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If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: San Francisco Relief Survey; the organization and methods of relief used after the earthquake and fire of April 18, 1906 - -Author: Charles James O'Connor - -Release Date: December 21, 2017 [EBook #56217] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SAN FRANCISCO RELIEF SURVEY *** - - - - -Produced by MWS, Bryan Ness, Harry Lamé and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive) - - - - - - - - Transcriber’s Notes - - Text printed in italics is represented here between _underscores_, - bold face text has been transcribed between =equal signs=. Small - capitals have been transcribed as ALL CAPITALS. - - More Transcriber’s Notes may be found at the end of the text. - - - - - RUSSELL SAGE FOUNDATION PUBLICATIONS - - THE PITTSBURGH SURVEY. Findings in six volumes, edited by Paul U. - Kellogg. 8vo. Fully illustrated with photos by Hine and drawings by - Joseph Stella. Maps, charts, and tables. Price per set, $9 net; per - volume, $1.50 net. - - WOMEN AND THE TRADES. By Elizabeth Beardsley Butler. 2d edition. - Postpaid. $1.72. - - WORK-ACCIDENTS AND THE LAW. By Crystal Eastman. Postpaid. $1.72. - - THE STEEL WORKERS. By John A. Fitch. New York Dept. of Labor. - Postpaid. $1.73. - - HOMESTEAD: THE HOUSEHOLDS OF A MILL TOWN. By Margaret F. Byington. - Postpaid $1.70. - - THE PITTSBURGH DISTRICT. Symposium by John R. Commons, Robert A. - Woods, Florence Kelley, Charles Mulford Robinson and others. (In - press.) - - PITTSBURGH, THE GIST OF THE SURVEY. By Paul U. Kellogg. (In - preparation.) - - CORRECTION AND PREVENTION. 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OVER - - - RUSSELL SAGE FOUNDATION PUBLICATIONS - - SAN FRANCISCO RELIEF SURVEY. Compiled from studies made by six - prominent relief workers. Illus. 8vo. 510 pages. Map. Postpaid, $3.50. - - FOUR BOOKS ON SOCIALIZED SCHOOLS. - - WIDER USE OF THE SCHOOL PLANT. By Clarence Arthur Perry. Illus. 12mo. - 404 pages. 3d edition. Postpaid, $1.25. - - AMONG SCHOOL GARDENS. By M. Louise Greene. M.Pd., Ph.D. Illus. 12mo. - 380 pages. 2d edition. Postpaid, $1.25 - - LAGGARDS IN OUR SCHOOLS. A Study of Retardation and Elimination. By - Leonard P. Ayres, Ph.D. 8vo. 252 pages. 4th edition. Postpaid, - $1.50. - - MEDICAL INSPECTION OF SCHOOLS. By Luther Halsey Gulick, M.D., and - Leonard P. Ayres, Ph.D. 8vo. 244 pages. Fourth edition, completely - revised. Postpaid, $1.50. - - SALESWOMEN IN MERCANTILE STORES. Baltimore, 1909. By Elizabeth - Beardsley Butler. Illus. 12mo. 236 pages. Cloth, postpaid, $1.08. - Paper, postpaid, $0.75. - - CIVIC BIBLIOGRAPHY FOR GREATER NEW YORK. 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Slavic Immigrants in the United - States. 8vo. 550 pages. 48 full-page illustrations. Postpaid, $2.50. - - THE SPIRIT OF SOCIAL WORK. By Edward T. Devine. Nine Addresses. 12mo. - 244 pages. 3d edition. Postpaid, $1.00. - - SOCIAL FORCES. By Edward T. Devine. Associate Editor The Survey; - Director, New York School of Philanthropy; Professor of Social - Economy, Columbia University. 12mo. 226 pages. 2d edition. Postpaid, - $1.00. - - HOW TWO HUNDRED CHILDREN LIVE AND LEARN. By Rudolph R. Reeder, - Superintendent New York Orphan Asylum at Hastings-on-Hudson. 12mo. 248 - pages. Illus. 2d edition. Postpaid, $1.25. - - VISITING NURSING IN THE UNITED STATES. By Yssabella Waters of the - Nurses’ Settlement, New York. 8vo. 367 pages. 2d edition. Postpaid, - $1.25. - - FIFTY YEARS OF PRISON SERVICE. An Autobiography. By Zebulon R. - Brockway. Illus. 12mo. 450 pages. Postpaid, $2.00. - - SURVEY ASSOCIATES, INC. - PUBLISHERS FOR THE RUSSELL SAGE FOUNDATION - 105 EAST 22d STREET, NEW YORK - - -[Illustration: _See illustration facing p. 361_ - -THE RUINS FRAMED IN MARBLE] - - - - - RUSSELL SAGE - FOUNDATION - - SAN FRANCISCO - RELIEF SURVEY - - THE ORGANIZATION AND METHODS OF RELIEF - USED AFTER THE EARTHQUAKE AND - FIRE OF APRIL 18, 1906 - - COMPILED FROM STUDIES BY - - CHARLES J. O’CONNOR - FRANCIS H. McLEAN - HELEN SWETT ARTIEDA - JAMES MARVIN MOTLEY - JESSICA PEIXOTTO - MARY ROBERTS COOLIDGE - - NEW YORK - SURVEY ASSOCIATES, INC. - MCMXIII - - - Copyright, 1913, by - THE RUSSELL SAGE FOUNDATION - - PRESS OF WM. F. FELL CO. - PHILADELPHIA - - - - -PREFACE - - -This Relief Survey is a compilation of studies made for the Russell Sage -Foundation by a group of persons each specially qualified to conduct the -inquiry and to analyze the issue. The contributors are: - -Part I. Charles J. O’Connor, Ph.D., secretary of the Board of Trustees -of Relief and Red Cross Funds, who was appointed on the relief force -soon after the disaster. - -Part II. Francis H. McLean, now secretary of the American Association of -Societies for Organizing Charity; at the time of the study, field -secretary of the Charity Organization Department of the Russell Sage -Foundation. He was superintendent for the Rehabilitation Committee in -July and August, 1906. - -Part III. Helen Swett (now Mrs. Gregorio Artieda), who was secretary of -Sub-Committee VI, the business committee of the Rehabilitation -Committee, from its organization November 1, 1906; before that date -connected with the Associated Charities of Oakland, California. Now -resident of the People’s Place settlement, San Francisco. - -Part IV. James Marvin Motley, Ph.D., now associate professor of -economics at Brown University; at the time of the investigation, -assistant professor of economics at Leland Stanford Junior University. - -Part V. Jessica Peixotto, Ph.D., assistant professor of social -economics, University of California, and a member of the Central Council -of the Associated Charities of San Francisco. - -Part VI. Mary Roberts Coolidge, formerly associate professor of -sociology, Leland Stanford Junior University; reviser of Warner’s -American Charities; author of Almshouse Women, and other works. - - * * * * * - -When the six separate studies were completed, a perplexing situation was -disclosed. The purpose in preparing the survey was to offer a book of -ready reference for use on occasions of special emergency. The six -studies would have formed a set of volumes valuable as a contribution to -the literature of relief work but not adapted to the particular purpose -in view. It therefore became necessary to condense the studies at the -cost of cutting out material. In order to preserve certain facts in -proper sequence, subject matter in a few instances has been transposed -from one part to another. - -The authors of the various parts have wished to express their -appreciation of the help rendered by university colleagues and students. -A study made by Lilian Brandt of the first registration after she had -worked at relief headquarters in the late spring and early summer of -1906, has been used in part. An article by Colonel C. A. Devol, extracts -from which appear in Appendix I, furnished valuable data concerning the -part taken by the army, especially in receiving and distributing the -relief supplies. _Charities and the Commons_ has been drawn upon for -data from articles which have not been noted in the text because their -authors were so a part of the relief work itself that specific mention -seemed uncalled for. - -The statistics of this volume require, perhaps, a word of explanation. -The quantitative material upon which the study is so largely based is -derived from records, many of which were compiled in haste and under -great pressure of work. The record forms themselves were properly -devised primarily to aid the relief workers in abating distress, rather -than as possible sources of social statistics to be compiled at some -future time; and it was necessary to entrust the filling out of the -records to persons most of whom were wholly without experience in work -of this character. The data for the several parts of the study were, -moreover, compiled by a number of persons working quite independently of -one another. - -Under these circumstances it is but natural that there should have been -embodied in the report various minor inaccuracies and some real or -apparent inconsistencies. Every possible effort has been made, in -preparing the material for publication, to correct errors, to remove -inconsistencies, and to harmonize the plan of statistical presentation -as far as this could be accomplished by means of the information -available. - -No attempt has been made to present a comprehensive statement covering -the complete disposition of the Relief Funds. It is understood that such -a statement will be prepared under the direction of the Board of -Trustees of Relief and Red Cross Funds. The figures showing receipts and -disbursements, which appear in this volume, have been presented solely -because of their bearing on the relief problems dealt with, and not by -way of an accounting. - - - - -INTRODUCTION - - -The San Francisco earthquake and resultant fire ranks with the great -catastrophes of the world’s history. Comparatively insignificant as was -the list of the killed and injured, the annihilation of the business -section of the city and of the most thickly populated residence -districts brought to the bread line virtually the city’s whole -population. The response of the nation and of other nations was in -proportion to the magnitude of the disaster. - -By a series of favoring circumstances the administration of the large -fund donated fell into the hands of a committee, afterwards transformed -into a corporation, on which were some of San Francisco’s ablest and -broadest-minded men of affairs, as well as representatives of the -rejuvenated and re-organized American National Red Cross. How at first -the distinguished services of Dr. Edward T. Devine as the representative -of the American National Red Cross were utilized by the local committee, -and later, the no less valuable services of Ernest P. Bicknell, is told -in the following pages along with the account of the splendid part -played by the United States Army. - -If for no other reason than that the disaster was of tremendous -proportions, with relief funds correspondingly large, the value of an -intensive study of the problems, methods, and results of the relief work -must be very great. No such intensive study of any other American -disaster of like proportions has been made. The report of the Chicago -Relief and Aid Society on the relief work of the Chicago fire is the -nearest approach. If one, however, reads that report he will find it to -be largely a description of general methods with a thorough accounting -of expenditures. The value of such an investigation as this Relief -Survey inheres not only in the fact that no previous intensive study has -been made of any large disaster but also in the fact that the time and -the persons engaged combined to give the San Francisco relief work -exceptional significance. - -Since the Chicago fire, in this, as in other civilized countries, there -has been a rapid evolution of social thought and action. We have become -impatient of philanthropic endeavors that do not promise permanently to -better conditions. In the field of relief we are discounting mere -almsgiving and are fighting for constructive treatment and permanent -betterment, which often involve larger relief expenditures. In serious -disasters, from the Chicago fire to the San Francisco earthquake and -conflagration, this spirit has more and more characterized the relief -work. The idea that all moneys should be spent merely to keep the -victims of a disaster from the starvation and exposure which confront -them in the weeks immediately following the catastrophe is directly -opposed to the spirit of modern relief measures. In other words, the -idea of rehabilitation, of giving to those who have been left with the -least a reasonable lift on the road to a recovery of the standard of -living maintained before the disaster, constantly has grown clearer and -more definite, a natural fructifying of the modern philosophy of -charity. - -Attention was given to rehabilitation after the Chicago fire by a -special committee on housing and by one on “giving aid to persons in the -purchase of tools, machinery, furniture, fixtures, or professional -books.” A large part of this special work of relief consisted in aiding -destitute sewing women who had lost their machines to obtain others. But -in San Francisco we find the first large attempt to emphasize and -develop rehabilitation.[1] - - [1] For relative expenditures for rehabilitation compare the figures - in the Relief Survey with those given in the Report of the Chicago - Relief and Aid Society of Disbursements of Contributions for the - Sufferers by the Chicago Fire, 1874, Chapter XII. - -The circumstances that so happily combined to magnify the principle of -rehabilitation have already been alluded to. Funds of generous -proportions, capable army officers, the reorganized Red Cross, and an -exceptional group of keen and broad-minded San Francisco business -men,--the last a group which knew its own mind but was willing to take -the advice and accept the assistance of experienced social -workers,--constituted a force permeated by the spirit of modern -philanthropy which wrought out the first large undertaking in -rehabilitation in the United States. - -Having made clear the reasons for this Relief Survey, let us consider -its several parts. - -Part I presents a general picture of the emergency period following the -fire, together with a description of the structure of the relief -organization and the different phases through which it passed. This part -serves as a background for the rehabilitation studies that follow. - -Part II is a presentation of the methods of rehabilitation, followed by -some facts obtained from a tabulation of the case records of the -Rehabilitation Committee. - -Two of the most important forms of rehabilitation, business and housing, -are analyzed in detail in Parts III and IV. These parts illustrate -methods, and they also show actual results of rehabilitation, which were -learned by following into their homes at a later period a certain number -of the families helped. - -A study of the families under care of the Associated Charities since the -work of the Rehabilitation Committee ceased gives the data for Part V. -This was made to determine the character of the dependency, how much was -due to the disaster itself, how much to faulty rehabilitation work, how -much was inevitable. The work of the Associated Charities is indeed only -a prolongation of the rehabilitation effort. - -The last inquiry, Part VI, was into that saddest and least hopeful of -all forms of rehabilitation, the permanent care of the aged and infirm. -To call it rehabilitation seems a misnomer. The methods, the number of -persons involved, their character, and other items are considered. Also -the attempt is made to determine how far present dependence was -inevitable, or accelerated, or actually caused by the change of -circumstances due to the fire and to the additional burdens put upon -relatives and friends who in the ordinary course of events would -themselves have assumed the duty. - -This summary reveals not alone what these studies contain but also what -they omit. They do not comprise a complete history of the San Francisco -relief work. A bird’s-eye view of that work is given in the Sixth Annual -Report of the American National Red Cross. They present, rather, certain -important and significant phases of rehabilitation with a sketch of the -organization structure. And they present these not primarily for any -reason of historical interest but in the hope that they may help -concretely and suggestively in solving problems of family rehabilitation -in connection with disasters, small and large, which in the future may -confront the American National Red Cross, citizens’ committees, and -relief agencies of every kind. - -The full measure of results cannot be given in this Relief Survey. The -acumen of no group of investigators, no matter how broad in their -sympathies, or how trained to their work, can probe to the heart of a -community to find the main arteries through which it has drawn its full -life. The people were sound at the core. They had an instinct for -adventure. Their own sanity, their self-reliance and faith in the future -made them ready to rebound from fortune’s sudden blow. But in the -wearying days that followed in the wake of the first efforts at -recuperation, the adventurous spirit flagged under the strain and the -ugliness of life. It was then that the city called on men whom it had -bred, to uphold the courage and maintain the spirit of independence of -its weaker citizens. The men who responded because they treasured San -Francisco, their city, have shown, as this study proves, what sustained -and co-operative effort can achieve. - - - - -TABLE OF CONTENTS - -(A detailed Table of Contents precedes each part) - - - PAGE - - PREFACE iii - INTRODUCTION vii - LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS xv - LIST OF TABLES xvii - DIAGRAM OF ORGANIZATION xxv - MAP _Opposite_ 3 - - - PART I - - ORGANIZING THE FORCE AND EMERGENCY METHODS - - I. Organizing a Relief Force 3 - - (1) The Disaster, 3. (2) Tentative Organization, 8. (3) Uniting of - Relief Forces, 11. (4) Beginnings of Rehabilitation Work, 13. (5) - An Interlude, 19. (6) Incorporation of the Funds, 25. - - II. Methods of Distribution 30 - - (1) Sources of Contributions, 30. (2) Distribution of Food, 36. - (3) Distribution of Clothing, 55. (4) Furnishing Transportation, - 58. (5) Providing Shelter, 69. (6) Safeguarding Health, 89. (7) - Relieving the Japanese and Chinese, 94. - - III. Questions of Finance 96 - - (1) Claims, 96. (2) System of Accounting--A Note, 98. (3) The - Control of Donations, 99. - - - PART II - - REHABILITATION - - I. Beginnings of Rehabilitation 107 - - (1) General Policy, 107. (2) Periods of Rehabilitation Work, 111. - - II. Methods of Work 113 - - (1) The District System, 113. (2) The Centralized System, 124. (3) - Withdrawal, 133. (4) Concluding Remarks, 135. - - III. Calls for Special Forms of Service 137 - - (1) Relations with Auxiliary Societies, 137. (2) Rehabilitation of - Institutions, 141. (3) Bureau of Special Relief, 145. - - IV. What the Rehabilitation Records Show 151 - - (1) Introductory, 151. (2) Social Data and Total Grants and - Refusals, 152. (3) Principal and Subsidiary Grants, 157. (4) The - Re-opening of Cases to make Further Grants, 160. (5) Variations in - Amounts of Grants, and Refusals, 165. - - - PART III - - BUSINESS REHABILITATION - - I. The People Aided and the Results Obtained 171 - - (1) The Plan Itself, 171. (2) The Study of Results, 173. (3) The - Families and Individuals Aided, 174. (4) Changes in Family and - Business Life, 176. (5) Occupations, 183. (6) Homogeneity of - Grantees, 185. (7) Results of Business Rehabilitation, 186. (8) - Reasons for Success and Failure, 187. - - II. Analysis by Occupations, Study of Refusals, and Summary 196 - - (1) Success or Failure in Relation to Occupations, 196. (2) Study - of Refusals, 208. (3) Summary of the Results of Business - Rehabilitation, 210. - - - PART IV - - HOUSING REHABILITATION - - I. General Plan of Housing Work 215 - - (1) Introductory, 215. (2) Retrospective, 216. (3) The General - Plan, 218. - - II. The Camp Cottages 221 - - (1) General Cost, 221. (2) Families Occupying the Cottages, 223. - (3) Wages and Occupations, 226. (4) Housing Before and After the - Fire, 229. (5) Two Cottage Settlements, 234. (6) Brief Comments, - 237. - - III. The Bonus Plan 239 - - (1) The Plan Itself, 239. (2) Bonus Recipients, 240. (3) - Occupations and Resources, 244. (4) The Houses--Character and - Cost, 248. (5) Brief Comments, 251. - - IV. The Grant and Loan Plan 253 - - (1) The Plan Itself, 253. (2) Relation Between the Department of - Lands and Buildings and the Housing Committee, 256. (3) The Number - Aided and the Cost, 257. (4) Families Making Use of the Grants and - Loans, 259. (5) Occupations and Resources, 262. (6) Housing Before - and After the Fire, 266. (7) Status of Loans in 1909 and 1911 and - Additional Aid, 271. (8) Cases of Expensive Building, 273. (9) - Brief Comments, 276. - - General Conclusions on Housing Plans 277 - - - PART V - - RELIEF WORK OF THE ASSOCIATED CHARITIES - - From June, 1907, to June, 1909 - - I. The Nature of the Cases 281 - - (1) Introductory, 281. (2) Nature of the Dependency, 282. (3) - Social Character of the Cases, 286. (4) Occupations of Applicants, - 294. - - II. The Methods of Relief Employed 298 - - (1) Reapplications, 298. (2) Emergent Relief, 299. (3) Permanent - Relief, 305. (4) Relief Refused, 310. (5) Conclusions, 314. (6) - The Associated Charities Since the Fire, 317. - - - PART VI - - THE RESIDUUM OF RELIEF - - THE AGED, THE INFIRM, AND THE HANDICAPPED - - I. Ingleside Model Camp 321 - - (1) History of its Establishment, 321. (2) Administration, 324. - (3) General Statistics, 327. - - II. Relief and Non-Relief Cases 335 - - (1) General Analysis, 335. (2) Applicants and Non-Applicants for - Relief and Rehabilitation, 336. - - III. RESULTS 356 - - - SOME LESSONS OF THE RELIEF SURVEY - - Part I. Organization and the Emergency Period 369 - Part II. Rehabilitation 370 - Part III. Business Rehabilitation 371 - Part IV. Housing Rehabilitation 371 - Part V. After-Care 372 - Part VI. The Aged and Infirm 372 - - - APPENDICES - - I. DOCUMENTS AND ORDERS 375 - - (1) List of Members Finance Committee of Relief and Red Cross - Funds and its Permanent Committees, 377. (2) General Orders No. - 18, 379. (3) Extracts from the Army in the San Francisco Disaster, - 383. (4) Letter from General Greely to James D. Phelan, 387. (5) - Plan of the Executive Commission, 391. (6) Original Housing Plan, - 394. (7) The Incorporation of the Funds, 398. (8) Appointment of - Board of Trustees Relief and Red Cross Funds, February, 1909, 401. - (9) List of Official Camps, 404. (10) Grants to Charitable - Organizations: A. By Denominations and Nature of Work, B. By - Denominations, 405. (11) Rehabilitation Committee: Details of - Administration, 406. (12) General Plan of Housing Committee, 417. - (13) Statistics from Associated Charities, 419. - - II. FORMS AND CIRCULARS 423 - - First registration card (Face), p. 425. First registration card - (Reverse), p. 426. Food card (Face and Reverse), p. 427. Second - registration card (Face), p. 428. Second registration card - (Reverse), p. 429. Tent record sheet, p. 430. Camp commander’s - report sheet, p. 431. Rehabilitation Committee: Report form, p. - 432; Paster, p. 433; Circular, p. 434; Application blank, p. 435; - Circular letter of inquiry, p. 436; Bureau of Special Relief: - Recommendation form, p. 437; Report form, p. 438; Medical service - form, p. 439; Order form A, p. 440; Order form B, p. 441; Bureau - of Hospitals: Hospital report sheet, p. 442. Application forms for - business rehabilitation, p. 443. Application for bonus, p. 447. - Land and Building Department, Notice, 448. Application for housing - grant, p. 449. - - - - -LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS - - - FACING - PAGE - - The Ruins framed in Marble _Frontispiece_ - - The Morning of the Disaster 4 - Striving to reach the ferry - In Union Square, soon to be swept by flames - - The Hall of Justice 9 - - Refugees in Jefferson Square 14 - Watching the fire - The fire draws near - - Supplying Food under Difficulties 20 - The first bakery rebuilt - A cheerful kitchen - - Camp No. 10, Potrero District 28 - Tent camp, opened May 9, 1906 - Cottages - - Relieving the Hungry 36 - All classes joined the bread line - Soldiers gave aid and protection - - Fires in Houses were Prohibited 40 - Preparing meals in the street - A row of street kitchens - - Distribution of Relief Supplies 46 - The bread line, Mission District - Relief station, Mission District - - Hot Meal Kitchens 50 - An open air dining room - In Golden Gate Park - - Warehouse for Second Hand Clothing 57 - - Camps in Golden Gate Park 70 - An administration headquarters - Camp No. 6, The Speedway, showing barracks - - Early Shelters in Jefferson Square 74 - Shelters of sheets and quilts - Tents and shacks - - Camp No. 9, Lobos Square 78 - Tent camp, opened May 9, 1906 - Cottages - - Camp No. 20, Hamilton Square 81 - - Camp No. 28, South Park 85 - - Tanks for Sterilizing Water, Lobos Square Camp 94 - - Two Cottage Camps 110 - Camp No. 25, Richmond District, opened November 20, 1906 - Camp No. 29, Mission Park, opened November 19, 1906 - - Headquarters, Department of Relief and Rehabilitation 119 - - Early Business Ventures 128 - Barber shop, and shack constructed of boxes - A drinking place - - Camp Cottages used for Business 178 - A plumber’s new start - Laundry and residence - - Business Rehabilitation 188 - Cigar store of an Italian cripple - Store owned by a German-Swiss couple - - Business Rehabilitation 198 - Owner aided by a Rehabilitation Grant and money privately loaned - Hat maker aided by a Rehabilitation Grant - - View from Nob Hill looking toward Harbor and Ferry Building. - Taken one year after the fire, April 18, 1907 207 - - Cottage Homes a year after removal 215 - In the land of flowers - A simple but cozy home - - Homes from Camp Cottages 218 - Substantial and weatherproof - Commodious and attractive - - Camp No. 13, Franklin Square 221 - - Camp Cottages after Removal 226 - A janitor’s comfortable home - Improved at small expense - - Camp Cottages at Hill Crest 230 - Where the trade winds blow - In full view of the Pacific - - Beginnings of a Cottage Settlement 234 - First cottages in Villa Maria - The proprietor and his family - - Camp Cottages on a Suburban Tract 237 - - Bonus Houses 240 - Home built by a letter carrier - Home of an elderly U. S. Government employe. Bonus, $250 - - Bonus Houses 245 - Built by Italians. Bonuses $500 each - Home of two Italian families - A widow’s venture. Bonus $500 - - Bonus Houses 250 - Two ambitious dwellings built with aid of bonuses - Built with bonus of $500 and money privately loaned - - Headquarters Department of Lands and Buildings 257 - - Grant and Loan Houses 262 - Built by the owner with insurance money and a grant of $250 - Built by a teamster with grant of $250 and money privately loaned - - Grant and Loan Houses 268 - Built by the Housing Committee - Built by the owner, who had some resources - - Methods of Housing Rehabilitation 275 - - Telegraph Hill and Washington Square 286 - Completely devastated. First tents in Washington Square - Partly rebuilt. Cottages in Washington Square - - Telegraph Hill Largely Rebuilt 291 - - Washington Square Camp 294 - - Removal from the Camp 300 - 1. The start - 2. Well under way - 3. Joining two cottages - 4. The completed dwelling - - Home for the Aged and Infirm (The “Relief Home”) 307 - - Ingleside Model Camp 323 - - Ingleside Model Camp 330 - The reading room - The sewing room - - Ingleside Model Camp 340 - The kitchen - The dining room - - “Portals of the Past” 361 - - - - -LIST OF TABLES - - - PART I. EMERGENCY METHODS - - TABLE PAGE - - 1. Cash receipts of the Finance Committee of Relief and Red - Cross Funds, and its successor, The Corporation, to June 1, - 1909 33 - - 2. Cash contributions for the relief of San Francisco, to June - 1, 1909, received by the Finance Committee of Relief and Red - Cross Funds, and its successor, The Corporation, and by - American National Red Cross, by country of origin 34 - - 3. Disposition of cash contributed for the relief of San - Francisco through the American National Red Cross, to June 1, - 1909 35 - - 4. Character of location, origin, and dates of opening and - closing of relief stations of Civil Section VI 41 - - 5. Relief stations in the seven civil sections on May 3 and on - June 3, 1906 42 - - 6. Daily issues of rations from April 19 to May 12, 1906 43 - - 7. Families and individuals registered in the seven civil - sections, May, 1906 45 - - 8. Meals served by hot meal kitchens, from May to October, 1906, - inclusive 51 - - 9. Free and paid meals served by hot meal kitchens on specified - dates in 1906 52 - - 10. Expenditures of San Francisco Relief and Red Cross Funds for - purchase and distribution of food, to May 29, 1909 53 - - 11. Persons to whom rations were issued in May and June, 1906 53 - - 12. Persons carried from San Francisco as free passengers by the - Southern Pacific Railroad, from April 18 to April 26, 1906 58 - - 13. Destination of persons sent from San Francisco by the - transportation committee, from April 26 to May 10, 1906, - inclusive 66 - - 14. Persons sent from San Francisco, by period and by general - destination, April 26, 1906, to June, 1908 67 - - 15. Terms of transportation of persons sent from San Francisco in - second and third periods 68 - - 16. Destination of persons sent from San Francisco in second and - third periods 68 - - 17. Value at reduced rates of transportation furnished through - the committee 69 - - 18. Housing of registered families, by civil sections, May, 1906. - Numbers 72 - - 19. Housing of registered families, by civil sections. - Percentages, based on the total number of families whose - addresses in May, 1906, were given 72 - - 20. Nationality of population of San Francisco in 1900, compared - with nationality of heads of families among refugees in 1906 75 - - 21. Nationality of heads of families among refugees, by civil - sections, May, 1906. Numbers 76 - - 22. Nationality of heads of families among refugees, by civil - sections, May, 1906. Percentages based on the total number of - cases in which information as to nativity was available 76 - - 23. Ejectments from camps during the entire period of the relief - work, by months 80 - - 24. Reasons for ejectments from camps during the entire period of - relief work 80 - - 25. Population of official camps, exclusive of Ingleside Model - Camp, from May, 1906, to June, 1908, inclusive 81 - - 26. Cost of camps during the entire period of the relief work 87 - - 27. Disposal of claims acted upon by the department of bills and - demands, to March 16, 1907 97 - - 28. Payments upon claims acted upon by the department of bills - and demands, to March 16, 1907 98 - - - PART II. REHABILITATION - - 29. Estimate of amount required for carrying on work of relief, - presented August 16, 1906 121 - - 30. Reasons for the refusal of grants to certain societies, to - May 11, 1907 145 - - 31. A. Amount expended monthly by Bureau of Special Relief for - all purposes from August 15, 1906, to June 30, 1907 148 - - B. Amount expended by Bureau of Special Relief for - administration and for supplies from August 15, 1906, to - June 30, 1907 148 - - 32. Disposal of applications for rehabilitation following - investigation 152 - - 33. Disposal of applications for rehabilitation, by nature of - application 153 - - 34. Applicants for rehabilitation, by age, and by nature and - disposal of application 153 - - 35. Applicants for rehabilitation, by domestic status and by - nature of application 154 - - 36. Applicants handicapped by personal misfortunes or defects 155 - - 37. Applicants affected by handicaps of each specified kind 155 - - 38. Number of persons in families of applicants for - rehabilitation 156 - - 39. Families among the applicants for rehabilitation with - children, by number of children under fourteen years of age - in each family 156 - - 40. Number of principal and subsidiary grants, by nature of - grants 157 - - 41. Amount of principal and subsidiary grants, by nature of - grants 158 - - 42. Amounts given to applicants receiving $500 or more, by nature - of principal grant 159 - - 43. Applications for relief passed upon by sub-committees and by - the Rehabilitation Committee, without action by a sub- - committee, in the period from November 1, 1906, to April 1, - 1907, by nature of the application 160 - - 44. Number of re-opened cases by nature of first grant 161 - - 45. Grants for rehabilitation by amount and by nature of relief - given 165 - - 46. Grants and refusals to applicants who possessed resources, by - amount of resources 167 - - 47. Reasons for refusal of rehabilitation, by nature of - application 168 - - - PART III. BUSINESS REHABILITATION - - 48. Nativity of heads of families receiving business - rehabilitation 175 - - 49. Conjugal condition of family groups receiving business - rehabilitation 175 - - 50. Changes in family composition between period before fire and - the re-visit in 120 families receiving business - rehabilitation 177 - - 51. Nature of premises occupied and of rentals paid before and - after the fire, by families receiving business rehabilitation 178 - - 52. Residence rentals paid, before and after the fire, by 94 - families receiving business rehabilitation, who paid rentals - for separate residential quarters in both periods 179 - - 53. Number of rooms in residences occupied before and after the - fire, by 94 families receiving business rehabilitation, who - paid rentals for separate residential quarters in both - periods 180 - - 54. Business rentals paid, before and after the fire, by 74 - families receiving business rehabilitation, who paid rentals - for separate business quarters in both periods 181 - - 55. Combined business and residential rentals paid, before and - after the fire, by 285 families receiving business - rehabilitation, who paid combined rentals in both periods 182 - - 56. Proposed occupation of applicants receiving business - rehabilitation 184 - - 57. Business and employment status at the time of the re-visit, - of applicants receiving business rehabilitation 186 - - 58. Business status at the time of the re-visit of applicants - receiving business rehabilitation, by health of families 193 - - 59. Amount of grants to and of capital available for applicants - receiving business rehabilitation 194 - - 60. Business status at the time of the re-visit of applicants - receiving business rehabilitation, by occupations 196 - - 61. Business status at the time of the re-visit of applicants - receiving business rehabilitation for personal and domestic - service, by size of grants and amount of capital 201 - - 62. Business status at the time of the re-visit of applicants - receiving business rehabilitation for trade, by size of - grants and amount of capital 207 - - - PART IV. HOUSING REHABILITATION - - 63. Houses erected by or with the aid of the San Francisco Relief - and Red Cross Funds, by style of houses or plan under which - relief was given 219 - - 64. Expenditures for housing made by the Finance Committee of - Relief and Red Cross Funds, by the San Francisco Relief and - Red Cross Funds, a Corporation, and by the United States Army - from congressional appropriation, from April, 1906, to June, - 1909 220 - - 65. Nationality of applicants receiving aid under the cottage - plan 223 - - 66. Conjugal condition of families receiving aid under the - cottage plan 224 - - 67. Ages of applicants receiving aid under the cottage plan 225 - - 68. Occupation before the fire, of 415 of the men in families - receiving aid under the cottage plan 226 - - 69. Estimated monthly wages received before the fire by the 380 - men who worked for wages, in the families receiving aid under - the cottage plan 227 - - 70. Estimated yearly incomes before and after the fire of - families receiving aid under the cottage plan 228 - - 71. Types of houses occupied before the fire by families - receiving aid under the cottage plan 230 - - 72. Number of rooms per family occupied before the fire by - families receiving aid under the cottage plan 230 - - 73. Costs incurred, by or in behalf of applicants, for cottages - occupied by families receiving aid under the cottage plan 232 - - 74. Nationality of applicants receiving aid under the bonus plan 241 - - 75. Conjugal condition of families receiving aid under the bonus - plan 242 - - 76. Ages of applicants receiving aid under the bonus plan 243 - - 77. Occupations before the fire of 433 men in families receiving - aid under the bonus plan 244 - - 78. Value of lots owned before the fire by applicants receiving - aid under the bonus plan 246 - - 79. Indebtedness carried before and after the fire by families - receiving aid under the bonus plan 247 - - 80. Cost of houses rebuilt after the fire by applicants receiving - aid under the bonus plan 249 - - 81. Number of rooms in houses owned before the fire and in houses - rebuilt after the fire by applicants receiving aid under the - bonus plan 249 - - 82. Number of rooms per family occupied before and after the fire - by families receiving aid under the bonus plan 250 - - 83. Style of 543 houses built by the housing committee for - applicants receiving aid under the grant and loan plan 258 - - 84. Nationality of applicants receiving aid under the grant and - loan plan 259 - - 85. Conjugal condition of families receiving aid under the grant - and loan plan 260 - - 86. Ages of applicants receiving aid under the grant and loan - plan 261 - - 87. Monthly income before and after the fire of men receiving aid - under the grant and loan plan who were in business before the - fire 262 - - 88. Monthly income before and after the fire of women in families - receiving aid under the grant and loan plan 264 - - 89. Value of lots purchased after the fire by 670 applicants - receiving aid under the grant and loan plan 266 - - 90. Number of rooms per family occupied before and after the fire - by families receiving aid under the grant and loan plan 267 - - 91. Value of houses owned before and after the fire by applicants - receiving aid under the grant and loan plan 269 - - 92. Monthly rentals paid before the fire by families receiving - aid under the grant and loan plan 270 - - 93. Status on January 1, 1911, of loans to families receiving aid - under the grant and loan plan 272 - - 94. Additional aid from the relief funds given to families - receiving aid under the grant and loan plan 273 - - 95. Amount of additional grants from the Relief Funds made to - families receiving aid under the grant and loan plan 273 - - - PART V. RELIEF WORK OF THE ASSOCIATED CHARITIES - - 96. Number of applications to the Associated Charities for - assistance, by months. 1908 and 1909 284 - - 97. Associated Charities cases classified as having lived or not - having lived in the burned area, and by number aided, and - number refused aid. June 1, 1907, to June 1, 1909 285 - - 98. Nativity of applicants for relief from Associated Charities, - before fire and after fire 287 - - 99. Family types among applicants for relief from Associated - Charities, before fire and after fire 288 - - 100. Age of principal breadwinner in families applying for relief - from Associated Charities. June 1, 1907, to June 1, 1909 290 - - 101. Age of principal breadwinner in families applying for relief - from Associated Charities, before fire and after fire, by - family type 290 - - 102. Age of principal breadwinner in families that had been burned - out applying for relief from Associated Charities, by - nativity and rehabilitation record. June 1, 1907-June 1, - 1909 291 - - 103. Number of children in families having children applying for - relief from Associated Charities, before fire and after fire 292 - - 104. Causes of disability among applicants for relief from - Associated Charities, before fire and after fire 293 - - 105. Applicants for relief from Associated Charities classified by - general occupations, as refugees with and without - rehabilitation record, and as non-refugees, June 1, 1907, to - June 1, 1909 294 - - 106. General occupations of applicants for relief from Associated - Charities, before fire and after fire 295 - - 107. Size of grants made by the Rehabilitation Committee, before - June 1, 1907, to applicants for relief who afterwards applied - for relief from the Associated Charities 299 - - 108. Emergency and temporary relief given in money or in orders by - Associated Charities June 1, 1907, to June 1, 1909 300 - - 109. Expenditure by Associated Charities for care of sick, in - addition to aid from Red Cross Funds. June 1, 1907, to June - 1, 1909 301 - - 110. Grants and pensions of $50 and over given by the Associated - Charities 306 - - 111. Applicants for aid from the Associated Charities to whom aid - was refused, classified as having lived or not having lived - in the burned area. June 1, 1907-June 1, 1909 310 - - 112. Reasons for not giving aid from Associated Charities to - applicants 313 - - - PART VI. THE RESIDUUM OF RELIEF (INGLESIDE MODEL CAMP) - - 113. Inmates of Ingleside Model Camp by conjugal condition and sex 328 - - 114. Conjugal condition of inmates of Ingleside Model Camp, - compared with conjugal condition of inmates of all almshouses - of the United States in 1903-4 and of the general population - of California 15 years of age and over, in 1900 329 - - 115. Age distribution of inmates of Ingleside Model Camp, compared - with age distribution of inmates of San Francisco almshouse - during a ten-year period, and of inmates of all almshouses of - the United States, in 1903-4 330 - - 116. Nativity of inmates of Ingleside Model Camp, compared with - nativity of inmates of San Francisco almshouse during a - ten-year period, and of the general population of the city - and county of San Francisco in 1900 331 - - 117. Occupations of inmates of Ingleside Model Camp 332 - - 118. Family relations of inmates of Ingleside Model Camp 335 - - 119. Inmates of Ingleside Model Camp classified as families and - single and widowed men and women and as applicants to San - Francisco Relief and Red Cross Funds, applicants to - Associated Charities, and non-applicants 336 - - 120. Single and widowed inmates of Ingleside Model Camp applying - to the San Francisco Relief and Red Cross Funds for - Rehabilitation, by nature of rehabilitation applied for 344 - - 121. Disabled single and widowed inmates of Ingleside Model Camp - who did not apply for rehabilitation, by sex and nature of - disability 353 - - 122. Subsequent history of single and widowed inmates of Ingleside - Model Camp, who did not apply for rehabilitation, by sex 354 - - 123. Proportion of almshouse inmates and of almshouse admissions - to total population, San Francisco, 1890, 1900, 1905, and - 1909 356 - - - - -ORGANIZATION OF THE RELIEF WORK - -Showing committees, departments, and bureaus created from April 18, -1906, to February 4, 1909[2] - - - ---------------------------------------------------------------------- - THE ARMY, CITIZENS’ COMMITTEE, AMER. NAT. RED - April 18, 1906 April 18, 1906 CROSS, April 23, 1906 - +----------+ - Under the Division | | Special Representative - Commander | | Seven Civil Chairmen - Inspector General | FINANCE COMMITTEE, of the Civil Sections - Depot Quartermaster | April 18, 1906 Staff at Headquarters - (transportation of | Registration Bureau - supplies) |Committee of Super- Employment Bureau - Depot Commissary (Is-| vising Special Relief and Re- - suance of food) |Purchasing Committee habilitation Bureau - Subordinate Officers |Auditing Committee Transportation Bureau - in Change of Ware- |Committee on Hospitals | - houses | | | - Chief Sanitary | | | - Officer | +-----------+-----------+ - Military Chairmen of | | - the Seven Civil | | - Sections | FINANCE COMMITTEE OF RELIEF & RED CROSS - Bureau of Consoli- | FUNDS, April 24, 1906 - dated Relief | EXECUTIVE COMMISSION, June 22, 1906 - Stations | Seven Civil Chairmen - Hot Food Stations| Committee on Relief Warehouses - Superintendents of | Committee on Camps - Relief Stations | Committee on Complaints - (also called food | Committee on Municipal Departments - stations) | Committee on Sewing Circles - Commander of Official| REHABILITATION COMMITTEE, June 29, 1906 - Camps | Seven Civil Section Committees - Commanders of Several| | - Camps | | - | SAN FRANCISCO RELIEF AND RED CROSS FUNDS, - +----------+ A CORPORATION, July 20, 1906 - | - | EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE - EMERGENCY COMMITTEES - APPOINTED BY THE DEPARTMENT A--FINANCE AND PUBLICITY - CITIZENS’ COMMITTEE, Auditing Department - April 18, 1906 Subscription Department - Transportation of Ledger Department - Refugees Claim Voucher Department - Relief of Hungry Cashier’s Department - Housing the Homeless History Committee - Roofing the Homeless - Drugs and Medical DEPARTMENT B--BILLS AND DEMANDS - Supplies Supervising Committee (superseded by - Relief of Sick and the Judicial Committee, Sept. 9, - Wounded 1906) - Care in Hospitals - Relief of Chinese DEPARTMENT C--CAMPS AND WAREHOUSES (Aug. - 1, 1906, Relieved Army of Camps) - Seven Civil Chairmen - Camps - Warehouses - - DEPARTMENT D--RELIEF AND REHABILITATION - Rehabilitation Committee - Seven Civil Section Committees, - superseded October 26, 1906, by - Sub-Committees: - I. Temporary Aid and Transporta- - tion - II. Aged and Infirm. Unsupported - Children and Friendless Girls - III. Unsupported or Partially Sup- - ported Families - IV. Occupation for Women and Confi- - dential Cases - V. Housing and Shelter - VI. Business Rehabilitation - VII. Heads of Families Employed but - Unable to Refurnish their - Homes, Jan. 16, 1907 - VIII. Committee on Deferred and Ne- - glected Applications, Nov. - 17, 1907 - Bureau of Hospitals - Industrial Bureau - Bureau of Special Relief - - DEPARTMENT E--LANDS AND BUILDINGS - | - | - BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF RELIEF AND RED CROSS - FUNDS, Feb. 4, 1909 - - [2] The committees appointed independently by the Finance Committee - and by the American National Red Cross became practically merged into - the so-called new committees under the Finance Committee of Relief and - Red Cross Funds. The committees under the Finance Committee of Relief - and Red Cross Funds continued their work under the more elaborate - organisation of the San Francisco Relief and Red Cross Funds, a - Corporation. The most significant dates of organisation are given. - - - - - PART I - - ORGANIZING THE FORCE AND - EMERGENCY METHODS - - -PART I - -ORGANIZING THE FORCE AND EMERGENCY METHODS - - - PAGE - I. ORGANIZING A RELIEF FORCE 3 - - 1. The Disaster 3 - 2. Tentative Organization 8 - 3. Uniting of Relief Forces 11 - 4. Beginnings of Rehabilitation Work 13 - 5. An Interlude 19 - 6. Incorporation of the Funds 25 - - II. METHODS OF DISTRIBUTION 30 - - 1. Sources of Contributions 30 - 2. Distribution of Food 36 - 3. Distribution of Clothing 55 - 4. Furnishing Transportation 58 - 5. Providing Shelter 69 - 6. Safeguarding Health 89 - 7. Relieving the Japanese and Chinese 94 - - III. QUESTIONS OF FINANCE 96 - - 1. Claims 96 - 2. System of Accounting--A Note 98 - 3. The Control of Donations 99 - -[Illustration: MAP OF - -SAN FRANCISCO] - - -I - -ORGANIZING A RELIEF FORCE - - -1. THE DISASTER - -San Francisco is at the head of one of two narrow peninsulas which, held -apart by the Golden Gate, landlock a fifty-mile length of harbor. To the -west of the city is the Pacific Ocean itself and to the east, beyond the -six to eight-mile reach of San Francisco Bay, such residence towns as -Alameda, Oakland, and Berkeley, which merge almost into one another. -Many thousands of people who use San Francisco as the center for their -business, travel daily along the city’s principal thoroughfare, Market -Street, to take at its foot one of the ferries which make frequent runs -to the east shore and to Sausalito and Tiburon on the north beyond the -Golden Gate. A smaller number go by rail to San José and other residence -towns on the peninsula, and each stream is met morning and evening by -one of less volume of those who reverse the process to find residence in -the large city and employment beyond its boundaries. - -On Wednesday morning, April 18, 1906, at twelve minutes past five -o’clock, San Francisco, this city of wonderful setting, suffered an -earthquake whose sensible duration was about one minute. The shock left -her powerless to supply light, heat, water, drainage, to convey her -people or to carry their messages; but it would not have paralyzed her -activities had it not been that because of the breaking of the main -water conduits, the fires, thirty of which were said to have started -immediately, could not be controlled. - -The fires started on both sides of Market Street, and within three hours -after the earthquake, made a continuous line of flame from north of -Market Street, along the water front, past the Ferry Building, south of -Market Street, and along Mission Street to beyond Third Street, where -was the main station of the only railroad that ran out of the city. As -the fire spread to the southwest and the north, the whole population -seemed cut off from escape except by going west and south within the -city. Comparatively few knew during the first two days that there was a -narrow but safe way around the fire to the Ferry Building from which -the boats were running. Many of those who did learn of this opportunity, -or who wished to hazard a chance, reached the ferry and crossed the bay, -but many more failed to use this means of reaching their friends and -acquaintances without the city. On the second and third days small -supplies of water were brought to play upon the fire, but not until the -morning of Saturday the twenty-first, by the use of dynamite, was the -advance of the flames stopped. - -Along the general line of the city’s own growth in wealth and breadth -the fire moved, destroying the larger part of the wholesale district, -practically all of the retail and the shopping section, the chief -financial centers, the leading hotels, and some of the public buildings. -Large portions of the most expensive residence sections and multitudes -of small hotels and lodging houses, together with great numbers of less -expensive residences and quarters for working people, were devastated. -Thickly populated districts, such as the “Latin Quarter,” Chinatown, and -the section largely inhabited by the Irish, were entirely burned out. - -The burned area, the very heart and vitals of the city, covered 4.7[3] -square miles, on which were located 521 blocks, 13 of which were saved, -508 burned. The number of buildings destroyed was 28,188,[4] the number -of persons made homeless about 200,000[5] of San Francisco’s estimated -population of 450,000. - - [3] Report of the sub-committee on statistics to the chairman and - Committee on the Reconstruction of San Francisco (see page 10), April - 24, 1907. - - [4] The classification and count were made from the block books of the - Norwich Union Insurance Company. Each separate building with an - independent entrance was estimated as a building. The number and - character of buildings destroyed were: - - ==============================+=================== - Character of buildings |Buildings destroyed - ------------------------------+------------------- - Wooden framed buildings | 24,671 - Brick--Classes B and C | 3,168 - Brick and wood (unclassified) | 259 - Fireproof--Class A | 42 - Stone | 15 - Corrugated iron (wooden frame)| 33 - ------------------------------+------------------- - Total | 28,188 - ------------------------------+------------------- - - - [5] General Greely quoted the chief of the Census Bureau as giving - 185,000 as the population of the burned area in 1900. - -[Illustration: Striving to reach the Ferry Building - -In Union Square, soon to be swept by flames - -THE MORNING OF THE DISASTER] - -The burned area[6] had a land front of 49,305 feet, or 9.34 miles, and a -water front of 9,510 feet, or 1.80 miles, the total being 58,815 feet, -or 11.14 miles. Facing this line on the unburned side were 527 -buildings, of which 506 were wood, 18 brick, one stone, one adobe, and -one corrugated iron. Thus the fire was stopped against a wall of -buildings, 96 per cent of which were wood. About 20 per cent of the -frontage was on wide streets, and the remainder, 80 per cent, on streets -of ordinary width. - - [6] See map opposite p. 3. - -Apart from the larger business houses, the public buildings, and some of -the residences of the wealthier citizens, the burned buildings, -including the smaller hotels and lodging houses, were built of wood. -Their destruction was complete. There was practically no salvage of -value from the small wooden dwellings, destroyed as they were by the -fire and not by the earthquake. - -The loss of real and personal property has been estimated at -$500,000,000,--about $1,100 per capita of the city’s population. As only -$200,000,000 of insurance money is estimated to have been collected, -there was a net loss of over $650 per capita. The great loss of income -from non-employment, from unrentable property, and from the general -cessation of business, cannot be estimated. There was quick compensation -for the day laborers and other workmen connected with the building -trades, but the recovery for most of the business men was to be slow and -is not yet complete. - -The loss of life as a result of both earthquake and fire was reported by -General Greely, after careful inquiry, to be: known dead, 304; unknown -dead, 194; total, 498; number seriously injured, 415. All persons within -the fire zone who were lying sick either in hospitals or in their own -homes were carried to places of safety. There were, of course, many -unwarranted reports of tragic deaths, such as for instance that numerous -men had been shot for looting and that physicians had put their patients -to death rather than let them die in the flames. The federal troops -arrived so promptly, and with the aid of the militia and the police -patrolled the city so thoroughly, that there were few opportunities to -loot. To the end of June there were but nine deaths by violence in the -whole city, three of which appear to have been brought upon unoffending -men by over-zealous patrols. - -It can never be reckoned what it meant to the devastated city that its -own people as a welded body should have manifested under the shock of -the great disaster that quality of the hero which lifts him, the psychic -man, above the physical and leaves him freed from himself to be -spiritually at one with his community. A witness who lives in Berkeley -came to the city early on the morning of the earthquake and spent that -and the following day in the thick of the refugees. Nowhere along the -fire lines was to be seen the least sign of panic. Women and children -without a tear and with scarcely a murmur trudged weary miles, carrying -handfuls of possessions, or stood silent to watch their homes destroyed. -The chief signs of excitement were shown by those who were fighting the -fire or who were hurrying from one place to another on official -business. At the end of the second day he saw tears for the first time, -the tears of a woman who may have been worn out by long tramping and by -loss of sleep. - -How the great deep of the common human heart was broken up when that -sudden disaster came unawares on the people is borne witness to by many -who had their portion of loss and by many others who came from the -outside to help carry the load. One of the latter wrote to _Charities -and the Commons_[7] a month afterwards: - - “All the fountains of good fellowship, of generosity, of sympathy, of - good cheer, pluck, and determination have been opened wide by the - common downfall. The spirit of all is a marvelous revelation of the - good and fine in humanity, intermittent or dormant under ordinary - conditions, perhaps, but dominant and all-pervading in the shadow of - disaster. - - “Recently I formed the acquaintance of a man who now drives an - automobile. He had a large machine shop and was a rich man before the - fire. The other day he was working about the automobile while his - passengers were attending a committee meeting at army headquarters. - Presently there approached a man who had purchased $20,000 worth of - machinery at his shops just before the fire. - - “The customer said to my friend, ‘Hello R----, what are you doing - here?’ - - “‘Driving this automobile,’ said R----. ‘What are you doing?’ - - “‘I’m driving that automobile over there,’ said the customer, and the - two shook hands and laughed heartily at the grim humor of the - situation. - - “The prevailing sentiment could hardly be better shown than by a motto - chalked on one of the little temporary street kitchens. It is: ‘Make - the best of it, forget the rest of it.’” - - [7] Bicknell, Ernest P.: In the Thick of the Relief Work of San - Francisco. _Charities and the Commons_, XVI: 299 (June, 1906). - -The even temperature of the San Francisco region which assures mild -winters and cool summers and the cessation of rains from March to -October, made climatic conditions that were peculiarly favorable. There -was on April 22 and again in June some inconvenience from unseasonable -rain, but there was no complaint of serious discomfort by those living -in the temporary shelters. The health of the refugees in general, it was -frequently stated, was improved by the outdoor life. Probably thousands -lived during the summer of 1906 under improved physical conditions; and -even during the rains of the following winter thousands were better off -in the refugee shacks than they had previously been in the poorer grade -of tenements. A winter that brings but little frost and ice and that -accustoms people to live with open doors and to do without artificial -heat is one that simplifies the task of providing shelter for the -homeless, lessens the cost, and causes but few serious delays to -building work. The even temperature is also favorable for the handling -of perishable food supplies, which do not need to be kept on ice. - -San Francisco had an additional advantage in being an important military -and naval center. As the headquarters of the department of California -and of the Pacific Division of the army, it has within its boundaries -three garrison posts with their reservations,--the Presidio, Fort Mason, -and Fort Miley; and without, Fort Baker opposite the Presidio on the -north side of the Golden Gate, Alcatraz Island facing the Golden Gate, -Fort McDowell within the bay on Angel Island, and Benicia Barracks at -the head of the bay. The United States Navy Department has Mare Island -Navy Yard at the north end of the bay and the Naval Training Station on -Yerba Buena Island. At the time of the disaster the war ships in the -harbor as well as the naval stations were able to render prompt and -valuable service. The army’s immediate part in fighting the fire and in -guarding property, and its later part in providing food, clothing, and -shelter was, as is shown in the following pages, of outstanding -importance. - -As the people in brave and solemn silence moved out of the shattered and -fire-swept centers of the city, relief societies were being formed -within the city itself and in suburban towns, and citizens of places as -distant as Los Angeles and Portland, Oregon, hurried from the south and -the north to distribute money and supplies. Many agencies, with fervor -but with no concerted plan, helped to carry the relief work for the -first week, converting churches into hospitals, and preparing and -distributing food in unlikely but convenient places. But while sporadic -groups of people worked to provide immediate aid in ignorance of one -another’s efforts, the organization of the Citizens’ Committee grew. - - -2. TENTATIVE ORGANIZATION - -At a quarter before seven o’clock on that morning of April 18, the -mayor, Eugene E. Schmitz, with a small group of citizens met in the Hall -of Justice, a building shattered by the earthquake and nearly surrounded -by fire. As he hurried to the center of the city he overtook the federal -troops which had been summoned from Fort Mason and the Presidio by -General Funston, who was in command of the Pacific Division of the army -during the temporary absence of General Greely.[8] The troops had been -told to take orders from the mayor. Under authority from him they served -as police to guard property, not to enforce a military rule. The mayor -assumed almost absolute control of the city government for a time, -superseding all departments and commissions. His first order was to -shoot, not arrest, the looters; his second, to close the places that -sold liquor. The latter wise measure was for two months strictly -enforced. - - [8] For a condensed account of the part taken by the army in the - emergency relief work, see Appendix I, p. 381; extracts from article - on The Army in the San Francisco Disaster, by Major (now Brigadier - General) C. A. Devol. Journal United States Infantry Association, - July, 1907, pp. 59-87. - -[Illustration: The fire is approaching at the right - -THE HALL OF JUSTICE] - -The mayor named a Citizens’ Committee[9] of more than 50 persons, 25 of -whom came together at three o’clock in the Hall of Justice, close to -the edge of the roaring tempest of flame. It was difficult to conduct -business, with dynamite explosions shaking the meeting place, so in an -hour’s time the mayor moved across the street to Portsmouth Square where -amid boxes of dynamite and in the shadow of the monument to Robert Louis -Stevenson, the transaction of business continued. The memorial, a -drinking fountain in a granite base with a Spanish galleon at full sail -on its summit, stood untouched. The gilt of the hardy vessel still -glittered and, untarnished beneath, Stevenson’s lines: “To be honest, to -be kind ... to renounce when that shall be necessary and not be -embittered, to keep a few friends but these without capitulation--above -all, on the same grim condition, to keep friends with himself--here is a -task for all that a man has of fortitude and delicacy.” - - [9] For list of members of the Citizens’ Committee, popularly called - the Committee of Fifty, and its sub-committees, see Sixth Annual - Report of the American National Red Cross, 1910, pp. 153-155. - -Two hours later the mayor and his assistants moved five blocks up the -steep side of Nob Hill to the Fairmont Hotel only to be dislodged the -next morning from what must at first have seemed an impregnable -position. Their retreat carried them eight blocks farther west to the -North End Police Station, and by noon still westward to Franklin Hall on -the corner of Fillmore and Bush Streets, where they could finally halt. -While the citizens were holding their first meetings and the army was -helping to fight the fire, the American National Red Cross was sending -across the continent its representative, Dr. Edward T. Devine, who -reached San Francisco April 23 with Ernest P. Bicknell. Mr. Bicknell was -sent by the committee formed in Chicago for the relief of San -Franciscans. - -At its first meeting in the Hall of Justice the Citizens’ Committee, -which was recognized immediately as a representative body, authorized -the mayor to issue orders for food and other supplies. The mayor did -not, however, make much use of this authority but left the conduct of -the relief work to the Finance Committee, which was appointed at the -first meeting, and to the other sub-committees which were formed at the -following meetings. The chairman of each of these was given power to -complete the membership of his committee. From the first the Finance -Committee of the Citizens’ Committee, with James D. Phelan elected to be -its chairman, stands out as a directing agent of relief. - -Interesting items in the minutes of the second meeting of the Citizens’ -Committee are the announcements that there would be water in the Western -Addition by one o’clock of that day, April 19, and in the Mission the -following day, and that there was press boat service at the foot of Van -Ness Avenue.[10] - - [10] See map opposite p. 3. Fort Mason, at the foot of the avenue, - overlooks the Golden Gate. - -The Citizens’ Committee continued for over two weeks to hold daily -meetings, to which were submitted the Finance Committee’s reports of -contributions, as well as its methods of relief expenditures. Its only -function in relation to the relief work came to be to confer in order to -exchange information. It was but natural, therefore, for the mayor to -determine to dissolve the larger committee and leave the control of the -relief work, as far as he had power to determine it, in the hands of the -Finance Committee, which as is shown below had on April 25 come into -effective co-operation with the army and the American National Red -Cross. At the meeting on May 5, the mayor notified Mr. Phelan that the -work of all the relief sub-committees but his was done, and that he -should make his financial statement to the Committee on the -Reconstruction of San Francisco.[11] - - [11] Superseded on May 5 the Committee of Fifty. This new committee of - 40 members, composed largely of the men who served on the Committee of - Fifty, had no part in the subsequent relief work. - -The Citizens’ Committee with its list of sub-committees, hurriedly -created, quickly to die, gives an excellent illustration of the futility -of trying to effect an elaborate organization before the measure of a -disaster has been taken or the extent of the means for recovery learned. - -The Finance Committee represented the citizens’ choice to which had been -entrusted the local subscription of over $400,000 and the contribution -from the state at large of $250,000. Its authority had been recognized -by the California branch of the Red Cross, by the Massachusetts -Association for Relief of California, by the New York Chamber of -Commerce, and by many other relief organizations and individuals -throughout the country, as well as by the President of the United States -who made public his recognition of the Finance Committee as official -agent of relief. The relation of the American National Red Cross to the -Finance Committee was not defined during the week following the -disaster. - - -3. UNITING OF RELIEF FORCES - -On April 24, before the dissolution of the Citizens’ Committee, a -momentous conference was held at Fort Mason which was attended by -General Greely and General Funston representing the army; by the mayor, -Mr. Phelan, Mr. de Young, and Mr. E. H. Harriman representing the -citizens; and by Dr. Devine, representing the American National Red -Cross and Judge W. W. Morrow representing the California Branch of the -Red Cross. That a meeting was to be held to determine the jurisdiction -of the Finance Committee and the best method of employing the funds, had -been reported earlier in the same day to the Citizens’ Committee. At -this conference, after a heated argument it was decided that the -military authorities should have entire charge[12] of the relief -stations and the shelters for the homeless, two divisions of work that -previously had been partially carried by sub-committees of the Citizens’ -Committee. It was further decided to unite the Red Cross with the -Finance Committee of the Citizens’ Committee under a new title: Finance -Committee of Relief and Red Cross Funds. This consolidation was -immediately approved by the American National Red Cross which soon -afterwards remitted $400,000 to the new committee.[13] - - [12] For a copy of General Orders No. 18, see Appendix I, p. 379. - - [13] For list of members of the Finance Committee of Relief and Red - Cross Funds and its permanent Committees, see Appendix I, p. 377. - -There were nice questions of policy involved in the determining of the -relation between the army, the civil and state authorities, and the -voluntary relief agencies. Tact was required and a faithful compliance -with the law. April 21, at a conference of the mayor, the chief of -police, General Koster, then in command of the National Guard, and -General Funston, the question of the effective policing of the city had -been considered. - -It was agreed that the northern part of the city should be assigned to -the federal troops, the central part to the National Guard, and the -southern to the municipal police. The northern part was divided into six -military districts. On May 2 military control was extended to the whole -city, which was now divided into eight military districts, with only -slight changes in their boundaries; and on May 8 there was a general -re-districting that resulted in six districts. These military districts -have special significance for this Relief Survey because they later -served as the basis for the seven geographical divisions known as civil -or relief sections, which played a very important part in the relief -work. These were formed on April 29 and coincided practically with the -six military districts of May 8, except that military district six -included civil sections VII and VIII. The civil sections were later used -by the American National Red Cross, by the Executive Commission, and by -the departments of Camps and Warehouses and of Relief and -Rehabilitation. - -The boundaries of the sections, the number of refugees registered in -each, the extent of the burned district, and the location of the more -important camps, are given in the map.[14] The burned district was -included almost entirely in Sections IV and V. Sections I, II,[15] and -III contained the largest camps. Section VI had only one official camp, -and Section VII none, but there were many unsupervised tents and shacks, -isolated and in groups, scattered through these two sections. In extent -of territory they more than equalled the other five sections. They -contained before the fire a large wage-earning population, living in -small homes. This population was much increased after the fire by an -influx from the burned-out part of the city. - - [14] See map opposite p. 3. For number of refugees registered in the - seven Sections in May, 1906, see also Part I, p. 45. - - [15] The number of refugees registered for Section II is very - inadequate. It included Golden Gate Park, with its three large camps, - where a different registration system was instituted before the - general registration was begun. These camps, with a population in the - middle of May of nearly 5,000, were therefore excluded from the - general registration, which consequently represented only the - scattered refugees throughout the section outside the Park. - -An irresistible force had pushed relief through four broad channels. -Food had first to be supplied; then clothing along with bedding and -common household necessities; then shelter; and last, the means to make -one’s own provision for the future. The order of relief could not be -altered by any committee planning. The great primary needs had first to -be met. The amounts that could be held in reserve for the purpose of -essential importance, rehabilitation, depended on the sum of donations -being enough to leave a surplus after the cost of food, clothing, and -temporary shelter had been met. In the early days the number of persons -that were in the bread line and that lacked shelter was so great that it -looked as if the demands for food, clothing, and other primary -necessities would exhaust any possible relief fund. - -The method of distribution of emergency relief is described in the -following chapter, but in order to understand the animus that underlay -the efforts to form an organization that should meet with public -recognition, it must be borne in mind that two strong currents, -representing distinct conceptions of principles of relief, flowed -beneath the surface of the relief administration, sometimes the one and -sometimes the other directing the general course or impeding an even -progress. Such conflict between the conceptions of the relief task was -as inevitable as was the demand for relief itself, and furnished -probably the amount of friction necessary to wear a deep bed along which -later moved a great stream of rehabilitation. The story of the first -efforts to form a compact, working relief body falls almost into -dramatic form. The voice of authority one day is the civic servant’s, -another day the people’s, a third the military commander’s, a fourth the -expert charity worker’s. The stage in turn seems held by each. But the -significant fact is that underlying the methods of each is the need, -recognized at different periods of time in varying degree, of meeting -the demands of the situation by a grasp of rehabilitation as the -definitive aim. - - -4. BEGINNINGS OF REHABILITATION WORK - -There was no monopoly of the conception of rehabilitation as an -essential part of the relief work. Before the end of April the Finance -Committee of Relief and Red Cross Funds had been asked to supply tools -to bricklayers and to make loans to individuals. Individual members had -discussed the outstanding importance of rehousing the people. Agencies -and individuals acting independently of one another had likewise been -making tentative efforts to restore people to self-support. - -But there was one group of workers that had been free from the first to -base its initial efforts on the need to measure the disaster in terms of -future rehabilitation. This group, representing the American National -Red Cross, reinforced by the Associated Charities, had been free to do -so because the responsibility of meeting the emergency was being carried -by the army and by the Citizens’ Committee. Before any distinctive -rehabilitation committee was appointed the office of the Red Cross was -besieged by applicants who in person and by letter begged for aid to -remove their families from the camp life. To some tools were supplied; -to others, transportation. Until May 9, when the Finance Committee made -its first appropriation of $10,000 for special relief, Dr. Devine drew -on a private fund at his disposal to meet rehabilitation expenditures. -For these early expenditures he was reimbursed from the first -appropriation. - -May 5 is a noteworthy date. The representative of the American National -Red Cross then began to form a staff of rehabilitation workers, who put -the date May 5 at the head of the first case record. The secretary of -the Boston Associated Charities, Alice L. Higgins, was appointed -secretary to Dr. Devine. Lee K. Frankel of New York became chairman of a -tentative bureau of special relief. - -On May 18, when the Red Cross had formulated its plans for a -registration bureau and for co-operating with the army at the seven -civil sections, the Special Relief and Rehabilitation Committee, or -Bureau, as it was ordinarily called, got well under way, with Oscar K. -Cushing as chairman. In a separate section in the next chapter the -relation of this Bureau to the transportation work is told. - -The Bureau started with a force of seven field agents. The Associated -Charities provided the investigators, reinforced at once by local -volunteer and paid relief workers and, after July 2, by a number of -workers sent from east of the Sierras by the charity organization and -kindred societies that had trained them. The force as a whole -represented, without discrimination, various races and creeds. The -Finance Committee after July 2 made an appropriation to the Associated -Charities to cover the cost of administration. - -[Illustration: Watching the fire - -The fire draws near - -REFUGEES IN JEFFERSON SQUARE] - -During the early period of the alliance between the Associated Charities -and the Rehabilitation Bureau there was difficulty in the adjustment -of work, but the friction was soon overcome and until July, 1907, under -the various régimes, the Associated Charities continued to be an -effective part of the general rehabilitation machinery. The work of the -Bureau grew fast, but it grew naturally as an outcome of the demands of -the situation itself, and when on June 29, as is stated on page 21, the -Finance Committee appointed its own Rehabilitation Committee,[16] the -new committee was able to take over the work of the Bureau without any -waste of effort. - - [16] Two weeks later, when the funds were incorporated, July 16, 1906, - five departments were formed (see p. 26) of which one, the Department - of Relief and Rehabilitation, included the Rehabilitation Committee, - the Bureau of Hospitals, the Industrial Bureau, and the Bureau of - Special Relief. (See Diagram of Organization, p. xxv.) - -Early in May, when the Red Cross Rehabilitation Bureau was being -organized, the Finance Committee of Relief and Red Cross Funds, -stimulated by insistent requests that it should state its plans, called -on Dr. Devine, one of its members, to make recommendations for future -work. The New York Chamber of Commerce, through its representative, -James D. Hague, and the Massachusetts Association for the Relief of -California through its representative Jacob Furth, were urging that -their funds be used as far as possible to provide permanent relief. - -Dr. Devine, who already had carefully considered with his staff of Red -Cross workers the general question of rehabilitation, in a report -submitted on May 4 made seven recommendations, which were considered by -a special committee consisting of the governor, Archbishop Riordan, -Rabbi Voorsanger, E. H. Harriman, and Dr. Devine. The first six -recommendations were accepted by the Finance Committee; the last was -rejected. They read: - - 1. That the opening of cheap restaurants be encouraged and facilitated - by the sale to responsible persons at army contract prices of any - surplus stores now in hand or en route, the proceeds to be turned into - the relief fund to be expended in the purchase of the same or other - supplies as the Finance Committee or its purchasing agents may direct. - - 2. That definite provision be made for the maintenance of the - permanent private hospitals which are in position to care for free - patients, by the payment at the rate of $10 per week for the care of - patients who are unable to pay, and that after an accurate estimate - has been made of the number of beds in each hospital, a sufficient sum - be appropriated for this purpose. - - 3. That provision be made on some carefully devised plan for the care - during the coming year of convalescent patients, and for the care of - aged and infirm persons for whom there is not already sufficient - provision. - - 4. That on the basis of the registration now in progress and - subsequent inquiry into the facts in such cases, special relief in the - form of tools, implements, household furniture, and sewing machines, - or in any other form which may be approved by the committee, be - supplied to individuals and families found to be in need of such - relief. - - 5. That the administration of this special relief fund be entrusted to - a committee of seven with such paid service at its disposal as the - special relief committee may find necessary. - - 6. That as soon as practicable a definite date be fixed after which - applications for aid from the Relief and Red Cross Funds cannot be - considered. - - 7. That a sum not to exceed $100,000 be set aside to be expended by - the said committee for the immediate employment of both men and women - in some necessary work which is in the public interest but which - cannot be undertaken by the municipality and is not properly a charge - on any private corporation or individual. - -In making its own report this special committee said it assumed “that -the supply of food and clothing will be continued until the absolute -need in these directions is met.” It was not prepared to take action on -the seventh recommendation. - -At the end of May, no action as a result of the recommendations having -been taken, Dr. Devine urged the Finance Committee to appoint the -committee of seven suggested in the fifth recommendation, which had been -authorized the first of the month, so that the work of providing shelter -more adequate than that provided by the tents should be begun. For -consideration of more permanent forms of rehabilitation, he thought it -might be necessary to have still another committee. - -His advice to the Finance Committee was supplemented on June 4 by a -letter to the chairman, in which he drew a general outline of the relief -course that should be taken. It reiterates in more specific form the -advice given in May. The points emphasized were: - - 1. The general distribution of uncooked food and of clothing should be - discontinued by June 30, the date the army proposed to withdraw. The - bread line, the clothing line, and the relief stations, should then be - abandoned. - - 2. The established charities of the city should, as far as possible, - on that date resume the discharge of their normal functions. - - 3. The clothing and provisions, tools, sewing machines, and household - furniture remaining on June 30 in the relief stores should be placed - at the disposal of a special relief committee and a central warehouse - should be designated to hold them. Appropriations should be made to - the suggested committee for its administrative expenses, and as its - plans developed, for additional relief. - - 4. Housing, loans, and other plans for rehabilitation should be taken - up by a legally incorporated body to be formed to administer the - relief funds; one which should be ready to deal in the broadest - possible way with all problems relating to the rehabilitation of - families and of individuals. The hot meal kitchens, it was - conjectured, would by the end of June be on a business basis. - - 5. The most important task remaining would be to supervise permanent - camps and barracks.[17] - - [17] See Providing Shelter, Part I, p. 69 ff. - - 6. The Police Department should give general protection, and the - Health Commission should guard the public health.[18] - - [18] See Safeguarding Health, Part I, p. 89 ff. - -To quote the letter: - - “What will be needed in each permanent camp after June 30 will be (1) - a business agent authorized by the Finance Committee, and in the case - of public parks by the municipal authorities, to assign tents or rooms - in barracks to particular persons, to collect rents, if rental is - charged, to evict tenants when necessary, and to call upon the police - authorities in the name of this committee, when necessary for the - maintenance of order; (2) a sanitary officer responsible to the health - commission; and (3) a police guard responsible to the police - department. The general business agents should all be responsible to - one general superintendent of permanent camps. The general - superintendent of business agents, in the case of the larger camps, - will require a certain number of clerical and administrative - assistants corresponding to the military officers who are now serving - in similar capacities under the military supervision of camps and the - commanding officers of the several camps. Neither the business agent - nor the sanitary superintendent need have anything to do with relief, - except to report cases of destitution which come to their attention to - the Special Relief Committee.” - -The mayor, who was futilely trying to determine relief policies, in a -conference with Mr. Phelan a few days later suggested the importance of -appointing the committee urged by Dr. Devine. He said that he might ask -the municipal board of supervisors to appoint a committee on relief and -rehabilitation. This action, however, he did not take. - -General Greely at this time also expressed his appreciation of the need -of a change of relief policy.[19] He and Dr. Devine agreed as to the -next steps to be taken, his point of view concurring with that expressed -in the letter just quoted. He counseled specifically a separation of -questions of administration, sanitation, and relief, and a thorough -co-operation with the municipality in all matters affecting the -administrative policy and sanitation of the camps. He said further that -as an army officer was familiar with but two aspects of the relief -problem,--the distribution of supplies and the care of camps,--the -Finance Committee of the Relief and Red Cross Funds should appoint an -executive committee, which should be prepared after July 1 to relieve -the army of responsibility. - - [19] For letter written on June 15 by General Greely to the chairman - of the Finance Committee, see Appendix I, p. 387. - -He asked three of his officers who had been carrying on the relief work -to submit a plan for its further conduct. The resultant plan, submitted -by General Greely to the Finance Committee, was necessarily a reflex of -the military experience of its framers. Though it was incited by an -appreciation of the fact that the emergency relief period must be -superseded by the period for permanent adjustment, the plan provided for -yet further distribution of necessities rather than in any comprehensive -way for housing and rehabilitation. It called for the organizing of a -bureau with a paid personnel. The chief of the bureau was to be -accountable to the mayor, and was to have under him four sub-chiefs, -three of whom should be army officers, each in charge of a -department,--the departments of distribution and supply, administration, -general superintendence, and finance. - -General Greely, realizing the difficulty of having a suitable man -appointed as chief, made later the substitute suggestion of a commission -of three. The mayor and General Greely were present by invitation at a -meeting of the Finance Committee when the substitute plan was -considered. The attitude of the mayor during this month of June was one -of serious interference. The Finance Committee naturally did not wish to -have any public disagreement with him, and with the knowledge that the -army was shortly to be withdrawn from control of relief work it seemed -wise as a compromise to accept General Greely’s suggestion of a -commission rather than a chief who should be responsible solely to the -mayor. The decision was reached, therefore, for the Finance Committee to -appoint an Executive Commission of three members, one member to -represent the mayor, a second, the American National Red Cross, and a -third, the Finance Committee itself. - - -5. AN INTERLUDE - -On June 22, at a meeting of the Finance Committee at which 11 of the 21 -members were present, announcement was made that the mayor had appointed -a political friend as his representative on the Executive Commission, -and the American National Red Cross, Dr. Devine. Dr. Devine at the time -of the meeting was absent in the East. The Committee had therefore to -make its appointment. After a discussion, which later became public, -several men were nominated for appointment, two of whom possessed the -confidence of the community on account of their honorable standing, -native ability, readiness freely to serve the public, and knowledge -gained of the relief situation through arduous volunteer work. The man -elected, by a vote of six to four, was a politician with no previous -experience in the relief work. A scrutiny of the records shows on the -part of these local members of the Executive Commission no indication of -effort to use their positions to further political ends, and one of the -two returned to the Finance Committee the salary of $500 to which he was -entitled as a member of the Commission. There is no record of lack of -harmony, merely the indication of an ineptitude on their part to meet -the needs of the distressed community. - -The attitude of the Finance Committee was one of detachment from, or -one might say, suspicion of the Executive Commission. It refused to -define the scope of the Commission’s work, but directed it to organize -and submit a plan of work for approval, and, for confirmation, the names -of the employes it wished to appoint. The members who had forced the -election of a feeble representative, realizing the mistake of their -policy, agreed to restrict the powers of the Commission, and were ready -to vote to abolish it at the end of the month. - -The irony of the situation lay in the fact that the chairman of the -Commission, Dr. Devine (who accepted no salary), and its secretary, -Ernest P. Bicknell (who likewise received no salary), presented for -consideration a plan of work which in substance was the same as that -submitted by the chairman early in June to the Finance Committee and to -General Greely. - -The plan[20] called again for a regulation of camps, warehouses, the hot -meal kitchens, the care of the sick in hospitals, and for making -provision for housing, loans, and special relief. Unlike a rolling -stone, however, to reiterate plans meant to gather moss, so a new -suggestion may be noted. It was, that the civilian chairmen of the seven -sections should be men on salary, giving their entire time, and -responsible to the Commission until relieved. Their duties should -include distribution of clothing, meal tickets, and other relief, and -the carrying out of the second registration[21] then in progress. - - [20] For plan of the Executive Commission, see Appendix I, p. 391. - - [21] See Part I, p. 49, and Part II, p. 115. The first registration - was begun during the week following the disaster. - -Recommendation was made by the Commission that all executive work should -devolve on it, and that it should be held responsible for initiating -relief measures. - -The Finance Committee approved the plan in general, with the exception -that the question of special relief be left for future decision and that -no action be taken on housing until further information had been -collected. It did decide, specifically, that the rehabilitation work -should continue in charge of Dr. Devine as representative of the Red -Cross, and should not be transferred to the Executive Commission while -final decision was pending. - -[Illustration: The first bakery rebuilt - -A cheerful kitchen - -SUPPLYING FOOD UNDER DIFFICULTIES] - -The Executive Commission got rather beaten round the bush. It was -permitted to expend certain appropriations for sanitation, the care of -camps, and the distribution of food, clothing, and other supplies, under -direction of its chairman and a group of army officers. The relation of -the army to the new Commission was practically what it had before been -to the Red Cross representative. Under the military régime Major A. J. -Gaston was commanding officer of permanent camps; under the new régime -he was general superintendent of camps with authority to appoint all -camp employes. - -In the latter part of June Mr. Phelan, acting on Dr. Devine’s suggestion -that the Finance Committee should appoint a Rehabilitation Committee of -its own to supersede the work of the special Rehabilitation Bureau, did -appoint such a committee with Dr. Devine as chairman and Archbishop -Riordan,[22] Bishop Nichols,[23] Rabbi Jacob Voorsanger, O. K. Cushing, -F. W. Dohrmann, and Dr. John Gallwey as members. Its scope was defined -as including “all aid” to be given to individuals or families other than -food or ordinary clothing. It superseded, as has been already -stated,[24] the Red Cross Rehabilitation Bureau and took over the -latter’s unexpended balance. The Bureau had expended $18,599.70 for 840 -applicants. - - [22] Delegated his position to Rev. D. O. Crowley. - - [23] Delegated his position to Archdeacon J. A. Emery. - - [24] See Part I, p. 15. - -The Rehabilitation Committee met in Hamilton School July 2, two and a -half months after the beginning of the relief work in San Francisco. Mr. -Bicknell was elected secretary, Mr. Cushing, treasurer, the latter, with -the chairman, having authority to sign checks in the name of the -Committee. When Dr. Devine returned to New York, August 1, Mr. Bicknell -was appointed a member of the Committee and Mr. Dohrmann then became -chairman, a position he was to hold from the first of August, 1906, -until the close of the rehabilitation work. - -During June and July, to repeat, the pressure to give food and temporary -shelter was yielding to the pressure to furnish permanent shelter and -other means of rehabilitation. The problem of housing was very -complicated. No one knew how far shelter would be provided by private -enterprise; no one knew whether manufacturing plants and wholesale and -retail business would seek old locations; no one knew where the shifting -population would settle. There was delay in collecting insurance, -uncertainty as to the land, labor, and materials available and as to the -future street car service and water and sewer connections. There was -difference of opinion as to whether the subsidized building should be of -a permanent or temporary character, of scattered individual dwellings or -large blocks, as to whether financial aid should be in the form of -bonuses or of loans. - -One of the minor notes of irony in this mid-summer situation lies in the -fact that the Finance Committee referred to its own Rehabilitation -Committee for consideration and report the housing suggestion of one of -its members, M. H. de Young, and that the report that followed, July 10, -was signed by Dr. Devine as chairman both of the Rehabilitation -Committee and of the Executive Commission.[25] - - [25] See Original Housing Plan, Appendix I, p. 393. See also Part IV, - Housing Rehabilitation, p. 212 ff. - -Mr. de Young’s suggestion was that a donation, or as it was commonly -called, a bonus, of not more than $500[26] in any case, be made in -behalf of any resident whose house had been destroyed, provided that the -$500 represented not more than one-third of the value of the house to be -built, and that it be paid to the contractor after the house was -completed and was clear of liens. - - [26] For class of people who benefited by the bonus plan, see Part IV, - pp. 218, 239. - -The resultant report as submitted stated that the Executive Commission -had, with the approval of the Finance Committee, appointed a board of -consulting architects and builders who offered their services as expert -counsel on general plans and on designs for suitable dwellings. It also -stated that the matter had been carefully considered by the -Rehabilitation Committee and the Executive Commission, and that the -bonus plan was recommended for such workingmen as could not secure -sufficient funds from banks, building and loan associations, or from -other business or private sources. - -Attention was called to the fact that the Rehabilitation Committee was -already studying the general situation so as to estimate how many -loans[27] were likely to be called for. It was further stated that -there was no anticipation that the bonus plan would carry far in -providing shelter for the families living in tents, and that no -inclusive plan could be framed to provide housing for all the homeless. - - [27] For method of carrying out the loan plan, see Part IV, p. 253 ff. - -It was recognized, moreover, that first in order of importance came -provision of shelter for the aged, the infirm, the invalided, and the -other adult dependents who had become permanent city charges. For these -the recommendation was to erect permanent buildings on the cottage -pavilion plan to house 1,000 persons; the cost of building to be met -from the fund, the maintenance to be left to the city. It was recognized -that there were two possible alternate plans; namely, to care for the -dependent group in existing private institutions, or to board its -members in private families. A marked advantage of the first plan was -that it provided a permanent addition to the city’s charitable -institutions. The suggestion was intended to supplement what was already -being done in the way of giving care to the sick in hospitals. - -It was further recognized that there should be quick effort made to -supply dwellings for the 5,000 persons who before the disaster had paid -moderate rentals, but who were housed in tents or other temporary -shelters. It was also necessary to make provision for a possible 5,000 -persons who were out of the city. No accurate estimate had been or could -be made of those who, independent of aid, had readjusted themselves. - -The proposal made in behalf of the possible 10,000, a proposal that -touched the kernel of the big relief problem, was to use money lying -idle to build houses which should be sold on the instalment plan, or -rented to families that had been living in San Francisco on April 17. -Shelter had to be provided against the rainy season in order that there -might be held in San Francisco a population of working people. The -proposal was intended also to carry to a workingman the opportunity to -own a house of such character as should serve to set a standard for -sanitary and attractive dwellings. Through the carrying out of this -scheme there were to be brought into happy co-operation the architects, -the builders, the municipality, and the Finance Committee itself. The -first would supply skill and taste; the second, quick and moderate -priced building; the third, suitable conditions of light, sanitation, -ventilation, and fire protection; the fourth, capital and business -security. To assure the last provision there was a suggestion of the -creation of a new corporation to consist of the mayor, the chairman of -the Finance Committee, the representative of the American National Red -Cross, and representatives from the Executive Commission and the -Rehabilitation Committee, all of whom were to be named by the Finance -Committee. - -The need to incorporate became more imperative when the plans to furnish -shelter took, by July 15, the following definite shape: - - 1. To build a pavilion on the almshouse tract[28] for 1,000 homeless - persons. - - [28] For account of Ingleside Camp and the establishment of the - permanent Relief Home for the aged and infirm, see Part VI, p. 319 ff. - - 2. To appropriate $150,000 to construct and to repair temporary - shelters in the public parks for the use of the homeless during the - winter of 1906-07. - - 3. To appropriate not more than $500,000 to carry out the bonus - plan.[29] - - [29] For discussion of the Bonus Plan, see Part IV, p. 239 ff. - - 4. To appropriate a second $500,000, to be used for loans to persons - who had owned or rented houses within the burned district.[30] - - [30] For discussion of the Grant and Loan Plan, see Part IV, p. 253 - ff. - - 5. To set aside $2,500,000 for the acquiring of suitable and - convenient land on which to build dwellings that might be sold for - cash or on the instalment plan to residents who were in business or - had other employment. - -Before passing on to the matter of the incorporation of the funds, one -must record the final act of the Executive Commission. On July 31, after -six weeks of precarious, and one might almost say uneventful life, the -Commission voted to turn its records over to the corporation just -created, and to make an inventory of its supplies and equipment for -transfer to the same body. - -June and July mark a clearly defined transition period. In spite of the -politically directed episode of the abortive Commission, rehabilitation -plans were being successfully shaped, even though the ordeals of the -withdrawing of the army as a factor in relief administration and the -introducing of the political appointees were being faced. In spite of -temporary set-backs, the work was getting on a strictly business basis. -Delays meant suffering, yet ultimate community gain, because the -Rehabilitation Committee, in keeping outside the province of the -Executive Commission, drew to itself the best experienced service that -was available, and escaped the danger of being directed or diverted by -any force other than that controlled by right motives. - - -6. INCORPORATION OF THE FUNDS - -Now to return to the suggestion of incorporation. From as early a date -as May 4 the question of the incorporation of the relief funds had been -discussed within and without the Finance Committee. The New York Chamber -of Commerce as a large custodian of relief funds had the matter brought -personally to the attention of members of the Finance Committee through -its representative, James D. Hague, and in writing by its president, the -late Morris K. Jessup. The latter stated, however, that the determining -of the question of incorporation lay with the Finance Committee. -Correspondence in early July with Mr. Hague, the returned envoy, showed -that there was in contemplation the incorporating of an independent body -of men, the majority of whom should be appointed by the chairman of the -Finance Committee. To this proposed corporation it was suggested should -be transferred the $500,000 then held by the Chamber of Commerce, with -such other moneys as might be entrusted to it. - -If such a plan had been carried out there would have been two authorized -bodies administering relief with an encouragement to other foreign -custodians of funds to create similar independent agencies. The pressure -to incorporate came therefore from without because of the jealous -guardianship of funds by the non-local contributors; from within because -of the exigency of the situation itself. - -In the month of July, as has been said, the imminent need was known to -be to provide suitable shelter against the fall and winter rains. The -members of the Finance Committee considered the question of -incorporation from the standpoint of the provision of a body legally -empowered to acquire land and to loan money for building purposes. As a -committee, therefore, it decided on July 13 to carry out the -recommendations made in the letter written by Dr. Devine to its -chairman, three days earlier, which recommendation, it should be -recalled, embodied the earlier bonus plan suggestion made by one of its -own members. - -The certificate of incorporation[31] was issued July 20 to hold for a -period of five years. The president of the corporation, the “San -Francisco Relief and Red Cross Funds, a Corporation,” was James D. -Phelan; the first and second vice-presidents, F. W. Dohrmann and W. F. -Herrin; the secretary, J. Downey Harvey. The president and first -vice-president, with M. H. de Young, Rudolph Spreckels, and Thomas -Magee, formed the Executive Committee. The personnel of the Corporation, -with the exception of the governor of the state and the mayor, who were -ex officio members and directors of the Corporation, was identical with -that of the Finance Committee of Relief and Red Cross Funds which it -superseded, and whose funds it immediately took over. - - [31] See Appendix I, p. 398. - -The newly incorporated body held its meetings at the St. Francis -Technical School on Geary and Gough Streets, which took the place of the -Hamilton School as headquarters for all departments of the relief work. -Later a warehouse was added to the building to hold the remaining -supplies. The meetings were open to the press, and to officers and -employes; and others with whom the corporation had business were invited -as was deemed expedient to meet with the Executive Committee. At the -third meeting, held late in July, five departments were created:[32] - - A. Finance and Publicity - B. Bills and Demands - C. Camps and Warehouses - D. Relief and Rehabilitation - E. Lands and Buildings - - [32] See Appendix I, pp. 399-400. See also Diagram of Organization, p. - xxv. - -Each chairman was required to make an investigation of and report on any -undertaking of his department that called for an appropriation. Each -chairman was also a member of the Executive Committee and was -responsible for the appointment of his employes. He was further -responsible for preparing monthly budgets and for the printing and -distribution of all printed matter. - -From the plan of organization it is to be seen, of course, that housing -as a reason for incorporation had yielded to the pressure to make -inclusive the treatment by one incorporated body of all divisions of the -many-sided work. - -The experiments of the preliminary and transition periods had tried out -many men and methods, so that on the newly incorporated body were found -men of affairs who in the relief work itself were ready to act in -harmony and with method and to come together in small groups for -frequent meetings. If one looks at the diagram of organization -presented,[33] one sees how gradually through the trying three months -there had been a shaping through experiment that made the San Francisco -Relief and Red Cross Funds itself a fruition that in germ lay in the -union of official effort and private initiative. - - [33] See p. xxv. - -Step by step the confidence of the public at home and abroad had had to -be won. Only through the selection and trying out of generous-minded and -capable men could the suspicions of those who controlled the -contributions in the east have been dispelled.[34] Only after the -abortive effort to make political capital out of positions of relief -administration had fallen flat could the work itself get into its steady -swing. The lessons are clearly written, however, that there must of -necessity be in any great sudden emergency the creation of public -confidence in the administration of the relief, and that along with a -force of persons trained from within and without to act quickly and with -definiteness must be the voluntary services of men and women on whom the -community itself has learned to rely. - - [34] See Part I, p. 99 ff. - - * * * * * - -A few notes of later date are added here to round out the account of -organization. - -On August 1, 1906, Mr. Bicknell succeeded Dr. Devine as the -representative of the American National Red Cross, and he in turn was -succeeded on October 1 by Mr. Dohrmann.[35] - - [35] For positions held by Mr. Dohrmann and Mr. Bicknell on the - Rehabilitation Committee, see Part I, p. 21. - -Early in the year 1907 the County Medical Society urged that the balance -of the relief fund should be used for the erection and endowment of a -free hospital. Impelled by this and similar requests the Corporation did -in February consider seriously the possibility of closing the work. - - * * * * * - -One year after the fire (April, 1907): - -The Department of Bills and Demands had completed its work. - -The Department of Finance and Publicity was working with a greatly -reduced force as it was relieved of the accounting connected with claims -and subscriptions. - -The Department of Camps and Warehouses had under care a camp population -of about 17,614, but no longer distributed food or other supplies. - -The Department of Relief and Rehabilitation had finished the bulk of its -work. The general taking of applications had ceased for some time. Those -on file were being passed upon and closed as rapidly as possible. The -final estimates and appropriations for this work had been made. From -this time on only exceptional cases, and those few in number, were -received. The Housing Committee still had some work to do in connection -with the completion and inspection of houses granted by it, and with the -payment of the bonuses which it had guaranteed to pay to certain -applicants on the completion of houses which they were building for -themselves. The work of the Bureau of Special Relief was almost -finished. The work of the Hospital Bureau had to continue. - -The Department of Lands and Buildings had completed its building work, -with the exception of the Relief Home. The Home was expected to be -finished in May.