the refuges.

I have already described the refuge system. If work is necessary for all the refugees, it is particularly necessary for those who live in these large communities. At Palermo their idleness had already turned to dangerous discontent. They complained constantly of their treatment, but refused to leave the refuges. No work for them had been organized when we arrived at Palermo. Enlightened by Miss Davis’ example, we immediately offered money for the institution of workshops on the same model as hers. The idea met with general approval. A beginning was made at once in one of the barracks and in the prison. Mr. Bishop, the American Consul, to whom we handed over the money for the enterprise, labored energetically to broaden the basis and extend the scope of the work. In a few days a ladies’ committee, of which the president was Mrs. Bishop and the vice-president Countess Mazza, wife of the General in Command at Messina, had founded workshops in five of the principal refuges, and another refuge, the Caserna Garibaldi, was organized on the same system by a parish priest, Father Trupiano, with the approval of the Archbishop of Palermo. According to the latest reports the Palermo workshops have been a success, like those of Syracuse. Some concessions had to be made to the inferior moral condition of the workers at the time when they were first employed. For instance, they had to be paid by the piece instead of by the day. But they have not proved idle on the whole, and such work as they have done has contributed directly to a most important object—the increase of the supply of clothing. Even if the _Bayern_ committee had not been able to distribute 1,200 mattresses and 15 tons of food at Palermo, or to assist the municipal charities, their short visit of eight hours to the city would have been amply justified by the foundation of these workshops. With the cruise of the _Bayern_ ended my direct participation in the work of relief. I have only a second-hand knowledge of the many other undertakings of the American Red Cross in Italy. But I have seen enough to have formed a few general opinions which may have a certain interest for Americans who have contributed to the various relief funds.

PROBLEMS OF RELIEF.

The Italian government and the Italian Red Cross found themselves, within a few days of the earthquake, in possession of enormous sums of money. As the government had the sole access to the afflicted districts and the sole authentic information about their needs, it was to the government that all contributions, Italian and foreign, were naturally sent. But there were several reasons why the government could not immediately turn that money over to the persons who most needed it or who could use it best.

In the first place, every consideration had to give place during the early days before the imperative necessity of transporting troops to the scene of disaster and of supplying them with the necessary food and equipment. In the second place, government funds are always particularly hard to protect from the suspicion of maladministration. The Italian government may have remembered criticisms of the way in which former funds had been distributed: at any rate, it determined on this occasion to exercise all possible vigilance to prevent the waste or misappropriation of a penny. The distrust of the Sicilians, traditional in upper Italy, may have increased the tendency to send supplies rather than money, and to give all orders from a single central source. In the third place, the temporary feeding and clothing of the destitute was a very small part of the total relief problem. The end which the contributions must ultimately subserve was to restore the refugee population to some kind of normal life, not merely to keep them alive for a few months. But how to effect their rehabilitation was a question which could not be answered until many things were known; their numbers, for instance, the possibility of rebuilding the ruined towns, the amount of property recoverable, the condition of the harbors, channels, docks—a hundred facts which only time could reveal. Whenever a general scheme should be devised, vast sums would be required for its effectuation: till then it was important not to disperse the accumulating contributions.

This policy of prudence and circumspection, admirable as regards an ultimate settlement, was defective as a means of relieving immediately the wants of scattered localities spread over two large and more or less inaccessible regions. What was wanted in order to supply so many needs in so many places was a system of extreme decentralization, with large funds at the unfettered discretion of individual agents. Such a system was incompatible with the rigid supervision of expenditure which the government felt to be necessary. It could not be adopted by the government. But precisely for that reason it could be adopted with advantage by independent and especially by foreign relief societies. By giving all their contributions to the Italian central committee they would indeed be helping in the general plan of rehabilitation which the central committee was evolving, but they would not be doing the task for which they were especially fitted and from which the central committee was to a large extent excluded. If, on the other hand, they entrusted their funds to agents in Sicily or Calabria, whose duty it should be to investigate every town and every institution and to help quickly the most useful and the most needy organizations, they would be doing what no one else could do so well, and what no one else had done at all.

