From corporations, firms, labor unions, religious
societies, individuals, rich and poor, money flowed.
Even the children in the schools gave their pennies.
Every grade of society, every branch of trade and
commerce seemed inspired by a spirit of emulation in
giving.
The United States Government at once voted a contribution
of $1,000,000, and government supplies were rushed
from every post in the West.
The $1,000,000 government gift, which formed the nucleus
of the relief fund, was doubled on Saturday by a resolution
appropriating another, and a vote was taken on Monday
to increase this sum to $1,500,000, making a total
government contribution of $2,500,000. This was
largely expended in supplies of absolute necessaries,
furnished from the stores of the War Department, and
those first sent being five carloads of army medical
supplies from St. Louis. A cargo of evaporated
cream was also sent to use in the care of little children,
while the Red Cross Society shipped a carload of eggs
from Chicago. Dr. Edward Devine, special Red Cross
agent in San Francisco, was appointed to distribute
these supplies.
Trainloads of other supplies were dispatched in all
haste from various points in the West and East, carrying
provisions of all kinds, tents, cots, clothing, bedding
and a great variety of other articles. A special
train of twenty-six cars was dispatched from Portland,
Oregon, on Thursday night, conveying ten doctors,
twenty trained nurses and 800,000 pounds of provisions.
Chicago sent meat. Minneapolis sent flour, and,
in fact, every part of the country moved in the greatest
haste for the relief of the stricken city.
There was urgent need of haste. On Friday, while
the flames were still making their way onward, General
Funston telegraphed: “Famine seems inevitable.”
The people of the country took a more hopeful view
of it, and by Saturday night the spectre of famine
was definitely driven from the field and food for
all the fugitives was within reach.
On all sides the people were awake and doing.
In all the great cities agencies to receive contributions
were opened, and many of the newspapers undertook
the task of collecting and forwarding supplies.
The smaller towns were equally alert in furnishing
their quota to the good work, and from countryside
and village contributions were forwarded until the
fund accumulated to an unprecedented amount. Collections
were made in factories, in stores, in offices, in
the public schools; cash boxes or globes stood in
all frequented places and were rapidly filled with
bank notes; theatrical and musical entertainments were
given for the benefit of the earthquake sufferers;
never had there been such an awakening. As an
instance of the spirit displayed, one man came running
into a banking house and threw a thousand dollar bill
on the counter.