[36] A few hundred applications were on file for -allotment of bonuses from the second appropriation. The first -appropriation was exhausted. - - [36] For reasons for delay, see Part VI, p. 321. - - * * * * * - -Two years after the disaster (April 18, 1908): - -The Department of Lands and Buildings had completed its work. - -[Illustration: Tent camp, opened May 9, 1906 - -Cottages - -CAMP NO. 10, POTRERO DISTRICT] - -The Department of Finance and Publicity, with a small force, was -making the settlements incidental to the closing of the camps and the -refunding of instalments to tenants. It was also preparing its financial -report. - -The Department of Camps and Warehouses had removed cottages from all the -public squares but Lobos, where but 479 cottages and 1,287[37] persons -remained. This camp sheltered the poorest refugees.[38] Stricter -sanitary measures could be enforced here and care be given more cheaply -than if the inmates had been removed to cottages on private land. -Bubonic plague in this camp as well as elsewhere in the city had made -precaution necessary. - - [37] The number being the same as that given in Part VI, p. 324, as - the total number of persons at Ingleside Camp, is a mere coincidence. - - [38] See Part I, p. 85. - -The Department of Relief and Rehabilitation had become a supervising -agency. It supervised the collection of housing loans, assisted the -Executive Committee in making grants to charitable institutions, and -advised the Associated Charities which was administering the greater -part of the relief needed in moving people from the camps.[39] - - [39] See Part I, pp. 85-86. - -The closing chapter of the complicated story of organization was reached -when, acting on the suggestion of its special representative, Mr. -Dohrmann, the American National Red Cross sent Mr. Bicknell in January, -1909, to San Francisco to confer about final plans. Mr. Bicknell had -then accepted the recently created position of national director of the -American National Red Cross. The creation of this position may be said -to be one of the results of the San Francisco relief experience. As a -result of conferences[40] between these two men who had played such a -determining part in San Francisco’s struggle to help its people wisely -to regain their old standing, the Board of Trustees of Relief and Red -Cross Funds was formed in February, 1909. - - [40] For statement of action taken, see Appendix I, p. 401 ff. - - -II - -METHODS OF DISTRIBUTION - - -1. SOURCES OF CONTRIBUTIONS - -The complicated story of organization seems comparatively unimportant -when one’s mind is full of questions as to what was to be distributed, -and how many human beings were in need of immediate relief. That there -was general, quick recognition of the need is shown by the quantities of -supplies hurried to San Francisco. Five thousand cars were reported -April 28 to be on the road. General C. A. Devol, who had charge of -receiving and unloading all supplies, states, however:[41] “The stores -that arrived for the relief of San Francisco up to July 20 amounted to -1,702 carloads and five steamship loads, a total of approximately 50,000 -tons. At the height of the operations about 150 carloads were delivered -into the city daily, in addition to stores arriving by steamers.” The -chairman of the Finance Committee reported to Mr. Taft, president of the -American National Red Cross, on November 28, 1906, that the estimate of -total receipts in kind was 1,850 carloads of food supplies, and 150 -carloads of bedding, tenting, clothing, and so forth. - - [41] Devol, Major (now General) C. A.: The Army in the San Francisco - Disaster. Journal United States Infantry Association, Vol. VI, No. 1. - pp. 59-87 (July, 1907). Further quotation from this article will be - found in Appendix I, p. 381, of this volume. - -During the first two weeks after the disaster the Southern Pacific -Railroad brought 1,099 carloads of relief supplies into the city. Under -orders of its president, right of way was given to trains carrying these -cargoes, and express time schedules were used for the sake of speed. -These receipts were not all direct donations, as the contents of a -number of carloads had been purchased by the Finance Committee and by -the army from an appropriation of $2,500,000 made by Congress[42] to be -distributed under the direction of the officers of the Pacific Division. -There were also many donations that were sent to agencies other than the -Citizens’ Committee, the Red Cross, and the army. These cannot be -included in any estimate as there was no complete record of the amounts. - - [42] See Sixth Annual Report American National Red Cross, 1910. - -[Illustration: TRANSPORTATION ROUTES ABOUT SAN FRANCISCO] - -It was found to be difficult to protect the mass of the rations in the -railroad yards and in transit to the warehouse against seizure by -ordinary thieves and by those who felt justified in disregarding the -usual rights of property. Goods were stolen, in quantities that could -not be reckoned, by those who expected to realize a profit as well as by -those who considered that they had the right to seize what they felt was -destined to meet their need. Some of these confiscated boxes were -addressed not to the relief authorities but to specified persons and -groups of persons in San Francisco or at other points about the bay. A -further incentive to confiscate lay in the action of the police who, as -was generally known, acting on the orders of the chief of police, had -broken open about 100 grocery and provision stores that were doomed to -be destroyed by fire. The police, after making a rough estimate of the -value of the stock, distributed freely to the destitute. - -When the cars reached San Francisco, along with the bulk of the -shipments which were addressed either to the quartermaster of the army, -who was designated to have charge of all supplies sent to the American -National Red Cross, or to the Citizens’ Committee, were boxes addressed -to the mayor, to the churches, to other organizations of all kinds, and -to individuals. It would have interfered seriously with the work of -relief if an effort had been made to find the persons to whom special -boxes were directed. The American National Red Cross through its -representative, in whose care many boxes with specific directions were -sent, did all that was possible to carry out the intent of the donors, -but it could not in every instance find the intended recipient. Many -inquiries were received as to barrels and boxes which had not reached -their destination, but the cost of tracing these and the cost of making -special deliveries under the then existing conditions were often greater -than the value of the packages themselves. - -An illustration of the difficulty of delivering special packages is the -story of eight cases of bread pans which were addressed to the “Relief -Committee” and were quickly distributed among the refugees. When the -manufacturing company that shipped the cases learned on inquiry of the -bakers for whose use they were intended that they had not received -them, it threatened to file a claim for loss. The trouble, however, lay -in the fact that a letter of instruction addressed to the mayor got -effectually separated from the boxes. - -No complete record of cash contributions can be made. Some of the -committees throughout the country expended part of their funds to -purchase supplies to be forwarded to San Francisco or to relieve -refugees at home, or failed to collect all the money reported to have -been contributed. The money reported as subscribed in the state of -California is far from representing the actual value of relief -contributed. Being so near the scene of disaster the California -communities wisely contributed supplies in large quantities for -immediate use and also cared for large numbers of refugees who came to -them. The official reports of contributions cannot therefore give credit -to all communities for all the relief furnished by each, nor can they -show the amounts contributed by the smaller cities when these forwarded -their contributions through the larger city committees. Nor can a record -of contributions sent to the American Red Cross be found in the -published list of contributors to the committee in San Francisco. - -TABLE 1.--CASH RECEIPTS OF THE FINANCE COMMITTEE OF RELIEF AND RED CROSS -FUNDS, AND ITS SUCCESSOR, THE CORPORATION,[43] TO JUNE 1, 1909 - - Cash donations, including San Francisco subscriptions - and Red Cross remittances $8,921,452.86 - Interest on deposits (in part at 3 per cent and in part - at 2 per cent) 97,254.80 - Exchange 1,140.65 - Receipts from sales of commodities donated in whole or in part: - Sales of surplus flour $216,717.15 - Sales of foodstuffs 41,498.07 - Sales of tents 14,826.55 - ----------- - Total 273,041.77 - ------------- - Total receipts from donations $9,292,890.08 - Receipts from sales of commodities purchased, loans repaid, - instalments, etc. 380,167.86 - ------------- - Total cash receipts $9,673,057.94 - - [43] The San Francisco Relief and Red Cross Funds, a Corporation. See - Part I, p. 25 ff. - -The total cash donations, $8,921,452.86, given in Table 1, do not -include the $2,500,000 appropriated by Congress, which was disbursed in -the first two months for food, clothing, bedding, shelter, etc., nor an -estimate of the numerous independent funds which were probably expended -within the first month, nor of the enormous quantity of supplies donated -by the people of the country. These supplied the first needs of the -destitute and enabled the Committee to save its cash for later and more -permanent forms of relief. - -TABLE 2.--CASH CONTRIBUTIONS FOR THE RELIEF OF SAN FRANCISCO, TO JUNE 1, -1909, RECEIVED BY THE FINANCE COMMITTEE OF RELIEF AND RED CROSS FUNDS, -AND ITS SUCCESSOR, THE CORPORATION, AND BY AMERICAN NATIONAL RED CROSS, -BY COUNTRY OF ORIGIN - - ===========================+=============+=============+============= - Country of origin | Received by | Received by | Total - | Finance | the American| - | Committee | National Red| - | of Relief | Cross | - | and Red | | - | Cross Funds | | - | and the | | - | Corporation | | - ---------------------------+-------------+-------------+------------- - San Francisco | $413,090.83| .. | $413,090.83 - About 2500 cities and towns| | | - of the United States | 5,261,898.35|$2,967,079.90| 8,228,978.25 - Austria (Sec’t’y Amer. | | | - Embassy at Vienna) | .. | 50.00| 50.00 - Australia | 385.96| .. | 385.96 - Belgium | 50.00| .. | 50.00 - Canada | 145,097.15| 315.50| 145,412.65 - Cape Colony (Americans) | .. | 464.00| 464.00 - Ceylon | .. | 32.33| 32.33 - China | 40,000.00| .. | 40,000.00 - Cuba | 5.00| 729.30| 734.30 - England | 6,522.58| 48.30| 6,570.88 - France (Amer. Chamber of | | | - Commerce, Paris, $20,850) | 20,850.00| 385.08| 21,235.08 - Germany | 50.00| .. | 50.00 - Japan | 98,960.10| 146,000.00| 244,960.10 - Mexico | 14,286.44| 193.87| 14,480.31 - Russia | 51.45| 147.57| 199.02 - Scotland | .. | 50.40| 50.40 - United States of Colombia | | | - (Americans) | 200.00| .. | 200.00 - ---------------------------+-------------+-------------+------------- - Total |$6,001,447.86|$3,115,496.25|$9,116,944.11 - ---------------------------+-------------+-------------+------------- - -The donations mentioned in Table 2 do not include $100,000 given to the -University of California Hospital by the Massachusetts Association for -the Relief of California. - -It appears from the figures of the two preceding tables that while on -June 1, 1909, money to the amount of $9,116,944.11 had been contributed -for the relief of San Francisco, $8,921,452.86 had been received by the -Finance Committee of Relief and Red Cross Funds and by the Corporation. -This difference between the amount donated and the amount received by -the local organizations to which the work of relief had been entrusted -is explained by the fact that not all the money contributed through the -American National Red Cross had been paid over to the Finance Committee -or to the San Francisco Relief and Red Cross Funds by June 1, 1909. The -disposition made of the money contributed through the American National -Red Cross is shown in Table 3. - -TABLE 3.--DISPOSITION OF CASH CONTRIBUTED FOR THE RELIEF OF SAN -FRANCISCO THROUGH THE AMERICAN NATIONAL RED CROSS, TO JUNE 1, 1909[44] - - Total donations made through the American - National Red Cross $3,115,496.25 - Remitted to San Francisco to June 1, - 1909 $2,920,005.00 - Administration expenses, purchase of - relief supplies, and transportation - of refugees 47,073.35 - Sent to Italy (for Messina earthquake - sufferers, 1909) 50,000.00 - ------------- - Total disbursements to June 1, 1909 3,017,078.35 - ------------- - Balance available from donations, June 1, 1909 $98,417.90 - - [44] For detailed account of receipts and disbursements see Sixth - Annual Report, American National Red Cross, 1910, pp. 60-152. - -The statement shows that of the $3,115,496.25 donated through the -American National Red Cross up to June 1, 1909, $2,920,005.00 had been -remitted to San Francisco. The balance received but not remitted was -therefore $195,491.25,[45] of which $97,073.35 was disbursed directly by -the Red Cross. It will be seen that this balance equals the difference -between the total amount donated for the relief of San Francisco and the -amount of the cash donations received to June 1, 1909. - - [45] Subsequent to June 1, 1909, the sum of $100,545.65 was forwarded - to San Francisco, this sum comprising the $98,417.90 above mentioned, - together with a portion of the accrued interest and a delayed - contribution. - - -2. DISTRIBUTION OF FOOD - -Food was of course the first necessity, and out of the need to supply it -grew the whole machinery of relief. Before the noon of Thursday, April -19, the Citizens’ Committee had appointed a sub-committee on relief of -the hungry, with Rabbi Voorsanger as chairman, to furnish food for the -entire population, which for a time fell into a series of long bread -lines. In these lines rich and poor, Italian, German, Swedish, Chinese, -and native fared alike. The only question was one of need. From the -mayor and the military officers down to the humblest families in the -Potrero, there was a good-humored acquiescence in the hardships of the -situation, and an optimism that was inspiring. Supplies in sufficient -quantities were rushed to the city, and the danger of suffering from -lack of food was averted. - -The sub-committee began the distribution of food April 20. It at once -called on the army to furnish an officer, two companies of infantry, and -a troop of cavalry to guard rather than to distribute what supplies had -become available. It took steps to get flour from points around the bay -and studied the situation as to the bakeries, some of the largest of -which had been burned or damaged. Repairs were being made to some of -those damaged, and a daily output of 50,000 loaves of bread was shortly -to be expected. - -The ruling was made that after the committee on relief of the hungry had -received the quantity of bread it needed, the bakers might sell the -remainder at not more than 10 cents a loaf, in quantities of not more -than five loaves to one person. The committee was furthermore authorized -by the Citizens’ Committee to levy on all supplies wherever found. The -following notes show the general trend of the work during the first -week. - -[Illustration: All classes joined the bread line - -Soldiers gave aid and protection - -RELIEVING THE HUNGRY] - -On Friday, April 20, while the fire was still spreading, the general -distribution was begun. About 25 wagons were impressed which were used -in the distribution of the provisions seized by order of the committee. -Refugees were standing in line at the Golden Gate Park Lodge; the Young -Men’s Hebrew Association, Page and Stanyan Streets; St. Mary’s -Cathedral, Van Ness Avenue and O’Farrell Street; at Jefferson and -Columbia Squares, and at the corners of Fifth and Mission Streets and -24th and Douglas Streets, where food stations had already been -established by the citizens. The committee made use of these for its own -distribution, choosing the Young Men’s Hebrew Association as its base -for general distribution. - -The bakeries that day furnished 35,000 loaves of bread. The chief -difficulty lay in transporting to the city the supplies that were -available--5,000 tons of flour at Vallejo and many carloads of donated -goods at Oakland. - -On Saturday, April 21, the day the fire was brought under control, the -city was reported to be divided into districts. Five bakeries were in -operation and a committee from Fresno appeared before the Citizens’ -Committee to announce that it had brought six carloads of supplies. -Committees from some nearby communities put themselves under the -direction of the Citizens’ Committee, but the general efficiency of the -distribution was lowered by the fact that still other out of town -committees undertook to make independent distributions. - -On Sunday, April 22, arrangements had been made to have bread baked in -the towns of the Santa Clara Valley. It was found necessary to carry -into effect the committee ruling to prevent alleged exorbitant retail -charges for bread. - -On Monday, April 23, there was an abundance of supplies for present use -and an over-supply of milk. - -On Tuesday, April 24, there was a shortage of sugar and coffee. Sixty -food stations had been established. No stores were found on -investigation to be charging exorbitant prices for food, but some of the -refugees were trying to get more than their share of food. Confusion was -still being caused by the work of the independent relief committees. - -When two days later the committee on relief of the hungry made its final -report to the Finance Committee there had been established 128 stations -and sub-stations, a warehouse in the Moulder School, Page and Gough -Streets, and a branch warehouse at Spear and Howard Streets. It had had -printed a card for the use of the applicant at the food station and had -determined that rations, except in cases of emergency, should be issued -to each person at intervals of three days. Every card carried a -statement of the amount of food required by a person for a day, as -follows: - - Fresh beef, 1¹⁄₄ lbs. or bacon or ham, ³⁄₄ lb. - - Salt fish, ³⁄₄ lb. [Probably as a substitute for meat and not in - addition to it.] - - Fresh or canned vegetables, 1 lb. - - Flour, 18 oz., or bread, 22 oz. - - Rice, ¹⁄₈ lb. or beans, ¹⁄₄ lb. - - Sugar, ¹⁄₁₀ lb. - - Coffee, ¹⁄₁₀ lb. - -Special diet,--eggs, butter, milk, fruit,--was also issued. - -This ration was more liberal than that adopted by the army.[46] - - [46] See Appendix I, p. 379 ff. This General Orders No. 18, is an - important document to be read in connection with any facts given about - the army methods. - -During the trial week the distribution of food was made to the refugees -either from the stations or at the various camps or shelters. Though a -fixed ration was agreed on there could be no certainty of delivery, as -the quantity and variety of the food supply was indeterminate. The -committee in making its report could give only an approximate estimate -of the goods it had seized. It anticipated that claims would be made -against it as well as against the United States army, the state militia, -the police department, and the various volunteer organizations which had -without authorization seized goods. - -It arranged to pay the bakeries at a rate of 5 cents a loaf for the -255,630 loaves of bread which had been supplied by them to the -committee, part of the payment to be made in flour, and to pay the Milk -Dealers’ Association at a rate of not more than 20 cents a gallon for -milk supplied by it. The committee had employed between three and four -hundred men and as many trucks to transport supplies, but it did not -know the extent of its obligation for the use of the latter. - -During the first week after the disaster there was a growing inclination -to turn to the army for the direction of the relief work. Though the -army in common with every other body of persons had suffered serious -losses, its efficiency as an organization could not be impaired even -though the extent of the aid it could immediately give were lessened. - -To the military reservations which lay outside the burned district -refugees immediately fled in numbers, and on April 19, the day the -committee on relief of the hungry began its work, Major Krauthoff issued -from a depot established by him in the Presidio such food as could be -spared from the Presidio itself and from Forts Mason and Miley. The -great army warehouses, which had stored $2,000,000 worth of supplies, -were burned, but along with the committee on relief of the hungry the -army began to confiscate supplies for use on the reservations. It also -purchased from the posts in the Departments of California and the -Columbia 900,000 rations, the first shipment of which arrived on April -21. On that same day a steamer from Stockton put in at Fort Mason with -donations of provisions and blankets. These were immediately distributed -among 20,000 refugees. - -The committee on relief of the hungry had not been given full authority -nor had its powers been defined. It had no machinery adequate for the -handling of a great bulk of supplies, and it was hindered by the -crossing of efforts on the part of unauthorized agencies. - -The Finance Committee, as has been said in Chapter I, was the committee -of power, and might have assumed responsibility for perfecting an -adequate relief organization, but as it realized that its efforts could -not be as quickly effective as those of the army, it, as well as the -mayor, called on the army to assume control of the relief work. General -Greely consented and on April 29 took charge of the food issues and -gradually put the work under the direction of 64 officers and 500 -enlisted men. - -Major C. A. Devol, depot quartermaster, who took over the tremendous -task of unloading cars and boats and transporting supplies to and from -warehouses,[47] quickly introduced order and economy into the work. -Major C. R. Krauthoff, in charge of the commissary department, was also -able soon to reduce to an efficient routine his work of receiving -donated supplies, of purchasing, selling, and storing supplies, and of -issuing properly balanced rations. - - [47] See Appendix I, p. 383 ff. See also Part I, pp. 8 and 30. - -In the report made in July, 1906, to the War Department, Colonel -Febiger, who from April 29 had charge of the organization of relief -stations, and later became chief of the Bureau of Consolidated Relief -Stations, which had been established by the army to facilitate the -relief work, said that on taking charge he had found, after a most -thorough investigation, no instance of extreme suffering from lack of -food or shelter, but many instances of repeating, so that the number of -rations issued was in excess of the needs of the population. With no -accepted general organization bringing about the co-ordinating of -relief, there was of necessity an exaggerated estimate of the needy. - -General Greely, who during his Arctic explorations had learned what -extreme suffering from hunger and cold meant, had the city canvassed on -May 13 in order to find any case of destitution which might have been -overlooked. All of his inspectors, with 30 officers in addition to the -officers directly connected with the relief work, were ordered to make a -special effort to learn of persons in absolute need of food and decent -clothing or of bed and shelter. The result was that but two such cases -were reported. - -During the early days orders were issued forbidding all householders to -light fires in their houses. Cooking, in consequence, was done in the -street over open fires or on rusty stoves which belched smoke out of -short sections of pipe. In those days only candles were permitted for -light and they had to be extinguished at 8 p.m. - - -RELIEF STATIONS AND REGISTRATION - -As stated in Chapter I,[48] the northern part of the city was, for -purposes of policing, put under military control the third day after the -disaster. Later, for purposes of relief, the city was divided into seven -sections, whose boundaries were made coterminous with those of the army -districts. On May 8, each section was supplied by the army with an -officer who made regular reports to the headquarters of the Bureau of -Consolidated Relief Stations, and with a physician who was responsible -for sanitation and for diet prescriptions. Nine depots and sub-depots -were open for storage of food supplies. - - [48] See Part I, pp. 11-12. - -[Illustration: Preparing meals in the street - -A row of street kitchens - -FIRES IN HOUSES WERE PROHIBITED] - -To give some idea of the character and origin of the relief stations a -table of the relief stations of Civil Section VI is given: - -TABLE 4.--CHARACTER OF LOCATION, ORIGIN, AND DATES OF OPENING AND -CLOSING OF RELIEF STATIONS OF CIVIL SECTION VI - - =======+===============+=====================+============+=========== - Station| Character of | Opened by |Date opened |Date closed - number | location | | | - -------+---------------+---------------------+------------+----------- - 600 |Planing Mill |Citizens of |April 19 |June 12[49] - | |neighborhood | | - 601 |Saloon |Committee, Citizens | 24 |May 21 - | |of neighborhood | | - 602 |Church |Pastor of same | 26[49]|July 1 - 606 |Butcher shop |Citizens of | 24 |June 1[49] - | |neighborhood | | - 609 |Police station |Committee, Citizens | 25[49]|(Unknown) - | |of neighborhood | | - 610 |Shack |Mission Relief | 20 |(Unknown) - | |Committee | | - 611 |City Park |Committee of citizens| 22[49]|June 2 - 613 |(Unknown) |Committee, Citizens | 22[49]|May 15 - | |of neighborhood | | - 616 |Bakery |Citizens of | 23 |June 23 - | |neighborhood | | - 618 |Schoolhouse |Citizens of | 22[49]|June 16 - | |neighborhood | | - 619 |Barn |Volunteers | 21[49]|June 23 - 620 |Hot Meal |Los Angeles Relief |(Unknown) |(Unknown) - |Kitchen |Committee | | - 622 |Tent |U. S. Army |April 25[49]|June 23 - 623 |Maennerbund |Local Order of Eagles| 20[49]|May 14 - |Hall | | | - 624 |Public square |Citizens of | 20[49]|June 14 - | |neighborhood | | - 626 |Shack |Citizens of | 27[49]|May 21[49] - | |neighborhood | | - 627 |(Unknown) |Committee, Citizens | 22 |June 9 - | |of neighborhood | | - 628 |Hall |Committee, Citizens | 20 |June 9 - | |of neighborhood | | - 629 |Residence |Citizens | 25[49]|May 13 - 630 |Schoolhouse |Physician and other | 22[49]|May 31[49] - | |citizens | | - 631 |(Unknown) |(Unknown) |(Unknown) |May 1 - 632 |(Unknown) |(Unknown) |(Unknown) |June 16 - 634 |(Unknown) |Citizens |April 23 |May 12 - 635 |(Unknown) |(Unknown) |(Unknown) |(Unknown) - 636 |Residence |Society of Native |April 26[49]|May 26[49] - | |Daughters | | - 637 |(Unknown) |(Unknown) |(Unknown) |May 13 - 641 |Cellar |Ancient Order of |April 24[49]|June 23[49] - | |Hibernians | | - 642 |Residence |Two physicians | 22[49]|(Unknown) - 643 |City and County|U. S. Army | 25[49]|(Unknown) - |Hospital | | | - |Grounds | | | - 645 |Saloon |Ancient Order of | 25 |June 20[49] - | |Hibernians | | - 646 |Schoolhouse |Citizens of | 23 |June 15 - | |neighborhood | | - 647 |School |A physician | 20 |May 1[49] - -------+---------------+---------------------+------------+----------- - - [49] Approximate. - -There is no information to show that any one of these sub-stations had -been established by the committee on relief of the hungry. As may be -borne in mind, the number of stations in use on April 26 was reported by -the committee on relief of the hungry to be 128; three days later, on -taking charge, the army reported 177; early in May the number dropped, -as is shown by Table 5, to 112. - -TABLE 5.--RELIEF STATIONS IN THE SEVEN CIVIL SECTIONS ON MAY 3 AND ON -JUNE 3, 1906 - - ========================================+========+=========+========= - CIVIL SECTION | Food | Food |Hot meal - ------+---------------------------------+stations|stations |kitchens - Number| Headquarters |on May 3|on June 3|on June 3 - ------+---------------------------------+--------+---------+--------- - I |Presidio entrance | 19 | .. | 4 - II |Oak St. near Stanyan | 8 | 3 | 3 - III |3055 Van Ness Ave. | 5 | 4 | 3 - IV |Hamilton School, Geary and Scott | | | - | Sts. | 35 | 10 | 4 - V |Buena Vista School, 18th and York| | | - | Sts. | 9 | 3 | 4 - VI |24th St. and Potrero Ave. | 21 | 5 | 2 - VII |25th and Guerrero Sts. | 15 | 8 | .. - ----------------------------------------+--------+---------+--------- - Total | 112 | 33 | 20 - ----------------------------------------+--------+---------+--------- - -Dr. Devine as representative of the American National Red Cross had -appointed a civil chairman to be responsible for the receiving and -investigation of applications. After May 1, the responsibility for the -distribution of supplies was divided at each section between the -military officer and the civil chairman. The civil chairman determined -who should receive relief and the military officer made the necessary -requisition on the Bureau of Consolidated Relief Stations. - -The records of relief distribution are incomplete and there is no means -of determining accurately from week to week the number of persons who -received food, clothing, and other supplies, medical care and shelter. -The most complete records[50] are furnished by the official camps. -Colonel Febiger in his July report, already quoted, says that “313,145 -persons were on May 2 estimated to be receiving rations, though this -number should probably be reduced to 300,000 to make allowance for -repeaters.” General Greely made estimate that the number of cases of -fraudulent repeating was not more than 3 per cent of the whole. - - [50] For report sheet forms see Appendix II, pp. 430 and 431. - -TABLE 6.--DAILY ISSUES OF RATIONS FROM APRIL 19 TO MAY 12, 1906 - - ==============+=================+==============+================= - Date |Number of persons| Date |Number of persons - | (estimated) | | (actual) - --------------+-----------------+--------------+----------------- - 1906 | | 1906 | - April 19 | 100,000 |May 1 | 313,117 - 20 | 150,000 | 2 | 313,117 - 21 | 200,000 | 3 | 279,631 - 22 | 225,000 | 4 | 230,207 - 23 | 250,000 | 5 | 264,570 - 24 | 270,000 | 6 | 262,027 - 25 | 290,000 | 7 | 233,989 - 26 | 306,000 | 8 | 223,915 - 27 | 310,000 | 9 | 222,313 - 28 | 315,000 | 10 | 204,637 - 29 | 315,000 | 11 | 186,960 - 30 | 315,000 | 12 | 147,232 - --------------+-----------------+--------------+----------------- - Daily average | 253,833 |Daily average | 240,143 - --------------+-----------------+--------------+----------------- - -Care has been taken to verify the estimate of the issues, which has -called for some reduction of the totals as given in earlier reports. -This accounts for the slight discrepancy between Colonel Febiger’s -figure for May 2 and that given in the table. - -The reason for the large increase in numbers in the bread line in the -days immediately after the disaster is that householders had by then -exhausted their private stock and could not make purchases, as most of -the goods in retail stores had been confiscated; nor could food be -prepared in private houses until chimneys had on inspection been found -safe. From a week to two or three months, according to the location and -the activity of the inspection, the fire prohibition held. In towns -across the bay people with money in bank had difficulty in securing food -because the banks were temporarily closed and the retail stores could -not determine when they would be able to replenish their stock. - -As the number in the bread line in the early part of May represented -two-thirds of the population of a city that had been raised to a high -degree of prosperity by the industry and thrift of its citizens, there -would have been rapid decrease in the number of applicants for rations -even had there been no concerted plan to reduce numbers. Pressure was -brought from without, however, which, as is shown in the following -paragraph, did accelerate the citizens’ return as a body to the normal -means of making provision for creature needs. - -In order that the smaller traders might be encouraged to resume business -and the funds be reserved in a great measure to give permanent relief, -the representatives of the army and the American National Red Cross -co-operated during late April and early May in a strenuous effort to -lessen the number supplied with rations. The attractiveness of the free -food issues was diminished by reducing the ration items to meat, bread, -and vegetables for all applicants in sound health except such as were -living in the camps under military control. The number of the stations -was rapidly reduced, as shown by Table 5. After the middle of May, -except in cases of invalidism, rations were issued but three times a -week, and an offer was made of a final issue of a month’s rations to any -one who would accept that in place of the regular allowances. These -measures served to concentrate in the permanent camps those refugees who -were to continue as charges on the relief administration. The work of -concentration was hindered, however, by the numerous private relief -stations throughout the city which could be persuaded only gradually to -send their patrons to the public relief stations. An Associated -Charities worker who knew well the people in one large section of the -city went through the tents with a soldier and demanded the return of -extra bacon, canned goods, and potatoes, which had been laid in by -thrifty refugees who had made use of both public and private food -stations. - -The Red Cross began within the first week of the disaster a general -registration of the refugees. As substantially every one in the city was -at that time dependent on the relief stations for food, the natural way -of getting access to the refugees was through the distribution of -rations. Carl C. Plehn, professor of finance in the University of -California, whose experience as director of the census of the Philippine -Islands suggested special fitness for the work, undertook to prepare a -plan, organize the force, and superintend the work of a registration -bureau. The force consisted of some 200 volunteers from among the public -school teachers, an intelligent and capable, even though inexperienced, -group of enumerators. Their regular employment stopped on April 18, but -their salaries were paid to the end of the school year. Though the -service given was very unequal and largely unsatisfactory, if judged by -the standard of a census bureau or a charity organization society, it is -doubtful whether at the time so high an average of efficiency could have -been obtained in any other way. - -On April 27 Professor Plehn submitted a tentative plan for the -registration. By May 7 the cards[51] and instructions had been printed, -a force of 175 persons was in the field, and the work was well under -way. Ten days later 20,000 cards had been filled out and the canvass was -practically completed as far as it could then be carried. - - [51] See Appendix II, pp. 425 and 426. - -After excluding duplicates as far as they could be detected, the 19,438 -cards, which represented the same number of families or household -parties, distributed the 84,703 persons included among the seven -sections as follows: - -TABLE 7.--FAMILIES AND INDIVIDUALS REGISTERED IN THE SEVEN CIVIL -SECTIONS, MAY, 1906 - - =======+===================+================== - |FAMILIES OR PARTIES| INDIVIDUALS - | REGISTERED | REGISTERED - Section+--------+----------+--------+--------- - | Number | Per cent | Number | Per cent - -------+--------+----------+--------+--------- - I | 2,590 | 13.3 | 10,206 | 12.1 - II | 813 | 4.2 | 3,076 | 3.6 - III | 3,097 | 15.9 | 12,473 | 14.7 - IV | 2,577 | 13.3 | 10,737 | 12.7 - V | 2,220 | 11.4 | 8,384 | 9.9 - VI | 2,876 | 14.8 | 14,896 | 17.6 - VII | 5,265 | 27.1 | 24,931 | 29.4 - -------+--------+----------+--------+--------- - Total | 19,438 | 100.0 | 84,703 | 100.0 - -------+--------+----------+--------+--------- - -The 84,703 individuals were 28,319 men, 32,650 women, 22,795 children, -and 939 persons who were entered under the heading, “Aged, etc.”[52] - - [52] This classification was adopted for the purpose of determining - the number of rations required by the family, and for that reason the - dividing line between children and adults was placed at twelve years, - the allowance for a child under twelve being placed at half the - standard ration. “Men” and “Women” meant respectively the number of - males and females twelve years of age and over, who were not aged and - infirm. The heading, “Aged, etc.” (see card, Appendix II, p. 425), was - an unfortunate one for statistical purposes, especially as on some of - the cards it was printed “Ages, etc.” It was intended to be used, as - the instructions to the enumerator clearly stated, for recording the - “number of persons so old, sick, or crippled, as to be presumably - unable to support themselves by labor.” This information would have - had much practical value, but the cards show plainly that the - ambiguity of the heading on the card was not corrected in the - enumerators’ minds (as such ambiguity can rarely be corrected) by the - careful explanation in the instructions. In many cases, when an entry - was made under it, it was the ages of the children; in other cases it - was apparently the number of adults in the party who were not - immediate members of the family. The figures which have been tabulated - are only of significance as recording so many additional adults. They - do not indicate the proportion of aged and infirm, or the amount of - physical disability among the refugees. - -The information recorded on the registration cards varies in -completeness and value on account of the great diversity in carefulness -and capability among the persons who collected it. Many of the cards -were filled out intelligently and conscientiously; many are wholly -unsatisfactory. Taken together, however, they give a rough picture of -that quarter or third, whichever it may have been, of the city’s -population which was still, in the middle of May, dependent on the -general distribution of food for its daily supplies; and they reflect to -some extent the dislocations that were brought about by the disaster, in -residence, occupation, and circumstances. - -It was not the primary object of the registration to furnish material -for a description of the refugees, but to establish a uniform system of -food distribution which should prevent waste by cutting out repeaters, -apportioning the number of rations to the size of the family, and -cutting off persons as they reached a position where they no longer -needed to be dependent. Other purposes were also in mind. At the -beginning, in fact, the efforts seem to have been made to provide a -record of the persons who received relief, for historical purposes and -for aid in determining their future needs. It was also hoped that the -registration could be made of practical value to the state labor -commissioner, in the free employment bureau[53] which had been opened. -In part for this last reason, information was asked about former -occupation and former employer, union membership, and present -employment. - - [53] A free employment bureau at Hearst School in charge of State - Labor Commissioner Stafford closed its office May 29, 1906, after four - weeks’ work, during which time employment was found for over 1,100 men - and 93 women. See 12th Biennial Report of the Bureau of Labor - Statistics of the State of California, 1905-06. For brief mention of - the work of the employment bureau see _Charities and the Commons_, - June 2, 1906, p. 304. - -[Illustration: The bread line, Mission District - -Relief station, Mission District - -DISTRIBUTION OF RELIEF SUPPLIES] - -The registration was made at the relief stations, the cards being filled -out when applicants came for rations. If the applicant did not live -within the boundaries of the section served by the station to which he -had come he was referred to the proper station. When the applicant had -been registered he was given a food card[54] bearing a serial number, -good for ten days, which stated conspicuously, so that the attendants -could see, even before he reached the counter, the number of rations to -which his family was entitled, and showed uncanceled the dates on which -the card would be honored. The food card number was entered on the -registration card, which was kept at the relief station. Each time -rations were drawn the date for which they were drawn was canceled on -the card. After the registration had been completed at any station no -rations were issued except on presentation of a food card. - - [54] A reproduction of the card is shown in Appendix II, p. 427. - -By this system abuses were controlled: no one could draw supplies from -two or more stations, nor two or three times on the same day from the -same station, nor for more persons than he represented; able-bodied men, -for whom by this time there was abundant opportunity of employment, -could be cut off; and at the expiration of the ten-day period the merits -of the case could be reviewed before granting a renewal of the food -card. - -It was through its success in establishing a uniform and workable system -of food distribution that the first registration was most valuable. It -did not prove to be of much service in aiding applicants to find -employment, in giving a record of the entire work of relief, or in -furnishing a basis for the rehabilitation work. That it failed in -realizing all that was hoped from it in these directions was due partly -to changes in the labor situation, which soon made efforts to supply -employment superfluous; partly to some ambiguity and lack of -definiteness in the headings on the card, and the omission of some -essential items; but chiefly to the many omissions on the part of the -enumerators, the lack of uniformity in their interpretation of the -headings on the card, and the large amount of carelessness they -exhibited in recording the information that was secured. The -inexperience of the enumerators in investigation, the immense difficulty -of supervising them adequately when the automobile and the wagon were -the only means of transportation between the far-scattered stations, and -the necessity for getting the whole work done as speedily as possible, -so that there was no time for correcting mistakes or training -investigators, are the simple explanations of these defects. - -If all the circumstances are taken into consideration--the number of -persons affected by the disaster, the extent of the territory to be -covered, the difficulty of getting about, the confusion which still -existed among the many elements of the relief organization, and the -inexperience in relief work of those who made the registration, both -university professors and public school teachers--the results obtained -were surprisingly satisfactory. The registration would have justified -itself if it had done nothing more than systematize the food -distribution and contribute toward the reduction of the bread lines. -This it undoubtedly did. - -An indication of the effectiveness of the first registration, as may be -seen in Table 11,[55] is the sudden drop in the number of persons who -received rations after May 12, a decrease of 21 per cent on that day -against an average daily decrease for the five preceding days of -slightly over 7 per cent. The marked drop of May 16 is, however, in part -due to the stimulation to self-help caused by putting into effect the -order that rations should be issued only three times a week. The general -use of the food card was an important factor in bringing about the -reduction; another, the rapid increase in the number of persons gaining -self-support. One special use to which the so-called first registration -was put was to determine who should receive special diet. The diet -included meat, fresh milk, butter and eggs, vegetables, and fruit, and -was prepared for the sick, the aged, and for mothers with infants. The -method of its distribution varied in the different sections and from -time to time, but the policy was to subject its distribution to more -direct control from the central office than the ordinary rations. Issues -of special diet were not finally discontinued until October 1, a few -days before the closing of the last kitchen. - - [55] See Part I, p. 53. - -A second general registration[56] was made in June by the American -National Red Cross staff of workers with the aid of the camp commanders. -General Greely appreciated the need of having a more complete case -record of the individuals who were making use of the camps, in order -that a restriction of numbers might be judiciously and expeditiously -made. The relief workers outside the camps, also, realized clearly the -need of a more adequate registration as a basis for intelligent -rehabilitation work. - - [56] See Part II, p. 115. For registration card, see Appendix II, pp. - 428 and 429. - - -HOT MEAL KITCHENS - -The Bureau of Consolidated Relief Stations, acting on the advice of the -Finance Committee, opened its first kitchen in Lobos Square about the -middle of May to serve hot meals both to refugees and to persons able to -pay for their food. From immediately after the disaster kitchens had -been established by voluntary relief committees as the best means of -feeding the people living in or near the camps. One such committee, that -of Los Angeles, sent equipment to furnish five kitchens, with a -representative, Mr. Desmond, of the Desmond Construction Company, to put -them in operation. They were intended freely to furnish food and they -gave timely aid in the early days. - -When the Bureau opened its own community kitchens,[57] the experiment -was made as a distinctive part of the effort to reduce the long bread -lines. The kitchens were intended to test the needs of those applying -for free food, because the number of those willing to accept relief in -food was expected to suffer diminution when a common eating room was -offered. They were also to give a convenient eating place to persons -able to pay but not able to provide their own food, with the privilege -of sitting at separate tables and of ordering a better quality of food -than that furnished at the free tables. They were also to serve to the -aged and infirm better food than had been supplied to them before. The -kitchen system was intended to be economical and sanitary. Sanitary -inspection could be made more thorough when in each encampment there -should be one general kitchen rather than scattered individual kitchens -for the preparing of free rations. Insistence on the first article of -the new experiment--the common eating room--made Section VII, in the -part of the city known as the Mission, unwilling to open a kitchen. It -successfully opposed the step because it was one that the Mission -workers felt would degrade the people and tend to destroy the privacy of -family life. - - [57] For partial list of kitchens and dates of closing, see Sixth - Annual Report of the American National Red Cross, 1910, p. 43. - -It must be borne in mind that the kitchen system was introduced after -the bread line had been reduced to less than one-half its greatest -length, and that it threw into conspicuous relief those who were without -power to re-establish themselves or unwilling to try to do so. - -The hot meal kitchens caused no sudden drop in the amount of food -distributed. On May 12 when, as has been already commented upon, there -was a marked decrease in the number of persons receiving rations, there -were but five kitchens in operation; but the new method did effectively -help to weed out those who no longer needed free rations. Colonel -Febiger wrote late in June that “by the operation of these hot food -camps thousands of dollars were saved for future relief; probably 95 per -cent of the 15,000 persons now being supported by food relief were -absolutely in need of it, those not in need either having withdrawn or -having been forced out.” - -The kitchens were at first run exclusively by the Desmond Construction -Company under contract with the Bureau of Consolidated Relief Stations; -that company, which had already made its experiment, having been the -only one willing to undertake what was considered by the contractors to -be an undesirable job. When by June 21 the number of kitchens had been -gradually increased to 27, two other contractors were operating under -the Bureau. - -The Bureau and the Red Cross provided police protection, furnished sites -for the kitchens, and supplied fuel and water. Each contractor provided -his own buildings or tents, equipment, and service. The contractor -agreed to furnish a wholesome meal, and to submit his daily menu to the -relief officials for approval. - -[Illustration: An open air dining room - -In Golden Gate Park - -HOT MEAL KITCHENS] - -The following is a typical daily menu: - - BREAKFAST DINNER - Hot Hash, or Hot Mush and Milk Hot Soup, or Roast Beef or Hash - Bread or Hot Biscuit One Vegetable, Bread - Coffee, and Sugar Coffee, and Sugar - - SUPPER - Soup, or Irish Stew - Bread or Hot Biscuits - Tea, and Sugar - -Meals were supplied to any person who was ready to pay cash or who -possessed a meal ticket. The meal tickets were issued daily by the Red -Cross and were redeemed by it by payment made to the contractor in cash -or in kind from the relief supplies. The original plan was to serve -ten-cent free meals with provision for granting an extra five-cent -purchase to such persons as might be considered in need of extra food. - -Certain kitchens within the Presidio reservation are not reported on -later than July 11, when they were furnishing about 1,200 meals a day. -One thousand meals a day would probably be a liberal estimate for the -remainder of the time, thirty days, that these Presidio kitchens were to -remain open, but such an estimate is not included in Table 8. - -TABLE 8.--MEALS SERVED BY HOT MEAL KITCHENS, FROM MAY TO OCTOBER, 1906, -INCLUSIVE - - =========+================================+=================== - Month | MEALS SERVED | Amounts disbursed - +---------+----------------------+from Relief and Red - | Free | Paid | Cross Funds in - | | | payment for meals - ---------+---------+----------------------+------------------- - May | 87,160|(Unknown) | (Unknown) - June | 402,522|1,027 (all in 3 days) | $46,610.55 - July | 486,182|3,786 (all in 11 days)| 75,756.30 - August | 377,776|4,608 | 61,379.75 - September| 109,448| 684 | 17,746.80 - October | 11,875| .. | 2,953.14 - ---------+---------+----------------------+------------------- - Total|1,474,963|(Unknown) | (Unknown) - ---------+---------+----------------------+------------------- - -From the data on hand we can estimate the proportion of ten-cent meals -at 12.1 per cent and fifteen-cent meals at 87.9 per cent. - -The first report of meals paid for is for June 28. Those who patronized -these restaurants paid from 10 to 20 cents for their meals, the average -price being 15 cents. The extent to which this opportunity was utilized -is shown in Table 9. - -TABLE 9.--FREE AND PAID MEALS SERVED BY HOT MEAL KITCHENS ON SPECIFIED -DATES IN 1906 - - ===========+==========+================== - Date |Free meals| PAID MEALS SERVED - | served +------+----------- - | |Number|Per cent of - | | | free meals - -----------+----------+------+----------- - June 28 | 16,666 | 617 | 3.7 - July 1 | 14,087 | 423 | 3.0 - August 1 | 15,202 | 191 | 1.3 - September 1| 7,484 | 82 | 1.1 - -----------+----------+------+----------- - -The last paid meal was served on September 19, 1906. The last kitchen -closed was that at Speedway Camp, where the final meal was served -October 10, 1906. - -Frequent complaints were made that the kitchens supplied food which -lacked in quality and variety, was poorly cooked, and served on -fly-infested tables in unsanitary rooms. In some instances the -complaints were justified, but the army inspections were thorough, and -the contractors on the whole lived up to the contracts. Some of the -complaints were made not by those who were using the kitchens but by -those who were critical of the kitchen system itself. - -It is not possible to estimate the total value of the food distributed. -For food and its distribution the Relief and Red Cross Funds expended -$1,226,567.16. The army report gives $259,811.20 as expended for -subsistence stores, but this is not a complete statement of the -disbursements made by it from the appropriation from Congress. These -sums do not include an estimate of the value of donations in kind that -were used as such and not sold. General Greely in his report stated that -in the food donations distributed by the army there were about 2,000,000 -complete rations, which had to be increased by substitutions and by -purchase to supply the 3,873,745 rations distributed by the army during -May and June. Two commodities that had been donated in excess of need -were flour and potatoes. - -TABLE 10.--EXPENDITURES OF SAN FRANCISCO RELIEF AND RED CROSS FUNDS FOR -PURCHASE AND DISTRIBUTION OF FOOD, TO MAY 29, 1909 - - Purchases of food - Groceries $560,205.77 - Meat 182,798.74 - Bread 84,436.10 - Milk, fresh 33,032.64 - Fruits and Vegetables 25,029.01 - Flour 21,848.14 - Miscellaneous 8,029.43 - ----------- - Total $915,379.83 - - Distribution of food - Stoves, hardware, kitchen utensils, dishes, - fuel, etc. $30,540.72 - Labor of all kinds 39,968.72 - Drayage, etc. 14,787.10 - ----------- - Total 85,296.54 - - Hot Meal Kitchens 204,446.54 - Bureau of Special Relief 21,444.25 - ------------- - Grand total $1,226,567.16 - -TABLE 11.