The objection to such a policy was the risk of giving just offense to the Italian government and people by interfering in what was essentially an Italian concern—a problem of internal administration. Such an objection appears to me to rest as a misconception. The Italians might well resent, and would very likely have resented, any interference which took the form of independent relief organizations, with direct pecuniary assistance of individuals. As a matter of fact, the German Red Cross hospital at Syracuse was an organization of this kind and it aroused nothing but enthusiasm. A hospital, however, is not like a distributing agency. What the Italians would have objected to, and rightly, would have been any attempt on the part of foreigners to decide Italian questions; how a given body of men should be employed, where certain orphans should be sent, what families should first be assisted; or to set up independent relief bureaus to which individuals might apply, thus duplicating or confusing the work of the Italians and opening an easy way to imposters. But there could be no objection, and there was none, to selective gifts by foreigners to Italian institutions. Such distributions could not possibly conflict with the official scheme of relief, for all the charitable institutions of every city were under the control of the prefect or of the mayor. Certainly during my experience in Sicily no hint was ever given that gifts to the hospitals, refuges or volunteer committees were less acceptable than gifts to the prefect or the mayor. I think it is safe to assert that neither the _Bayern_ nor any other American relief expedition in Sicily or Calabria has at any time given umbrage to any local authority. The central authorities at Rome, meanwhile, have done everything to assist and encourage the independent American expeditions. The _Bayern_ was organized according to the advice of the government and with its approbation. Mr. Billings, before starting for Sicily to distribute the Massachusetts funds, consulted with several of the Italian ministers, with the head of the Central Committee, and with the President of the Red Cross. Mr. Gay and Mr. Dodge were accompanied on their trip to Calabria by an officer of the General Staff, and were recommended directly by the Ministers of War and of the Navy to the commanding officers of the different stations. The aim of the Americans has never been to act independently of the Italians, but simply to put at the service of the Italians their eyes and brains as well as their money.

AMERICAN CONTRIBUTIONS.

Americans who have contributed to the relief funds of the American Red Cross or directly to Italian funds can be satisfied that such part of their donations as went to the Italian central authorities will be spent with scrupulous probity in furtherance of a carefully considered and well matured plan of permanent rehabilitation, and that such part as was given by American agents has gone quickly and efficiently to the places where it was most needed, without any interference with the management by Italians of their own internal affairs. The problem is still in its early stages. The populations of the destroyed cities are not yet housed; the refugees are still living idly in the great towns. But that is an Italian, not an American question. We can be satisfied, it appears to me, with the system by which our money has been distributed hitherto, and be content to apply it to the future contingencies. That system has been for the American Red Cross to find out, through the American Ambassador at Rome, the exact needs of the Italians, as expressed by the government, and then to assign its needs for the enumerated purposes, giving a part to the central Italian authorities and a part to the Ambassador. What the Ambassador has received he has divided between central institutions and the relief of local needs. He has kept in touch directly with all the afflicted regions, through the consular corps, through special agents and through the reports of workers, and he has at the same time been in daily communication with the heads of all the official distributing committees. In this way he has been able to gauge accurately the needs of the situation. Certain American gifts, like the shipment of the three thousand houses, and the foundation of an agricultural school for one hundred children as a part of the Queen Elena Patronato, have produced a profound impression throughout the length and breadth of Italy because they have corresponded exactly to the necessities of the moment.

Americans, then, need have no misgivings about the administration of their donations. Italy cannot repair in a day the effects of so vast, so overwhelming a calamity as the Messina earthquake; the wound is too deep to heal quickly. Those only who have seen the misery which bows down the inhabitants of Sicily and Calabria can realize the tragic helplessness of all human succor. We must have patience till a way is found. Our nation can rest satisfied meanwhile that their generous offerings have directly and sensibly alleviated sufferings and kept hope alive, and they can rejoice in the opportunity which has been given to them to repay in part America’s and the world’s immeasurable debt to the land and people of Italy.

Milan, Italy, February 20, 1909.

RED CROSS RELIEF SHIP “BAYERN”

BY LIEUTENANT-COMMANDER REGINALD R. BELKNAP

United States Navy

ROME, January 19, 1909.

