Present Headquarters.
At this present time Miss Barton has her headquarters in Beaufort, where she has chartered a large warehouse, over which she and her staff camp out, living, although I am told she is well off, in the plainest of styles. Her desk is a dry goods box, with a home-made drawer; her bed, a cot. Her agents are distributed on the various islands, living in negro cabins and tents. The Red Cross flag floats in their midst, and the food, clothing and other articles are served to the crowds of negroes, and trained nurses and physicians are caring for the sick and wounded. Hundreds of men are laboring digging drains to get clear of the brackish swamp water left by the mingling of sea water and rain, building houses and boats for the helpless, and the colored women, made beggars by the storm, have been organized into sewing societies, which repair all ragged garments sent, turn ticking into mattress covers, homespun into garments.
Detail of the Work.
There is now being served out, once a week, the following rations, which is all that her stock of stores allows: To a family of seven persons for one week, one peck of hominy, one pound of pork. To those who work for the community, double the above. To sick people, a small portion of tea or coffee, sugar and bread. She would gladly double or quadruple this allowance, but she has not the material.
Thus it stands. There are 30,000 American citizens who must be almost entirely supported by charity until they get a spring crop in April or May. Unless they are furnished with food they will starve, without bedding they will die from exposure; without medicines, of fever. Everything not perishable is needed, especially money to buy lumber, nails, bricks and hardware to rebuild the houses, cast-off and warm clothing, cooking utensils, pans, pots, spoons, etc. Most of the express companies send free all articles directed to:
Miss Clara Barton,
President Red Cross Association, Beaufort, S.C.
For storm sufferers.
White Sufferers.
In response to further inquiries Admiral Beardslee furnishes us the following:
There is a very small population of whites living on the Sea Islands, and of them the greater number are storekeepers, supplying the negroes and taking mortgages on their growing crops, principally the cotton. As nearly all of the crops, including the cotton, which was nearly ready for picking, were ruined, these storekeepers, in addition to great direct loss by the flood, which swept away their storehouses, have lost largely by unrecoverable debts, thus they are not able to do much toward the relief of the sufferers. * * * Among the sufferers there are a few white families, generally descendants of the old-time planters, who, having recovered by purchase small portions of their family property, have made their living by hard work as farmers and truck growers. They are, in some cases, reduced to abject poverty.
The merchants of the city of Beaufort lost heavily. Most of the principal stores were on Bay street, their storehouses stretching out on the wharf. All of these with the back buildings on them were swept away, and the merchants are not in position to give much help. Nearly all of the old Southern families were impoverished by the war and can do little, and that little is to a great extent very naturally bestowed upon the negroes and their descendants, who were at one time their slaves.