--PERSONS TO WHOM RATIONS WERE ISSUED IN MAY AND JUNE, 1906 - - ======+=========+=======+========= - Date |Number of| Date |Number of - | persons | | persons - ------+---------+-------+--------- - 1906| | 1906| - May 1| 313,117 | May 24| 62,239 - 2| 313,117 | 26| 39,432 - 3| 279,631 | 29| 54,883 - 4| 230,207 | 31| 44,289 - 5| 264,570 |June 2| 42,374 - 6| 262,027 | 5| 39,084 - 7| 233,989 | 7| 35,237 - 8| 223,915 | 9| 34,268 - 9| 222,313 | 12| 29,621 - 10| 204,637 | 14| 22,753 - 11| 186,960 | 16| 22,295 - 12| 147,232 | 19| 16,608 - 13| 139,405 | 21| 16,246 - 14| 126,970 | 23| 15,451 - 16| 97,886 | 26| 15,340 - 18| 91,812 | 28| 15,339 - 22| 73,163 | 30| 15,353 - ------+---------+-------+--------- - -[Illustration: CHART 1.--PERSONS TO WHOM RATIONS WERE ISSUED IN MAY AND -JUNE, 1906] - -Among the persons who received rations, as indicated in the table and -chart, are included both those to whom raw rations were issued and those -who were served with free meals at the hot meal kitchens. - - -3. DISTRIBUTION OF CLOTHING - -Of secondary urgency was the demand for clothing. The requests for -clothing were fewer than those for food, though many refugees fled from -the burned areas with no clothing except nightgowns or calico slips, a -poor protection from the cold nights and chilly April mornings and -evenings. - -The records of distribution are incomplete. General Greely estimated the -number of persons who received clothing at 200,000. Much of the clothing -donated bore the wellknown mark of the charity gift in kind. The second -hand clothing in many cases was, to repeat General Greely’s comment, -“more or less of a burden on the Red Cross.” Some was useless; some -required to be cleaned and disinfected. The new clothing was, in the -words of Captain Bradley, who had charge of its distribution, “of old -and dead stock of mediocre and poor quality.” Part of the shoes and -articles of clothing supplied from the army stores and charged against -the appropriation from Congress were of obsolete pattern. The same -criticism was made of some of the household goods donated. A large -number of the cots, for instance, were worthless or of poor quality. -There was the further handicap to the distributor, of not knowing what -donations were to be expected or when they were to be received. This -uncertainty meant serious delays in supplying the need and severe -criticism of the administrators, but the latter did not feel themselves -justified in making purchases of clothing in large quantities when -clothing similar to that ordered might, later, be received as a gift. - -The memory is vivid to some of those who worked in the refugee camps -during the midsummer of 1906, of the children in striped sweaters and -gay Tam-o’-Shanters. The caps were not suitable for summer wear, but -they had been sent in large quantity with the sweaters to be -distributed. The mental picture of Golden Gate Park with its scattered -barracks and tents pitched close to ornamental lakes and neglected -flower beds is accentuated by the note of high color given by the -sweaters and caps. - -Distribution of clothing, like the distribution of food, was quickly -undertaken by independent groups of volunteers, who collected and gave -out what could be got in the city itself. While the fire was spreading -the army from its stores in the Presidio gave blankets and quantities of -shoes, shirts, ponchos, and other clothing for men. As the donations -from abroad began to arrive in large quantities they were quickly handed -out without careful discrimination in sorting or adapting to individual -needs. - -On May 4 the army, in consultation with Dr. Devine, took charge of the -organization of the clothing and household distribution. The Crocker -School on Page Street was taken for use as a warehouse. A warehouse for -second hand clothing exclusively was established ten days later in the -Everett Grammar School, on Sanchez Street. Neither was adapted for use -as a department store, but nine departments were organized, each in -charge of an experienced clerk: - - 1. Men’s clothing and hats. - 2. Men’s furnishings and underwear. - 3. Women’s furnishings and underwear. - 4. Boots and shoes. - 5. Children’s clothing and hats. - 6. Children’s underwear. - 7. Bedding and furniture. - 8. Household goods. - 9. Tentage. - -From the departments went during May a daily average of twenty -truckloads; during June, eighteen. Among the household goods that had to -be handled were towels, sheets, pillows, pillow cases, blankets, -comforters, mattresses, stoves, cooking utensils, cutlery, dishes, -brooms, wash tubs, washboards, boilers, irons, clotheslines, axes, -chairs, tables, and sewing machines. - -The method of distribution was similar to that for food. Each civilian -chairman made requisition for the articles that were found by the -superintendents of the stations to be needed within his section, and -each requisition was filled so far as the warehouse stock would admit. -The articles were sent to the separate stations for distribution. The -army had charge of reception and distribution of goods; the Red Cross, -of determining who should be entitled to aid. The first registration was -used as a basis for determining need, but there was no uniform system -of record and various forms are found to have been in use,--an instance -of the necessity for a general, accepted form of registration and -record. - -[Illustration: Soldiers guarding the supply wagons - -WAREHOUSE FOR SECOND HAND CLOTHING] - -It was planned to complete by the middle of July the general -distribution of clothing and household goods by determining whether each -refugee at that time had a decent supply which would prevent present -suffering. After that date the Rehabilitation Committee was to consider -further need of clothing and household goods in relation to general need -of rehabilitation. The distribution did end practically on August 1, -when those who had requisitions for articles that had not been furnished -were given by the Rehabilitation Committee the cash value of the -articles called for on their requisitions as far as approved by the -civilian chairmen of their sections. - - * * * * * - -The later development of the methods of distributing clothing shows -increased efficiency as greater experience was gained. - -After August 15 the Bureau of Special Relief[58] had charge of filling -orders for clothing for those living outside the camps whose needs were -urgent but not great; the more important cases of need of clothing and -household goods were cared for by the Rehabilitation Committee. From -August 6 the residents of the camps were supplied with all necessary -clothing through the Department of Camps and Warehouses, an arrangement -which continued until the middle of October, after which issues of -clothing were made by requisition through the department headquarters on -the supply of clothing kept in Golden Gate Park. From December, 1906, -the Department of Camps and Warehouses sent individual requisitions for -clothing to the Bureau of Special Relief. Possibly these were such as it -could not itself fill. - - [58] See Bureau of Special Relief, Part II, p. 145 ff. - -All issues of clothing were stopped on May 16, 1907, and the supply on -hand was turned over to the Rehabilitation Committee, which distributed -it among a number of institutions. It is probable, however, that for a -long time only a very small quantity of clothing had been issued to meet -the needs of the aged, infirm, and sick at Ingleside.[59] It is to be -noted further that as early as August, 1906, issues were limited, and -were made only to destitute persons whose circumstances could easily be -investigated. - - [59] See Part VI, The Residuum of Relief, p. 319 ff. - - -4. FURNISHING TRANSPORTATION - -The rapid exodus of refugees from the city during the first week after -the disaster meant a desirable lessening of the task of providing food, -clothing, and shelter. The transportation work, which divides itself -into four administrative periods, began the first day of the fire, when -refugees were given free passage across the bay, down the peninsula, and -to points far inland. No special arrangement was made. The -transportation companies merely threw open their gates and let the -people crowd into the boats and trains. The committee on transportation -of refugees, a sub-committee of the Citizens’ Committee, had -comparatively little work to do. It told the public that the railroads -were ready to carry the people and it made inquiry as to the ability and -willingness of other communities to care for refugees. From many -communities, some distant, came quick, generous offers to care for -definite numbers of people. - -When the first period, the period of indiscriminate free transportation, -ended on April 26, the Southern Pacific Railroad, the only railroad -running out of the city and the one that in normal times carried the -greater part of the suburban traffic by ferry and train to towns across -the bay, had transported, according to an official report, the following -number of free passengers: - -TABLE 12.--PERSONS CARRIED FROM SAN FRANCISCO AS FREE PASSENGERS BY THE -SOUTHERN PACIFIC RAILROAD, FROM APRIL 18 TO APRIL 26, 1906 - - ==============================+======= - Destination |Persons - |carried - ------------------------------+------- - Suburban points around the bay|226,000 - Other points in California | 67,000 - Other states | 7,684 - ------------------------------+------- - Total |300,684 - ------------------------------+------- - -The value of this service, according to the official report, was -$456,000. The report states that on April 19 the refugees, most of whom -went to Oakland and adjoining communities, left San Francisco at the -average rate of 70 per minute. There is no report from any other -transportation company. The 226,000 passengers carried to points around -the bay included some thousands of persons that crossed more than once, -many to go back and forth daily on public or private business, others, a -considerable number, to view the fire and ruins. - -On April 25, a committee on transportation was organized informally by -the officials of the various railroads and the men in charge of relief -work, in order to prevent an abuse of free transportation. The new -committee, which was recognized as authoritative by the Citizens’ -Committee, had for chairman William Sproule of the Southern Pacific -Railroad, for secretary and executive, Oscar K. Cushing. On April 26, a -transportation bureau was opened in a small office on Fillmore Street -near Franklin Hall. The secretary was given power to issue orders for -passes and part-rate tickets, which because of his experience in -railroad business and in social work he could be relied upon to do with -discretion. Each applicant in the long file which day by day stretched -down Fillmore Street and around the corner to Sutter, a perplexed, -restless file of men, women, and children, eager to be out of the city, -was interviewed personally by him to determine whether the applicant -were able to pay any part of his fare, whether the best way to restore -him to self-support was to grant him transportation, and whether he -would be a charge upon the community to which he wished to go. When -letters of recommendation or personal interviews failed to give the -information desired, a quick investigation was made. If the applicant -were able he paid something toward his ticket but never more than at the -rate of half fare. - -On May 10 the railroads stopped the issue of free and reduced rate -tickets as a relief measure. This marked the end of the second short -period of regulated free transportation work. A week later, on May 18, -the transportation work was merged with that of the Bureau of Special -Relief and Rehabilitation,[60] and when Mr. Cushing became executive -head of the joint work no material change was made in the method of -caring for transportation cases. - - [60] See Part I, p. 14. - -During the third period, beginning May 10, the period of united effort, -the committee guaranteed to pay in certain cases reduced railroad rates, -at first a half-fare rate, later a one-cent-a-mile rate. The railroads -in their discretion gave in other cases free passage provided the -committee made a brief statement of the circumstances of the applicant -with a recommendation for free passage. - -When the permanent Rehabilitation Committee was organized, July 2, 1906, -the transportation bureau was again merged, which marked the beginning -of the fourth period of its work, the period of completed organization. -During the fourth and last period, which ended June 2, 1908, when the -last transportation grant was paid, the transportation methods held -unchanged with but occasional variation of rates and with a rapidly -decreasing number of cases to be considered. - -The relative importance of the transportation work to the other -rehabilitation work, on the basis of the number of individuals -concerned, steadily decreased from one-half in the first two weeks to -about one-eighth in the middle of July. - -Many a case was brought to the attention of the Committee by a distant -relative or friend. For instance, a man wrote from a little town in -Illinois as follows: - - “Dear Kind Friend,--I have an aunt by the name of ---- ----. You will - do me a favor if you will send Mrs. ---- to Chicago, Ill. I would send - the money to pay fare but as I have not got it to spare I cannot do - it. I hope you will be kind-hearted enough to send her to Chicago. - Also arrange to get her meals on the train for her. You can call on - her, Mayor Schmitz, at ---- and have a talk with her. Please get my - Aunt Clara to come back if you can do so.----If there is anything I - can do for your City please let me know and I will try and help you - folks at once. There are tears in My eyes as I think of the beautiful - City you once had that is now in ashes. Reply at once.” - -“Aunt Clara” could not be found. - -An inquiry addressed to a man in whose behalf the Committee had been -asked for help by a Chicago clergyman brought this terse and -satisfactory reply: - - “Dear Sir,--We are no longer in need of relief and we do not desire - transportation to Chicago. I have so informed Rev. ----.” - -Vague plans, or plans that did not commend themselves, led to refusal. -There were, for instance, a man who thought he would like to try his -fortune in Nome; a Syrian who had an idea he might get on better in -Portland, Oregon, though he had no relatives there and no prospect of -work; a Scotch Australian with a large family, known to the Associated -Charities for years, who looked hopefully to Australia, though he had -left it because he was a failure there; two girls, domestic servants, -who wanted to go back to Ireland because they “were afraid of the -shakes”; an old man whose only reason for returning to Europe was his -desire to see his son ordained a priest; a widow, “saleslady” by -occupation, who asked to be sent to Los Angeles on the strength of a -letter from a friend, apparently a traveling man living in a hotel, -whose mildly expressed concern for her welfare she took as a promise to -provide a home. A stonemason wanted to leave his family without -resources and try his fortune in Canada. A man whose family had been -sent to Massachusetts in the early days to leave him free to get a start -got tired of trying and wanted to join them. Another man merely wanted -to go away on a visit, leaving his family behind. After the middle of -June, requests that wife and children be sent away for a visit while the -man stayed behind at work, were refused, though in the abnormal -conditions of the earlier days they were frequently allowed. In a -considerable number of cases, as of carpenters, shoemakers, domestic -servants, and laundresses, transportation was refused because it was -known that nowhere else in the country was the opportunity so good for -work and good pay in those occupations. - -In looking over the records one finds many reasons given for leaving San -Francisco. Jewelers, inventors, masseurs, hair dressers, producers of -“art work,” said they could find little demand for their services in the -first few weeks after the fire. Acrobats, mental science lecturers, -teachers of elocution, music, Hebrew, religion, and higher mathematics, -could find no one to demand their teaching. Saloonkeepers and barmen had -lost their shops through the closing of the saloons, and when they -opened July 5, conditions would be hard because a higher license was to -be asked. It seems like a jest of fate that at a time when thousands of -people were living in tents a tent-sewer could find no occupation. It -also seems curious that physicians and nurses should have wished to -leave the city, but it is a fact that the demand for their services was -decreased rather than increased by the disaster. Physicians suffered -perhaps as much as any other class of persons, for they lost not only -their offices, libraries, and instruments, but also a large proportion -of their patients,--the profitable, well-to-do ones left town, and the -poorer ones were stimulated by the out-of-door life, plain food, or by -necessity, into unusual good health.[61] Bakers, grocers, and -lodging-house keepers asked for transportation because, though there was -a demand for their services, they had no capital with which to make a -new start. Tailors, dressmakers, milliners, printers, and a number of -others could not, or would not, wait for the demand which came for them -a few weeks later. In the middle of May, for example, it was thought -that ladies’ tailors could not expect to make a living for six months; -early in June employers could not begin to get the number they wanted. -In but few cases could lack of occupation be accepted as the sole -justification for leaving the city. Carpenters and laborers who could -not get work in San Francisco in June could hardly be expected to get it -anywhere. - - [61] In Part IV the chapters which discuss condition and status of - families in camp cottages, and of those who took advantage of the - bonus and loan plans, show that the handicap of ill health was heavy - after the first few months. - -Sickness was a reason for transporting some of the refugees. A man who -had been hurt in the earthquake was sent to relatives as soon as he was -able to leave the hospital. Another man, whose little store had been -wrecked by the earthquake, he himself injured, and his wife and one -child killed, was sent to his sister in Chicago, his other children -having been provided for by a charitable organization. A woman suffering -from cancer was taken to her sister in Brooklyn by a nurse who was also -being assisted to reach her destination. It was not uncommon in the -earlier days to find a woman so nervous that her physical condition was -a menace to the prospects of her family. One such woman would not allow -her husband to do any regular work; another was so irritable that -desertion seemed imminent. In such a case as the last the only hope of -saving the family seemed, paradoxically, to lie in temporary -separation. More than one woman who begged to be sent away for a visit -was told, “We are doing this, you understand, because we are sorry for -your husband and want to give him a chance to get on his feet here; but -please encourage him by writing every week.” The policy, in spite of -these instances, was definitely laid down that families should be kept -together. - -There were numerous examples of that re-distributing of responsibility -for dependents which takes place when losses come to families -individually. An aunt or grandmother in Nevada or Missouri or New York -would offer to take care of a little boy or a young girl, in order to -relieve the family in San Francisco. An epileptic woman whose daughters -had lost their work on account of the fire was given a home by a cousin -in Massachusetts. This cousin, with unnecessary caution, wrote to the -woman: “I will not let him (Dr. Devine) know you have any -daughters--only that you are without a home and in poor health.” A woman -had been visiting her married daughter in San Francisco, and the -daughter, after the fire, could neither entertain her longer nor pay her -fare home. Still another instance was that of a Roumanian, seventy-seven -years old. He had had a home with his granddaughters for the previous -two years, but they were burned out and his only refuge was the old home -in Roumania. Unfavorable surroundings as a reason for granting -transportation may be illustrated by the case of a young girl who had -been living in a basement with twenty refugees, men and women. She was -sent to her father in Ohio. - -The willingness of relatives and friends to receive refugees determined -the transporting of a large number of persons. The letters that found -their way to the files of the Rehabilitation Committee as evidence that -the would-be travelers would not be unprovided for at the end of their -journeys form a unique body of testimony. They give a glimpse of those -obscure wells of charity in which we all believe, on account of frequent -individual instances, but into whose depths we are seldom allowed to -look. The open-hearted offers of hospitality that went out from humble -homes all over the country were, in fact, a contribution to the relief -fund, though they found no place in the list of donations, the quality -of their mercy being too subtle. They may be given recognition by a few -quotations from many letters: - -From Delancey Street, New York, to a Jewish tailor with a wife and six -children: - - My dear brother,--I have received your letter, also dispatch, and in - spite of all my efforts I send you only ten dollars. I cannot send you - more for the present. I advise you to come over as soon as you can - with your family, on my responsibility, as there are plenty of work - for you. Don’t spend the time with nothing but come as soon as you - possible can. - -From a woman in Council Bluffs, to her sister: - - You must and had better come here. J---- can work at his trade here - and you can stop with us until you can do better. - -From a little California town: - - My dear cousin,--I am awfully sorry to hear you and all the family - lost everything. But let you and Jennie and all the family come right - up and stop with us. You will want for nothing as we have plenty for - all and as many more. Hoping you will come right away, ------. - -From a Russian woman in Chicago: - - Beloved sister,--You shall not think about anything but come to - Chicago------. You shall not worry about anything. Everything will be - provided for you when you arrive here. You shall also get work. - -A mother in Michigan wrote to her daughters, who had been in domestic -service: - - Girls, for my part I wouldn’t have any desire of living side of the - Pacific ocean any longer and you know we would feel better to have you - back here with us. - -Another Michigan letter, from the brother of a refugee: - - I want you to come with all your family and share our home until you - get all rested up and see what is best to be done. Old frozen Michigan - ain’t the worst place after all. - -A woman in Spokane who offered a home to a friend and her little girl -wrote, with a naïve appreciation of her own generosity and of the happy -combination of disposition and circumstances to which she was able to -refer: - - I write to extend my sympathy to you and you know I have a big heart - and a large house and would be only too glad to have you come and stay - with me as long as you want to and it would not cost you one cent. - -A man in Nevada who had secured work for a former business associate, -wrote to him: - - Through the kindness of friends (and I may say myself), we have - furnished you and wife with a home furnished complete, so if you can - get means to come up you will be O. K., as your rent is paid for a - couple of months. - -There could be no doubt that the boy whose mother in Los Angeles had -found work for him, and who wrote him as follows, would be looked after: - - A Mrs. T---- to whom I appealed for you gave me as a loan on the sly - five dollars for your fare down, which must be returned as soon as - possible so please do not use it unless you fail to get a pass. - -Some friends in southern California offered a home to three sisters, -working girls: - - If you can get passes, which no doubt you can by applying to Mayor - Schmitz, as I have written to him, asking for you, come down and stay - with us for as long as you wish. We have a house in our yard which we - can fix up for you without any inconvenience to us. You can live there - as long as we stay here. - -The great majority of these people who were assisted to leave the city -seem to have been those that could easily be spared from San Francisco -during its period of reconstruction. They were, on the whole, lacking in -physical vigor or in mental qualities of courage and initiative, or in -attachment to their city. They did, however, give the impression that, -under less exacting circumstances, they would have been able to get -along creditably. It seemed fair to expect that in nearly all the cases -the substitution of a more favorable environment would have results so -satisfactory as to justify transportation as a rehabilitation measure, -while the burden of dependence, whatever it might be, would be so -distributed as not to bear heavily in any one place. The policy of those -responsible for decisions was not to send to other cities persons that -were likely to become dependent on charity. The transportation agreement -of the charity organization societies of the largest cities was -respected. The prompt answers to telegraphic inquiries given by all the -eastern cities was a very important help. It was reassuring to find that -the plan that was satisfactory in ordinary times proved indispensable in -the emergency. - -For the second period of the work of transportation, which seems to -represent about the average, Table 13 is given. - -TABLE 13.--DESTINATION OF PERSONS SENT FROM SAN FRANCISCO BY THE -TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE, FROM APRIL 26 TO MAY 10, 1906, INCLUSIVE[62] - - =======================+===================================== - Destination |PERSONS SENT TO DESTINATION SPECIFIED - +-------+---------+----------+-------- - | Men | Women | Children | Total - -----------------------+-------+---------+----------+-------- - California | 122 | 541 | 379 | 1,042 - Oregon | 28 | 103 | 40 | 171 - Washington | 20 | 85 | 57 | 162 - Colorado | 11 | 46 | 35 | 92 - Nevada | 2 | 40 | 11 | 53 - Utah | 9 | 26 | 11 | 46 - Montana | 5 | 13 | 13 | 31 - Arizona | 4 | 8 | .. | 12 - Idaho | 2 | 3 | 3 | 8 - Wyoming | .. | 3 | .. | 3 - New Mexico | .. | 1 | .. | 1 - East (including Europe)| 188 | 553 | 322 | 1,063 - -----------------------+-------+---------+----------+-------- - Total | 391 | 1,422 | 871 | 2,684 - -----------------------+-------+---------+----------+-------- - - [62] Compare date with date given in heading of Table 12. “April 26” - appears in official reports as included in each of the first two - periods, and probably was actually so included. - -These figures are based, not on a study of individual cases, but on -lists and registers kept by the various committees in charge of -transportation. Although they probably are not absolutely correct, they -are sufficiently exact for the present purpose. The term Pacific States -in the following table includes the tier of states from Montana to New -Mexico; all east of them is called East. Alaska and British Columbia -destinations are included in Pacific States, and eastern Canadian and -European points are included in East. The number of persons sent to such -points was very small. - -The following table shows the number carried for all periods, exclusive -of those carried to suburban points. - -TABLE 14.--PERSONS SENT FROM SAN FRANCISCO, BY PERIOD AND BY GENERAL -DESTINATION, APRIL 26, 1906, TO JUNE, 1908[63] - - =================+=======+=================================+======= - Period | Total | PERSONS SENT TO |Average - | number+------+-------+----------+-------+ number - | of | Cali-| Other | East | Other | of - |persons|fornia|Pacific|(including|foreign|persons - | sent |points| States| Europe) | points| sent - | | | | | |per day - -----------------+-------+------+-------+----------+-------+------- - 1906 | | | | | | - 2d Apr. 26-May 10| 2,684| 1,042| 579 | 1,063 | .. | 179.0 - 3d May 11-Jun. 30| 1,015| 212| 193 | 609 | 1 | 20.0 - 4th July | 365| 97| 70 | 193 | 5 | 11.8 - August | 350| 221| 23 | 106 | .. | 11.3 - September | 90| 32| 3 | 55 | .. | 3.0 - October | 128| 13| 45 | 57 | 13[64]| 4.1 - November | 77| 10| 2 | 13 | 52[64]| 2.6 - December | 37| 11| 3 | 17 | 6 | 1.2 - 1907 | | | | | | - January | 37| 7| 6 | 19 | 5 | 1.2 - February | 31| 6| 7 | 18 | .. | 1.0 - March | 21| 3| 3 | 10 | 5 | [65] - April | 22| 9| 3 | 10 | .. | [65] - May | 8| 1| 4 | 3 | .. | [65] - June | 3| ..| 1 | 2 | .. | [65] - July | 4| ..| .. | 4 | .. | [65] - December | 2| ..| .. | 2 | .. | [65] - 1908 | | | | | | - June | 2| ..| .. | 2 | .. | [65] - -----------------+-------+------+-------+----------+-------+-------- - Total | 4,876| 1,664| 942 | 2,183 | 87 | - -----------------+-------+------+-------+----------+-------+-------- - - [63] Exact information relative to the number of persons sent from San - Francisco during the first period, from April 18 to April 26, and - their destination, is not available. The figures showing the number of - and destination of persons given free transportation by the Southern - Pacific Railroad are given in Table 12, p. 58. - - [64] Sent to Porto Rico in October, 9; in November, 50. - - [65] Fewer than 1 per day. - -TABLE 15.--TERMS OF TRANSPORTATION OF PERSONS SENT FROM SAN FRANCISCO IN -SECOND AND THIRD PERIODS - - =================================+=============================== - Terms of transportation | PERSONS TRANSPORTED - +---------------+--------------- - |April 26 to May| May 11 to June - | 10, inclusive | 30, inclusive - +------+--------+------+-------- - |Number|Per cent|Number|Per cent - ---------------------------------+------+--------+------+-------- - Carried free by railroads | 2,096| 78 | 136| 13 - Low rate paid by Applicant | 588| 22 | 188| 19 - Committee | ..| .. | 597| 59 - Applicant and Committee jointly| ..| .. | 94| 9 - ---------------------------------+------+--------+------+-------- - Total | 2,684| 100 | 1,015| 100 - ---------------------------------+------+--------+------+-------- - -TABLE 16.--DESTINATION OF PERSONS SENT FROM SAN FRANCISCO IN SECOND AND -THIRD PERIODS - - ==========================+=============================== - Destination | PERSONS SENT TO DESTINATIONS - | SPECIFIED - +---------------+--------------- - |April 26 to May|May 11 to June - | 10, inclusive | 30, inclusive - +------+--------+------+-------- - |Number|Per cent|Number|Per cent - --------------------------+------+--------+------+-------- - California points | 1,042| 38.8 | 212 | 20.9 - Other Pacific Coast states| 579| 21.6 | 193 | 19.0 - East | 1,063| 39.6 | 609 | 60.0 - Various foreign points | ..| .. | 1 | .1 - --------------------------+------+--------+------+-------- - Total | 2,684| 100 |1,015 | 100 - --------------------------+------+--------+------+-------- - -TABLE 17.--VALUE AT REDUCED RATES OF TRANSPORTATION FURNISHED THROUGH -THE COMMITTEE - - =========================+=================================== - Terms of transportation | VALUE OF TRANSPORTATION FURNISHED - +----------+-------------+---------- - |May 11 to |July 1, 1906,| Total - | June 30, | to June 2, | - | 1906 | 1908 | - -------------------------+----------+-------------+---------- - Paid by applicant | $4,987.27| $585.47 | $5,572.74 - Paid by Committee | 10,878.32| 30,921.70 | 41,800.02 - Estimate of contribution | | | - by railroads | 42,369.40| 5,015.70 | 47,385.10 - -------------------------+----------+-------------+---------- - Total |$58,234.99| $36,522.87 |$94,757.86 - -------------------------+----------+-------------+---------- - - -5. PROVIDING SHELTER - -In April in San Francisco, the weather being temperate and dry, shelter -for the homeless may properly be considered an easy third in order of -importance in the supplying of relief. The first night after the -earthquake the people who had been driven from their homes by fire or by -fear of another shock, sought rest in the public squares and parks, in -vacant lots and in military reservations. Bedding was the necessity -carried from their homes by many refugees who expected to return to them -after the danger was past. Each family took possession of the first spot -available. The more fortunate separated themselves from other families -by means of trunks or boxes, or by a sheet or blanket thrown over a pole -that rested on two stakes driven into the ground. As the hours passed a -few real tents were secured, and shacks were made out of loose boards, -tin cans, and sheet iron. Soon, tents from the army stores and from -private sources were provided in increasing numbers and were set up with -varying degrees of order. - -Two hundred thousand persons came out from the burned district homeless, -of whom possibly 75,000 left the city. These latter are included in the -number of refugees that sought transportation, as shown in the preceding -section. Shelter was found in some parts of the city for a large number -through the hospitality of friends or strangers, through payment for -lodging in cash or credit, or through the use of unoccupied houses. Two -thousand persons found shelter in vacant houses through the efforts of -the police. The capacity to house the needy was swelled by the use of -basements, attics, and barns. The number of the homeless was increased -to some extent by the general rise in rentals, which was great in -certain parts of the city and which forced a small number of people into -the ranks of applicants for shelter. During the first two weeks perhaps -a thousand persons had no shelter but what they could find in the burned -district amid the ruins or on wharves. - -Tents were provided in the first days by voluntary agencies, by the -sub-committee on housing the homeless, by the army, and by the American -National Red Cross. The first named committee, which was one of those -hastily appointed by the Citizens’ Committee immediately after the -disaster, also built barracks. It set to work with great energy, but -with complete independence of any other committee, especially of the -Finance Committee and of the committees on relief of the hungry and on -transportation, whose work it therefore overlapped. It appointed another -sub-committee, on roofing the homeless, which canvassed the city for -vacant houses and rooms and then induced but few persons to make use of -its finds. It formulated plans for the construction of two permanent -camps and made recommendations to the army to place all the homeless in -Golden Gate Park, to which park it had as early as April 20, assisted by -an army officer, hauled lumber for the building of barracks, for the -flooring of tents, and for latrines. - -[Illustration: An administration headquarters - -Camp No. 6, The Speedway, showing barracks - -CAMPS IN GOLDEN GATE PARK] - -This committee was discharged from duty, on request of its chairman, two -weeks after its appointment, but its members continued to incur -unauthorized expense for at least four weeks longer. The committee made -such a fine showing for speed that its work got ready recognition, speed -in those first days being at a premium; but its lack of deliberation led -to the embarrassment of the relief authorities. The barracks could not -be connected with street sewers because they were situated on low -ground, so later there was difficulty in disposing of waste and surface -water. One of the camps, Camp 6, could not be given fire protection, and -both camps had to have heavy additions made to the initial expenditures -to secure greater privacy and protection against drafts. In them the -refugees were brought into an association so close as to be either -demoralizing or humiliating. Both camps would probably soon have been -closed if the authorities had felt justified in abandoning them after -the large expenditure made. The initial mistake was to erect barracks -during the emergency period. Tents, which the army and the American -National Red Cross stood ready to provide, were much more practical. -They could be moved at small expense from place to place, and until the -rainy season set in they furnished sufficient shelter. Tents, not -barracks, were the need of the emergency period. - -The two barracks built in Golden Gate Park by the committee on housing -the homeless were No. 1, known later as Camp 5, near the Children’s -Playground, and No. 2, known later as Camp 6, or the Speedway Camp. Camp -5 consisted of 18 buildings with 16 two-room apartments in each, -separated by a partition only 8 feet high. The rooms were 10 feet -square--a front room with a window and a door and a rear room with no -window or outside door. Camp 6 was of the same type of construction and -consisted of 10 barracks and separate buildings for hospital, laundry, -and other general purposes. The barracks of Camp 5 were occupied from -the first of May to the middle of December; those of Camp 6 from June 1 -to the latter part of August of the following year. - -As late as the end of May General Greely reported that he could not get -sufficient data on which to base housing recommendations. The first -registration had shown that a little over a fourth of the applicants to -the food stations were living at the same address when they were -registered as on April 17, the day before the earthquake. In a few cases -these people were no doubt housed in tents or shacks on the site of -their burned homes. But most of them had not lost their homes or -personal effects, though they had been affected by the disaster in other -ways. They had lost their work, or had suffered some injury in health -from the shock, or, merely demoralized by the general confusion and the -abundance of free provisions, had assumed a mental attitude of -dependence not really justified. Most of this last class, to be sure, -did not survive the registration, but there were no doubt some who were -not weeded out until after the canvass had been made. Sixteen per cent -more are known to have been living in houses at the time of the -registration, but as their addresses on April 17 were not given, it is -impossible to know whether or not they had been driven out of their -homes by the disaster. - -TABLE 18.--HOUSING OF REGISTERED FAMILIES, BY CIVIL SECTIONS, MAY, 1906. -NUMBERS - - =====================+=========================================+====== - Residence at time of |NUMBER OF FAMILIES HOUSED AS SPECIFIED IN| Total - registration | CIVIL SECTIONS | - +-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+ - | I | II | III | IV | V | VI | VII | - ---------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+------ - Same as on April 17 | 856| 225| 572|1,105| 197| 424|1,955| 5,334 - Tent or shack | 741| 79|1,407| 272|1,082| 467| 317| 4,365 - A house different | | | | | | | | - from that of April 17| 640| 294| 669| 924| 681| 945|2,168| 6,321 - A house; uncertain | | | | | | | | - whether the same as | | | | | | | | - or different from | | | | | | | | - that of April 17 | 336| 191| 329| 257| 215| 999| 804| 3,131 - ---------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+------ - Total whose addresses| | | | | | | | - in May were given |2,573| 789|2,977|2,558|2,175|2,835|5,244|19,151 - Addresses in May not | | | | | | | | - given | 17| 24| 120| 19| 45| 41| 21| 287 - ---------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+------ - Total registration|2,590| 813|3,097|2,577|2,220|2,876|5,265|19,438 - ---------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+------ - -TABLE 19.--HOUSING OF REGISTERED FAMILIES, BY CIVIL SECTIONS. -PERCENTAGES, BASED ON THE TOTAL NUMBER OF FAMILIES WHOSE ADDRESSES IN -MAY, 1906, WERE GIVEN - - ======================+=========================================+===== - Residence at time of |PER CENT OF FAMILIES HOUSED AS SPECIFIED |Total - registration | IN CIVIL SECTIONS | - +-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+ - | I | II | III | IV | V | VI | VII | - ----------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+----- - Same as on April 17 | 33.3| 28.5| 19.2| 43.2| 9.1| 15.0| 37.3| 27.9 - Tent or shack | 28.8| 10.0| 47.3| 10.6| 49.7| 16.5| 6.1| 22.8 - A house different from| | | | | | | | - that of April 17 | 24.9| 37.3| 22.5| 36.1| 31.3| 33.3| 41.3| 33.0 - A house; uncertain | | | | | | | | - whether the same | | | | | | | | - as or different from | | | | | | | | - that of April 17 | 13.0| 24.2| 11.0| 10.1| 9.9| 35.2| 15.3| 16.3 - ----------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+----- - Total whose addresses | | | | | | | | - in May were given |100.0|100.0|100.0|100.0|100.0|100.0|100.0|100.0 - ----------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+----- - -Less than a fourth of the 19,438 registered[66] were living in tents or -shacks. These 4,365 families or parties included some 19,000 -individuals. As the population of the “official camps”[67] outside of -Golden Gate Park (which was not included in the registration) was less -than 8,500 at the time, and as it was wellknown that some of the people -in the permanent camps were already providing their own food, it is -evident that in the early days of May about one-half of the registered -tent and shack dwellers were in the unofficial, unsupervised camps and -isolated makeshifts for shelter which were one of the most difficult -problems of the situation. The registration card did not ask what the -character of the dwelling was, and for this reason, as has already been -said, the proportion of persons in tents and shacks was no doubt -understated, since the description given by the enumerator of the -“permanent location” of the family may not always have suggested, when -it should, a tent or a shack to the tabulator. - - [66] See Table 7, p. 45. - - [67] See Part I, p. 78 ff. - -In May about a third of all were living in houses which were not their -homes on April 17. These families, together with those who were living -in tents and shacks, made up 55.8 per cent of the total. Considerably -over half, therefore, of those who were receiving rations in the middle -of May had presumably been burned out of their homes, or “shocked out,” -as one of them put it. Many of those who had found house shelter were -living under very unfavorable conditions. Overcrowding does not show on -the registration card, and bad sanitary conditions can only be guessed -at. In 206 cases it was stated that the “house” was a basement or rear -building; occasionally it was a barn. - -The seven civil sections[68] naturally present contrasts in the matter -of housing conditions. In Section VII only 6 per cent of the refugees -were living in tents or shacks, while in Sections III and V almost half -of them were. Section VII shows the highest percentage of families in -houses to which they had moved after the fire, and Section IV is not far -behind. The facts which come out about Section IV at first seem curious. -Although it included about half of the burned area, it had the highest -percentage of families living in the same place as on April 17. The -unburned part of Section IV at the time of the fire probably was more -thickly populated than any equal area in the city, for in other sections -there were great areas either not built upon or occupied by factories, -etc. This was practically one solid residence section filled mostly with -flats and populated by persons employed chiefly in adjacent parts of the -burned district, who thus lost employment, if not property. Although it -contained several permanent camps, only 10.6 per cent of those who were -receiving rations were living in tents or shacks. It is probable that -43.2 per cent who were living “at the same address” included a number of -Italians on Telegraph Hill who were already back on the same house lot, -though in shelters improvised from tarpaulins, boards, sheets of tin, -corrugated iron, and other possible, though unusual, building materials. -Most of the Italians and others who lived about Telegraph Hill had taken -refuge, however, in Section III, in which a part of the Italian quarter -lay. - - [68] For section boundaries, see map opposite p. 3. - -Section V shows the condition that would be expected in both IV and -V,--half the refugees in tents or shacks, only a small percentage at -their former addresses, and the rest crowded into the housing -accommodations nearest to their old homes. It would have been -interesting to tabulate the distance between the two addresses, but this -would have involved so much labor that it could not be undertaken. - -The nationality of the head of the family was given in 14,963 cases, -over three-fourths of all. Over two-fifths of these were native -Americans; nearly one-half were Germans and Austrians, Irish, Italians, -English and Scotch, and Scandinavians, of numerical importance in the -order indicated; and the rest represented many different countries. The -facts are shown in Table 20. - -[Illustration: Shelters of sheets and quilts - -Tents and shacks - -EARLY SHELTERS IN JEFFERSON SQUARE] - -It is not possible to compare these figures closely with the nationality -of the population of San Francisco as given in the United States Census -of 1900, because the census figures are for individuals, while these are -for families, the nationality of the family being inferred from the -nationality of its head. In the census figures the native born children -of a German or Irish father appear as born in the United States, while -in the refugee figures such a family group appears as a unit among the -foreign born. In this way it is evident that if the refugee figures -could have been made up on the same basis of individuals instead of -families, they would have shown a considerably higher proportion than -they do of native born, and a correspondingly lower proportion of nearly -all the foreign nationalities. Possibly the native born children of -foreigners would raise the percentage of native born among the refugees -to an even higher percentage than they had in the total population of -the city. A few comparisons, however, it is safe to make. The Irish and -Italians are represented much more strongly among the refugees than -their proportions in the population would require; while on the other -hand, a population of over 10,000 Chinese[69] was represented by only 20 -families drawing rations. In Table 20 the nationalities are arranged in -the order of their importance in the population of the city in 1900. -Only the first three groups maintained the same relative position among -the refugees. - - [69] See Part I, p. 95. - -TABLE 20.--NATIONALITY OF POPULATION OF SAN FRANCISCO IN 1900, COMPARED -WITH NATIONALITY OF HEADS OF FAMILIES AMONG REFUGEES IN 1906 - - =======================+===================+==================== - Country of birth | POPULATION OF SAN | REFUGEES, 1906-- - | FRANCISCO, 1900-- |HEADS OF FAMILIES OF - |INDIVIDUALS OF EACH| EACH SPECIFIED - | SPECIFIED NATIVITY| NATIVITY - +---------+---------+----------+--------- - | Number | Per cent| Number |Per cent - -----------------------+---------+---------+----------+--------- - United States | 225,897 | 66.0 | 6,229 | 41.7 - Germany and Austria | 37,035 | 10.8 | 2,264 | 15.1 - Ireland | 15,963 | 4.7 | 2,140 | 14.3 - England and Scotland | 11,956 | 3.5 | 972 | 6.5 - China | 10,762 | 3.1 | 20 | 0.1 - Sweden, Norway, Denmark| 9,591 | 2.8 | 709 | 4.7 - Italy | 7,508 | 2.2 | 1,208 | 8.1 - Canada | 5,199 | 1.5 | 167 | 1.1 - France | 4,870 | 1.4 | 400 | 2.7 - Switzerland | 2,085 | 0.6 | 104 | 0.7 - Japan | 1,852 | 0.5 | 31 | 0.2 - Russia | 1,511 | 0.4 | 125 | 0.8 - Mexico | 1,459 | 0.4 | 75 | 0.5 - Australia | 1,096 | 0.3 | 24 | 0.2 - Other countries | 5,998 | 1.8 | 495 | 3.3 - -----------------------+---------+---------+----------+--------- - Total | 342,782 | 100.0 |14,963[70]| 100.0 - -----------------------+---------+---------+----------+--------- - - [70] Total number of families for whom the nationality of the head of - the family was given; in 4,475 cases this information was omitted. - -TABLE 21.--NATIONALITY OF HEADS OF FAMILIES AMONG REFUGEES, BY CIVIL -SECTIONS, MAY, 1906. NUMBERS - - ====================+=========================================+====== - Country of birth | NUMBER OF HEADS OF FAMILIES OF EACH | Total - | SPECIFIED NATIONALITY IN CIVIL SECTIONS | - +-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+ - | I | II | III | IV | V | VI | VII | - --------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+------ - United States |1,015| 354| 790|1,106| 736| 177|2,051| 6,229 - Germany, Austria | 331| 85| 264| 413| 289| 158| 724| 2,264 - Ireland | 234| 80| 228| 249| 432| 169| 748| 2,140 - Italy | 66| 14| 698| 59| 90| 114| 167| 1,208 - England and Scotland| 169| 48| 103| 133| 125| 61| 333| 972 - Sweden, Norway, | | | | | | | | - and Denmark | 78| 39| 88| 51| 108| 113| 232| 709 - France | 95| 11| 79| 46| 27| 31| 111| 400 - Canada | 24| 9| 12| 31| 10| 6| 75| 167 - Russia | 11| 10| 7| 28| 29| 6| 34| 125 - Switzerland | 18| 2| 28| 9| 11| 8| 28| 104 - Mexico | 24| ..| 42| 3| 3| 1| 2| 75 - Japan | 6| ..| 11| 11| ..| ..| 3| 31 - Australia | 3| 2| 3| 2| 6| 1| 7| 24 - China | 3| 2| 9| 6| ..| ..| ..| 20 - Other countries | 57| 15| 142| 105| 46| 56| 74| 495 - --------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+------ - Total |2,134| 671|2,504|2,252|1,912| 901|4,589|14,963 - Unknown | 456| 142| 593| 325| 308|1,975| 676| 4,475 - --------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+------ - Grand total |2,590| 813|3,097|2,577|2,220|2,876|5,265|19,438 - --------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+------ - -TABLE 22.--NATIONALITY OF HEADS OF FAMILIES AMONG REFUGEES, BY CIVIL -SECTIONS, MAY, 1906. PERCENTAGES BASED ON THE TOTAL NUMBER OF CASES IN -WHICH INFORMATION AS TO NATIVITY WAS AVAILABLE - - =================+=========================================+===== - Country of birth | PER CENT OF HEADS OF FAMILIES OF EACH |Total - | SPECIFIED NATIONALITY IN CIVIL SECTIONS | - +-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+ - | I | II | III | IV | V | VI | VII | - -----------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+----- - United States | 47.5| 52.7| 31.6| 49.1| 38.6| 19.6| 44.6| 41.6 - Germany, Austria | 15.5| 12.7| 10.5| 18.3| 15.1| 17.5| 15.8| 15.1 - Ireland | 11.0| 11.9| 9.1| 11.1| 22.6| 18.8| 16.3| 14.3 - Italy | 3.1| 2.1| 27.9| 2.6| 4.7| 12.7| 3.6| 8.1 - England, Scotland| 7.9| 7.2| 4.1| 5.9| 6.5| 6.8| 7.3| 6.5 - Sweden, Norway, | | | | | | | | - and Denmark | 3.7| 5.8| 3.5| 2.3| 5.6| 12.5| 5.1| 4.7 - France | 4.5| 1.6| 3.2| 2.0| 1.4| 3.4| 2.4| 2.7 - Other countries | 6.8| 6.0| 10.1| 8.7| 5.5| 8.7| 4.9| 7.0 - -----------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+----- - Total |100.0|100.0|100.0|100.0|100.0|100.0|100.0|100.0 - -----------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+----- - -The distribution of nationalities varies somewhat in the different -sections. Sections III and VI have a considerably smaller proportion of -native born than the others. Italians are conspicuously prominent in -Section III and Irish in Section V. Germans and Austrians are relatively -most numerous in Sections IV and VI, and least numerous in Section III; -the proportion of Italian families is less than 5 per cent in all -sections except III and VI; the proportion of Irish varies from 9 per -cent in Section III to 23 per cent in Section V. In Section VI the -nationality of over two-thirds of the families was not given, and in -Section II, as has been explained, the registration was not -representative of the total body of refugees within its boundaries. - -The number of persons registered as having been provided with shelter -was but a part of the whole. The estimated number of persons who were -living in shacks and barracks on June 1 was 40,000[71] according to the -census taken by General Greely; 42,000 according to the Southern Pacific -Railroad; 39,000 according to a computation made for this Relief -Survey.