_Directly after the news reached Rome of the magnitude of the
disaster in Southern Italy our American Ambassador, Mr. Lloyd
C. Griscom, organised a committee of prominent American men in
that city for the purpose of assisting the Italian Government,
Red Cross and National Committees in the immense work of relief
that required all the aid human sympathy at home and abroad
could provide. The fact that Messina was in Sicily; that the
railroad service had been seriously disorganised, and that the
necessity of moving troops to the scene of the disaster would
largely employ what trains and what lines were still available,
led to the prompt conclusion that aid must be sent mainly by
sea. Acting under this conviction, the American Committee
chartered and equipped the steamer Bayern—a few of the members
guaranteeing the necessary amount so as to lose no time, while
waiting to hear from Washington if the American Red Cross
would provide the $100,000 necessary for this purpose. This
our Red Cross, on receipt of Mr. Griscom’s cable, immediately
consented to do. Just sixty hours after this ship was chartered
it entered the harbor of Messina, under the command of the
American Naval Attachè at Rome, Lieutenant-Commander R. R.
Belknap, U. S. N._

_Fifty-eight thousand dollars in a few hours’ time had been
expended for the medical outfit, provisions and clothing,
particular attention having been paid to the selection of food
for little children._

_Before leaving on the Bayern Mr. Griscom was received by King
Victor Emmanuel, and notified His Majesty and the Minister of
Foreign Affairs, Signor Tittoni, who was present, that the
steamer would fly the Red Cross emblem. Both the King and the
Minister remarked that his was an admirable example to the
world of international fraternity for the Geneva Flag to fly
over a ship carrying aid from one country to another in a
period of disaster._

_The following interesting report, somewhat abbreviated as to
details, has been received from Lieutenant-Commander Belknap,
to whose ability, conscientious work, deep interest and
constant energy the American Red Cross is greatly indebted for
the success of this expedition._—EDITOR.

I have the honor to submit the following report of the cruise of the North German Lloyd Steamship _Bayern_, which was chartered and fitted out at Genoa by the American Red Cross, through the American Relief Committee in Rome, and sailed from Civita Vecchia on January 7, with the Committee’s expedition on board, to render aid at Messina, Catania and other places in Sicily and Calabria to sufferers by the earthquake of December 28, 1908:

PURCHASE OF SUPPLIES

On Monday, January 4, about 6 P. M., the _Bayern_ was engaged, to sail in 36 hours (afterwards changed to 4 P. M., Wednesday, without actual loss of time to the expedition), provisioned for 50 first-class passengers for 15 days and 1,000 steerage for 10 days; she was to carry a steam or motor launch, and every effort was to be made to expedite her loading and sailing on time. To the American Consul-General in Genoa, Mr. James A. Smith, the Committee sent the following telegram at midnight, Monday:

AMERICAN CONSUL, Genoa:

American Committee for relief work, Calabrian Coast, has
chartered German Lloyd steamer, _Bayern_, now in Genoa. You
personally urge agent make every effort get steamer off
Tuesday night, fifth instant, and arrive Civita Vecchia early
Wednesday afternoon; also arrange with steamer agent to
purchase at Committee’s expense and load on _Bayern_ for relief
distribution large quantity pasta flour, stockfish, tinned milk
and also especially all available sterilized milk, biscuits,
olive oil, hams, onions, sausages, beans, potatoes, salted
pork, cheese, lard, chocolate, beef extract in jars or tins,
macaroni, sugar, also 500 each blankets, trousers, coats. To
cover these purchases draw on American Relief Committee Fund
Banca Commerciale Italiana, Rome, up to 25,000 lire for food
and 10,000 for clothing. Absolutely necessary that steamer
have a motor or steam launch on board and other boats suitable
for landing along the coast, as this is the main purpose of
the expedition. Committee depends upon your active interest to
forestall any delay of ship. Report progress Tuesday noon.

(Signed) GRISCOM, Chairman Committee.

Next day, Tuesday forenoon, the amount allotted to Consul-General Smith for purchases in Genoa was increased to 85,000 lire. A very satisfactory report came from him that afternoon, saying that the _Bayern_ would surely be ready for us at Civita Vecchia by eight o’clock Thursday morning.

Definite arrangements were now made for the transportation of the expedition and the Rome purchases to Civita Vecchia. This matter was placed entirely in the hands of Mr. Stein, the well-known Spediteur. The Italian Government placed every facility at the service of the expedition, both on the railway and at the port of Civita Vecchia; and the Navigazione Generale Italiana also instructed its agents there and at all other ports to afford us every assistance, at the same time giving me a letter of the same purport to present to their agents, if necessary. With the way thus cleared, Mr. Stein was able to carry out his part with entire satisfaction and in good time, notwithstanding that Wednesday, the day when innumerable packages and cases had to be collected from shops scattered all over Rome, was a fiesta. Much credit is due Mr. Stein for his success in this.