[72] Of this last number, 34,000 were in tents, 5,000 in barracks -and rough shacks. There was a slight increase in the camp population in -late May and in June, due to the return of refugees from Oakland and -other points, but apart from this accretion the camp population was -subject to slight variation. - - [71] It must be borne in mind that the figures taken from the first - registration covered but a part of the camp and shack population. - - [72] Computation made on the basis of the number of tents issued by - the army, the proportion of tents obtained from other sources and in - use at the end of June, and the average number of persons to the tent. - -The first of June a San Franciscan wrote to _Charities and the -Commons_[73] an account of conditions, which gives a picture of what -life in the camps meant to some of the refugees: - - “The courage and energy of the population of San Francisco in the face - not only of disaster but of extreme terror and sudden homelessness has - not been exaggerated, but to a great many the full effect of the - strain is not even yet apparent. The discomforts of living, in spite - of adequate relief, are very great. Wind and fog--for the weather has - been unusually cold for a month, dust unspeakable, cooking out of - doors in camps and streets, lack of water for toilet appliances, the - incessant boiling of water and milk for fear of fever, absence of - light and means of transportation for some time--in short, the total - uprooting of all the ordinary habits of life, is bearing more and more - heavily on the women and children. Schools are closed, thus turning - thousands of children literally into the ruined streets. It is now - proposed to have a vacation school in Golden Gate Park for the - children in camps there, but this is only a very small part of the - whole number. - - “And for those who stay by the city much of this discomfort will go on - for several months to come. That under such circumstances men and - women become apathetic and lose pride and self-respect when they can - no longer endure the strain of petty hardships, is not surprising. - Archbishop Riordan, on his way to the scene of the disaster, is said - to have predicted, as the worst effect of it, the deterioration of - health and character which would be its inevitable result upon those - who are not of the exceptional stuff of which heroes and pioneers are - made.” - - [73] Smith (Coolidge), Mary Roberts: Relief Work in its Social - Bearings. _Charities and the Commons_, XVI: 311 (June 2, 1906). - - -THE OFFICIAL CAMPS - -The army had control of some camps from the beginning and gradually -assumed charge of others until 21[74] camps were under military -discipline. These camps became known by the rather misleading title of -“permanent camps.” The first to be brought under army control were four -situated in the Presidio, three in Golden Gate Park, one in Harbor View, -and one in Lobos Square. - - [74] For complete list of official camps, dates of opening and - closing, and maximum population, see Appendix I, p. 404. - -During May the Franklin Square camp, those at Fort Mason, and at 19th -and Minnesota Streets were taken over by the army. Early in June the -camps in Jefferson Square, Lafayette Square, Mission Park, Duboce Park, -Hamilton and Washington Squares were added, and in July, Alamo Square, -Precita Park, and Columbia Park. Each camp was in charge of a camp -commander, who according to the size of the camp, had on his staff -clerks, foremen, laborers, and a nurse for the hospital department.[75] -One or two of the larger camps had a camp carpenter. Plumbing and -carpentry for the smaller camps were done by mechanics from -headquarters. - - [75] See Part I, pp. 90-91. - -[Illustration: Tent camp, opened May 9, 1906 - -Cottages - -CAMP NO. 9, LOBOS SQUARE] - -During July and August the tents in the permanent camps were floored. -Buildings were put up in each camp containing latrines and wash and -bath-houses with hot and cold running water. - -The unofficial camps, whose moral and sanitary condition was very -unsatisfactory, harbored a large number of refugees. As late as -September 1, 1906, their estimated population was from 10,000 to 15,000. -The Finance Committee had tried to have the campers move into the -official camps, but had failed because the police department, which was -the only authority that could eject, was unwilling to remove any large -number of persons. The police, of course, reflected the attitude of the -general public, which seems to have classed as official, though it was -not recognized as such by the Finance Committee, a large independent -camp, which was a private business venture, renting land to refugees on -which they might erect their own tents. General Greely, as has been -described,[76] had tried to induce removal to the official camps. The -importance of having all camp life under military discipline can be -readily appreciated when one considers how difficult under any auspices -it would be to give sanitary and moral protection to a large body of -persons living under abnormal conditions. - - [76] See Part I, p. 44. - -The three essentials for camp tenants laid down as rules by General -Greely were decency, order, and cleanliness. The camp commanders tried -to get rid of the disorderly element as far as they could without -causing hardship to others. When a person was ejected from one camp all -other camps were notified and he was not allowed to enter any of them. - -The following statement of the number of ejectments from May, 1906, to -January, 1908, shows that there was constant attention to this problem. -The dashes which appear in the columns representing ejectments, opposite -June, 1906, and February and March, 1907, indicate that no ejectments -were reported for these months, though it is probable that ejectments -which were not reported occurred in the months mentioned and in the -months between January, 1908, and the close of the relief work. - -TABLE 23.--EJECTMENTS FROM CAMPS DURING THE ENTIRE PERIOD OF THE RELIEF -WORK, BY MONTHS - - ==============+========== - Month and year|Ejectments - --------------+---------- - 1906 May | 18 - June | .. - July | 5 - August | 108 - September| 75 - October | 43 - November | 60 - December | 35 - 1907 January | 15 - February | .. - March | .. - April | 1 - May | 26 - June | 11 - July | 27 - August | 23 - September| 10 - October | 10 - November | 5 - December | 4 - 1908 January | 12 - --------------+---------- - Total ejectments - for period 488 - ------------------------- - -Reasons for ejectments, as stated by the camp commanders, and the number -of ejectments for each reason or group of reasons, are shown in Table -24. - -TABLE 24.--REASONS FOR EJECTMENTS FROM CAMPS DURING THE ENTIRE PERIOD OF -THE RELIEF WORK - - ===============================================+========== - Reason for ejectment |Ejectments - -----------------------------------------------+---------- - Drunkenness | 148 - Drunken and disorderly conduct | 133 - Disturbance of the peace and disorderly conduct| 74 - Immorality | 14 - Refusal to pay rent | 12 - Refusal to work in camp | 10 - Vagrancy | 9 - Assault | 5 - Stealing and burglary | 4 - Miscellaneous reasons | 48 - Reason not stated | 31 - -----------------------------------------------+---------- - Total | 488 - -----------------------------------------------+---------- - -[Illustration: Where the first cottages were built, September, 1906 - -CAMP NO. 20, HAMILTON SQUARE] - -Table 25 shows the total population of the official camps for each month -from May, 1906, to June, 1908, inclusive. - -TABLE 25.--POPULATION OF OFFICIAL CAMPS, EXCLUSIVE OF INGLESIDE MODEL -CAMP, FROM MAY, 1906, TO JUNE, 1908, INCLUSIVE - -(The figure given for each month is the maximum daily total) - - ==============+========= - Month and year| Persons - |sheltered - --------------+--------- - 1906 May | 13,170 - June | 17,274 - July | 17,959 - August | 18,356 - September| 18,305 - October | 15,558 - November | 13,969 - December | 14,245 - 1907 January | 14,616 - February | 15,149 - March | 16,447 - April | 17,223 - May | 17,524 - June | 17,592 - July | 17,300 - August | 15,785 - September| 11,424 - October | 8,916 - November | 5,331 - December | 3,367 - 1908 January | 1,760 - February | 1,700 - March | 1,392 - April | 1,321 - May | 1,230 - June | 948 - --------------+--------- - -Although the data available for determining the character of the camp -population are incomplete, from the weekly reports of the camp -commanders we can derive figures which probably represent a fair average -of the conditions. It appears that from September to December, 1906, -about 39 per cent of the persons sheltered were men, about 31 per cent -women, and about 30 per cent children. Approximately 55 per cent of the -members of the camp population were at work. The proportion of persons -who were at work was about 89 per cent among the men, about 39 per cent -among the women, and about 25 per cent among the children. - -The large percentage of men who were working is worthy of notice. There -were numerous complaints during the existence of the camps that these -were harboring a large number of idle, shiftless men. Those who offered -such criticisms failed to take into account that there is even in normal -times a considerable percentage of unemployed men who spend much of -their time in public places. A part of the apparently well and -able-bodied were in reality incapable of much work, and others though -apparently unemployed were night workers. When the haunts of the idle -were covered with ashes, it is hardly strange that they should have -been found in numbers in the public parks and squares. - -In Chapter 1 the story has been told of the need felt for making some -permanent provision for the refugees before the oncoming of the rainy -season. The Corporation, after making a careful study of the situation -in the camps, decided to adopt a separate cottage plan for temporary as -well as for permanent housing, except in one locality, South Park, whose -limited area gave no space for separate cottages. - -On August 1, 1906, the care of the camps passed from the army to the -Department of Camps and Warehouses.[77] From then until June 30, 1908, -when the last camp was closed, that department had entire charge of -maintenance. The Department of Lands and Buildings was responsible for -the construction of the cottages built to replace the tents. The first -of August, 1906, the Corporation made public its plan to build -cottages[78] and let the contracts for the erection of buildings. -Building began September 10, and on the sixteenth 20 cottages in -Hamilton Square were completed. At least two or three months, however, -intervened before any considerable number of houses could be made ready -for the refugees. Before completing its work the Department of Lands and -Buildings had installed in the public squares for use in connection with -the 5,610 cottages which it had built, 667 patent flush closets, 247 -hoppers, over six miles of gas and water pipe and over five miles of -sewer pipe; also the necessary fittings, which included 325 galvanized -sinks, with faucets and traps, and 624 gas brackets.[79] - - [77] See Part I, p. 26. - - [78] See Part IV, p. 217. - - [79] See Part IV, p. 221. - -Thus for the period of approximately six months those who had no -resources to build found house room as best they might. Many -difficulties were met by those who controlled the funds. Building had -had to be delayed because of the extraordinary amount of work involved -in supplying food, clothing, water, sanitary protection, and temporary -shelter. The pressure on the relief machinery seemed to tax its utmost -capacity. When it was necessary to push rebuilding plans, additional -machinery and more workers had to be provided. - -In the official camps the refugees had in large measure been supplied -with tents free of charge. As the time came for the removal of tents and -temporary shacks and the substitution of wooden buildings, the question -was raised, who would be entitled to their use, and on what terms? -Cottages were assigned by the camp commanders, first, to those in the -official camps; second, to those in shacks and tents outside; third, to -those still in the city who were living in cellars and similar places, -including those who were receiving shelter from friends, and those who -were citizens but were living outside the city. Some who had not been -burned out, but needed to be better housed, received cottages and moved -them for permanent use to lots which they owned or leased. - -For seven months the people had been furnished with tents free of -charge, but when the change was made to the wooden cottages, it was -thought best to charge a nominal rental.[80] The argument was that to -give everything and ask nothing in return, on the one hand killed the -self-respect of the efficient class and on the other gave opportunity to -the idle to shirk all civic and social responsibility; that the no-rent -policy had brought about serious economic disturbances, and its -continuance would prepare the way for yet more serious trouble. - - [80] See Part IV, p. 222, for explanation of miscarriage of plan. - -Finally, it was foreseen that the abnormal real estate conditions which -had made it possible for the homeless to secure shelter, would not be -relieved until those living in camp cottages should seek and be able to -secure quarters elsewhere. Accordingly, it was definitely decided that -as fast as buildings were made available in the camps, they should be -leased to refugees by camp commanders at nominal rates. A special form -of lease was provided which, theoretically, each applicant was compelled -to sign before occupying a cottage. - -The San Francisco Relief and Red Cross Funds, a corporation, was the -lessor; and the refugee, the lessee. The lease was in effect a contract -of purchase, for it provided that the tenant should become the owner of -the cottage if he paid his rent to August 1, 1907. In general the -applicant agreed to pay a specified rent and gas rate per month, to -comply with all rules and regulations of the camp department and the -camp commanders. He agreed not to assign his lease to another nor sublet -without written consent. He agreed furthermore to vacate the house at -the expiration of his lease unless through full payment of all rents and -charges he had acquired ownership. In that event he agreed to remove the -house from the camp at his own expense before August, 1907. Failure to -remove meant to forfeit ownership. When on account of ill-health or -other disability a person was not able to pay rent, the camp commander -notified the Rehabilitation Committee. - -The shelter furnished by the army and the Finance Committee was with few -exceptions on public land. When the Corporation was ready to build -cottages it asked the park commission for permission to use certain -parks and squares. The commission having no power to give the authority -agreed, on August 17, 1906, to ignore the occupation of parks and -squares, on the understanding that such use was for a period of not more -than one year; the cottages were then to be removed as rapidly as -possible. - -The parks and squares were the most suitable places in which to give -temporary shelter. The damage and loss to the city from their use were -insignificant, and in the camps policing and sanitation were supplied. -There would have been rivalry among owners of land to secure the camps, -and consequent charges of favoritism, graft, etc. The parks and squares -were well situated with reference to the centers of industry and the -building operations. Throughout the work the park commissioners -co-operated with the Relief Corporation and rendered valuable -assistance. To have followed the suggestion of the committee on housing -the homeless to establish but one encampment, would have been very -unwise. In the summer following the disaster many persons were hindered -from becoming self-supporting because of their remoteness in Golden Gate -Park from centers of work. - -The camp in South Park, already spoken of as unique in character, -consisted of nineteen two-story tenement buildings and a one-story -bath-house and laundry building. Some of the buildings were divided into -16 suites of two rooms each and the others into 12 tenements of two -rooms each. The total number of rooms was 656. The maximum population -was 648. They had adequate fire protection and the occupants were -required to take part regularly in a fire drill. There was steady demand -for the rooms, by reason of the nearness of the camp to the shipping and -manufacturing districts. The tenements were full almost all the time. - -[Illustration: Where two-story tenements were built - -CAMP NO. 28, SOUTH PARK] - - -REMOVAL FROM THE CAMPS - -The terms of the contract signed by applicants fixed, in large measure, -the conditions under which cottages could be removed from the camps and -become the permanent property of their owners.[81] Whenever a person -proved to the Department that he had purchased or leased a lot in the -city and county of San Francisco, he was permitted at his own expense to -move his house. - - [81] See Part IV, pp. 222 and 232. - -In June, 1907, the park commissioners requested the Relief Corporation -to clear the public squares of cottages by August 17. Clearing the -squares and parks of these cottages proved to be a difficult task, for -many occupants sought delay on the ground of being unable to secure -other quarters. In a few cases the persons had either to be evicted or -to have the houses pulled down over their heads. On account of the -poverty of many occupants, and in order to secure better sanitary -supervision while the fear of bubonic plague lasted, the camp at Lobos -Square was retained after the others had been abandoned. It was used by -the poorest of the refugees from other camps, as well as by its own -unusual number of dependents. This camp was not entirely abandoned till -June 30, 1908.[82] - - [82] For population of the camp April, 1908, see Part I, p. 29. - -Cottages to the number of 5,343 were removed from the camps, all but a -few to be used as dwellings. Real estate firms which applied to purchase -cottages to establish them in groups on their own lots were refused by -the Department on the ground that any such arrangement would tend to -perpetuate camp life; lacking superintendence and control, such camp -life would be worse than that which then existed. Despite the action of -the Department, however, large vacant lots were sub-divided and rented -to individual owners of cottages.[83] Seventy-four of the cottages were -given to philanthropic agencies and were installed by them in various -parts of the city for use as club rooms or for similar purposes. - - [83] See Two Cottage Settlements, Part IV, p. 234 ff. - -The work of the Associated Charities in moving and repairing cottages -deserves special mention. The Corporation arranged with the Associated -Charities to move from the camps the cottages belonging to widows with -children and to families having incapacitated breadwinners. The moving -of cottages, which began in July, 1907, was not ended until the latter -part of June, 1908.[84] The amount of work accomplished at a cost -comparatively small shows excellent business management. The greater -part of the work of moving, installing, and repairing the cottages was -done by unemployed carpenters, plumbers, and laborers. “Considering the -number of cottages moved and made habitable, we have had very few -complaints as to the workmanship,” is noted in a report of the -Associated Charities,--a comment that could not be made in connection -with many houses erected by the regular contractors. - - [84] The total number of cottages moved or repaired by the Associated - Charities was 703, at an expenditure of $55,963.50 or an average of - $79.61 per cottage. The appropriation for this work allowed for a - maximum expenditure of $150 per cottage. - -The efforts being made by families permanently to own homes are shown by -the following figures: The number of cottagers buying lots was 208; -paying ground rent, 447; owning own property, 30; given one month’s rent -to move from camp but present condition unknown, 18. Total, 703. - -Under the supervision of the Associated Charities the 208 families -buying lots bid fair, according to reports given in 1908, to own them in -the immediate future. It is doubtless true that but for the direction of -the society these families never would have seriously considered owning -a house and lot. - -From August 1, 1906, to June 30, 1908, there is accurate information -from which to determine the cost of the camps. During this period -7,171,522 days’ shelter was furnished at a cost of $884,558.81 for -construction of cottages and of $453,000.04 for maintenance, a total of -$1,337,558.85, a daily per capita cost of 18.7 cents. The daily per -capita cost of maintenance was 6 cents. No allowance is here made for -the value of the tents in use from August 1 till they were replaced by -the cottages, but their value is more than offset by that of the -cottages when they were vacated.[85] - - [85] For total expenditures of all departments for housing, see Table - 64, p. 220. - -For the whole period of the relief work, the cost of the camps was as -follows: - -TABLE 26.--COST OF CAMPS DURING THE ENTIRE PERIOD OF THE RELIEF WORK - - Value of shelter furnished by the army as reported by - General Greely $421,195.08 - Paid by Finance Committee for shelter up to August 1, - 1906 187,056.56 - Paid for sanitation of camps and city up to August 1, - 1906 155,473.60 - Cost of building camp cottages and tenements after - August 1, 1906 884,558.81 - Paid by Department of Camps and Warehouses, for - maintenance after August 1, 1906 453,000.04 - ----------- - Total $2,101,284.09 - -In addition to the shelter furnished at Ingleside and the Relief Home, -an estimate of 11,000,000[86] days of shelter for the entire relief -period may be given, a figure that is probably too small. From it we get -an average daily per capita cost of 19.1 cents. - - [86] Estimated number of days of shelter from April 18, 1906, to - August 1, 1906, 3,828,478. - -The apparently greater cost of shelter for the early period is due -possibly to too low an estimate of the number of days’ shelter furnished -outside of official camps. It must be kept in mind that the -disbursements given above include all disbursements for sanitation and -for medical care in the camps, and also that the residents of the camps -included a large proportion of aged, infirm, and dependent persons. The -actual cost would be reduced if it were possible to deduct the value of -the tents and cottages at the time they ceased to be used. - -What is astounding in this story of giving shelter to a great displaced -city population of 250,000[87] souls is not the number of days that -shelter had to be provided or the sum total of cost. The astounding fact -is that when Camp Lobos, the last stamping ground of the residuum,[88] -was closed to refugees on June 30, 1908, the number of persons that had -to be cared for by the Associated Charities and the Relief Home was so -small. In June, 1906, 40,000 persons were living at the expense of the -relief funds in camps and shacks; two years later, leaving out of -consideration those who had been given shelter at Ingleside, only 703 -had to be aided by charitable agency to obtain permanent shelter. - - [87] 200,000 is the number given for persons burned out of house and - home. The difference is accounted for by the number made homeless - because of loss of income and because of the homes made temporarily - uninhabitable by the earthquake. - - [88] See Part VI, p. 357, and Part V, p. 305 ff., for number that had - to be taken care of permanently. The small number who left the - almshouse to seek shelter in the camps is also noted in Part VI. - -This section may well be closed by a brief and necessarily inadequate -statement of the social work undertaken in connection with the camp -life. Four important settlements were swept to ashes by the fire,--the -South Park Settlement, a pioneer work in San Francisco, the Telegraph -Hill Neighborhood Association, the Nurses’ Settlement, and the Columbia -Park Boys’ Club. The residents of each showed, as did the Associated -Charities, their power of readjusting their work to meet the new demands -for service. They transferred their activity to the camps where they, as -well as groups of other volunteers, tried to improve social conditions. - -Various organizations of women co-operated also to help carry on the -work of the sewing center at the Hearst Grammar School, which was -established the middle of May by the representative of the American -National Red Cross, in connection with its employment bureau. Here -volunteers met and distributed garments and taught women and girls to -sew, giving materials to some in exchange for their work on garments, -which were distributed to other refugees. The work grew so that sewing -circles were opened in various camps and other suitable places, which -furnished proper clothing and gave employment and instruction to women -and girls. By July, 1907, over 75,000 garments had been made in the 75 -centers that had been established in camps, churches, public schools, -and settlements. The work itself had been brought under the Corporation -as a part of its Department of Relief and Rehabilitation, and had been -given the name of Industrial Bureau, with Lucile Eaves as director, Rev. -D. O. Crowley as adviser, and six seamstresses on salary. Miss Eaves, -formerly head worker of the South Park Settlement, had been in charge of -the sewing circles before the incorporation of the San Francisco Relief -and Red Cross Funds. There is no account of expenditures made for this -work to August 1, 1906. After that date the Corporation expended -$37,895.70. The two largest items of expenditure were $28,521.09 for dry -goods and other supplies and $4,464 for service. - -Temporary social halls were built at the expense of the Corporation to -be used by residents of the camps as meeting places and by social -workers for kindergartens, day nurseries, reading rooms, sewing classes, -and improvement clubs, for religious meetings, for lectures, and for -concerts. - -The story of the quick recovery of the settlements themselves and of -how, awaiting the building of new quarters, they by makeshifts got the -people together, cannot be told here. To show in a measure what it meant -to the social worker to find himself suddenly bereft of all the means to -serve his end, the following paragraphs written by a probation officer -are given: - - “On the morning of April 20, practically every vestige of the three - years’ work of the juvenile court had vanished. - - “Our office was cleaned out; little piles of delicate white ash - represented our records, compiled with such care and toil. Where the - detention home stood was a heap of tangled scrap iron. Three out of - five of our officers were homeless. Our probationers were scattered to - the four winds of heaven. Fortunately, none of the children in - detention was injured; during the first day of the fire they were - safely conveyed to a sand-dump camp at the western edge of the city.” - - -6. SAFEGUARDING HEALTH - -Sanitation was at once recognized to be a pressing problem. As has been -told, latrines were quickly built in the camps and in other parts of the -city, and a large force of plumbers was kept at work to repair leaks in -sewers so as to prevent the seepage of sewage into the water supply. -Citizens were ordered to boil all drinking water and the authorities -took charge of all milk as soon as it was delivered to the city. -Sanitary orders were cheerfully obeyed. “Obey the Sanitary Law or be -shot” tacked on a partially wrecked house showed that some of the -refugees held to a pioneer code. That they did so, and that the -authorities were alert, the excellent health record of the months that -followed bears testimony. The sanitary problem was to a small degree -lessened by the fact that with the terror of the earthquake and fire in -their eyes, the vicious and parasitic classes fled from the city; to a -large degree by the fact that nature was kind in giving conditions that -were peculiarly favorable to life in the open. - -To put emphasis on sanitation was an essential. Colonel G. H. -Torney,[89] of the army medical department, was placed in charge of all -sanitary work, both of the camps and of the city. By April 28 a medical -officer had been assigned to each of the six military districts.[90] -This officer assigned inspectors to make daily inspections of the camps -in his district, to keep a close watch for infectious diseases, and to -see that there was a large force of scavengers. The expense of the work -was borne by the army and was drawn from the Congressional -appropriation. - - [89] Later appointed Surgeon General of the United States Army. - - [90] See Part I, p. 11. - -Because of the army’s efficiency during the first few weeks there was no -serious outbreak of disease, though there was for a short time a fear -that smallpox might become epidemic. As long, however, as the city -authorities permitted groups of people to live in isolated camps proper -sanitary supervision was impossible. The greatest danger was from the -flies and from the use of water drawn in the early days from wells and -other unusual sources of supply. As soon as possible sterilizers were -installed in the camps and weekly tests made of the water used in each. - -Early in May a physician named by the city authorities was stationed at -each district headquarters to have charge of all health regulations and -to be subject to the orders of Colonel Torney. - -The services of the army officers were retained to make reports on -conditions until the middle of May, when the division into sanitary -districts was abandoned and Colonel Torney’s duties were changed so that -he might become chief sanitary officer of permanent camps under General -Greely, the division commander. An army medical officer was then -assigned to each official camp. He was responsible for the sanitation of -his camp, but not for territories beyond its boundaries. He could be -called upon to advise the civil authorities who were responsible for the -final removal of all camp garbage and refuse after it had been taken -from the camps designated to places outside camp limits. - -The board of health, acting under orders of the Executive Commission, -appointed a health corps which was paid by the Finance Committee of -Relief and Red Cross Funds and subject to the direction of the camp -commander. The personnel of the corps under the board of health in each -camp consisted, varying according to the camp population, of one to two -surgeons, one to four nurses, a pharmacist, and from two to ten -laborers. There were for service at large one surgeon, two dentists, two -sanitary inspectors, one pharmacist, six laborers, and two chauffeurs. -The total number in the corps was: surgeons, 24; nurses, 26; dentists, -2; laborers, 89; inspectors, 2; pharmacists, 15; chauffeurs, 2. - -Taking into account the character of the camp population, a considerable -part of which was of the class that does not understand the need of -sanitary precautions, the freedom from epidemic during the first few -months is remarkable. A report of the medical department of the army -shows that 30 cases of typhoid fever occurred in April, 55 in May, and -10 up to June 23, 1906. As the average number of cases per month -reported by the city to the state board of health for the two years -previous to the fire was only 12, there is apparently an increase of -this disease during April and May. The 30 cases which developed in April -must have been due to infection previous to April 18, so that unless the -statistics of either the army or the city board of health are incorrect, -an increase of this disease must have threatened before the fire. Of the -95 cases which developed between April 18 and June 23 only five -developed in official camps. Of smallpox there were 123 cases between -April 18 and June 23. Five of these were reported by the board of health -as camp cases, but none of them originated in official camps under army -control. - -In October and November, 1906, there was a decided increase in the -number of cases of typhoid fever, the bureau of hospitals alone having -charge at one time of 155 cases. The patients came from camps, official -and unofficial, and from houses. The epidemic, if it can be called such, -was found to be carried not by contaminated milk or water but by flies. -The sanitation methods of the board of health had not been good enough -to protect the refugees in the various camps. The board of health, -therefore, not the Department of Camps and Warehouses, was responsible -for the number of typhoid fever cases. - -The care of the sick was a minor problem of the relief work. The number -of persons seriously injured by the fire and earthquake was but 415. -Most of the hospitals stood outside the burned section, and though some -of them suffered heavy damage by the earthquake, no demand had to be -made for hospital facilities that could not be met fairly adequately. -Some of the sick were immediately cared for in neighboring communities, -and by the army in its hospitals at the Presidio and at Fort Mason, and -in a field hospital established in Golden Gate Park.[91] At one time -during the summer following the disaster many of the city hospital beds -were vacant, even though numerous chronic cases became hospital charges -when relatives and friends were no longer financially able to provide -for them. - - [91] The establishment of a field hospital in Golden Gate Park is a - good instance of the great care that was taken to be prepared for - whatever emergency might arise. - -The physicians and nurses who came immediately after the disaster to San -Francisco to offer their services could not be utilized, as the demand -for medical and nursing service was not greater than could be supplied -by local physicians and nurses. A party of fourteen nurses that came -from Seattle soon after the disaster reported for duty at five o’clock -one afternoon. “Have you return transportation?” asked the chairman of -the committee that received them. “Yes,” was the answer. “Well, there is -a train which starts for Seattle tomorrow morning at nine o’clock,” was -the laconic order. - -In this incident we see the need of a clearing house of information to -be established as one of the very first agencies in a large work of -relief. It would in this case have prevented the sending of unnecessary -nurses and physicians and would have saved expense. More important, -however, would have been its service in standardizing the methods of -record keeping and in preventing overlapping of work of the various -departments.[92] - - [92] See Some Lessons of the Relief Survey, p. 369 ff. - -There was immediate need of medical supplies to replace the stock -destroyed by fire. But the sub-committees on drugs and medical supplies -and on care of the sick and wounded, appointed by the Citizens’ -Committee, could find little to do in those early days after the -disaster, as the army practically took charge of the distribution of the -medical supplies and was using the California Red Cross as its agent. -This branch of the Red Cross not only cared for some of the sick -directly, but did much more important work in collecting information as -to the needs of the sick and as to the condition of the hospitals -throughout the city. - -The Finance Committee, acting early in May on the advice of Colonel -Torney, established 26 free dispensaries which were supplied by the army -with drugs and other medical supplies. It was careful not to compete -with retail trade, so closed any dispensary near which a retail drug -store was later opened. The Finance Committee also appointed early in -May a committee on hospitals and authorized it to make payments to -designated hospitals for the care of destitute patients. The hospitals -which were to receive payments from the relief funds were at first named -by the board of health, later by the Finance Committee itself, which -made selection of six hospitals. An executive officer, a physician, was -appointed to pass on the eligibility of the patients who applied for -free care and to determine the time of discharge of each from the -hospital. - -In July this executive officer, whose title was that of supervisor of -accredited hospitals, served under direction of the Executive -Commission; but after August 1 he was subject to the Corporation, an -arrangement which held until July 1, 1908, when the Bureau of Hospitals -of the Department of Relief and Rehabilitation was closed. The -Associated Charities was then given authority by the Corporation to send -destitute patients directly to the hospitals. The Corporation reimbursed -the hospitals for care given. The hospitals selected to receive patients -whose care was paid for from the funds were changed from time to time. - -The value of the compensation to hospitals was at first equivalent to -$13 or $14 a week for each patient. On July 18 the Executive Commission -had fixed the maximum rate of $2.00 per day without supplies. This was -to cover cost of operations and attendance. It had remained in force -until the Bureau of Hospitals was closed. - -The Bureau’s records, which are inadequate in some respects, show that -the highest number of hospital cases for one week, 276, was reached -during the period of the typhoid epidemic. Later reports show an average -of about 212 patients per week from August, 1906, to September, 1907. Of -the patients sent to hospitals through the Bureau 10 per cent were -children, 35 per cent men, and 55 per cent women. - -The financial report of the Corporation shows that the total cost for -the care of the sick to May 29, 1909, was $344,165.07. In addition, -food, medical supplies, and furnishings were given to hospitals to the -value of $97,670.16. Of the $344,165.07, there was expended previous to -August 1, 1906, $107,396.43. The sum of $278,070.76 was paid directly to -hospitals for the care of patients, on presentation of vouchers, while -the balance of $66,094.31, though not paid directly to the hospitals, -was expended in various ways for the benefit of the hospital patients. -Between August 1, 1906, and June 1, 1909, $231,110.46 was paid directly -to hospitals for the care of patients. This latter sum, less $1,960.25 -which cannot be distributed, represents 134,373 days of hospital care at -an average cost of $1.71 per patient per day. The average rates of the -different hospitals varied from $1.07 to $2.00. - -Although the rates paid by the relief funds were often less than the -actual cost to the hospitals of caring for patients in normal times, it -was to the advantage of the hospitals to care for the sick, many of whom -they would have had to take in any case. The volume of business helped -to lower the per capita cost of maintenance. It was also an incentive to -the directors to increase their facilities and to private benefactors to -give money toward their support. - - -7. RELIEVING THE JAPANESE AND CHINESE - -The Japanese asked for very little relief, in part because many had -difficulty in speaking English, but more generally because all were -aware of the anti-Japanese feeling of a small but aggressive part of the -community; this in spite of the fact that Japan contributed directly to -the local committee and through the American National Red Cross nearly a -quarter of a million dollars. - -On April 20, independent relief associations were formed by Japanese -residents in San Francisco and Oakland, but on the same day they wisely -united under the name Japanese Relief Association to care for -practically all their fellow countrymen. - -[Illustration: TANKS FOR STERILIZING WATER, LOBOS SQUARE CAMP] - -The Japanese Relief Association estimated the number of their countrymen -made destitute by the fire to be over 10,000, which is about 3 per cent -of the total number of persons made dependent for short or long periods -of time. On July 6, 1906, not over 100 Japanese were receiving -assistance from the Relief and Red Cross Funds. Of these about 50 -were receiving shelter only, in Lafayette Square, and 50 were receiving -help at relief stations. That is, the Japanese constituted not more than -one-half of 1 per cent of the bread line and about a quarter of 1 per -cent of the population of the official camps. Even at the beginning the -number receiving help from the Relief and Red Cross Funds was probably -not much greater. The Relief Survey estimates that the total value of -relief of all kinds furnished by the army and the Finance Committee to -Japanese did not exceed $3,000. Among the 30,000 or more persons who -applied for rehabilitation, there was not one Japanese. Their own relief -association, assisted by Japanese throughout the state, within ten days -after the disaster sent between 7,000 and 8,000 of them to places -outside of San Francisco. On July 6 some of these had returned and the -number of Japanese refugees then in the city was estimated by the -association to be 4,000, two hundred of whom it was supplying with -provisions. - -China contributed $40,000 to the San Francisco Relief and Red Cross -Funds for the general work of relief. - -There is not much information available about the Chinese. They probably -received altogether more food than the Japanese and they certainly -received more in the way of shelter, yet the total value of all aid -given them was relatively insignificant. Like the Japanese, and for the -same reasons, they did not ask for much. At the beginning a separate -camp was established for them,--Number 3, in the Presidio reservation. -The population of this camp on May 8, 1906, was 186. Later, when -cottages were built in Portsmouth Square, on the border of Chinatown, 37 -out of the 153 cottages were assigned to Chinese. Not over 140 -applications for rehabilitation were made by Chinese. About half of the -number were assisted at an average expenditure of about $70. Nearly all -these cases were brought to the notice of the Committee by social -workers, as only a few Chinese applied voluntarily for relief. Ten -thousand dollars is a liberal estimate of the value of relief given to -the Chinese. - - -III - -QUESTIONS OF FINANCE - - -1. CLAIMS - -The word “claim” as used in the relief accounting was applied to -anything from a time check for a day’s work to a ten thousand dollar -demand for goods seized, a usage that arose from the fact that for the -first few days, when there was no available cash, many obligations were -incurred that were a proper charge on the relief funds though not -authorized by the Finance Committee. - -Some claims were made by those who suffered a change of sentiment toward -contributing relief. During the hours of urgent need men donated their -goods, workmen gave their labor, and professional men, their services, -who when later they saw the size of the relief funds could not resist -the insidious craving to have a share of the big whole. There is the -instance of men belonging to one of the building trades who did work for -which they expected no pay but later were not satisfied to take the -$4.00 a day offered as payment by the Finance Committee. They demanded -$6.00 because other men were receiving that amount for a day’s work. -Business houses within and without the city evinced the same spirit. - -Day by day the flood of claims swelled. Claimants and their attorneys -laid siege to the Finance Committee and tried by bribes and threats of -lawsuits to collect their claims. A large force of clerks and a special -committee were kept hard at work trying to learn the merits of the -claims. The Finance Committee itself day after day was compelled, -instead of discussing necessary relief measures, to give the greater -part of its sessions to the hearing or to the discussion of these -claims.[93] - - [93] See Sixth Annual Report American National Red Cross, 1910, p. - 160. - -The circumstances of seizure had varied. Often when the fire was almost -upon a store somebody would assume authority and break it open to give -the stock to the people. In such a case the stock would have been -destroyed by fire and there was no justice in the claim for seizure -except where the owner as a consequence lost insurance. Irresponsible -individuals who had no connection with relief committees had seized -goods and impressed vehicles. Those who suffered loss through such -lawless acts were unfortunate, but they had no real claim to -reimbursement from the relief funds. - -The same may be said of the individuals, the business houses, and the -transportation companies whose goods were stolen, not seized, from -freight cars and warehouses. Many claims for regrettable losses which -might have been legitimate if brought against state, city, or person, -were unjust when brought against the relief funds. Fraudulent attempts -were also made to collect from the relief funds for losses that had no -connection with the relief work and for losses that had never occurred. -It was a perplexing problem to deal with these thousands of claims, the -difficulties of which were increased by the insistence of those with the -least valid claims. - -The last report of the Department of Bills and Demands dated March 16, -1907, gives the following figures: - -TABLE 27.--DISPOSAL OF CLAIMS ACTED UPON BY THE DEPARTMENT OF BILLS AND -DEMANDS, TO MARCH 16, 1907 - - ===================================+====================== - Disposal of claims | CLAIMS PRESENTED - +-------+-------------- - | Number|Amount claimed - -----------------------------------+-------+-------------- - Claims rejected as a whole | 1,164 | $451,369.59 - Claims cancelled, withdrawn, etc. | 101 | 13,269.54 - Claims donated | 18 | 10,528.20 - Claims approved in whole or in part| 9,669 | 2,242,003.00 - -----------------------------------+-------+-------------- - Total |10,952 | $2,717,170.33 - -----------------------------------+-------+-------------- - -TABLE 28.--PAYMENTS UPON CLAIMS ACTED UPON BY THE DEPARTMENT OF BILLS -AND DEMANDS, TO MARCH 16, 1907 - - ==================+====================+======================= - Disposal of claims| CLAIMS PRESENTED | PAYMENTS MADE - +------+-------------+-------------+--------- - |Number| Amount | Amount |Per cent - | | claimed | |of amount - | | | | claimed - ------------------+------+-------------+-------------+--------- - Claims approved in| | | | - whole or in part | 9,669|$2,242,003.00|$1,501,781.52| 67.0 - All claims |10,952| 2,717,170.33| 1,501,781.52| 55.3 - ------------------+------+-------------+-------------+--------- - -After March 16, 1907, a few long pending and new claims were paid. Some -law suits had been settled, and a few were still pending against the -Corporation when this report was prepared. - -It thus appears that the trustees of the relief funds paid over a -million and a half dollars for expenditures, many of which they had not -authorized and were unable to control. They tried to pay only such part -of the claims as represented supplies and service used in relief work. -Just claims were cut down as a rule, so that a comparatively small -number of claims were paid in full. - -In deciding the merits of claims the supervising and judicial committees -appointed sub-committees of experienced men to supplement their own -technical knowledge. Many claims for liquor destroyed by soldiers and -citizens were presented, but the Finance Committee decided to pay no -liquor claims. The enormous disbursements for automobile service and for -transportation of supplies were made chiefly in payment of emergency -claims. Claims of various sorts were paid by the War Department out of -the Congressional appropriation of $2,500,000. Other claims were paid by -the state. As the Relief Corporation could get no information about such -claims it is possible that there were duplicate payments. - - -2. SYSTEM OF ACCOUNTING--A NOTE - -The accounting system of the Relief and Red Cross Funds has been -criticized because it did not readily yield information as to the -amounts expended for various purposes, and because it was complicated. -The first seems a fair criticism, for contributors to funds and the -public in general are more interested in the cost of various forms of -relief than in the state of the appropriations. The system of -appropriations to the departments for different purposes was based on -carefully prepared budgets. It was good for controlling expenditures and -for keeping a check on departments and bureaus. For those not directly -connected with the work, additional information in simple form might -easily have been given. The intricacy of the accounting, however, seems -justified by the results. It was devised to make the handling of the -money as secure as possible. So far as the local auditors and the -auditor of the War Department have been able to discover there was only -one transaction that looked like misappropriation of money. About $1,000 -received by a camp employe from certain authorized sales was for a short -time kept back. The apparent shortage, easily detected by the accounting -department, was made good. - -Considering the extraordinary conditions under which the work was -organized, such a showing is remarkable. When men undertake the -thankless task of handling a large relief fund, if they have a keen -sense of responsibility and a realization of the difficulties ahead they -will wish to disburse the fund through a system which is as safe as -possible. It is worth while for them not only to prevent -misappropriation but even the appearance of it. The employes of such a -committee will find satisfaction, when accused of graft and -stealing,--an accusation suffered many times by the San Francisco -workers,--in showing their accusers just how the money is guarded and -that it is impossible for them to steal. A system that insures such -security is worth the extra cost. - - -3. THE CONTROL OF DONATIONS - -As a result, primarily, of the publication of sensational stories in the -press of the country, the plans of the Corporation were at times -seriously embarrassed by the withholding of funds by eastern committees -and by the possible danger of those funds being dispensed by independent -agencies. - -The studies in rehabilitation show that the suspension of grants on -August 20, 1906, the period of arrested progress, had a serious effect -upon the rehabilitation work. It caused a change of relief policy so -that families given grants in one period were treated differently from -those in another. It meant for many families a long wait from August 20 -to the middle of October when the embargo was lifted. The Corporation -had worked out a wise, comprehensive program on the basis of estimated -income and then suddenly had to question whether the income might not be -$3,000,000 less. Inevitably every department suffered from uncertainty -and hesitation. The results of such an intolerable condition were more -clearly perceived in rehabilitation than in the other work, but what the -withholding of funds meant in reduced efficiency would be hard to -estimate. - -The two most important funds, those of Massachusetts and the New York -Chamber of Commerce,[94] were eventually transferred, the latter with -the restriction that it be used for business rehabilitation. Only a -number of small funds were permanently held, but the harm was done. The -warning should be heeded in future disasters. It is possible for a -relief committee, when its work is hardest, to be tied up because of a -few newspaper stories which may or may not have foundation in fact. - - [94] Action of the New York Chamber of Commerce taken October 2, 1906, - and transmitted in the form of a resolution to the San Francisco - Relief and Red Cross Funds.--The resolution provided for the transfer - of $500,000 to the Corporation “to be devoted by said Corporation for - the purposes and uses of making grants of money or its equivalent, to - individual sufferers from the disaster for purposes of rehabilitation, - in such sums and by such methods as its Rehabilitation Committee may - approve; and that no part of it should be used for the payment of any - pending claims or obligations incurred prior to such transfer of - funds, or for the maintenance of camps, or for ordinary emergent - relief, or for the erection of barracks or cottages, or for the - maintenance of persons therein, it being assumed that the contribution - already made from this fund ($267,500) and the sum subscribed in other - ways will enable the Corporation to accomplish these necessary and - worthy objects.” - -The investigator sent by the Massachusetts committee because of the -newspaper stories, after investigation cordially endorsed the work of -the Relief Corporation and made but few criticisms. - -What is the remedy? It cannot be too plainly stated that there must be -only one relief committee or corporation.