During the final meeting of the Committee, before the departure of the expedition, about six o’clock Wednesday evening, word was received from Mr. Anniser that the _Bayern_ had sailed from Genoa at 4 P. M. Thursday morning, at 9.30 the expedition left Rome by special train, reaching Civita Vecchia at 10.55. The Sub-Prefect, the Sindaco and the captain of the port met the party and conveyed them on board the _Bayern_. Mr. Anniser, the steamer agent, had come down by earlier train, and with the local agent of the Navigazione Generale Italiana was attending to all remaining to be done before departure of the steamer; the loading was progressing satisfactorily, and expected to be completed in time for sailing at 4 P. M.

Dr. Bastinelli was not to accompany the expedition, but he had come down to the ship to advise with Dr. Scelba, chief medical officer of the expedition, and the ship’s doctor as to the best disposition of the space available for hospital arrangements. It was decided by them to keep the medical departments of the expedition and of the ship entirely separate, with the exception of taking the two rooms allotted as ship’s hospital for use as isolation rooms for any infectious cases that might develop. The necessary work of arrangement recommended by the doctors was immediately undertaken.

Directly on coming on board I conferred with Mr. Anniser, the agent, and Captain Max Mitzlaff, commanding the _Bayern_, coming to the necessary understanding as to the control and management of the vessel and work of various kinds. Captain Mitzlaff promptly grasped the situation, and from the first moment did all in his power to forward the work of the expedition. He never made an objection; often suggested improvements that I was glad to adopt; and what was most important of all, he communicated his own zeal and interest throughout his entire ship’s company. Our relations throughout were most cordial, and I feel that we were most fortunate in having Captain Mitzlaff in command of the ship.

All guests were started ashore at 2.30 P. M., and loading was completed at 4. The captain of the port very kindly procured for us three small boats against the need of landing on an open beach, for which the ship’s boats were less suitable, and at 4.07 the _Bayern_ sailed.

PERSONNEL OF THE EXPEDITION.

_Representatives of the American Committee on board_—Mr. Griscom, American Ambassador and chairman of the Committee; Lieutenant-Commander Belknap, U. S. Navy, Naval Attachè at Rome; Mr. William Hooper, of Boston; Mr. H. Nelson Gay, of Boston and Rome.

_Executive Organization on board_—Lieutenant-Commander Belknap, in charge of the expedition; Mr. Gay, in general charge of arrangement and distribution of supplies; Mr. Hooper, recorder, treasurer of the expedition and in charge of the afterholds.

_Assistants_—Mr. Weston R. Flint, cashier, and in charge of the forwardhold; Mr. Wilfred Thompson, supplies accounts and records of deliveries; Mr. John Elliott, interpreter, assistant in afterholds and elsewhere; Mr. Robert Hale, assistant in forwardhold; Avvocato Girodana, interpreter, clerical work and translation, assistant with handling supplies, aide to Lieutenant-Commander Belknap.

_Medical Department_—Dr. Cesare Scelba, Chief Medical Officer, in general charge; Dr. Guido Egidi, Dr. Paolo Alessandrini; Miss Mary H. Lawrence, head nurse; Miss Amy Claxton, second nurse; Miss Helen M. Moir, Miss Frances E. Nelson, Miss Emily A. Tory, Miss Mable W. Shingleton, duty nurses; Emma Niccolucci, head of Italian women nurses; women nurses, Schiarmi, Negri, Consolati, Manganelli, Antinori; Lanzi, head of Italian men nurses; men nurses, Neuci, Perfetti, Tondinelli, Guardabassi, Cascapera.

_Additional, not permanently with the expedition_—Mr. Earle Dodge, Jr., embarked at Civita Vecchia and worked industriously in the forehold for the two days that he was on board. Mr. W. Bayard Cutting, Jr., American Vice-Consul at Milan, on special duty in Sicily, came on board at Messina, and continued from that time in close co-operation with the Committee to the great advantage of the prosecution of the work of the expedition. Mr. Winthrop Chanler came on board at Messina and remained until the second day at Catania, rendering very useful service for which his experience and knowledge of general and immediate conditions in the locality were valuable.

A few general orders were given, cautioning against the use of matches and smoking below decks; to report when orders had been compiled with; to apply for assistance from the ship only to the first officer or Lieutenant-Commander Belknap and the like. Simple arrangements were drawn up and posted also for stations for “Fire and Abandon Ship.”

Immediately on getting under way to Civita Vecchia, the work of arranging our supplies began, so that we might know what, how much, and where to lay our hands on everything. Fortunately, good weather favored us; the work continued in the forehold until 10 P. M. on Thursday, and went on all over the ship next day, so that by 4 P. M., when Messina was sighted, we were in all respects ready.

Only a few hours from Civita Vecchia we narrowly missed a serious handicap, Mr. Gay having a bad fall in the hold, breaking a rib. The loss of one who combined the best knowledge of what was included in our outfit, with tireless energy in getting it systematized, would have imposed a delay very unpleasant to contemplate, but, happily, Mr. Gay was the only sufferer by this accident, as he kept at work the same as before.

RELIEF FACILITIES.

Summarizing, the _Bayern’s_ relief facilities were:

1. Immediately available for sick or wounded, 105 berths; additional berthing space available under proper shelter, 55 berths—total accommodations suitable for sick with comfort, 160 berths.

2. Supplies, in considerable quantity, of clothing of all kinds, shoes, blankets, sheeting, provisions, cooking and table utensils, picks, shovels, tools, oil stoves and fuel, lanterns, candles, matches, cordage, tenting canvas, chocolate, tobacco, and many other miscellaneous articles.

3. Money for relief distribution, amounting to 150,000 lire.

4. Accommodation for 1,000 steerage passengers.

MESSINA.

Sailing from Civita Vecchia at 4.07 P. M. Thursday, the _Bayern_ arrived at Messina at 5 P. M. Friday, flying the American Ensign at the fore, the Red Cross on the triatic stay between foremast and funnel, and the German merchant flag aft. As we stood in, international signal was made “Have on board American Ambassador.”

The ship was boarded by an officer from the captain of the port’s office, to whom was given a detailed statement of supplies available.

About 9 P. M. General Mazza, in chief command of the military forces in the Straits, having returned to his headquarters on board the steamer _Duca Di Genova_, the American Ambassador, accompanied by Vice-Consul Lupton; Lieutenant-Commander Belknap, U. S. N.; Major Landis, U. S. N., and Mr. Elliott, as interpreter, visited the General, explaining the nature of the expedition, its approval by the King of Italy and the readiness of everything on board for disposal as General Mazza might direct. General Mazza expressed his warm appreciation of the offer and the spirit that had prompted it, and recommended that the ship proceed to Catania and Palermo, possibly also to Syracuse as these places had received many sick, wounded, and refugees, but so far no help in proportion to their needs. At Messina the situation was well in hand, and supplies were already available, sufficient for all requirements.

The next day, Saturday, the Ambassador and others of the expedition visited Messina, and during the course of the day landed several boatloads of supplies for the American Consulate’s distribution there. The sum of 1,000 lire was also given to the archbishop.

At nine o’clock the U. S. S. _Connecticut_, flagship of Rear-Admiral C. S. Sperry, U. S. Navy, Commander-in-Chief of the U. S. Atlantic Fleet, came in and anchored. After a conference between the Ambassador and Admiral Sperry, it was decided that the _Bayern_ and the _Culgoa_ should co-operate in relief work along the coast. The Ambassador, accompanied by Mr. Dodge, then quitted the _Bayern_, embarked in the _Connecticut_, and sailed in her at 5 P. M. for Naples.

Mr. Cutting and Mr. Chanler here joined the _Bayern_.

(Photo by S. H. Chapman.)]

About the time of the _Connecticut’s_ sailing, staff officers from General Mazza and Rear-Admiral Viale, Senior Italian Naval Officer present, called on board the _Yankton_ and _Culgoa_ to state that supplies would be welcome at Reggio as well as at Catania. Lieutenant-Commander Patton and I, therefore, arranged to proceed to Reggio together next morning; and for easier communication between us, he lent the _Bayern_ a signalman and two wireless operators from the _Culgoa_, who rigged up a small improvised wireless set over night.