[95] There must be no division -of responsibility for distribution. If there must be reform it must be -within the relief corporation itself. If one of the eastern committees -in command of large funds had set up its own agency in San Francisco, -it would have been guilty of improper trusteeship. That much is evident. -The suggestion has been made that the committees in charge of the larger -funds should each have had a representative on the Finance Committee. -Mr. Bicknell, for instance, came first to San Francisco as the -representative of the Chicago Commercial Association and the Mayor’s -committee funds. But such representation would not include the smaller -fund committees. A more inclusive plan is desirable. The gradual -strengthening of the American National Red Cross seems to point the way. -The Red Cross should become so fully recognized as the national agency -for all disaster funds that it should eventually, in any given case, -receive all funds not sent directly to a local committee. Its relation -to local committees will be strengthened and it can be relied upon to -suggest and whenever necessary push changes in relief measures. In San -Francisco and each subsequent disaster of any proportions, the American -National Red Cross has been represented by its expert agents. Its -strength has been materially increased by the appointment of a permanent -director. The withholding of funds once subscribed for a particular -disaster should become an impossibility as the status of the national -agent is recognized. - - [95] See Sixth Annual Report American National Red Cross, 1910, p. - 156. See also section on The Incorporation of the Funds, Part I, p. 25 - ff. of this volume. - -We have alluded to one form of restriction, that of requiring that a -specified fund be used for a specified form of rehabilitation. Such -restriction must of course be accepted after an effort has been made, -and has failed, to persuade the forwarding committee to lift the -restriction. But restrictions upon relief in kind are doubly dangerous -and ill-advised. In the San Francisco disaster the “flour” episode gives -an apt illustration. Certain forms of food were donated in quantities in -excess of the needs. These were flour, potatoes, and condensed milk, all -three of them valuable forms of food in an emergency. The potatoes, as -it was the end of the season, did not keep well in large masses and the -refugees, living in tents or in basements or attics, had little room for -storage. Besides, the universal practice in San Francisco and the -vicinity where fresh vegetables can be bought the year round, is to buy -in small quantities from day to day or week to week and not store in the -fall for winter use. The Finance Committee, unable to dispose of the -potatoes to refugees, decided to sell the surplus stock. The sale does -not appear to have been made, perhaps because they were unsaleable. At -any rate large quantities spoiled and had to be thrown away. - -It was natural to think that condensed and evaporated milk would be -necessities of prime importance. They were valuable, but on account of -local conditions were not needed in great quantities. The supply of milk -from the ranches outside the city was not much diminished by the -earthquake. By confiscation and by arrangement with dealers an abundant -supply of fresh milk was secured for distribution to the refugees. - -Many committees throughout the country sent flour as the most useful -form of food. It came so fast that for lack of warehouses in which to -store it (practically all city warehouses having been burned) part of it -was put aboard three transports and in the army warehouses, and finally -a vast quantity was stacked up in the open air. The transports were not -adapted to preserving flour in good condition so they could not long be -used as storehouses. The Finance Committee, confronted by the problem of -finding storage for the vast supply received, and knowing that it was -several times as much as could be reasonably distributed, decided on May -17 to sell 4,000,000 pounds. This was vigorously objected to by the -Minneapolis committee which had sent 15 per cent of the 16,000,000 -pounds received. It insisted that its flour should be distributed,--the -very flour sent, not flour purchased later with cash from the sale of -Minneapolis flour. This episode led to newspaper publicity and protests. -The lesson is, that restrictions upon relief in kind are unsatisfactory -and embarrassing and should always be placed upon a discretionary basis. -The Minneapolis committee claimed that title to its flour had been -transferred to the destitute of San Francisco, not to the Red Cross or -to the Finance Committee, who were apparently to be considered solely as -the servants of distribution. The position is an impossible one in which -to place a self-respecting committee. - -Many donors of money gave specific directions as to the use to which -they wished it put. There was the man who sent $1.00 with a request to -hand it to some worthy sufferer and let him report to the donor; and -there was the refugee who, after he had found employment elsewhere, -sent a small sum, more than enough to pay for the three days’ rations he -had received in the bread line, with the request that the balance be -given to a soldier who had been kind to him. Jewelers sent money for -jewelers, artists for artists, teachers for teachers, physicians for -physicians, the people of one town for their fellow townsmen in San -Francisco. - -Money was also sent to individuals connected with the relief funds to be -applied to specific purposes. Fortunately, there were enough -unrestricted funds available to assist all classes and carry out the -intent of all donors. It was not necessary to open a special account for -each of these trusts. - -No actual restriction as to the purpose of expenditure, imposed either -by donors directly or by the custodians of large funds, was in itself -onerous to the relief authorities, but the circumstances attendant upon -the remittance of restricted funds caused more or less embarrassment -during nearly the whole period of the relief work. - - - - - PART II - - REHABILITATION - - -PART II - -REHABILITATION - - PAGE - I. BEGINNINGS OF REHABILITATION 107 - - 1. General Policy 107 - 2. Periods of Rehabilitation Work 111 - - II. METHODS OF WORK 113 - - 1. The District System 113 - 2. The Centralized System 124 - 3. Withdrawal 133 - 4. Concluding Remarks 135 - - III. CALLS FOR SPECIAL FORMS OF SERVICE 137 - - 1. Relations with Auxiliary Societies 137 - 2. Rehabilitation of Institutions 141 - 3. Bureau of Special Relief 145 - - IV. WHAT THE REHABILITATION RECORDS SHOW 151 - - 1. Introductory 151 - 2. Social Data and Total Grants and Refusals 152 - 3. Principal and Subsidiary Grants 157 - 4. The Re-opening of Cases to Make Further Grants 160 - 5. Variations in Amounts of Grants, and Refusals 165 - - -I - -BEGINNINGS OF REHABILITATION - - -1. GENERAL POLICY - -In the beginning of the Relief Survey it has been shown how, with what -seemed to be an instinctive insistence, the trend of the work was toward -the formulation of a definite rehabilitation policy. The principle, one -might say axiom, which determined the character of this policy was that -help should be extended with reference to needs and not with reference -to losses. It was not easy to hold to the relief principle in the face -of a sentiment by no means weak nor voiceless that each sufferer was -entitled to an equal share of the funds. That the Rehabilitation -Committee did consistently act on this principle during the periods of -its activity was a marked achievement--an achievement that may be -counted to the good, not only for the relief of San Francisco sufferers -but for sufferers from subsequent disasters. - -When the Rehabilitation Committee began its work at the beginning of -July, 1906,[96] it could not know what amount of money would be -available for the purposes of its work. It knew that $1,500,000 had been -suggested as the amount and 15,000 as the number of families to be -rehabilitated. It held many conferences to consider the possibility of -obtaining even the roughest sort of census of the families who would -require assistance. - - [96] See Part I, p. 21. - -No solution was furnished by the population of the various camps because -even if their total population had been known, it would not have given a -clue to the number of families who were living with relatives or friends -or as tenants in the overcrowded quarters. Unlike the ordinary relief -society, the Committee could not estimate the total actual needs of its -prospective applicants. Therefore it had to fix definite limitations -for grants[97] to those who first applied so that later applicants, with -needs equally great, might not suffer injustice. - - [97] A classification of grants was in use which had been adopted by - the Red Cross Special Bureau. The headings of this classification were - “Tools,” “Household Re-establishment,” “Business Enterprise,” “Special - Relief,” “Transportation.” Special Relief was used to describe a - miscellaneous group of grants, and to prevent its being confused with - the later Bureau of Special Relief (see Part II, p. 145), it will - hereafter in this study be designated “General Relief.” - -With these considerations in mind the Committee at its first meeting -moved to limit the vast bulk of grants to sums of $500 or less. The -decision was that a grant that did not exceed $200 could be approved by -one member of the Committee, that grants of from $200 to $500 should -require the signatures of two members, and that grants of more than $500 -should require the action of the entire Committee. During the first few -months the number of separate grants of $500 or over, exclusive of -housing grants, was but 121, the general assumption in the Committee -room and among the rehabilitation workers being that the number of -families to receive over $500 should be small. - -Eventually, of the 20,241 families assisted by the Committee, 647 -families received as much as $500 each.[98] It was not realized at the -beginning that in a great number of instances there would be re-openings -and new applications leading to the granting of new forms of -rehabilitation; that, for example, a family would be helped first to -re-establish itself in business and later to build a house. -Supplementary grants that increased the total allowance to a family to -more than $500 were not passed upon by the Committee as a whole, though -at several meetings the question of requiring the Committee to act as a -whole on the issuance of a series of grants in excess of $500 to an -applicant was informally discussed. No official action, however, -followed the discussions. Before the middle of July the Committee sent -to the newspapers and to others interested, a circular in which was -outlined its general purpose. In this its aim was shown to be not to -determine the size of grants by the extent of losses, but to help those -to re-establish themselves who were unable, even upon a contracted -basis, to do so without assistance. - - [98] The difference between these figures and the figures given in - Table 45 on page 165 is due to the fact that successive grants of the - same nature to a single applicant were, in making some compilations, - treated as a single grant, and in making others, as successive grants. - -The wisdom of limiting the size of grants may be questioned by some, but -there is no doubt of its paramount importance in giving a rough basis -for work at a time when it was impossible to estimate the number of -families that would require assistance. It is hard to conceive of the -setting of any other standard than this. Without it the possibilities -for confusion and injustice were unusually large. The decision was -reached not only from motives of prudence but also from the Committee’s -sense of responsibility in dealing with such large amounts of money as -would undoubtedly be placed in its hands. That the feeling of personal -responsibility was large was made evident by other actions of the -Committee.[99] - - [99] Under somewhat similar circumstances the Chicago Fire Commission - practically limited special relief expenditures to $200 per grant. See - Report of the Chicago Relief and Aid Society of Disbursements of - Contributions for the Sufferers by the Chicago Fire (1874), p. 199. - -After the Department of Camps and Warehouses was created on August 1, -1906, the Rehabilitation Committee[100] finally adopted its own policy -with reference to families living in the camps, a policy which as has -been seen[101] had been gradually taking shape during July. The whole -question of the rehabilitation of camp families had been considered at a -lunch given before his departure east by Dr. Devine to the members of -the Committee and the staff. The conclusions of this informal conference -did not take official form, but they may be accepted as marking the -first step in the formulation of the policy. They were: That the camps -should provide for the immediate needs of their inmates; that no stated -sum could be set aside for the ultimate use of those who were expected -to become permanent charges; and that no family living in a camp should -be given rehabilitation aid until it had presented a definite plan for -rehabilitation. It was felt that the effect upon applicants would be -great if once they understood that it was useless for them to come to -the Committee without definite and concrete plans. The subject of -setting aside a sum for the use of the residue came up again in the -latter part of August when Mr. Dohrmann, in making his estimates of the -future disposition of funds, again and again called attention to the -need of reserving large sums to re-establish camp families. - - [100] Now a part of the Department of Relief and Rehabilitation, which - included also the Bureau of Special Relief, Bureau of Hospitals, etc. - - [101] See Part I, p. 19 ff. - -By August 1 the issuing of rations had been discontinued. The Department -of Camps and Warehouses had taken over the bulk of the work of the -short-lived Executive Commission, and the Rehabilitation Committee had -been made responsible, under the gradual centralization of all relief, -for the granting of all aid other than shelter and the relief-giving -incidental to camp life. The Rehabilitation Committee was, however, in -accordance with the policy it had adopted, steadying the number of -applications made to it by camp families, by requiring an applicant to -give proof that he had an assured dwelling before his request for -household aid was considered. The immediate necessity was to define the -relations between the Department of Relief and Rehabilitation and the -Department of Camps and Warehouses. On August 6, 1906, the chairman of -the latter department, Rudolph Spreckels, met with the Rehabilitation -Committee, and after prolonged consideration the following definite -agreement was reached: - -The Department of Camps and Warehouses agreed: - - 1. To provide necessary food, clothing, and tent equipment to - residents of camps. - - 2. To refer to the Rehabilitation Committee only such applicants as - were believed to be prepared to leave the tents and to become - undoubtedly self-supporting. - - 3. To make within the limits of the camp all investigations necessary - to determine the current needs of the refugees. - - 4. To inform the Rehabilitation Committee of any applicant who had - shown a readiness to leave the camp and to be rehabilitated. - -The Rehabilitation Committee on its part agreed: - - 1. To follow the notification of an applicant’s readiness to leave a - camp by an investigation of its own and to take such action as the - inquiry would warrant. - - 2. To assume responsibility for supplying all relief outside of the - camps, this full responsibility to be assumed not later than the end - of August. - -[Illustration: Camp No. 25, Richmond District, opened November 20, 1906 - -Camp No. 29, Mission Park, opened November 19, 1906 - -TWO COTTAGE CAMPS] - -The responsibility of the Department of Relief and Rehabilitation for -relief outside the camps remained absolute, with the exception of the -housing aid given by the Department of Lands and Buildings. Mr. Bicknell -was appointed to carry out the plan so far as it related to the -Rehabilitation Committee, to which he later presented his plan for the -establishment of a Bureau of Special Relief under the Department of -Relief and Rehabilitation. This new bureau, which is described -elsewhere,[102] gave aid in kind; the Rehabilitation Committee gave -emergency aid in cash. - - [102] See Part II, p. 145 ff. - - -2. PERIODS OF REHABILITATION WORK - -By way of introduction to the following chapter, a summary may well be -made of the periods of time into which the rehabilitation work naturally -fell. - -May 5 marked the beginning of the rehabilitation work under the -direction of the Red Cross, a period when a force of workers, trained -and untrained, got steadily to work, and when policies began to be -shaped. It may be called the formative period. - -July 7 began the second period. It was the time when the Rehabilitation -Committee of the Finance Committee of Relief and Red Cross Funds got -into the saddle, carrying with it the staff and adopting the policies of -the formative period. It was marked by the rapid development of district -organizations; by the rapid increase in the number of applications for -relief. It may be called the period of accelerated applications. - -August 20 opened the third period, when a decline in the number of -applications was brought about by new restrictions upon the character of -cases eligible for consideration; the time when the advisability of the -district plan of organization was brought in question. Furthermore, it -was the time when grants were sharply limited by the withholding of the -eastern funds.[103] This may be called the period of arrested progress. - - [103] See Part I, p. 99 ff. - -November 4 began the fourth period, when the centralized plan was in -force and when a persistent effort was made gradually to decrease the -responsibilities carried by the Rehabilitation Committee. It was the -period of centralized effort. - -April 9, 1907, marked the beginning of the fifth and last period, which -closed June 30, 1907, with the taking over of the rehabilitation work by -the Associated Charities. It was a time of rapid discharge of committees -and of readjustments,--the period of withdrawal. - - -II - -METHODS OF WORK[104] - - -1. THE DISTRICT SYSTEM - -Before the formation of the Rehabilitation Committee the Associated -Charities[105] had assumed responsibility, under the Red Cross, for the -investigation of applicants for rehabilitation. During July the -Associated Charities under the direction of the Rehabilitation Committee -organized in each of the seven civil sections of the city a committee of -persons who were related more or less to the previous charity work of -the locality. Each section or district office was supervised by a -chairman[106] under whom was an agent with a corps of visitors and -clerks. By securing in addition to the local charity workers the -services of several experienced workers from states east of the Sierras, -it was possible, as has been already stated, to have an experienced -agent in each district. Four sections were in charge of agents drawn -from the outside; three of agents with experience in the San Francisco -Associated Charities. - - [104] The section on methods in Appendix I, p. 406 ff., supplements - this chapter. It is more detailed than is this portion, and is - important to those who are responsible for organizing a relief force. - - [105] See Part I, p. 14. - - [106] These chairmen were the same men who had been serving since May - as the civilian chairmen in their several sections. - -The month of July was one that called for the exercise of discretion and -tact, as it was a time when a large untried force had to be organized to -visit families. A general superintendent of district work was appointed -to bring about unity of ideals and standards in the sections and to -cultivate a sympathetic understanding of the system on the part of all -concerned in it. The position was held during July by one of the eastern -workers and after August 1 by the general secretary of the Associated -Charities. The section committees, mentioned above, made a strong and -interested group of volunteers. - -In one of the sections was to be found a group of workers who knew their -neighborhood thoroughly,--a physician who had done active work among the -poorer people previous to April 18, the president of a settlement, and -the priest. These met together each day with others to go over the case -work of the investigators who were studying the individual needs of -refugees. Nowhere else could one get such an impression of the -cosmopolitan character of San Francisco. The names of the investigators -showed their origin,--Italian, Spanish, English, Scotch. These could -speak to the refugees in their own tongues. One of the investigators was -a trained nurse who had been at work in the neighborhood; another, an -artist who had been the year before as far away from the Pacific Coast -as the Albert Nyanza; the third, a student of economics. In still -another section were to be found as investigators a force of college -students. Seven of them were from Stanford University. They gave devoted -service from April until the university opened in the autumn. They -camped in the outer office and would work from early in the morning -until late in the evening. They were often visiting at six in the -morning and were to be found in the office writing reports at ten in the -evening. Several teachers, a physician, and a trained nurse made up the -rest of the group, which was guided at first by one of the most active -and devoted local workers, a probation officer of the juvenile court. - -In another section one felt the distinctive mark to be catholicity. The -chairman of this committee was a Presbyterian minister and the assistant -to the agent was a Unitarian minister who had given up his charge to -devote himself for a year to the charitable work of the city. A Hebrew -whose strong personal influence counted for much in dealing with the -refugees of his faith; another Hebrew, a woman, who as a volunteer had -done most important service in securing work for the refugees; an active -worker in women’s clubs; and other men and women who had had experience -as teachers and in business, completed this section committee. - -In so large a group of investigators, brought into service at a time of -high pressure, there were necessarily to be found many attitudes of mind -toward the work and varying degrees of readiness to be instructed. What -surprised those who had the task of fitting the visitors to their work -was their adaptability. The committees met at short intervals to review, -one by one, the stories and recommendations of the investigators, and to -make their own decisions to be submitted for final action to the -Rehabilitation Committee at headquarters. - -The investigating force of the Rehabilitation Committee reached its -highest number in August, 1906, when it numbered 96 persons on full and -nine on half time. Sixty-five other persons were also employed, -principally as clerks and messengers. The Committee from the start took -the sensible ground that as far as possible there should be -investigation of each applicant. The record card used in the sections -was the second registration card, which as the reader knows, superseded -the one adopted in the initial relief period.[107] - - [107] See Part I, p. 49. See cards in Appendix II, pp. 428 and 429. - -The second registration was undertaken by the staff of workers gathered -together by the American National Red Cross, who worked from the seven -civil sections and recorded their investigations on the improved cards -described below. These cards, which were kept on file at headquarters, -were, from the time of the second registration to the end of the -rehabilitation work, used by the various committees. They held the facts -as to an individual’s own expectation of providing shelter for himself -and family. Later these cards served to measure the degree of success -each applicant had made in carrying out his own plan. - -The second registration, though not to the same degree as the first, -failed in completeness, so that many persons who applied later, not only -to the Rehabilitation Committee but to the many other committees and -departments, were given relief by those who were in ignorance of what -help had already been extended. If registration had been accurate and -complete from the beginning much saving of money and time would have -been effected, and, of immeasurably greater importance, much better -rehabilitation work could have been done. A thorough system of -registration would have been opposed by many of the relief workers, as -well as by the refugees, but the importance of securing, in beginning -such a work, an accurate registration of names and references and of -entering on the dated cards the facts of aid requested and given, -cannot be over-estimated. The outstanding need of the later -rehabilitation work was for a registration so inclusive that it might -serve as a general confidential exchange of information[108] of the sums -of relief given and the efforts made to rehabilitate individuals or -families. One of those who had partial supervision of enumeration for -the first registration has said that a more carefully prepared card and -a rigid supervision of investigators could have secured the desired -results even if the investigators were untrained. The lack of a well -ordered bureau for confidential exchange of information led to serious -duplication of inquiry and of grants. - - [108] Registration as a means of holding and securing information was - in use by various committees other than the Rehabilitation Committee. - -But to return to a consideration of the record card. It provided for a -graphic presentation of the salient economic features of each family. -When rightly filled in it showed the total present income of the family, -its physical condition and the previous occupation of the breadwinner, -the sum of its losses and its present resources. It gave a picture of -the family’s former or present relations to its church, its lodge, its -employers, its plan for rehabilitation, and the investigator’s estimate -of this plan or the investigator’s alternative plan. Each visitor who -had not had previous training as an investigator was given careful -direction as to how an investigation should be made. Each was instructed -to explain to the families that what was being aimed at was to find a -way out which would be a real way out. Relief that had been already -given was emergent, temporary. But now the Committee was anxious to -learn of those who with a fair grant would be able to re-establish -themselves. - -In compiling the statistical abstract of applications for Chapter IV of -this part of the Relief Survey no attempt was made to ascertain what -references were seen or corresponded with, except for the business -application cases. These were controlled by much stricter regulations -than were the other applications. It is impossible, therefore, to state -accurately the number of applications that were superficially -investigated by visits to the applicants only. It is probably true that -a study of the applications for household rehabilitation would show that -comparatively superficial investigations had been made although there -had usually been some attempt to corroborate the applicants’ stories by -calling for a general letter of recommendation or one written directly -to the Committee. Letters from ministers bulked large in this -correspondence. The experience of the Rehabilitation Committee, it can -be most positively stated, confirmed that of the special relief -committee of the Chicago fire that such recommendations are valueless in -the vast majority of cases. It is sufficient to state here, as this -question will be brought up later in the discussion of the Committee’s -relation to the auxiliary societies,[109] that the Committee learned -quite early in its career that some of the clergy of the city had had -manifolded a stereotyped form of recommendation to give to any one who -might apply. - - [109] See Part II, p. 137 ff. - -The method of investigation in force would have been insufficient if it -had been thought necessary to inquire closely into the moral character -of the applicants. What the family had to say about its previous income; -what its present income was; what its plans were and how it hoped with -the aid of a grant to carry out these plans,--these with the visitor’s -observations gave a sort of rough-and-ready gauge. There was, of course, -a certain amount of deception, but the field investigations made later -by the Relief Survey showed that the percentage of grants made upon -actually fraudulent representations was comparatively small. Plans for -rehabilitation that were inherently weak or confused or unwise had to be -guarded against. The grant desideratum was practical definiteness. -Illustrations of what were considered to be definite, what indefinite -plans, are incidentally presented under the chapters dealing with -particular forms of rehabilitation. It is well at this point to state -that after October 12, 1906, before a grant for rehabilitation or aid -for furniture could be obtained, an application had to be made to the -Rehabilitation Committee on a printed form.[110] - - [110] For reproduction of form see Appendix II, p. 435. - -The applications for tools were made the subject of a comparatively -superficial investigation. Transportation cases were subjected to a -gradual rise in the standard of inquiry. In the case of “general -relief,” which included the permanent care of aged or invalid persons -and of unsupported children, medical co-operation was generally called -for. Applications for emergent relief led to no extended investigation. -The housing applications, as will appear,[111] were subjected to special -forms of inquiry. - - [111] See Part I, pp. 22-23 and 69 ff.; Part IV, Housing - Rehabilitation, p. 211 ff.; and Appendix I, p. 417. - -Applications were received at the seven section offices at any hour of -the day, as well as at the central office of the Associated Charities. -The rule was, theoretically, to receive no applications at the office of -the Rehabilitation Committee; but so many applications, some of which -called for immediate investigation and action, were referred directly to -the Committee, that from one to four interviewers had to be held at the -central office to attend to them. It would have been ill-advised during -July and August to limit either the hours or places at which -applications could be made. Any limitation might in some instances have -caused actual distress. The magnitude of the task did not in itself, -save in exceptional circumstances, delay the giving of emergent relief, -as special arrangements were made for expediting emergency cases. - -Before recommendations were brought to the members of the Rehabilitation -Committee for decision they were read by trusted employes of the -Committee in order that apparent injustices resulting from the varying -standards of the different section committees might be done away with. -The Committee itself established rough standards to govern its -decisions. For household rehabilitation, for instance, its standard -adopted after a careful employe had visited several furniture companies -to learn the range of prices, was based upon a rate of $50 a room for -each of the minimum number of rooms which would be required for an -individual family. Certain fixed rules were also adopted with reference -to business rehabilitation.[112] There was no little criticism of an -intermediate step having to be taken between the passage of records from -section committees to the Rehabilitation Committee. During the latter -part of the second period, which ended in August, 1906, some members of -the Rehabilitation Committee itself were inclined to doubt the wisdom of -the plan. Nevertheless, the opinion of the majority of the Committee was -that its rough standardizing was a great time saver. The reviewers -exercised no discretionary authority. They were indeed willing to -present any case, in any form, to the Committee if a section committee -insisted upon it. A justification of the plan lies in the fact that when -a case went directly to the Committee from a section, almost without -exception it was sent back. The reviewers served simply as advisers to -the section committees. They had in mind the broad lines of policy that -had been marked out by the Rehabilitation Committee and were in many -instances able to save from one to two days in the reaching of a final -decision as to a grant. An explanation made by the trained reviewer to a -district messenger, an agent, or Committee member, was oftentimes much -more acceptable than would have been Committee action which reversed a -section decision. - - [112] For full discussion see Part III, Business Rehabilitation, p. - 171 ff. - -[Illustration: HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF RELIEF AND REHABILITATION, -GOUGH AND GEARY STREETS] - -Another subject that called for anxious debate was as to the degree of -power that should be given by the Rehabilitation Committee to the -section committees to make grants of money for emergency need. On July -12, the Committee resolved that in an emergency case a requisition might -be made on the treasurer for a sum not to exceed $50, provided the -request were signed by two members of the section committee. The -Committee reserved the right to review such grants and at any time to -withdraw the privilege from the sections. At a meeting held a day or so -afterward this matter was reconsidered and laid over because several -members of the Committee expressed themselves forcibly as opposed to any -division of responsibility. At a joint meeting of the Rehabilitation -Committee with the members of the section committees, held on July 19, -1906, the question of placing small funds in the hands of the section -committees was again informally considered. Some of the section members -strongly urged this plan and cited illustrations of necessary delays -incident upon the ordinary procedure,--illustrations which proved that -the delay was a source of embarrassment. As a member of the Committee -recently said, a great amount of unpleasantness was caused by complaints -of delay in comparatively small matters. Objections still being made by -some members, the Committee asked the Associated Charities to present a -plan, but though such a plan was drawn up it was never presented for -action to the Committee because of the objections that were raised -against it. - -This source of friction was removed in the course of events. When the -Bureau of Special Relief[113] was established on August 15, 1906, -applications for emergency relief in kind were referred to it. On the -closing of the section headquarters, Committee I of the centralized -system[114] was prepared to give small money grants on short notice. The -Associated Charities, from almost the beginning of the rehabilitation -work, also stood ready to make small gifts of money to persons in need, -or to make immediate purchase of necessities. It was from time to time -reimbursed for these expenditures, though no formal arrangement was made -by which it could draw on any regular fund for petty cash expenditures. - - [113] See Part II, p. 145 ff. - - [114] See Part II, p. 125. - -Anyone who has had experience in a charity organization society which -has district offices knows that the common rule is to empower a district -superintendent or committee to make emergency expenditures of -comparatively limited amounts and to draw for reimbursement on the -society’s general relief fund. Such special expenditures are subject to -audit. The principle underlying them is at stated periods to have their -issuance made the subject of a careful review by the general secretary, -the district supervisor or some other central office official. In case -of continuous indiscreet expenditures the question raised is not whether -the power shall be withdrawn but whether there shall be some change in -the district force or some calling of volunteers to account. In other -words, the principle has been recognized that though there can be no -division of final responsibility as to expenditures, as a matter of -practical efficiency, districts must be given a certain amount of -discretion in the making of small emergency grants. - -The extent of the task of investigating and reviewing cases can be -measured by the following showing. When the Rehabilitation Committee -settled to its task on July 7, 1906, the formative period of -rehabilitation work closed. The second period was inaugurated by public -announcement of the Rehabilitation Committee’s plans. During July, 1906, -the work increased by leaps and bounds. Though the Committee might wish -to feel its way there was no time for deliberate action as the members -had simply to speed up in order to keep ahead of the applications -awaiting action. By August 1 the Committee had passed upon 3,000 -applications. On that same date there were about 9,000 applications in -the sections which either were awaiting investigation or had been -partially or fully investigated, but awaited action by the section -committees. The original estimate of families that would need -rehabilitation was 15,000. To pass on one-fifth of the whole may be -considered to be fairly good progress for the first three weeks of a -committee’s real work. During the next twelve days, as the news of the -grants began to circulate widely, came the high-water mark of -applications. On August 13, at the request of the chairman of the -Committee, a complete return was made which showed that there were then -8,916 applications pending, and that the average rate of applications -was somewhat over 200 a day. The danger of swamping the work was -evident. - -At the time when the number of applications for rehabilitation was -heaviest came the uncertainty as to whether funds would be available. -The chairman of the Rehabilitation Committee, therefore, at an important -meeting held on August 12, requested members to present a definite plan -as to the amount of money that they would request the Executive -Committee to set aside for rehabilitation. Accordingly, on August 16, -the following estimate was presented as the minimum amount that would be -required for carrying on the work of the Department: - -TABLE 29.--ESTIMATE OF AMOUNT REQUIRED FOR CARRYING ON WORK OF RELIEF, -PRESENTED AUGUST 16, 1906[115] - - ===============================+=============== - Branch of work |Amount required - -------------------------------+--------------- - Rehabilitation | $1,250,000 - Hospitals | 100,000 - Industrial Centers | 15,000 - Special Relief (General Relief)| 250,000 - Transportation | 10,000 - Administration | 100,000 - -------------------------------+--------------- - Total | $1,725,000 - -------------------------------+--------------- - - [115] On August 11, 1906, the balance sheet of the San Francisco - Relief and Red Cross Funds showed that a total of $5,599,466.02 had - been received by that body; that deducting expenditures and immediate - liabilities there was an actual cash balance of $2,105,309.74. This - total was not all available for the uses of the Rehabilitation - Committee but was the only source of support for the Department of - Camps and Warehouses, the Department of Lands and Buildings, both of - which required large sums, and all other activities of the Relief - Corporation. - -What the estimate for rehabilitation was based upon it is difficult to -say, though the original estimate of $1,500,000 may have again been in -mind. By August 16, applications to the number of 4,635 had been passed -upon by the Committee, involving a total disbursement of a little over -$300,000 and an average grant of about $80 a case. About 10,000 -applications were pending and there were still three or four thousand -families in the camps who would eventually have to be assisted by the -Committee. Upon this basis a total of $1,120,000 would be required, and -this may have been the basis for the estimate. Prospective applications -from persons living outside the camps were not taken into account. - -No action was taken when the estimate was presented, but at the meeting -of the Committee on August 20 the chairman again presented a detailed -report regarding funds available for the Corporation. After a very -extended discussion it was agreed that it would not be safe for the -Rehabilitation Committee to take further action until it knew something -more definite regarding the amount of money it would receive and the -amount that would be called for by the applications on file. The -Committee decided therefore to notify the sections, the societies that -were authorized to investigate applications for relief, and the press, -that after August 20 no more applications for rehabilitation and relief -would be received until all the cases pending had been investigated and -disposed of. After this date no official notice was ever given of the -readiness of the Committee to again receive applications. - -Applications for medical aid, and in special instances for food, were to -be received, however, as before, at the section stations. This action, -which was momentous, inaugurated the third period of work,[116] which -extended from August 20 to November 4, 1906. A large number of -applications was received later and all the applications on file were in -the course of time duly considered and made whenever necessary the -subject of grants, the amount of money used for rehabilitation being in -the end considerably larger than was estimated. August 20 is the -sinister date which appears and reappears in the later chapters, when -the subject of delay in the rehabilitation work is discussed. - - [116] See Part II, p. 111. - -The superintendent of the Rehabilitation Committee at that time prepared -detailed instructions for the force at the main and at the section -offices. These instructions were adopted later by the sub-committees of -the centralized system. The instructions provided that future -applications and those pending but not yet investigated, for medicine, -medical aid, special diet, food, tools, and sewing machines, be referred -to the Bureau of Special Relief, and that they be considered with -reference to the relative disability of the applicants, in the following -order: - - 1. Aged and infirm. - - 2. Sick and temporarily disabled. - - 3. Unsupported women and children (families without male breadwinners - and with the burden of support resting heavily on the women or - children). - - 4. Families insufficiently supported (breadwinners unable to earn - enough to provide a surplus for rehabilitation or enough even to pay - running expenses). - -After the four classes of cases had been investigated and reported to -the Rehabilitation Committee for final action, the sections were to -investigate the remaining applications. This latter group of -applications[117] was to be divided into three classes: - - 1. Household rehabilitation. - - 2. Special building propositions not covered by the Department of - Lands and Buildings. - - 3. Miscellaneous cases. - - [117] All applications made by refugees living outside of San - Francisco were considered by the whole committee. - -The immediate attention of the Rehabilitation Committee, now that the -general drawing of checks was suspended, was confined to those -applications already on file in which emergent action was absolutely -necessary or in which grants had been promised provided certain -conditions were complied with by the applicants. All applications for -business rehabilitation were to be laid aside for a time with the -understanding that if the Committee later secured sufficient means they -should be investigated and reported on. The Committee indicated that -unless disablement or sickness were involved it would be most reluctant -to consider any family to be in urgent need if in it there were a male -breadwinner earning reasonable wages. - -The plan of the Rehabilitation Committee was to go over the whole mass -of applications and then draw checks in favor of the first four classes. -This marked a distinct limitation upon its work. By vote of the -Committee on August 30, 1906, it was decided to settle at once all -unpaid grants that had been approved on August 20. By September 20 -accumulated applications had been investigated and the Committee was -ready to pass upon them. It is not clear from the records just when the -bars were lifted and when checks were issued as heretofore upon all -classes of cases approved by the Committee. There appears to have been -no formal action in this matter. It is interesting to note that on -August 18 the total disbursements recorded were $356,773.75 and the -total applications acted upon 5,241. By September 20, 1906, the total -disbursements amounted to $573,337.91 and the total cases acted upon -were 10,374. - - -2. THE CENTRALIZED SYSTEM - -In October, 1906, there was a radical change of method. On September 27, -the Rehabilitation Committee was notified by the Corporation that all -the sections except Section II would close by the end of September. As -the section offices closed, members of the paid and voluntary staffs -were drawn into the work of the central office, the paid workers to -continue as investigators or clerks, the members of the district -committees to serve as an auxiliary committee to the Rehabilitation -Committee for the review of cases. These were steps preliminary to a -centralizing of the work. On October 11, when the chairman presented his -plan for a division of the Rehabilitation Committee into sub-committees, -18,196 applications altogether had been passed upon. At close of -business, October 11, 1906, the bookkeeper of the Committee had handled -these 18,196 cases and had paid out on them $842,076.21. - -The plan for the centralized system was presented by a sub-committee -consisting of the chairman and the superintendent, who was the secretary -of the Associated Charities and responsible for the issuing of -instructions to the district workers. It was to create six -sub-committees. The Rehabilitation Committee was to be drawn on to -provide a chairman for each and the former section committees to provide -the membership. The numbers of the sub-committees and their respective -fields of work were as follows: - - SUB-COMMITTEE FIELD OF WORK OF SUB-COMMITTEE - - I. Temporary Aid and Transportation. - II. Relief of Aged and Infirm, Unsupported Children, and - Friendless Girls. - III. Relief of Unsupported or Partially Supported Families. - IV. Occupations for Women and Confidential Cases. - V. Housing and Shelter. - VI. Business Rehabilitation. - VII. Furniture Grants to heads of families employed but - unable to furnish their homes. - VIII. Relief in Deferred and Neglected Cases. - -Committee VII was formed on January 16, 1907; Committee VIII on November -17, 1906. Each was considered as a sub-committee of the older -sub-committees. Two of the six secretaries already appointed served the -new committees. It may be noted here that five of these six secretaries -had had previous experience in charity organization work. - -The following members[118] of the Rehabilitation Committee were -appointed chairmen of the respective sub-committees: - - SUB-COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN - - I. O. K. Cushing - II. Dr. John Gallwey - III. Archdeacon J. A. Emery[119] - IV. Archdeacon J. A. Emery - V. Rev. D. O. Crowley - VI. C. F. Leege - - [118] Two of these served as chairmen of Committees VII and VIII. - - [119] Succeeded by A. Haas. - -The methods of investigation under the new system were the same as under -the old, but the change involved radical differences in treatment. It is -generally acknowledged that the district system was the only one -practicable in the early days, when transportation facilities were so -limited. The physical difficulties that would have been involved in -attempting to make an investigation from one center was not the only, if -indeed the most important factor that led social leaders to determine -upon the district plan. The primary reason was that the seven civil -sections were known to the people when they wished to follow their early -applications for clothing and other emergent needs by applications for -rehabilitation. The social investigation was made to fit the civil -section plan, which was based upon the theory that by working from -district centers it was possible to gain more accurate knowledge of the -actual needs of families and to have such brought more quickly to the -attention of the workers and be followed more surely by helpful -recommendations than would be the case if need were relieved and -recommendations made by one or several central committees. In short, it -was believed that the district plan of the larger charity organization -societies could be well adapted to the rehabilitation work and would -give it greater firmness, accuracy, and swiftness of action. As it -turned out, however, under the district plan the hoped-for swiftness of -action was not achieved, which was one of the reasons for the change to -the centralized system. After the change the average period of time -lapsing between application and grant was considerably reduced; however, -this is partly to be accounted for by the fact that after October, 1906, -the Rehabilitation Committee acted more rigorously on the policy adopted -August 20 to limit the number of applications received. - -During the first five months of the great relief work the most destitute -had made application. This fact, and the further fact that prompt action -was made possible through the creation of the Bureau of Special Relief, -justified in a measure the change to the centralized system. The -advantages of the centralized system as developed in San Francisco may -be said to be that under it the attention of a group of workers was -confined to the consideration of a specific class of grants. Such -limitations brought expertness and a surer standardizing of the grants -within a class. The disadvantage is that with the gain in expertness -came a loss in general appreciation of the need of the individual case. -The individual members of the Rehabilitation Committee worked separately -as chairmen of the sub-committees. They were brought much less to -consider in common the reason for approving or refusing to approve the -grants called for by the several section committees. In the earlier -period some of the members in daily conference performed this important -duty. Members of the Committee themselves believed that they lost -something of the broad view of the situation and the correlation between -grants when each came to have his own particular field of activity. -Although they developed as specialists, they were bound by no strong -unifying force. - -Some of the members, and other persons experienced in the work, consider -the division of cases to have been a weakness that should be reckoned -with by those who may deal with similar problems in the future. -Important questions of policy were of course discussed at meetings of -the Rehabilitation Committee, which in the busy season were called twice -a week; but after all, it was general questions of policy, not -individual cases, which were then considered. The important thing was -for the Committee to have on any given day a knowledge of just how the -grants in each department ran; to learn by a comparative survey whether, -in view of the total sum of money which the Committee expected to -handle, the amounts being granted by the different departments, case by -case, ordinary case after ordinary case, were too small or too large. - -Another weakness of the centralized system, and a serious one, was that -it necessitated the crossing of each other’s paths by the various -sub-committees. It was to be expected that by no imaginable -classification of applications short of an arbitrary division along -geographical lines, could confusion be avoided. As all charity -organization workers know, an application for a specific form of aid may -upon investigation indicate that a totally different form of relief is -required. In the first two months, under the centralized system, there -was much referring of applications from committee to committee, as new -or changed needs were revealed; but in December, to prevent delays, it -was decided that the committee to whom an application was first -assigned should see it through to the end, no matter what form of -rehabilitation was found to be required. - -Considering the blurring of hard and fast lines that this decision -entailed, together with the crossing of paths incident to the division -of work, it is not surprising that the development of group specialists -was by no means as complete as was anticipated. The sub-committees found -it impossible to keep to the spheres of work outlined. There was, -however, considerable variation in treatment by the different -sub-committees. In the nature of the case, the first four committees had -largely to do with applications for “general relief” and hence of -necessity crossed paths more than the remaining committees. Among the -different fields of activity, housing stands distinctive as being the -most highly specialized. On the other hand, business rehabilitation and -general relief were so generally cared for by the first four committees -that all of them might well claim joint tenancy of these fields. - -During October the policy had been adopted of making no further grants -to able-bodied single people,[120] to heads of families capable of -supporting those dependent on them, or to applicants to start in a -business that called for a special license or that had to be put under -special police supervision. This last exception was made to prohibit -grants for saloons. On October 12, the Rehabilitation Committee learned -officially that business rehabilitation might be resumed, as the New -York Chamber of Commerce on October 2 had resolved to transfer $500,000 -to the Corporation, with the proviso that the money be used for “the -rehabilitation of those sufferers who by reason of the disaster have -been deprived of the use of stocks or goods, utensils, tools, implements -of labor, etc., and thus to help them to establish themselves in their -professions or trades.” - - [120] A reiteration of former policy. - -[Illustration: Barber shop and shack constructed of boxes - -A drinking place - -EARLY BUSINESS VENTURES] - -The question of who should be responsible for making final decisions as -to grants was reopened in the beginning of the period of centralization, -and on November 1 it was finally determined that emergency cases that -involved an expenditure of less than $50 might be approved by the -chairman, or in his absence, by the vice-chairman of a sub-committee, -provided the action were reported by the vice-chairman to the -chairman if the former had acted in the absence of his superior; that -grants for amounts under $500 might be approved by the chairman of a -sub-committee; and that grants for amounts of $500 or more must be -approved by at least two members of the Rehabilitation Committee or by -the chairman and two members of a sub-committee, provided in the latter -case the action was reported to and entered on the minutes of the -meetings of the Rehabilitation Committee. The last restriction led to -frequent drawing of checks to the amount of $499. Later the Committee -made special provision for the granting of money for loans[121] so as -not to embarrass the work of its sub-committee on housing. - - [121] The sub-committees could at their discretion make loans instead - of grants, where there was strong likelihood of repayment. Loans had - been made since the beginning of the work, but for some time prior to - November had been discouraged. - -The fourth period of the rehabilitation work, November 4, 1906, to April -8, 1907,[122] was marked by fluctuation, the tide of applications -sometimes increasing and sometimes decreasing. When the six -sub-committees were organized it was assumed that a normal family with -one or more able-bodied breadwinners should not then be in need of -assistance in furniture and other household goods. Labor of all kinds -was in great demand and there was no reason why families should not -themselves secure for cash or credit sufficient furniture to start -housekeeping. No provision[123] was made, therefore, for grants of -furniture or other household goods except as called for by the working -of Sub-committees I, II, and III. As soon, however, as the new -committees got under way, there was considerable discussion as to the -need of some committee to act on applications from heads of families for -furniture. It was decided, early in November, to receive applications -from heads of families who were steadily employed but who were not -earning enough to furnish their homes except by incurring a burdensome -debt. This action was rescinded later because there was no machinery -for receiving such applications and because there were other forms of -application that indicated a greater need. Not until January 16, 1907, -was provision made to receive applications for so-called “special -furniture grants,” which were passed on by the chairmen of two of the -original sub-committees. On January 17, notice that applications for aid -in refurnishing homes would be received was given in the San Francisco -newspapers.