REGGIO.

Sunday morning we left Messina about seven o’clock, reaching Reggio di Calabria about 8.30. We were unable to see General Mazzitelli, as he was ill, but Captain Cagni, commanding the _Napoli_, Senior Italian Naval Officer present, received us in his stead. He showed much satisfaction in having our supplies to draw upon, especially for women’s and children’s clothing, shoes, oil stoves, tent canvas, cooking and table utensils, tools and nails. About four-fifth of the _Napoli’s_ crew had been sent away on relieving expeditions among the outlying small villages, and our supplies were in good time for use in a second expedition which was being prepared.

There were no sick or wounded needing to be cared for on board, nor any refugees to be sent; but we were cordially thanked for our offer of these facilities, as well as for our supplies. The latter made about 25 tons, in four boatloads, which we were able to transfer that afternoon. The _Bayern_ then returned to anchor over night at Messina, there being no good berth at Reggio; the _Culgoa_ remained off Reggio to deliver provisions next day.

(Photo by S. H. Chapman.)]

CATANIA.

Monday at 6 P. M. we left Messina for Catania, arriving at 10.30 A. M. We were immediately boarded by an officer from the battleship _Garibaldi_, with the compliments of Rear-Admiral Gagliardi, commanding the second division of the Naval Force of the Mediterranean. The Admiral offered us any assistance we might need; and when I made an official visit to him that afternoon he inquired with much interest about all that could be learned of the situation at Messina and Reggio, and about the expedition. He very kindly made it well understood that we had only to ask to obtain any assistance at his disposal—an offer that I was glad to avail of, for men to assist with handling supplies, transmission of telegrams by wireless, and service of boats. The Admiral returned the visit next day, inspected the ship with evident interest, and expressed his approval of her organization and arrangements, especially in the medical department.

As soon as the _Bayern_ was moored inside the mole of Catania harbor, Lieutenant-Commander Belknap, accompanied by Vice-Consul Cutting, Dr. Scelba and Avvocato Giordana, called upon the Prefect Commendatore P. Ferri and the Sindaco, Signor S. Consoli, placing the ship and her equipment entirely at their disposal. We were welcomed and thanked with the greatest cordiality, and in the afternoon, when the Sindaco, with Madame Ferri, Baronessa Zapalla, and a number of other ladies and gentlemen prominent in relief work came on board, he made a speech of thanks, and presented the following letter:

Catania, January 11, 1909.

COMMUNE DI CATANIA:

With pleasure I express to you, gentlemen, and to all the
expedition of the American Red Cross, embarked on board the S.
S. _Bayern_, the heartiest thanks of the population of Catania
and of the refugees and wounded who have found here a shelter,
for your generous offer of medicines, clothes, food, etc.

The relief brought by you will be effective to lessen the
sufferings of so many wretched people, who have been deprived
in a few moments of their relatives, of their beloved native
town, and of every possession.

With esteemed consideration,

The Mayor,
S. CONSOLI.

To Signor Reginald Rowan Belknap, Lieutenant-Commander, Naval
Attachè to the Embassy of the United States of America in Rome.

To this the following reply was sent, both letters being published in the local papers:

Expedition of the American Red Cross,
Steamship _Bayern_, Catania, January 12, 1909.

TO THE MAYOR OF CATANIA:

In response to your gracious letter conveying the thanks
of the citizens of Catania for our offer of assistance, I
have the honor, in the name of His Excellency the American
Ambassador, and also of the American Red Cross, to express to
you the sincere friendship and heartfelt sympathy which all
our countrymen feel for this beautiful land and its people,
especially in this time of sorrow.

To have relieved in some small measure the distressing needs of
those we love is a cherished privilege, and the gratitude which
you have sent to the United States will carry there widespread
thankfulness.

With distinguished consideration,

R. R. BELKNAP.

Lieutenant-Commander, Naval Attachè to the American Embassy,
Rome, in charge of the American Red Cross Expedition.

The party which came on board that afternoon inspected the ship and were much pleased with the comfortable, spacious arrangements for the sick, and our outfit and arrangement of supplies. Some light refreshments were served on deck, causing one of the ladies to remark that they were enjoying this visit very much, their first respite since the earthquake.

The Prefect was unable to come on board the day of our arrival, but he did come Tuesday morning. I took this occasion to inquire particularly about our taking refugees, to which he replied in the negative, saying that the refugees did not wish to leave Sicily, as a rule, and that the authorities and people at large did not wish to have them go. Accordingly it was definitely determined that we should take none; and the order was shortly given to knock down the steerage bunks, and add the lumber to that which we were going to land at Reggio.

We discharged at Catania the greater part of our cargo, finding that large quantities of our supplies would be put to immediate use. Medical supplies, moderate amounts of clothing, milk and provisions were given direct to the three hospitals, but the bulk of what was landed was turned over to the Ladies’ Committee, in charge of clothing distribution, and provisions, medical and miscellaneous supplies to the Municipal Committee, as requested by the authorities. Then, as it was believed that a small amount of ready money could be more conveniently applied by the authorities concerned than by anyone else, Mr. Hooper, the treasurer, delivered 1,000 lire to each of the hospitals; 5,000 to Madame Ferri for application to individual cases needing relief other than an immediate supply of clothing and food, and 25,000 to the Prefect for disposition at the discretion of the committees having the relief work in hand.

(Photo by S. H. Chapman.)]

Tuesday morning a committee, consisting of Miss Mabel Hill, Fraulein Gasser, Mr. Charles King Wood and Mr. Harry Bowdoin, came on board from Giardini and Taormina with a letter from the Mayor of Giardini. Upon their representation of conditions in their district, work already done and still in hand, and cases of need still unrelieved, about twenty tons of clothing, shoes, blankets, provisions, medical dressings and miscellaneous articles were given into their care for shipment by rail, and 10,000 lire to be spent at the discretion of this committee in their work at these two places. We also sent, with this shipment, all clean bed linen remaining on board, since it was now evident that our reserve for patients would not be required.

The services of a nurse were also wanted at Taormina and Giardini, and Miss Claxton was sent with this party on their return there, with the understanding that the American Red Cross Committee would be responsible for Miss Claxton’s expenses and her return to Rome. A letter has since been received from Miss Claxton, saying that she is engaged as a district or visiting nurse, and that all the supplies sent have proved very useful.

A further sum of 10,000 lire was entrusted to Messrs. Kin and Bowdoin, both of them members of the American Red Cross, who undertook to arrange for the expenditure of this money for the relief of the small villages outside of Giardini and Taormina, between there and Messina, and to account for it to the American Red Cross through the American Ambassador.

In response to an appeal from Acireale, Mr. Gay made a personal visit among the relief workers there, after which some clothing and other supplies and 5,000 lire were delivered to them. To the Little Sisters of the Poor 1,000 lire were given for their immediate assistance. A few bundles of clothing were sent by rail to Messina, in care of Mr. Chanler, in response to a wireless message from the U. S. S. _Yankton_. There were several other cases acted on at Catania, as shown more in detail in the secretary’s report.

While lying at Catania, knowing that lumber was needed at Reggio, Mr. Flint was sent ashore on Wednesday morning to buy such quantity as we could get on board that day. Lighterage facilities were very scarce, as many steamers were in the harbor discharging; but by the persistent efforts of the German Vice-Consul, Mr. Jacob Peratoner, who very kindly devoted almost his entire day in our behalf, we succeeded in getting on board enough lumber to build 25 houses, 13 × 13 feet, complete with floors.

On Wednesday afternoon Madame Ferri, escorted by Marchese di San Juliano in his automobile, took Lieutenant-Commander Belknap, Dr. Scelba, Avvocato Giordana and Mr. Elliott on a tour of the hospitals and some of the refuges, in one of which alone 780 were then quartered. By this date, of course, sixteen days after the earthquake, all was in good order and organization as far as circumstances and available means would permit; to see so much suffering and misery, among people of all conditions of life formerly, was extremely affecting; but also it was impressive to note how much had been done for their needs and comfort, and particularly to mark the affectionate gratitude which these poor refugees demonstrated for their benefactress, who seemed to have become familiar with the details of nearly every case.

The Prefect and Admiral Gagliardi, after we had sailed the next morning, united in sending us a farewell message by wireless, as follows:

SIGNOR REGINALD ROWAN BELKNAP, On board _Bayern_, Reggio,
Calabria.