[124] - - [122] See Part II, p. 111. - - [123] _Late Committee decisions.--December 5, 1906._ That in making - applications to reopen a case, except on account of sickness, the - applicant should be required to explain in writing the reason for his - request. - - _January 24, 1907._ That grants as a rule should not be made for - funeral expenses. When in exceptional instances such grants were made - they should be limited as far as possible. - - [124] REHABILITATION COMMITTEE - - HELP TOWARD THE REFURNISHING OF HOMES - - Applications will be received from families who are self-supporting - and who have suffered material loss from the disaster. The income and - present resources must be insufficient to enable the family to get - necessary household furniture within a reasonable time without - incurring burdensome debt. No application under this head will be - received from anyone to whom the committee has already made a grant. - - APPLICATIONS WILL BE RECEIVED BY MAIL ONLY. Write for blank to Gough - and Geary streets. Mark envelope “Furniture Application.” NO - APPLICATION WILL BE RECEIVED AFTER JANUARY 31, 1907. - -During this fourth period it became apparent that future applicants must -be made to realize that what they were asking for was ordinary relief. -On February 13, 1907, therefore, the superintendent, who it must be -borne in mind was also secretary of the Associated Charities,[125] was -authorized to put the work in the application bureau on a relief basis. -A circular was issued which stated that no application would be received -except on a purely relief basis; that is, applications would be received -only from families placed unavoidably in a position where they could not -support themselves and whose need would be met in ordinary times through -one of the regular charitable organizations. - - [125] See Part II, p. 124. - -As a further result of the mid-winter resolution the scope of the relief -work was narrowed still more definitely. Three reasons given for a -limitation of scope were: - -1. That there was less than $2,000,000 in the funds, a large part of -which would be called for by the applications for housing and other -relief already under consideration. - -2. That a considerable amount of money would have to be reserved to meet -the expenses incurred by the other departments and bureaus, which -included medicines for the use of the patients in the hospitals and in -homes for the aged. - -3. That the then prosperous condition of San Francisco precluded any -legitimate need for further general relief distribution. The essential -points, to repeat in part what has already been written, in a notice -that was issued for the use of the sub-committees and employes, were: - - 1. _Emergency cases._ New applications involving urgent need for - relief in kind should be referred direct to the Bureau of Special - Relief. Applications on file requiring an immediate money grant should - be referred to a sub-committee consisting of the chairmen of - Sub-committees I, IV, and VI. Applications for emergency checks should - be made in writing by the chairman of the committee in which the - application was filed. - - 2. _Necessity for economy._ Close economy should be urged on the - ground that there would be no money to expend in excess of the amounts - actually required. - - 3. _Standards for adjusting special furniture grants._ No grants - should be made unless it were evident that it would be difficult for - the family to secure furniture within a reasonable time without - incurring heavy debt. - - 4. _Standards for adjusting grants in Sub-committees I, II, and III._ - All applications should be considered on a strictly relief basis; no - grant should be made unless it would enable a family to become - self-supporting. - - 5. _Payments in ordinary cases should be temporarily suspended._ No - further checks should be issued except in emergency cases until all - the sub-committees had passed on all the pending cases. Applications - should be tabulated and final decision reached as to what action - should be recommended. - -The fact that the Rehabilitation Committee had entered upon the fifth -and last period of its work is sharply marked by the discharge on April -4, 1907, of all sub-committees, except Committee V, the important -housing committee. The fifth period is also marked by the fact that it -coincides with the ending of the first year after the disaster, and that -it properly inaugurates the definite establishment of the work on a -purely relief basis.[126] - - [126] See Part V, Relief Work of the Associated Charities, p. 279 ff. - -From the beginning of April, 1907, to the end of July, action was taken -in a fairly large number of cases. The Rehabilitation Committee returned -to the practice in vogue before November, 1906, of considering such -current applications as did not naturally go to either the housing or -the confidential committee. By May, 1907, the number of cases to be -daily disposed of had fallen from 200 to 25, and the average number of -daily applications had decreased to a marked extent. The steady drop in -the number of applications meant to the Committee that its work had -reached the stage when it could be undertaken wholly by the Associated -Charities. - -The Associated Charities, as well as other San Francisco charitable -agencies, was financially crippled because the fire had affected more -seriously the class that ordinarily contributes to charitable societies -than any other class in the community. The general subject of grants to -institutions or societies not dealing with families in their homes is -considered in a separate section, but the subject of grants to the -Associated Charities fitly belongs in this chapter because to it fell -the work that so far had been done directly by the Rehabilitation -Committee with the steady co-operation of the Associated Charities’ -force of paid and volunteer workers. The mass of the population was on a -fairly satisfactory economic basis, but it was wellknown that for some -time to come the charity work of the city would be very heavy. - -On May 18, 1907, a decision was reached by the Rehabilitation Committee -which was the fruition of much anxious discussion. Its conclusions were -that as $186,850 remained of the sum of $500,000 which as originally -planned was to be used to re-establish the charitable organizations in -the city, $145,000 of this amount, in accordance with the recommendation -made by the charity advisory committee, should be entrusted to the -Rehabilitation Committee to be allotted by it to certain of the -charitable and benevolent organizations.[127] The Associated Charities -was asked to invite a conference of representatives of the St. Vincent -de Paul Society, the German Benevolent Society, and the Hebrew Board of -Relief, formally to present to the Rehabilitation Committee a practical -plan for the administration of the general relief work of the city. On -May 30, 1907, the Rehabilitation Committee was notified by the president -of the Associated Charities that the office staff of the society was to -be withdrawn from the service of the Rehabilitation Committee. The -proposal to withdraw was approved but the society was asked to leave -the date of withdrawal open until definite plans for future relief work -could be perfected. - - [127] See The Rehabilitation of Institutions, Part II, p. 141 ff. - - -3. WITHDRAWAL - -June 30, 1907, marks the close of the fifth period, when the withdrawal -actually took effect. On July 18, 1907, the Corporation made an -appropriation of $5,000 to the Associated Charities for the month of -July, 1907, to be expended under the direction of the Rehabilitation -Committee, subject to the following conditions: - - 1. The cost of administration should not exceed $1,000 a month. - - 2. The following classes of persons should be assisted to remove their - cottages from the camps: - - (a) Women who were supporting families. - - (b) Families in which there had been severe illness or in which the - breadwinner on account of some infirmity was unable to provide a home - but was able to maintain one. - - 3. The grant to an individual case should not exceed $150 and - ordinarily should not be more than $100. - - 4. The Rehabilitation Committee should refer all new applications to - the Associated Charities; the Associated Charities at its discretion - should refer back to the Committee for action such cases as were not - included in the above classification. - - 5. The Associated Charities should nominate a committee representative - of the principal charitable organizations of the city to pass upon - applications for assistance in housing rehabilitation. - - 6. Monthly statements should be made of the assistance granted. - -As the Bureau of Special Relief had closed its work June 15, 1907, the -Associated Charities assumed entire control of the relief work. - -Before the end of July the Associated Charities had organized a -committee, called for by section 5 of the above requirements, on which -were representatives from its own society, the St. Vincent de Paul -Society, the German General Benevolent Society, the Hebrew Board of -Relief, and the Telegraph Hill Neighborhood Association. At the same -time a form letter was issued by the Rehabilitation Committee which -notified applicants that they must apply directly to the Associated -Charities. - -The appropriations varied from month to month, but the plan as a whole -remained for one year practically unchanged. There was, however, one -concession: the Associated Charities was permitted in a limited number -of cases to draw on the appropriation for aid to families that had not -been burned out, but in which there was severe illness or an -incapacitated breadwinner. - -When on July 1, 1908, the Bureau of Hospitals closed its work, the work -of the Associated Charities was further enlarged by the carrying into -effect of the following suggestions by Miss Felton, the general -secretary of the Associated Charities: - - “In regard to the care of the sick, I respectfully suggest the - following plan: - - “That for the month of July no appropriation for the hospital work be - made in advance, but that the bills presented at the end of the month, - after being approved, be paid from the Relief Funds. By the first of - August the number of patients in the hospitals will be very materially - reduced, and I think that a grant of $1,500 per month will carry the - hospital work. This would allow us 30 patients at an average cost of - $50. By placing all our children in the Children’s Hospital at the - rate of $25 per month and many of our maternity cases in the Lying-in - Hospital at the rate of $7.00 per week, and by taking advantage of the - sanitariums for some of our cases in a more or less convalescent - state, we can easily bring the cost down to $50 per patient. I think - it would be advisable not to restrict the grant to the care of - patients in the hospitals, but to make it for the care of the sick - outside of their homes. This would enable us to economize in many - cases by boarding out, in private families, convalescents who might - thus be cared for at a lower rate than in the hospitals. This applies - especially to babies and little children. We can also make use of Miss - de Turbeville’s and Miss Ashe’s Home in appropriate cases, I think, at - a rate of $15 per month. - - “I figure that a grant of $4,500 per month will carry the hospital - work, relief in the form of groceries and medicines, the special money - grants under $50, and the administration expenses of our offices. Mr. - Bogart and I have gone over the expenses very carefully and have - materially reduced them wherever we thought it was possible. We think - this is the lowest estimate on which we can carry the work on anything - like an adequate basis. - - “Our administration expenses should not be considered as simply the - expenses of distributing a certain relief fund, because now that we - are working under Associated Charities methods, we are expending a - great deal of time in actual service for the poor, in trying to secure - employment and planning to make them self-supporting, thus reducing - the necessity for relief. Work of this sort, of course, requires a - great deal more time on the individual case than where the question to - be considered is simply the granting or withholding of a sum of money. - - “To administer the hospital work in the most economical manner - involves a considerable amount of work to the office force, as it - means planning for patients who are ready to leave the hospital and - who often have no place to go or no proper accommodations. We have - reduced the force since the cutting down of the housing work, and I - think that everyone here is working to the utmost limit. - - “I respectfully suggest that a monthly appropriation of $4,500 be made - to the Associated Charities for its work, to be expended as follows: - - Hospital work $1,500 - Unemployed 200 - Material relief 1,500 - Administration expenses 1,300” - - -4. CONCLUDING REMARKS - -Whether the weaknesses of the centralized system as revealed by the San -Francisco Relief Survey are inherent can be determined only by future -experiment, for there is no way of measuring the relative value of the -two systems described in this chapter. - -It should be borne in mind, however, that under the district system -there was severe criticism of the delay in making grants. The suggestion -is offered that whenever a centralized system is desirable, a practical -scheme of administration is to organize sub-committees by geographical -sections while general control is retained by the central office. - -By way of summary, it may be said that the district system was a natural -development. It took shape when the army was in control and knew that -only by the division of the city into sections could the vast problem be -managed. When the social worker took hold the district system was ready -to hand and was availed of to bring into working relation a quickly -collected force of trained and untried investigators and advisers. When -the relief work came more definitely under the control of the business -man, who chafed under criticism, there was a sharp reversal of method. A -trade experience that had proved the value of departmental division led -naturally to a recasting of the relief work on a departmental basis. - - -III - -CALLS FOR SPECIAL FORMS OF SERVICE - - -1. RELATIONS WITH AUXILIARY SOCIETIES - -Upon one vital question of policy the experience of the San Francisco -Rehabilitation Committee repeated the experience of the special relief -committee of the Chicago fire. Upon no other point is the evidence of -the relief work, following each of the fires, as clear as it is on the -question here considered of the establishment of the right relation with -local charitable agencies. - -In the report of the special relief committee of the Chicago fire[128] -the following paragraph occurs: - - “In the earlier portion of its work the Committee relied entirely upon - the certificates of the pastors of churches and authorized officers of - organized benevolent associations, for the evidence that the - applicant’s condition and needs had been duly investigated, and for a - correct statement of the kind and amount of relief required. To - facilitate such investigations, suitable blanks were prepared, - containing appropriate inquiries regarding the applicant’s property, - circumstances, losses, and present condition. Experience soon - demonstrated that we could not rely with sufficient confidence upon - this method of investigation as affording reliable evidence of the - nature and amount of the applicant’s needs; and, subsequently, the - course was adopted of sending all applications which were suitably - recommended to the district in which the applicant resided, for the - case to be personally investigated and reported upon in writing by one - of the official visitors in the employ of the Society.” - - [128] See Report of the Chicago Relief and Aid Society of - Disbursements to Contributors, p. 197. - -It appears from the review of the original plans of the Rehabilitation -Committee, that the error made by the Chicago Committee of accepting -recommendations in place of making investigations was avoided. The -Rehabilitation Committee, as the reader knows,[129] had from the -beginning its own staff of paid workers, whose reports and work it could -control. But early in July, 1906, considerable pressure was brought upon -the Committee to change its methods so that the regular relief societies -of the city might upon presenting their cases, with recommendations, -have these considered by the Rehabilitation Committee without their -having to be subject to investigation by the section forces. Members of -the Finance Committee of Relief and Red Cross Funds urged concessions, -and concessions were finally made. On July 12, 1906, the United Irish -Societies objected to the treatment that the Rehabilitation Committee -had advised for some of the families recommended by them. Their -representatives were present at a meeting of the Rehabilitation -Committee and urged that they be granted the privilege of having their -recommendations considered as though they came from the section -committees. At that time the Rehabilitation Committee told the -representatives that as a trustee of the funds its duty was to gain -information about cases through the special channels of information it -had provided, and that all reputable organizations would be notified to -refer cases to it with recommendations; that it would follow these -recommendations or not as it saw fit. The Rehabilitation Committee found -that it could hold this position for but a few weeks, because of the -influence brought to bear not directly but through members of the -Finance Committee of Relief and Red Cross Funds. On July 28, 1906, -therefore, a resolution was passed that any charitable organization -approved by the Finance Committee might present directly to the -Rehabilitation Committee the results of its investigations, with -recommendations, and that these would be passed on directly without -further investigation. - - [129] See Part I, p. 14. - -The United Irish Societies was given this privilege, on probation, for a -period of two weeks from July 28, 1906. On July 31, 1906, the privilege -was extended to the German General Benevolent Society, and on August 6, -1906, to the Conference of St. Vincent de Paul and the Italian Relief -Committee. - -To say that the results were unsatisfactory is but to voice the -unanimous sentiment of the then created Corporation and of the -responsible workers in the Rehabilitation Committee office. The paid and -voluntary workers of the Associated Charities had, under the -instructions given them by the section agents and the Rehabilitation -Committee, developed certain standards of investigation. Weak as these -standards may have been in certain particulars, still they were -standards. The visitors were getting, at the least, a coherent account -of the condition of each family and were securing, in the main, such -data as enabled the Committee to act intelligently. It is true that in a -great many cases there was no time to corroborate the statements of -applicants, but some picture of the family was presented and some plan -that bore on its face a promise of success. The records that came from -the so-called auxiliary societies were generally bare and fragmentary. -The cards were not filled out and in some cases almost the only thing -that the Committee got was the simple recommendation,--so much money for -this purpose or for that. Paucity of facts particularly marked the -recommendations of the United Irish Societies. A further characteristic -was, that because of a lack of understanding of the rough-and-ready -standards that had been set, the recommendations called for a higher -scale of expenditure than the Committee could possibly approach. For -instance, their recommendations for furniture rehabilitation ran from -$300 to $500, while the cases presented by the sections ran from $100 to -$300. A great many cards had to be returned to the auxiliary societies -for reconsideration and additional information. - -The claim had been that to receive recommendations directly from these -relief societies would be to facilitate the work of the Rehabilitation -Committee; instead, the work was hindered. Many applications had to be -twice considered, and many were duplications. Some families were in the -habit of applying at every place that would receive applications, a -difficulty that developed through application by the same persons at the -central office and at one or more section offices. Duplications -increased when applications were received at the relief societies’ -offices. - -As soon as the first returns showed that the records were -unsatisfactory, the Rehabilitation Committee had the superintendent -prepare a circular entitled “Requirements for Satisfactory -Investigations for the Rehabilitation Committee.” The representatives -of the different societies were then called together informally to -discuss the circular. Extracts from it are: - - “Present and past earnings of breadwinners in the family are also - necessary to judge fairly as to present conditions. The same may be - said regarding occupation and physical condition.” - - “The same detailed statement is required under the head of Resources. - It often happens that without any deception an applicant does not - think of some resource which is available.” - - “A request upon the card for information as to what the breadwinners - are now doing, in addition to the request upon the card for present - earnings, is for the purpose of ascertaining whether the breadwinners - are back in their original occupations or are doing the best they can - in any occupations in which they could fit.” - -But the time was fast approaching when the Rehabilitation Committee -should be held in the dark as to the extent of its resources. With the -general suspension of applications on August 20, 1906, came an end to -the very unsatisfactory arrangement with the auxiliary societies. After -that time applications were received from auxiliary societies, but they -were treated the same as were applications from any other source. - -It is well to examine a little the records of the work of the auxiliary -societies. Taking the one that worked the longest, the United Irish -Societies, we find 1,046 applications received directly from it. Of this -number 582 were duplications of applications already received through -the regular channels. The net result for the 582 was probably delay -rather than speed. Grants to the number of 858 were made for a sum of -$121,742.91, an average grant in round numbers of $142 to a person. The -average Rehabilitation Committee grant to May 27, 1907, had been $109.44 -to a person. To make a more illuminating comparison: Most of the United -Irish Societies’ applications were for household rehabilitation. The -average grant of the Rehabilitation Committee for such purposes to May -30, 1907, had been $105.77. An interpretation put on the discrepancy in -the amount of grants is, that as the recommendations from the societies -were so disproportionately large they could not be brought, even after -scaling down, to the common standard set by the rehabilitation workers. -Certain personal elements also tended to create friction; but there is -no reason to go into this aspect of the matter simply because the -definitive stand taken by the Committee was, that as the responsible -distributors of the funds they and their agents alone should make -investigations. This important work could not be delegated and the fact -was finally accepted that the work of investigation, to be well done, -must be done by a salaried force. This point is one, as was said before, -on which there was emphatic agreement on the part of all the members of -the Committee. - -An instance should be noted of work done satisfactorily with a relief -society. Immediately after the calamity the possibility arose that the -associations of Jewish Charities in the large cities of the country -would send their contributions to San Francisco for the Jewish committee -to use as a separate relief fund. Instead, however, of attempting to -organize a special relief fund, the Jewish committee, upon earnest -request, agreed to do its work through the Rehabilitation Committee. The -Jewish committee later was merged into the Hebrew Board of Relief, whose -work was most efficiently done. This Board was never officially called -an auxiliary society, but from the start it made recommendations -directly to the Rehabilitation Committee. Its reports were based upon a -real knowledge of families, and in a large majority of cases these -recommendations were acted upon directly without a supplementary -investigation. - -In times of emergency it will doubtless often be expedient to make a -similar arrangement. Such separation or division of work is very -different from leaving to a group of auxiliary societies the -responsibility of making investigations and determining treatment. So -far as the San Francisco experience is concerned such delegation may be -set down as a failure. - - -2. REHABILITATION OF INSTITUTIONS - -The question of the rehabilitation of institutions was considered at one -time and another by the Rehabilitation Committee by request of Mr. -Dohrmann, chairman of the Department of Relief and Rehabilitation. Not -until December, 1906, however, were any definite steps taken in this -field. The responsibility for making grants rested logically upon the -chairman of the Department of Relief and Rehabilitation. Early in -September Mr. Dohrmann, after consultation with various persons, -appointed an advisory committee on charitable institutions which was to -make recommendations to him which he in turn would submit for final -approval to the Executive Committee of the Corporation. Thirteen persons -were chosen to form the committee, with the end in view of giving due -representation to every phase of the philanthropic life of the -community. In meeting with the new committee Mr. Dohrmann presented a -letter of explanation, the salient points of which were: - - 1. That he as chairman of the Department of Relief and Rehabilitation - had power solely to make to the Executive Committee of the Corporation - recommendations of grants to institutions. - - 2. That he wished the advisory committee on charitable institutions to - take into account the losses, the wants, and the incomes of the - individual societies or institutions and to lay down principles of - action before recommending any grants. - - 3. That he particularly commended to their attention, however, the - societies that would be obliged to take up the work of relief when the - Corporation itself suspended such work. - - 4. That the advisory committee should act on the assumption that only - $250,000 would be available for its work; though a larger amount might - be set aside for rehabilitating institutions when the Corporation - received further funds from the Eastern committees. - - 5. That before the incorporation, grants had been made to a few - institutions by direct action of the Finance Committee of Relief and - Red Cross Funds. - - 6. That he would turn over to the advisory committee the information - he had received regarding such institutions. - -The grants mentioned under (5) had been made “under pressure of unusual -circumstances and without that calm and careful consideration which in -my opinion should precede such action.” He urged that these grants be -taken into account before recommendations for an additional -appropriation to a society were made. - -The suggestion was made that personal visits to the institutions -applying would be advisable. The committee was asked to visit at its -own discretion. At the subsequent meeting, held September 14, the -following resolutions were adopted: - - 1. That aid be given, in preference, to the institutions that were - most directly assisting the work of the Corporation; namely, such as - were caring for the sick, the aged, and helpless children, and were - helping individuals and families to become self-supporting. - - 2. That institutions that had been destroyed by the disaster should - not be re-established if in the judgment of the advisory committee - other institutions of like character existed to do the work. - - 3. That no institution receiving state aid should be recommended. - -The committee also informally agreed with Mr. Dohrmann’s suggestion that -in recommending an institution for a grant, consideration should be -given to the amount that it had already received from any special or -general relief fund. At this September meeting a number of -sub-committees were appointed to make investigations of the institutions -applying for grants. A number of applications, as has already been -noted, were on file. After careful consideration and consultation with -Mr. Dohrmann the committee abandoned the plan of publishing in the -newspapers a notice describing its work. - -In visiting institutions the committee presented the following letter: - - “The bearer is a member of a committee investigating the condition of - the charitable and benevolent institutions of our city with a view to - ascertaining the losses occasioned by the earthquake and fire and the - present pressing needs. It is hoped that out of the general relief - fund something may be done toward helping the most needy institutions - to carry on their work. Will you kindly give the bearer permission to - investigate your institution and give any needed information? It is - understood that this committee is merely advisory and is trying to - ascertain the immediate needs so that if funds become available the - most needy institutions will be assisted.” - -Without following the members of the advisory committee on their round -of visits, we shall give the gist of their report to Mr. Dohrmann, which -is largely a reflection of the recommendations in his September letter. -In this report, dated November 7, 1906, the committee stated that in -recommending the allotment of the whole sum of $250,000 to the -institutions whose needs and present importance were most apparent, it -had agreed on certain principles, the most important of which were: - - 1. To base an allotment on the apparent impairment of income for the - calendar year 1907, and on the loss by fire or earthquake of necessary - equipment; and further, to make the sum such as would cover the needs - of the institutions for one year only. - - 2. To make agreement with each institution that any money not used for - forwarding its work be returned to the Rehabilitation Committee. - - 3. To prefer the institutions that were most directly assisting in the - work of the Rehabilitation Committee. - - 4. To favor those institutions which kept satisfactory accounts and - kept them in such shape that they might be produced on demand. - -The committee selected one year as the basis of time to be covered by -grants, but stated as its opinion that most of the institutions would -need assistance for a longer period of time. It expressed the hope that -a further sum of money would later be set aside to be divided among them -in the proportion of the first allotment. The recommendation was that -payment be made immediately, except to the institutions that had -received grants from the Finance Committee of Relief and Red Cross -Funds, this latter class to be aided as soon as feasible. - -The institutions aided, all of which had made application before October -10, are only a portion of those that in the judgment of the advisory -committee needed assistance. The others, it was hoped, might later be -given aid. - -The cautious chairman of the Department of Relief and Rehabilitation, -after getting advice from the outside, tested the recommendations by the -following questions: - - 1. Does the list include all classes of charities that should be - helped? - - 2. Does the list include all institutions and societies of each class - that should be included? - - 3. Are the grants in proportion to the amount and value of the work - done? - - 4. Are there institutions that should be omitted from this list - - (a) because they have been subjected to severe criticism that has - never been fully met; - - (b) because they are not charities but run in the interest of - denominationalism; - - (c) because at this time they are of doubtful value? - - 5. Should some of the institutions included in this list be given - grants only under certain conditions, to be expended under - supervision? - -The usefulness of this report of the advisory committee in relation to -other public calamities would not be increased by a reviewing of its -points and suggested issues, nor could the facts which led to the -refusals be given in detail, as much of the information obtained was of -a confidential character. It is well to indicate the reasons that in -some cases led to refusals, without mentioning the particular societies. -Up to May 11, 1907, 16 institutions had been refused aid on the grounds -shown in Table 30.[130] - - [130] For list of societies aided and classified recapitulation of - grants, see Appendix I, p. 405. - -TABLE 30.--REASONS FOR THE REFUSAL OF GRANTS TO CERTAIN SOCIETIES, TO -MAY 11, 1907 - - ====================================================+================= - Reasons for refusal |Societies refused - ----------------------------------------------------+----------------- - Not a charitable organization | 7 - Religious organization solely | 4 - Not a local organization | 2 - Not approved by Charities Endorsement Committee[131]| 2 - Grant already received | 1 - ----------------------------------------------------+----------------- - Total | 16 - ----------------------------------------------------+----------------- - - [131] A local committee created before April, 1906. See Part V, - p. 283. - - -3. BUREAU OF SPECIAL RELIEF - -One of the plain lessons of the San Francisco experience is that any -rehabilitation work should have as an adjunct a bureau to which may be -referred cases requiring immediate relief in kind. - -If such a bureau had been organized on July 1, it might have made use of -the district force, the investigators sending recommendations directly -from the district offices to the bureau for immediate action. True, the -district offices did have small emergency funds placed in their hands by -the Associated Charities, which in turn was reimbursed by the -Rehabilitation Committee; but the expenditures from these funds were -necessarily very small and could not secure, for instance, the purchase -of sewing machines. A great deal of friction also would have been -avoided. The number of complaints would have been much smaller and there -would have been no interruption in the efficient progress of the -rehabilitation work itself. - -When the Rehabilitation Committee early in July was in shape to enter on -the active second period of the rehabilitation work, there remained -certain shreds of the old emergency tasks. In Chapter I of this -part[132] an account is given of the effort made to adjust the work of -the camps and the sections after the withdrawal of food issues, when -there was felt to be a gap in organization. - - [132] See Part II, p. 111. - -In order partially to meet this situation the Bureau of Special Relief -was organized on August 15 following the plan made by Mr. Bicknell, of -the Rehabilitation Committee, to handle applications for relief in kind, -in order that these need not be delayed and that the Committee might be -left free to deal with the larger problem of rehabilitation. - -The Bureau, when it began its work on August 15, was prepared to give -prompt medical assistance, nursing, and aid in kind to applicants -throughout the city. Later in the month the Bureau was authorized to -issue orders in small lots for sewing machines, tools, and furniture. -The Bureau had no authority to make cash grants. - -The central office was established on Gough and Geary Streets, in rooms -easily accessible on the ground floor, and here were quartered the -superintendent, his secretary, bookkeeper, stenographer, messengers, one -or two drivers, and two or three clerks, the number varying with the -volume of the work. During the greater part of the Bureau’s ten months -of service, two physicians,[133] two nurses, as well as from three to -seven investigators were visiting constantly for it. The original plan -was to have an investigator at each of the section offices, with one or -two in addition at the central office, to make visits at large. -Applications were sometimes received at the central office in person, -but the greater number came by mail or telephone direct from applicants -or from those who reported instances of need. The applications were -telephoned to the Bureau agent in whose district the case was located. -Within a few hours the family was visited and a report was telephoned to -the office. A Bureau clerk had meanwhile received a report from the -Rehabilitation Committee files as to whether any action had already been -taken on the case. - - [133] The two physicians who visited for the Bureau also served as - agents for the Bureau of Hospitals to determine the eligibility of - applicants for admission to the accredited hospitals. This - co-operation made a separate medical staff unnecessary. An arrangement - was made with two existing societies to care for maternity cases in - their own homes. This service was given with no charge upon the relief - fund except for certain medical supplies. - -Many cases were reported by members of the section committees with the -idea that the Bureau would in the interim give care, the Rehabilitation -Committee, which of necessity worked more slowly, not being able quickly -to make disposition of a case. In this way the work of the Bureau -supplemented that of the Rehabilitation Committee and minimized the -danger of families suffering from unavoidable delays in the forming and -carrying out of a rehabilitation plan. The superintendent, with the -information before him, decided whether to give or withhold aid. If aid -were to be granted, definite orders for relief were immediately -telephoned to merchants with whom arrangements had been previously made. -The orders were later confirmed by letter. The aid given by the Bureau -of Special Relief finally covered shelter, food (rations or restaurant -meals), clothing, furniture, tools, sewing machines, and medical aid of -all sorts including special appliances, dentistry in emergency need, -and, upon a physician’s prescription, special diet. - -A visitor called on each family in her charge at least once a week. On a -stated day each week she sent in a report which covered all families -under her care, and which stated whether the help given in groceries, -meat, or milk, should be continued one week longer, with an estimate of -how long in each case relief would be necessary. When a family seemed -likely to require rations indefinitely, it was until October transferred -to Camp 6 and after that date to Ingleside camp, as the Bureau did not -provide assistance indefinitely. After the middle of January, 1907, all -orders were issued for two weeks so as to lessen the required visits to -each family to one in two weeks. Orders for food and merchandise were -placed with merchants located as closely as possible to the residences -of applicants, and grocers were held to a high standard of service, both -as to quality and quantity of goods and as to promptness of delivery. -Special tests were set from time to time to see that the order system -worked as planned. In the case of clothing orders the Bureau agent -usually went with the applicant to help make selection of clothing. - -TABLE 31.--A. AMOUNT EXPENDED MONTHLY BY BUREAU OF SPECIAL RELIEF FOR -ALL PURPOSES FROM AUGUST 15, 1906, TO JUNE 30, 1907 - - ============================+========== - Period | Amount - ----------------------------+---------- - 1906 August 15 to August 31| $1,294.10 - September | 3,860.45 - October | 4,632.00 - November | 6,160.32 - December | 9,210.66 - 1907 January | 11,284.13 - February | 8,940.47 - March | 4,320.72 - April | 2,936.06 - May | 2,668.34 - June | 1,249.88 - ----------------------------+---------- - Total |$56,557.13 - ----------------------------+---------- - -TABLE 31.--B. AMOUNT EXPENDED BY BUREAU OF SPECIAL RELIEF FOR -ADMINISTRATION AND FOR SUPPLIES FROM AUGUST 15, 1906, TO JUNE 30, 1907 - - =====================================+=================== - Purpose of expenditure | EXPENDITURE - +----------+-------- - | Amount |Per cent - -------------------------------------+----------+-------- - Administration (including salaries of| | - physicians and nurses) |$15,720.70| 27.8 - Supplies | 40,836.43| 72.2 - -------------------------------------+----------+-------- - Total |$56,557.13| 100.0 - -------------------------------------+----------+-------- - -Certain items subsequently charged to the Bureau bring the total to -$58,421.35.[134] - - [134] $58,421.35 is the total expenditure of the Bureau of Special - Relief, given in the Sixth Annual Report of the American National Red - Cross, pages 87 and 88. The cost of sewing machines granted by the - Bureau is not included in these figures. All such machines were paid - for by the Rehabilitation Committee out of its own funds. - -As seen in Table 31 A the volume of work increased gradually from -August, 1906, to January, 1907, and then fell off steadily to June 15. - -The Bureau of Special Relief was originally organized to deal only with -families living outside the permanent camps, but by degrees it became -necessary for it to render to residents of the camps such services as -the camp commanders and their staffs were unable to give. Upon direct -request from a camp commander, for instance, the Bureau would send -regular supplies to applicants who were unable to eat at the camp -kitchens, or would, when the camp supply was exhausted, or unsuitable, -supply clothes and such emergency household needs as stoves and -blankets. The camp department was able through its surgeon to give -certain kinds of medical aid. The specific responsibility of the camps -was to administer them so as to give suitable housing and discipline to -their complex population. It was well that the Department of Camps was -able to call on such an organization as the Bureau to supply the -miscellaneous needs which lay outside the routine provision of camp -life. - -As was said above, the Rehabilitation agents sometimes called on the -Bureau to give aid while cases were pending in their department. Soon -after its organization the Bureau took charge of requests for tools and -other articles, the Rehabilitation agents being instructed to refer -directly to it without investigation all such applications. When it was -soon found, however, that most of these uninvestigated cases were in -fact applications for rehabilitation, the order was reversed, so that a -later request received by the Department for aid in kind should be first -investigated by its agent and then referred to the Bureau through the -secretary of Sub-committee I.[135] In referring the case, a memorandum -was added, to state that it had been investigated and to specify the -amount and kind of aid to be given. After February 1, 1907, the Bureau -ceased to give tools and sewing machines except on the order of the -Rehabilitation Committee; if applications for these articles were made -by a camp resident, the approval of the camp commander had to be -obtained before the application could be forwarded to the Bureau. The -Bureau of Special Relief practically closed on June 15, 1907. A small -force was at work until June 21, 1907, when all outstanding appeals were -settled. - - [135] The centralized system, not the district system, being then in - effect. - - -IV - -WHAT THE REHABILITATION RECORDS SHOW - - -1. INTRODUCTORY - -The survey of the rehabilitation work of the San Francisco Relief and -Red Cross Funds had not gone far before the need of a tabulation of all -the case records became apparent. Many questions of policy and -administration were involved in accurately learning what the records -indicated. Of course, in many matters of detail the records could not -possibly give evidence necessary to reach absolute certainty. There -would necessarily be many questions whose answers must be got from those -who had had most experience in the work because they, the men, could -offer stronger evidence than could any record. To other questions, -however, it is plain, tabulation must give the final and convincing -answer. For instance, in connection with the periods of time elapsing -between application for and receipt of grants, the convincing evidence -is the dates on the records. - -The light that they throw upon such a point is only a small part of what -the case records have to offer. Such data as the average size of the -grants, and not only the average size of all grants but of grants for -particular purposes,--these the enumeration furnishes. Then there are -the questions involved in reopening cases and in making second grants. -In short, it is believed that the returns obtained from the analysis of -every rehabilitation case record will serve not only as a register of -the rehabilitation work after the San Francisco fire, but as a post with -many signs for those who may be called upon to do a similar work in the -future,--not necessarily as the result of a catastrophe having like -magnitude but of one by which the destruction of a large portion of a -city, its residential and its business sections, is effected. Wherever a -public calamity brings such blight the lessons and returns of the San -Francisco rehabilitation work will be of value. - -In making the study upon which the following tables are based, an -arbitrary but essentially true classification of grants is made. In each -record the grant involving the largest amount of money is considered the -principal grant; another grant, smaller in amount and given for a -different purpose, is called subsidiary. Thus, for instance, a family -receives $300 to put up a house and $100 for furniture or household -rehabilitation. The housing grant is principal, the household, -subsidiary. Analysis of principal and subsidiary grants has been made in -order to learn how often one form of rehabilitation was insufficient to -accomplish the desired end. The terms “principal” and “subsidiary,” it -will be noted, have no reference to priority of grants but simply to -amounts involved. - - -2. SOCIAL DATA AND TOTAL GRANTS AND REFUSALS - -The table first presented shows the final disposition of all the -applications recorded. - -TABLE 32.--DISPOSAL OF APPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATION FOLLOWING -INVESTIGATION - - ===================================+============ - Disposal made of application |Applications - |disposed of - |as specified - -----------------------------------+------------ - Cases in which aid was allowed | 20,241 - Cases in which aid was refused | 2,909 - Cases closed without action | 2,447 - Applications referred elsewhere | 485 - Applications withdrawn by applicant| 439 - Applications cancelled | 207 - Requisitions issued | 199 - Relief given, but not in money | 172 - Applications otherwise disposed of | - without the granting of relief | 236 - -----------------------------------+------------ - Total | 27,335 - -----------------------------------+------------ - -The cases “closed without action,” about 9 per cent of the whole, -include applications from other members of families assisted, from -persons later cared for in Ingleside Camp,[136] and from persons living -in camp with no definite plans, who later were granted cottages by the -Department of Camps and Warehouses and made no further application for -rehabilitation. - - [136] See Part VI, page 319 ff., for description of the work done at - Ingleside. - -TABLE 33.--DISPOSAL OF APPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATION, BY NATURE OF -APPLICATION[137] - - ===================+===========+===========+========+========+====== - Nature of | Cases in | Cases in |Cancela-|Requisi-| Total - application | which aid | which aid | tions | tions | - |was allowed|was refused| | | - -------------------+-----------+-----------+--------+--------+------ - Household furniture| 9,064 | 1,274 | 43 | 2 |10,383 - Business | | | | | - rehabilitation | 4,740 | 547 | 13 | 12 | 5,312 - General relief | 3,635 | 581 | 68 | 12 | 4,296 - Housing | 1,709 | 337 | 25 | ... | 2,071 - Transportation | 809 | ... | 39 | 173 | 1,021 - Tools for mechanics| | | | | - and artisans | 284 | 170 | 19 | ... | 473 - -------------------+-----------+-----------+--------+--------+------ - Total | 20,241 | 2,909 | 207 | 199 |23,556 - -------------------+-----------+-----------+--------+--------+------ - Per cent | 86.0 | 12.3 | .9 | .8 | 100.0 - -------------------+-----------+-----------+--------+--------+------ - - [137] The data relative to the nature of the applications are - available only for grants, refusals, cancelations, and requisitions. - -TABLE 34.--APPLICANTS FOR REHABILITATION, BY AGE, AND BY NATURE AND -DISPOSAL OF APPLICATION[138] - - ========================+==================================+======= - Nature and disposal of | APPLICANTS WHOSE AGES WERE | Total - application | AS SPECIFIED | - +--------+---------+--------+------+ - | Under |25 years |50 years| Not | - |25 years|and under|and over|stated| - | |50 years | | | - ------------------------+--------+---------+--------+------+------- - Household furniture | | | | | - Grants | 320 | 5,496 | 2,923 | 325 | 9,064 - Refusals | 66 | 821 | 354 | 33 | 1,274 - Business rehabilitation | | | | | - Grants | 104 | 2,532 | 1,726 | 378 | 4,740 - Refusals | 28 | 323 | 161 | 35 | 547 - General relief | | | | | - Grants | 197 | 1,470 | 1,431 | 537 | 3,635 - Refusals | 32 | 284 | 190 | 75 | 581 - Housing | | | | | - Grants | 47 | 1,027 | 426 | 209 | 1,709 - Refusals | 10 | 181 | 97 | 49 | 337 - Transportation | | | | | - Grants | 73 | 403 | 229 | 104 | 809 - Tools | | | | | - Grants | 33 | 137 | 92 | 22 | 284 - Refusals | 20 | 102 | 28 | 20 | 170 - ------------------------+--------+---------+--------+------+------- - Total grants | 774 | 11,065 | 6,827 | 1,575| 20,241 - Total refusals | 156 | 1,711 | 830 | 212| 2,909 - ------------------------+--------+---------+--------+------+------- - Grand total | 930 | 12,776 | 7,657 | 1,787| 23,150 - Per cent of refusals| 16.8 | 13.4 | 10.8 | 11.9| 12.6 - ------------------------+--------+---------+--------+------+------- - - [138] The figures of this table relate only to applicants for money - grants. - -The “applications referred elsewhere” include those referred to other -agencies, such as the Physicians’ Fund.