With our hearts still vibrating with gratitude and admiration
for the work of fraternal solidarity and beneficience
accomplished by you, Mr. Commandant, together with your
representatives of the American Red Cross, we again repeat to
you all, in the name of the Province and the King’s Government,
our heartfelt thanks. To all the gentlemen on board the
_Bayern_ we send good wishes and greetings.

PREFECT FERRI
GAGLIARDI.

To this the following reply was sent by telegraph to Prefect Ferri, and by letter to Admiral Gagliardi:

To COMMENDATORE FERRI, Prefect of Catania, and REAR ADMIRAL
GAGLIARDI, Commanding the Second Division of the Naval Force of
the Mediterranean:

Your message sent me at Reggio by wireless telegraph has been
received, and I will have the honor to deliver it to His
Excellency the American Ambassador at Rome, for communication
to the United States Government and to the Red Cross of
America.

The warmth of your appreciation of our efforts makes a deep
impression in our hearts. To be so cordially associated with
the noble work of the King’s Government and the devoted people
of the Province of Catania is an honor that will always be
remembered with pride and affection.

With distinguished consideration,

R. R. BELKNAP,

Lieutenant-Commander U. S. Navy, Naval Attachè at the American
Embassy, Rome, in charge of the American Red Cross Expedition.

Although no refugees were to be sent by us, we were asked, and properly authorized by the Prefect, to take twenty-four orphan children, under charge of a carabinieri, to Genoa for delivery there to representatives of the Provincial Committee of the Province of Como, where we understood the children were to be placed in families. The Little Sisters of the Poor also were glad to avail themselves of the opportunity for transportation of six of their number, who had been hurt in the earthquake or were completely worn out with their subsequent efforts, and eleven old men and one old woman in their charge, all bound for Rome or Naples. There was, besides, an Italian woman with three children, wife of a naturalized American citizen in the United States, who was to be taken to Genoa. All these were on board by the time our dinner was over, so that we could have the pleasure of showing our departing guests the children, all bathed and put into fresh beds, still wide awake, bright-eyed and happy in the novelty of their surroundings. I am glad to say that the children continue happy, as also the old people, throughout the voyage. They were fitted out with additional clothing purchased at Palermo, and on arrival of the steamer at Genoa they were safely delivered to the proper authorities.

After spending the first day in Catania, Mr. Cutting went by rail to Syracuse, being requested by the Committee to look into conditions there, inform us as to needs, and offer our facilities to the authorities. During the succeeding day, however, the many demands made upon us at Catania and from the surrounding country compelled us to abandon the idea of going to Syracuse, as the amount of supplies remaining to be disposed of would be too small to warrant the extra day’s steamer charges for such a detour. Mr. Cutting was informed of this change of plan by telephone, and tactfully explained it to the authorities of Syracuse; and upon his return on board the _Bayern_ Wednesday evening the Committee allotted 35,000 lire to Syracuse, distributed according to Mr. Cutting’s recommendation.

Leaving Catania at 4 A. M. we arrived at Reggio about 8.30, finding the U. S. S. _Culgoa_ there, just returned from a coastwise trip, relieving small villages. Lieutenant-Commander Patton and I again called together upon General Mazzitelli and Captain Cagni, who said they had use for lumber, women’s and children’s clothing, shoes and some provisions.

We lost a few hours off Reggio trying to find a suitable anchorage from which we could discharge our lumber by rafting it down to leeward into the small artificial harbor, there being no lighter available; but the _Bayern_ was too long and too light, so we remained underway while discharging on this day. This delay did not make any ultimate delay of our movements, however. We discharged a boatload of supplies for the _Culgoa_ to deliver at Messina, and two boatloads for Reggio, then ran over to Messina ourselves for the night, arriving about eight o’clock.

The battleship _Illinois_ had arrived at Messina during the afternoon, Captain J. M. Bowyer, U. S. Navy, commanding. He kindly sent a steam launch alongside, and I went on board, with Mr. Cutting and Dr. Scelba. There we found Major Landis, our military attachè, who had a telegram from Mr. Bishop, the American Consul at Palermo, desiring that the _Bayern_ visit that port. Captain Bowyer undertook to send a reply for us, that we would arrive probably Saturday morning.