[139] The fact that only between -1 and 2 per cent of the total applications were so referred shows that -the ordinary relief work of the city had to be carried by the -Corporation. - - [139] For mention of separate funds not administered by the - Rehabilitation Committee, see Appendix I, p. 415. - -The 1,709 housing grants referred to in Table 33 do not include the -grants of camp cottages, nor the $500 bonus grants.[140] - - [140] For full discussion of these grants see Part IV, Chaps. II and - III, p. 221 ff. - -The number of grants and refusals of each kind of aid is shown in -connection with the ages of applicants in Table 34. Whenever a family -was normal and its income at the time of application was sufficient to -meet daily needs a grant naturally was refused. The greater number of -refusals were made to families having male breadwinners in the prime of -life. - -TABLE 35.--APPLICANTS FOR REHABILITATION, BY DOMESTIC STATUS AND BY -NATURE OF APPLICATION[141] - - =======================+=======+============+==============+====== - Nature of application |Married|Men--single,|Women--single,| Total - |Couples| widowed, | widowed, | - | |deserted, or| deserted, or | - | | divorced | divorced | - -----------------------+-------+------------+--------------+------ - Household furniture | 7,072 | 259 | 3,007 |10,338 - Business rehabilitation| 1,863 | 571 | 2,853 | 5,287 - General relief | 1,450 | 566 | 2,200 | 4,216 - Housing | 1,555 | 116 | 375 | 2,046 - Transportation | 385 | 233 | 364 | 982 - Tools | 212 | 239 | 3 | 454 - -----------------------+-------+------------+--------------+------ - Total |12,537 | 1,984 | 8,802 |23,323 - -----------------------+-------+------------+--------------+------ - Per cent | 53.8 | 8.5 | 37.7 | 100.0 - -----------------------+-------+------------+--------------+------ - - [141] In this table are included applicants who received money grants, - applicants who were refused money grants, and 173 applicants who - received orders for transportation. - -Table 35 shows the domestic status of the applicants for the different -kinds of rehabilitation. Note the number of single or widowed women who -applied for business rehabilitation. Note, also, that though the -applications by married couples were but 53.8 per cent of the whole, -they made up three-fourths of the applications for housing. - -TABLE 36.--APPLICANTS HANDICAPPED BY PERSONAL MISFORTUNES OR DEFECTS - - ==========================+=================== - Condition |Applicants affected - --------------------------+------------------- - Applicants handicapped | 10,157 - Applicants not handicapped| 12,993 - --------------------------+------------------- - Total | 23,150 - --------------------------+------------------- - Per cent handicapped | 43.9 - --------------------------+------------------- - -TABLE 37.--APPLICANTS AFFECTED BY HANDICAPS OF EACH SPECIFIED KIND - - ===================+=========================== - Kind of handicap |APPLICANTS AFFECTED BY EACH - | SPECIFIED HANDICAP - -------------------+-------------+-------------- - | Number | Per cent - -------------------+-------------+-------------- - Ill health | 8,231 | 81.0 - Numerous dependents| 832 | 8.2 - Injury | 582 | 5.7 - Death in family | 432 | 4.3 - Intemperance | 80 | 0.8 - -------------------+-------------+-------------- - Total | 10,157 | 100.0 - -------------------+-------------+-------------- - -The caution must be given that the percentage of 81.0 of ill health is a -mere approximation. The return is unsatisfactory, because the records in -regard to this entry were particularly vague. Too much weight should not -be given to the mere handful of 80 cases in which intemperance was -recorded. Only the most flagrant cases which called for medical or -disciplinary treatment were so entered. - -Consideration is given in Table 38 to the size of the families applying -and in Table 39 to the number of families that had children under -fourteen. - -TABLE 38.--NUMBER OF PERSONS IN FAMILIES OF APPLICANTS FOR -REHABILITATION[142] - - ===========================+========================== - Number of persons in family|FAMILIES OF EACH SPECIFIED - | NUMBER OF PERSONS - +------------+-------------- - | Number | Per cent - ---------------------------+------------+-------------- - 1 | 4,768 | 20.9 - 2 | 5,759 | 25.2 - 3 | 4,368 | 19.1 - 4 | 3,262 | 14.3 - 5 | 2,105 | 9.2 - 6 | 1,223 | 5.3 - 7 | 658 | 2.9 - 8 | 381 | 1.7 - 9 | 194 | 0.8 - 10 or over | 145 | 0.6 - ---------------------------+------------+-------------- - Total | 22,863 | 100.0 - ---------------------------+------------+-------------- - - [142] The difference between the total of this table and the totals of - preceding tables is due to a variation in the number of cases for - which data are available. - -The interesting fact brought out in Table 38 is that 79.5 per cent had -four or less in the family, and that 65.2 per cent had three or less. -The table includes the families not only of married and widowed persons -with minor children, but families in which there were adult children, -aged parents, and other relatives. It is given in order to show the -relative size of the family groups reached by rehabilitation. - -TABLE 39.--FAMILIES AMONG THE APPLICANTS FOR REHABILITATION WITH -CHILDREN, BY NUMBER OF CHILDREN UNDER FOURTEEN YEARS OF AGE IN EACH -FAMILY - - ========================+===================================== - Number of children |FAMILIES HAVING EACH SPECIFIED NUMBER - under fourteen in family| OF CHILDREN - +------------------+------------------ - | Number | Per cent - ------------------------+------------------+------------------ - 1 | 4,041 | 42.0 - 2 | 2,692 | 28.0 - 3 | 1,526 | 15.9 - 4 | 787 | 8.2 - 5 | 386 | 4.0 - 6 | 139 | 1.4 - 7 | 42 | 0.4 - 8 or over | 12 | 0.1 - ------------------------+------------------+------------------ - Total | 9,625 | 100.0 - ------------------------+------------------+------------------ - -We find in Table 39 that 85.9 per cent had three or less children under -fourteen and 70 per cent had two or less. No particular significance -should be attached to the fact that 42 per cent had only one child under -the age specified, for the reason that the ages of the parents are not -given. The table shows that the families with which the Rehabilitation -Committee had to deal did not have a “quiverful” of children. - - -3. PRINCIPAL AND SUBSIDIARY GRANTS - -The grants made for purposes of rehabilitation have been classified as -principal and subsidiary. As was stated on page 152, the term -“principal” has been used to describe the largest grant made to an -applicant, “subsidiary” to describe a grant smaller in amount given to -the same applicant for a different purpose. It is evident from this -definition that the number of principal grants made equalled the total -number of applicants who received grants. Subsidiary grants were much -fewer in number than principal grants. Principal grants did not -necessarily come first in point of time. Indeed, three times out of four -they came last, because they followed the satisfying of a lesser -emergent need by their greater rehabilitating force. In compiling Tables -40, 41, and 42, successive grants of the same nature have been -considered as constituting one grant. - -In Table 40 principal and subsidiary grants are classified according to -the nature of the rehabilitation given. - -TABLE 40.--NUMBER OF PRINCIPAL AND SUBSIDIARY GRANTS, BY NATURE OF -GRANTS - - =======================+================+================= - Nature of grant |PRINCIPAL GRANTS|SUBSIDIARY GRANTS - +-------+--------+-------+--------- - |Number |Per cent|Number | Per cent - -----------------------+-------+--------+-------+--------- - Household furniture | 9,064 | 44.8 | 918 | 46.8 - Business rehabilitation| 4,740 | 23.4 | 176 | 9.0 - General relief | 3,635 | 18.0 | 709 | 36.1 - Housing | 1,709 | 8.4 | 25 | 1.3 - Transportation | 809 | 4.0 | 42 | 2.1 - Tools | 284 | 1.4 | 92 | 4.7 - -----------------------+-------+--------+-------+--------- - Total |20,241 | 100.0 | 1,962 | 100.0 - -----------------------+-------+--------+-------+--------- - -The next table shows the amounts disbursed in principal and in -subsidiary grants, according to the nature of the rehabilitation given. - -TABLE 41.--AMOUNT OF PRINCIPAL AND SUBSIDIARY GRANTS, BY NATURE OF -GRANTS - - ===========+===================+=================+=================== - Nature of | PRINCIPAL GRANTS |SUBSIDIARY GRANTS| ALL GRANTS - grant +-------------+-----+-----------+-----+-------------+----- - | Amount | Per | Amount | Per | Amount | Per - | |cent | |cent | |cent - -----------+-------------+-----+-----------+-----+-------------+----- - Household | | | | | | - furniture |$ 937,641.99| 32.8|$ 80,347.98| 52.9|$1,017,989.97| 33.9 - Business | | | | | | - rehabilita-| | | | | | - tion | 860,934.80| 30.2| 11,502.40| 7.6| 872,437.20| 29.0 - General re-| | | | | | - lief | 433,342.70| 15.2| 53,166.15| 35.0| 486,508.85| 16.2 - Housing | 564,986.15| 19.8| 2,314.70| 1.5| 567,300.85| 18.9 - Transporta-| | | | | | - tion | 47,181.07| 1.7| 1,735.70| 1.1| 48,916.77| 1.6 - Tools | 9,792.35| .3| 2,945.85| 1.9| 12,738.20| .4 - -----------+-------------+-----+-----------+-----+-------------+----- - Total |$2,853,879.06|100.0|$152,012.78|100.0|$3,005,891.84|100.0 - -----------+-------------+-----+-----------+-----+-------------+----- - -It should be mentioned in connection with these percentages, that kits -of tools for mechanics and artisans were distributed by the Los Angeles -Tool Fund in addition to the 376 cash grants for tools noted above; also -that the amount given for housing as stated in the table does not -include the camp cottages[143] given to camp families. - - [143] See Part I, p. 85 ff. and Part IV, p. 221 ff. - -These two facts explain the comparatively low percentages for these two -forms of rehabilitation. The 15.2 per cent of principal grants given for -general relief indicates roughly the amount of relief work that had to -be done by the Rehabilitation Committee in connection with -rehabilitation. - -Table 42 shows that under the title “Housing,” relief in sums of $500 or -more was granted to a larger number of persons than under any other -classification. The 450 families reached by these larger grants are 26 -per cent of those aided to rebuild. With but 31 exceptions they received -no aid other than housing. Business rehabilitation stands next, but the -families reached under the second classification are scarcely more than -3 per cent of the number in the business group. Twenty-two of the large -grants for general relief were made by Sub-committee IV.[144] - - [144] See p. 125. Sub-Committee IV, Occupations for Women and - Confidential Cases, was a special committee created to pass upon a few - special cases which it was thought ought to be kept entirely secret, - even to members of the committee. There is a great difference of - opinion as to whether such a committee was at all necessary and - whether its formation was not undemocratic and unjust. - -TABLE 42.--AMOUNTS GIVEN TO APPLICANTS RECEIVING $500 OR MORE, BY NATURE -OF PRINCIPAL GRANT[145] - - =========================+=========+===========+========== - Nature of principal grant|Number of| Amount | Average - | cases | granted |amount per - | | |applicant - -------------------------+---------+-----------+---------- - Housing | 450 |$289,989.90| $644.42 - Business rehabilitation | 162 | 86,250.34| 532.41 - General relief | 35 | 19,579.90| 559.42 - -------------------------+---------+-----------+---------- - Total | 647 |$395,820.14| $611.78 - -------------------------+---------+-----------+---------- - - [145] In determining the amount received by each applicant, both - principal and subsidiary grants have been considered. - -In 576 instances the sum given was for a single purpose; in the business -group, in 71 instances for two or more purposes. For example, in 28 -instances the money was for business only; in 40 for business and for -household furniture, for the expenses of an illness, or for some other -subsidiary purpose. In the housing group, in 131, the money was for -building only; in but 31 instances was it for household aid or general -relief. - -The highest grant for housing was $1,230.40, the highest for business, -$1,100, but the latter included a tuition fee for a member of the -family. The largest grant for general relief was $1,045, which included -the expenses of a long illness. - -In addition to the cases presented in the table there were two for -household aid which came to $500 and $600 respectively as a result of -duplication, in the one case through the United Irish Societies, and in -the other, through the confidential committee. - -To complete the picture, we present the grants and refusals passed on by -sub-committees and by the Rehabilitation Committee during the fourth -rehabilitation period from November 4, 1906, to April 9, 1907. The -object of this presentation is to show the proportion of applications -passed on without the intervention of a sub-committee. - -TABLE 43.--APPLICATIONS FOR RELIEF PASSED UPON BY SUB-COMMITTEES AND BY -THE REHABILITATION COMMITTEE, WITHOUT ACTION BY A SUB-COMMITTEE, IN THE -PERIOD FROM NOVEMBER 1, 1906, TO APRIL 1, 1907, BY NATURE OF THE -APPLICATION[146] - - =======================+============+============+=================== - Nature of applications |Applications|Applications|APPLICATIONS PASSED - for relief | passed | passed | UPON BY THE - | upon | upon by | REHABILITATION - | | sub- | COMMITTEE - | | committees |WITHOUT ACTION BY A - | | | SUB-COMMITTEE - | | +--------+---------- - | | | Number | Per cent - | | | | of all - | | | | applica- - | | | | tions - -----------------------+------------+------------+--------+---------- - Household furniture | 5,647 | 5,099 | 548 | 9.7 - Business rehabilitation| 3,414 | 3,095 | 319 | 9.3 - General relief | 2,873 | 2,504 | 369 | 12.8 - Housing | 1,788 | 1,690 | 98 | 5.5 - Transportation | 144 | 93 | 51 | 35.4 - Tools for mechanics | | | | - and artisans | 48 | 31 | 17 | 35.4 - -----------------------+------------+------------+--------+---------- - Total | 13,914 | 12,512 | 1,402 | 10.1 - -----------------------+------------+------------+--------+---------- - - [146] Of the 13,970 cases passed upon in the period to which this - table relates, 56 could not be classified according to the plan - adopted. - - -4. THE RE-OPENING OF CASES TO MAKE FURTHER GRANTS - -It was the aim of the Rehabilitation Committee to make final disposition -of each application for a specific object by means of a single grant. -This it succeeded in doing in the cases of 17,560 (86.8 per cent) of all -applicants aided. Before the other 2,681 applications were finally -disposed of, 5,777 grants had been made, usually at the rate of two -grants to a case. Three grants were rarely made, although there were -exceptional cases of applicants who received three or four different -kinds of aid in five or six separate grants. - -Table 44 shows the extent to which re-opening occurred.[147] - - [147] In addition to cases analyzed above and in the table, 904 cases - which were at first refused were afterwards re-opened to receive a - grant. - -TABLE 44.--NUMBER OF RE-OPENED CASES BY NATURE OF FIRST GRANT - - ================================+============+================== - Nature of first grant |Total number| RE-OPENED CASES - | of cases +------+----------- - | |Number|Per cent of - | | | all cases - --------------------------------+------------+------+----------- - Household furniture | 9,552 | 1,299| 13.6 - Business rehabilitation | 4,524 | 540| 11.9 - General relief | 3,787 | 657| 17.3 - Housing | 1,212 | 62| 5.1 - Transportation | 799 | 37| 4.6 - Tools for mechanics and artisans| 367 | 86| 23.4 - --------------------------------+------------+------+----------- - Total | 20,241 | 2,681| 13.2 - --------------------------------+------------+------+----------- - -The form of aid through which the greatest proportion of cases was -disposed of by a single grant was transportation. Of these but 4.6 per -cent were ever re-opened. - -A single grant for transportation was effective in so high a proportion -of cases because the applicant as a rule was being sent where work -awaited him or to relatives pledged to furnish him a home.[148] The -re-opened transportation cases are mainly those of persons who could not -adapt themselves to life in other communities, and who returned to San -Francisco and were given household furniture or business rehabilitation. -Housing was a form of aid offered principally to self-supporting -families; hence those whose first grant was for housing were usually -wage-earners whose income sufficed not only to furnish the house, but to -pay part of the expenses of building it. Business cases were usually -re-opened, not for aid for other purposes, but for additional aid for -business,--a legitimate demand where circumstances showed that an -applicant was threatened with failure for lack of a small amount of -additional capital. - - [148] See Part I, p. 58 ff. - -There seems to be no reason in the nature of things why a first grant of -aid for household furniture should not have been conclusive in a greater -number of instances. Families were required to present fairly definite -plans before being given aid to re-establish their homes. If they could -have been dealt with more liberally in the beginning, there would have -been less re-opening. Most of these first grants for furniture, however, -were given between August 20 and November 1, and were inadequate. -Although at the time they were treated as final, later on, especially -during January and February, families who made request were given an -additional grant for furniture. - -General relief is in its very nature indeterminate. It is not -surprising, therefore, to see that one case in six returned for -additional assistance. Some of the families were given intermittent care -until June, 1907, and then became charges of the Associated Charities -and the other regular relief agencies. - -Grants for tools were nearly all given very early in point of time, and -were for small amounts. They averaged but $34.71. Such of these -applicants as later applied again were considered eligible to receive -grants for household furniture, or were assisted to build homes, on the -same basis as though they had not previously received aid. The same is -true of many families who early received small amounts of general -relief. When they succeeded later in forming definite plans they were -given grants for household furniture, for housing, or for business. - -It is evident that in any disaster so great that months are devoted to -the work of reconstruction, a number of families must be dealt with at -least twice and some must be carried through the entire period that the -wonted relief work of the community is superseded by the unwonted. Even -though action taken on an individual application be regarded as final, -there will be many re-applications, some because there is the craving -for another slice, some because there is a planning to make good use of -aid that is being offered in new forms, and others because there is the -facing of a new family crisis. In each instance, as a rule, there must -be a re-investigation, which means that the time of investigators and of -committeemen is drawn in part from the consideration of current cases. -All cases suffer corresponding delay. As was to be expected, the greater -number of re-openings were in the first three periods of the -rehabilitation work. Of 912 household grants made before the end of -October, 1906, only 175 were filed away to remain “closed.” - -How could the re-opening of cases have been in part obviated? - -First, by avoiding the mistake of filing a case as “closed” when it was -unfinished. - -Second, by supervising the expenditure of money given for a definite -purpose to persons of weak wills or poor judgment, and by making the -grant, if the state of the funds permitted, sufficient adequately to -meet the purpose. To illustrate: 371 families received grants for -furniture, and 461 for business rehabilitation, each in two allotments. -In some of these cases, because of the withholding of the funds, the -first grant was inadequate. In others, the money was spent to poor -advantage or for purposes other than the original intention. The -Rehabilitation Committee in making business grants hesitated to hand an -applicant more than the average business grant of $250. If provision -from the start could have been made to have business grants expended -under the supervision of trained workers, larger sums could have been -safely placed to the credit of the applicants, many business failures -would have been averted, and the call for second grants avoided. - -Third, by opening earlier the Bureau of Special Relief. If the Bureau -had been started in May instead of in August to give emergency aid in -money as well as in kind, it would have released the Rehabilitation -Committee from the need of considering the granting of petty amounts, -and would have left it free to concentrate effort in its own field. To -illustrate: The Rehabilitation Committee before the middle of August -made 480 small cash grants for general relief, and 373 for tools. The -Bureau could have handled these quickly and effectively by giving help -in kind or in cash to an amount of $50 or less. Later, when plans for -permanent rehabilitation had been made on the one hand by the -Rehabilitation Committee, on the other by the families themselves, the -way would have been clear for the more weighty decisions. The quick -exchange of records would have meant that the facts held by the Bureau -were available as the basis for further investigation. - -The length of time elapsing between application and grant was seriously -studied by the reviewers. The results need not be given in detail. It -should be noted that delays in a time of emergency must not be judged by -the standards applied to the normal work of a relief society. The time -elapsing between applications and grants varied materially with the -period of the relief work. In the first period, extending from May 5 to -July 7, 1906, the proportion of grants made within three weeks of the -date of application was larger than in the second, the period of -accelerated applications, extending from July 7 to August 20, 1906. -During the third, the period beginning August 20 and ending November 4, -1906, the proportion of grants made within three weeks of the date of -application was smaller than during any other period of the relief work. -The proportion of grants made six weeks or more after the date of -application was at the same time much larger in this period than in the -earlier periods. In the fourth period of the work, extending from -November 4, 1906, to April 4, 1907, the proportion of grants made within -three weeks of the date of application was smaller than in the first -period, but much larger than in the second and third periods. - -During the first period of rehabilitation work, the burden of care fell -on the army as well as on the Finance Committee of Relief and Red Cross -Funds. It was the time when the people were not ready in large numbers -to make application for rehabilitation. Only 1,843 applied during the -nine weeks. During the second period of six weeks, 6,479 applied to the -central and to the seven section offices in which were working the newly -organized force of investigators. If any standard were to be upheld, -deliberation, which meant delay in dispatch of cases, had to be in -order. When in the third period of ten weeks the number of applicants -was but 2,872 and the force of investigators, case reviewers, and -committeemen had had time to get on a sound working basis, the episode -of the withholding of the eastern funds caused a partial paralysis of -decision. In this period the long delay in making grants is a reflex. In -the fourth period of twenty-two weeks, during which the number of -applications was 10,994, when retrenchment was not the key-word, the -sharp reversal of policy makes any testing of relative speed -impracticable. The cumulative effect of working conscientiously together -brings the power to dispatch cases. Whether the relative dispatch would -have been greater or less in the fourth period if the district plan had -been adhered to can be answered either way merely by a conjecture. Two -facts must be borne in mind: First, no physical suffering resulted from -delay. The emergency cases were always handled with rapidity, first -through the camp commanders and the staff at headquarters, later through -the Bureau of Special Relief. Second, mental suffering did result from -delay, but to be thorough, rehabilitation work must be carried out with -deliberation. - - -5. VARIATIONS IN AMOUNTS OF GRANTS, AND REFUSALS - -There is first presented a table classifying the grants for different -purposes according to amount of grant. - -TABLE 45.--GRANTS FOR REHABILITATION BY AMOUNT AND BY NATURE OF RELIEF -GIVEN[149] - - =========================+===================================+====== - Nature of Grant | GRANTS OF | Total - +-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+ - | Less| $100| $200| $300| $400| $500| - | than| and| and| and| and| and | - | $100| less| less| less| less| over| - | | than| than| than| than| | - | | $200| $300| $400| $500| | - -------------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+------ - Household furniture |4,708|4,460| 721| 63 | 4 | 2 | 9,958 - Business rehabilitation |1,018|1,730|1,402| 420 | 156 | 162 | 4,888 - General relief |2,307|1,420| 619| 114 | 37 | 35 | 4,532 - Housing | 92| 333| 743| 102 | 67 | 450 | 1,787 - Transportation | 729| 106| 22| 5 | 2 | 2 | 866 - Tools | 358| 21| --| -- | -- | -- | 379 - -------------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+------ - Total |9,212|8,070|3,507| 704 | 266 | 651 |22,410 - -------------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+------ - Per cent | 41.1| 36.0| 15.7| 3.1 | 1.2 | 2.9 | 100.0 - -------------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+------ - - [149] Because of variations in the practice of treating successive - grants of the same nature to a single applicant as a single grant or - as different grants, the figures in the “total” column of this table - differ from the corresponding figures presented in other tables and in - the text. - -The table indicates the amounts allotted to individuals for the various -forms of rehabilitation, and brings out striking differences in the sums -required for different purposes. Of the 9,958 homes furnished, 9,168 -(92.1 per cent) were refurnished at less than $200 each, and 4,708 of -these (47.3 per cent of the total) at less than $100. The larger sums, -$200 and more, usually mean that a family having spent its first -furniture grant for some other justifiable purpose was later given a -second furniture grant, or that the so-called furniture grant included -$50 to $100 given for clothing and incidentals. Single sums given for a -double purpose have been classified under the predominant purpose. Thus -the numerous grants reading “Household Furniture and General Relief” -have been classed as household grants; $300 or over was involved in less -than 1 per cent of the grants so classified. - -Grants for business were much larger than those for the household. More -than one-half (56.2 per cent), to be sure, were for less than $200, but -15 per cent were for $300 or more, and of these, 3 per cent received -$500. Seldom was the grant more than $500. - -Grants for general relief in 82.2 per cent of all cases were for less -than $200; in 50.9 per cent for less than $100. - -Housing[150] is the form of aid that called for the largest individual -grants. About one-fourth, 23.7 per cent, were under $200; 41.6 per cent -were between $200 and $300; and one-fourth were $500 or over. The sums -granted for transportation and for tools, on the other hand, were very -small, 84.2 per cent of the former and 94.5 per cent of the latter being -for amounts under $100. - - [150] Bear in mind that the bonus grants are not included (see Part - IV, p. 239 ff.), nor the camp cottage expenditures (see Part IV, p. - 221 ff.). - -TABLE 46.--GRANTS AND REFUSALS TO APPLICANTS WHO POSSESSED RESOURCES, BY -AMOUNT OF RESOURCES - - =========================+==========+==========+================= - Amount of resources | Total |Applicants| APPLICANTS TO - |number of | to whom | WHOM RELIEF WAS - |applicants|relief was| GRANTED - | | refused +------+---------- - | | |Number| Per cent - | | | | of all - | | | |applicants - -------------------------+----------+----------+------+---------- - Less than $100 | 785 | 73 | 712| 90.7 - $100 and less than $200 | 673 | 71 | 602| 89.5 - $200 and less than $400 | 1,235 | 162 | 1,073| 86.9 - $400 and less than $600 | 770 | 144 | 626| 81.3 - $600 and less than $1,000| 576 | 143 | 433| 75.2 - $1,000 and over | 1,271 | 480 | 791| 62.2 - Not stated | 922 | 201 | 721| 78.2 - -------------------------+----------+----------+------+---------- - Total | 6,232 | 1,274 | 4,958| 79.6 - -------------------------+----------+----------+------+---------- - -To summarize, 77.1 per cent of all grants were for less than $200, and -of these more than half, or 41.1 per cent of the entire number, were -under $100. The grants of $200 to $299, constituting 15.7 per cent, are -made up principally of sums for housing and business. Grants of $300 and -over constitute the remaining 7.2 per cent, and most of these were for -business rehabilitation or housing. In the study of business -rehabilitation that follows in Part III, it will become evident that the -number of comparatively small business grants included some failures. - -A glance at Table 46 shows that to possess resources other than income -did not in itself render applicants ineligible for relief. Of the 6,232 -property owners that applied, 4,958, or 79.6 per cent, received aid. -Though the percentage of refusals was higher among those with the -greater amount of resources, 791 persons, 62.2 per cent of those with -$1,000 and over, received aid. Under the grant and loan plan[151] aid to -build was conditional on ownership of a lot, and the success of a -business plan was usually felt to depend on the applicants’ having -something to supplement the grant asked for. Small property owners with -small incomes who did not intend to rebuild, needed household or other -aid, and there were some property owners who could not, if they would, -have their holdings converted into cash. In fact, the persons aided who -had resources were, in general, those whose resources could not or -should not have been used for refurnishing or for current expenses; -those refused were the few who had available cash savings or who had -been so fortunate as to receive their insurance money early enough to -make an independent start. A thousand and one special considerations and -facts entered to make a classification of this group of cases a call for -a digest of each case. Such a digest is not practicable in this limited -Relief Survey. If made, it would be an index of the individualizing work -done by the Rehabilitation Committee. It may be safely said that the -Committee rarely erred on the side of generosity. The immediate lesson -to be learned is that the presence or absence of resources is only a -factor in rehabilitation. No generalizing policy of grants and refusals -can be built upon it. - - [151] See Part IV, p. 253 ff. - -In Table 47, 5,284 refusals of aid are classified by the reasons for -refusal and the nature of the applications. - -TABLE 47.--REASONS FOR REFUSAL OF REHABILITATION, BY NATURE OF -APPLICATION[152] - - ===================+============================================+===== - Reasons for refusal| APPLICATIONS OF EACH SPECIFIED NATURE | - | REFUSED | - +-----+---------+-------+------+-------+-----+ - |House-|Business|General|Housing|Trans-|Tools|Total - | hold | re- | relief| |porta-| | - |furni-| habili-| | | tion | | - | ture | tation | | | | | - -------------------+------+--------+-------+-------+------+-----+----- - Not burned out | 13 | 12 | 71 | 56 | 6 | 11 | 169 - Not in need | 180 | 87 | 165 | 42 | 6 | 20 | 500 - Has collectable | | | | | | | - insurance | 115 | 53 | 34 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 211 - Is earning wages | 837 | 113 | 183 | 74 | 21 | 122 |1,350 - Can work | 150 | 82 | 102 | 13 | 45 | 38 | 430 - Relatives can aid | 35 | 15 | 45 | 4 | 9 | 5 | 113 - Other members of | | | | | | | - family already | | | | | | | - aided | 13 | 20 | 2 | 7 | 1 | .. | 43 - Already aided | 187 | 136 | 95 | 96 | 4 | 6 | 524 - Has savings | 442 | 191 | 107 | 169 | 7 | 22 | 938 - No plan | 22 | 5 | 15 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 48 - Plan not approved | 9 | 131 | 23 | 66 | 40 | .. | 269 - Plan not definite | 9 | 32 | 7 | 10 | 10 | 1 | 69 - Applicant for | | | | | | | - transportation can | | | | | | | - well work here | .. | .. | .. | .. | 31 | .. | 31 - Advices from | | | | | | | - applicants’ pro- | | | | | | | - posed destination | | | | | | | - unfavorable | .. | .. | .. | .. | 10 | .. | 10 - Not in business | | | | | | | - before fire | .. | 94 | .. | .. | .. | .. | 94 - Not successful in | | | | | | | - business | .. | 3 | .. | .. | .. | .. | 3 - Character defective| 100 | 75 | 58 | 13 | 12 | 6 | 264 - Has not complied | | | | | | | - with committee’s | | | | | | | - requirements | 47 | 43 | 28 | 52 | 24 | 2 | 196 - Committee has no | | | | | | | - funds (August to | | | | | | | - November, 1906) | .. | 22 | .. | .. | .. | .. | 22 - -------------------+------+--------+-------+-------+------+-----+----- - Total |2,159 | 1,114 | 935 | 609 | 232 | 235 |5,284 - -------------------+------+--------+-------+-------+------+-----+----- - - [152] It will be noted that the totals of this table are considerably - larger than the corresponding totals of Tables 33 and 34. The - difference seems to be due to the fact that in preparing Table 47 two - or more refusals of aid on a single application were treated as - separate refusals. - - - - - PART III - - BUSINESS REHABILITATION - - -PART III - -BUSINESS REHABILITATION - - PAGE - I. THE PEOPLE AIDED AND THE RESULTS OBTAINED 171 - - 1. The Plan Itself 171 - 2. The Study of Results 173 - 3. The Families and Individuals Aided 174 - 4. Changes in Family and Business Life 176 - 5. Occupations 183 - 6. Homogeneity of Grantees 185 - 7. Results of Business Rehabilitation 186 - 8. Reasons for Success and Failure 187 - - II. ANALYSIS BY OCCUPATIONS, STUDY OF REFUSALS, AND SUMMARY 196 - - 1. Success or Failure in Relation to Occupations 196 - 2. Study of Refusals 208 - 3. Summary of the Results of Business Rehabilitation 210 - - -I - -THE PEOPLE AIDED AND THE RESULTS OBTAINED - - -1. THE PLAN ITSELF - -Business rehabilitation grants were made from the beginning of the -relief work in cases where assistance in another form would have been -less effective. Thus, on May 16 and 18, within a month after the -disaster, the Rehabilitation Bureau made a grant of $75 for a shoe -repairing shop, and another of $100 for a restaurant, and on May 30 and -June 29, 1906, grants of from $250 to $500 each for a restaurant, a -rooming house, a book store, and a grocery. It is interesting to note -that to no one of these first six business cases was it found necessary -to give additional aid. The Rehabilitation Committee soon after its -organization, July 2, 1906, roughly formulated its business -rehabilitation policy, which is embodied in the following notes from the -minutes of July 19: - - 1. The Committee is not disposed to set people up in business in which - they have not previously been engaged, although it is possible some - exceptions will have to be made. - - 2. Estimates of amount necessary to start a business must be cut to - the lowest practical figure. - - 3. References and other evidence should be required that applicant is - capable and that request is reasonable. - -The theory of rehabilitation in business, craft, or calling remained -practically the same from May, 1906, to the close of the work in 1908. -Nevertheless, there were differences from time to time in the handling -of applications, due to the factors which have been shown in the -preceding part[153] to have influenced the rehabilitation work in -general. In the first period the applications for business -rehabilitation were comparatively few and the grants small. In the -second, the Rehabilitation Committee was getting fully prepared to carry -its work. In the third, no new applications for business were received -and action on those pending was deferred, except in the cases of -unsupported women and aged people. These were given business -rehabilitation during the period of arrested progress only when the need -was very urgent and other means failed. In the beginning of the fourth -period a sub-committee of the Rehabilitation Committee, known as -Committee VI, was appointed[154] to consider business rehabilitation -cases. The work of Committee VI and the fourth period are practically -synchronous, because after the beginning of the fifth period, in April, -1907, the few business rehabilitation cases considered were acted upon -by the Rehabilitation Committee itself without the intervention of its -sub-committee. - - [153] See Part II, p. 113 ff. - - [154] See Part II, p. 125. - -Committee VI was fortunate in having for its chairman Charles F. Leege, -a merchant and banker of wide acquaintance and of extended experience, -and four members, three of whom had had abundant commercial training. It -had a staff consisting of a secretary, six to eight visitors, and three -clerks. - -This committee took up its work with enthusiasm, for its members -believed that in no way could money be spent to greater advantage than -in the manner proposed. While the business applications which had been -accumulating since August were being disposed of, in November, 1906, -printed forms[155] were prepared for future applications, and the public -was notified of the conditions under which business aid might be -obtained by means of the following announcement, displayed for some days -in the newspapers: - - SAN FRANCISCO RELIEF AND RED CROSS FUNDS - - (Incorporated) - - Rehabilitation Department - - For business rehabilitation, applications will be received from those - who have been successful in trade, business, or profession, and who - have been so crippled by the fire that they cannot now provide - themselves with the necessary equipment or stocks in trade, and who - have no other way of supporting themselves or their families. - - Assistance can be given in a limited way only, and for the same line - of business, and the committee reserves the right to deny any - applications. - - Applicants can address a letter or postal card to Business Committee, - Gough and Geary, San Francisco, giving name and address. Blanks will - be sent immediately, which must be filled and returned by mail. No - applications will be received after November 30, 1906. - - Personal calls and applications cannot be received. - - [155] See Appendix II, p. 443. - -The blanks sent to applicants were framed so as to help the applicant to -explain clearly on what scale he had been doing business up to the time -of the disaster, what was the present relation of his assets to his -liabilities, and on what scale he proposed to re-establish. He was -directed to present letters from wholesalers or others with whom he had -had business relations. As a part of the subsequent investigation, it -was often possible for the committee’s visitors to secure written -statements from creditors or from wholesalers, stating definitely what -terms they were willing to make for the payment of old debts or for the -establishment of new credits. - -An applicant’s plan for re-establishment was not considered complete -until it included a proposed definite location. Before making a grant -for a lodging house or shop, the location for either of which is -important, the committee usually required the applicant to secure a -definite option on a reasonably good location. One of the most important -functions of the visitors on the staff was to visit and to determine the -merits of these proposed locations. Every effort was made to prevent an -applicant from starting business in a poor but costly location merely as -an excuse for securing an allowance from the relief funds. - -The general aim of Committee VI was to supply the right sort of man with -money enough to pay one month’s rent, to buy the necessary fixtures, and -to cover a deposit on stock or on machinery or instruments. The -applicant went into debt for the rest of his equipment, with the idea of -discharging the debt little by little from the profits of the business. - - -2. THE STUDY OF RESULTS - -Between October, 1906, and April, 1907, Committee VI considered 2,032 -applications. Applicants to the number of 464 were refused aid of any -nature; 111 applicants were given aid, but for purposes other than -business; and 1,226 were given business aid in amounts ranging from $50 -to $500.[156] The remaining 231 cases were withdrawn or taken over by -other committees. Most of the applicants, many of whom collected little -or no insurance upon property destroyed by the fire, represent the class -that prefer a very modest living in an enterprise of their own to better -wages working for others. There were those, too, who by reason of age or -other infirmity had small prospect of holding their own as wage-earners, -and can hardly be said to have had the choice between the two ways of -making a living. - - [156] Committee VI made about one-fourth of all the business grants - that were made. The total number of cases in which grants were made - was 4,916, and the total sum granted was $872,437.20. See Tables 40 - and 41, pp. 157 and 158. - -A re-visit, for the Relief Survey, to persons who had applied for aid -for business purposes, was begun in July, 1908, and completed in -November, 1908. This re-visit covered 1,000 cases, in 894 of which aid -had been given, and in 106 refused. Cases from all periods of the -rehabilitation work were selected at random, and should therefore be -representative. Of the 894 grants, 196 were made before October 27, -1906, by individual committeemen representing the Rehabilitation -Committee. The remaining 698 grants to these cases were the work of the -special sub-committee known as Committee VI. The average grant for -business received by the 894 applicants to whom grants were made was -$247.55. - -It is not to be understood, from the statement that 1,000 persons were -re-visited, that all were found and personally interviewed. A number of -the families had disappeared and could not be found. In cases of this -sort an effort was made to secure as much information as possible from -outside sources; and naturally the information supplied was more -complete on some phases of family or business life than on others. - -The word “family” in the sections which follow is used as meaning any -applicant for aid and the persons with whom he lived. As will be shown -below, a number of the families aided consisted of but one person. - - -3. THE FAMILIES AND INDIVIDUALS AIDED - -Data as to nativity were obtained for 750 of the 894 revisited families -which received aid. These are shown in Table 48. - -TABLE 48.--NATIVITY OF HEADS OF FAMILIES RECEIVING BUSINESS -REHABILITATION - - ================+==================== - Country of birth|Heads of families of - | each specified - | nativity - ----------------+-------------------- - America | 377 - Germany | 96 - Ireland | 93 - Italy | 29 - England | 26 - France | 24 - Russia | 22 - Mexico | 12 - Canada | 12 - Austria | 8 - Roumania | 7 - Denmark | 7 - Others | 37 - ----------------+-------------------- - Total | 750 - ----------------+-------------------- - -From this statement of the nativity of heads of families, it appears -that the American born constituted almost exactly half (50.3 per cent) -of the entire number. There were, among the heads of the families aided, -122 Hebrews, of whom 22 were born in Russia, seven in Roumania, five in -Austria, four each in Germany and in America, and one each in Poland, -Hungary, Turkey and England; 76 Hebrews did not give their nativity. -Together, the Hebrew families constituted over 16 per cent of all the -families revisited for which information as to nativity was secured. -Table 49 shows the conjugal condition of the families aided. - -TABLE 49.--CONJUGAL CONDITION OF FAMILY GROUPS RECEIVING BUSINESS -REHABILITATION[157] - - ======================================+========================== - Conjugal condition |Families of each specified - | conjugal condition - --------------------------------------+-------------------------- - Married couples | 394 - Women, widowed, divorced, or separated| 286 - Single women | 93 - Men, widowed, divorced or separated | 55 - Single men | 61 - --------------------------------------+-------------------------- - Total | 889 - --------------------------------------+-------------------------- - - [157] Of the 894 family groups investigated, five consisted of men who - failed to supply information relative to conjugal condition. - -The table shows that there were 394 married couples among these families -that had received aid. Man and wife were of the same nativity in 360 -cases, and of differing nativities in 34 cases. - -The average size of the family groups aided with business grants was -relatively small, being but 2.8 persons per family. The average number -of children per family was low, partly because of the large number of -single persons aided; but the average number per marriage was low, too, -being 1.37. Of the 394 married couples, 124 had no children at all, or -none living at home; of the 286 widowed, divorced, or separated women, -128 had no children at home; of the 55 widowed, divorced, or separated -men, 33 had no children with them. - -The ages of all but 19 of the applicants who received aid are known. Of -the 875 concerning whom information is available, only 3 per cent were -over seventy; 45 per cent not more than forty; 60 per cent not more than -fifty; and 77 per cent, over three-fourths, not more than sixty. More -than one-half were between thirty-five and fifty-five years of age. - -The 894 family groups aided included, at the time of the re-visit, 2,270 -individuals. Of these, 1,138, or 50.1 per cent, were fully -self-supporting; 113, or 5 per cent, were partially self-supporting; and -1,019, or 44.9 per cent, were dependent. The burden on the breadwinners -is thus seen to have been relatively light. However, the income from -most of their businesses was very small. It was less than the wages -earned in the organized trades and fluctuated so that it was found -impossible to reduce net receipts to dollars and cents. - -In many cases when grants were given to persons who had no young -children, they were given in consideration of the fact that there were -others, often aged parents, depending upon them. This is true of -one-third of the single women and about two-fifths of the single men. - - -4. CHANGES IN FAMILY AND BUSINESS LIFE - -Partly as a result of the fire, and partly, no doubt, from other causes, -the situation of the families aided with respect to membership, manner -of living, and business arrangements, was somewhat different at the time -of the re-visit from what it had been before the fire. The families -aided had been composed, previous to the fire, of exactly 2,500 -individuals. When the re-visit was made, 29 of these individuals had -died and 201 had disappeared, leaving 2,270 individuals in the families -studied. - -Of the 894 families, 691, or 77 per cent, were found not to have changed -in membership. For 83 families no data on this subject could be secured. -Changes of membership in the remaining 120 families are shown in Table -50. - -TABLE 50.--CHANGES IN FAMILY COMPOSITION BETWEEN PERIOD BEFORE FIRE AND -THE RE-VISIT IN 120 FAMILIES RECEIVING BUSINESS REHABILITATION - - ============================================+================== - Nature of change | Changes of each - | specified nature - --------------------------------------------+------------------ - Women married since fire | 21 - Men married since fire | 5 - Separated couples reunited | 2 - Couples divorced or separated | 6 - Wives deserted by husbands | 3 - Women widowed | 23 - Men widowed | 5 - Families in which other deaths have occurred| 21 - Children married since fire | 22 - Unmarried children away | 12 - --------------------------------------------+------------------ - Total | 120 - --------------------------------------------+------------------ - -A further classification of the 120 families shows that in 16 families, -consolidation, instead of separation, had taken place. Any tendency of -families to stay together or of related families to consolidate, was -fostered by the policy of the Rehabilitation Committee, which was to -treat the family group, if possible, as a unit, and to give but one -grant and that to one member on behalf of the whole family. - - -RENTALS AND CHARACTER OF PREMISES - -Of the families aided, some had living quarters connected with their -places of business, while others lived away from their offices or -stores. Some families owned the premises which they occupied, but the -great majority paid rent for business accommodations, for residences, or -for both. For 197 of the 894, data could not be secured upon this -subject. The situation of the remaining 697 families with respect to -the payment of rentals, both before the fire and at the time of the -re-visit, is shown by Table 51. - -TABLE 51.--NATURE OF PREMISES OCCUPIED AND OF RENTALS PAID BEFORE AND -AFTER THE FIRE, BY FAMILIES RECEIVING BUSINESS REHABILITATION - - ==============================================+======================= - Premises and rentals |CASES IN WHICH PREMISES - | AND RENTALS WERE AS - | SPECIFIED - +-----------+----------- - |Before fire|After fire - ----------------------------------------------+-----------+----------- - One rental for business and residence combined| 481 | 353 - Two rentals | 161 | 98 - One business rental (residence owned) | 16 | 13 - No rental (combined premises owned) | 6 | 34 - One residence rental | 33 | 152 - Not in business and not paying rent | .. | 47 - ----------------------------------------------+-----------+----------- - Total | 697 | 697 - ----------------------------------------------+-----------+----------- - -The table shows that there were many changes in the rental situation of -the families. Before the fire, 658 families paid a business rent; that -is, hired either a separate place of business or quarters in which -business and residence could be combined. The latter plan was followed -by 481 families, the separate rental plan by 161. The remaining 16 paid -a business rent only, as they owned the house they lived in. After the -fire, only 464 of the families were paying a business rent. The -falling-off is most marked in the group of persons following the more -ambitious plan of renting a place of business separate from the -residence. Note the six families that before the fire owned premises for -business and residence combined. This number was raised through the -disaster to 34, most of whom were found, however, to be carrying on some -small enterprise in a cottage taken from a camp to a cheap suburban lot. -The 33 that paid only residence rent before the fire are among the -families that were given money for business though not in business -before the fire. The 152 families that, since the fire, had been paying -residence rent only, and the 47 that were paying no rent, were the -families that had utterly failed to recover their ground. Some were -working for wages; the rest were dependent on relatives or the public. - -[Illustration: A plumber’s new start - -Laundry and residence - -CAMP COTTAGES USED FOR BUSINESS] - -RESIDENCE RENTALS AND SIZE OF RESIDENCES. Of the 894 families there were -125 that are known to have paid rental for separate residence quarters, -both before and after the fire. The rents paid and the number of rooms -occupied at both periods by 94 of these are known, so that the housing -conditions of these families may be discussed apart from their business -affairs. - -TABLE 52.--RESIDENCE RENTALS PAID, BEFORE AND AFTER THE FIRE, BY 94 -FAMILIES RECEIVING BUSINESS REHABILITATION, WHO PAID RENTALS FOR -SEPARATE RESIDENTIAL QUARTERS IN BOTH PERIODS - - =====================+======================= - Monthly rentals |FAMILIES PAYING RENTALS - | SPECIFIED - +-----------+----------- - |Before fire|After fire - ---------------------+-----------+----------- - Less than $10 | 13 | 14 - $10 and less than $20| 38 | 30 - $20 and less than $30| 26 | 23 - $30 and less than $40| 13 | 12 - $40 and over | 4 | 15 - ---------------------+-----------+----------- - Total | 94 | 94 - ---------------------+-----------+----------- - -The highest rent paid before the fire was $45; after the fire, $65. It -will be noted that both before and after the fire, these families were -able to pay rents that would seem to have assured fairly comfortable -housing accommodations. Before the fire 45.7 per cent of the families -paid a rental of $20 a month or more; after, 53.2 per cent were paying -$20 or more. - -It was found impracticable to establish the relation between rent paid -and income received, for the reason that scarcely a person interviewed -was able, however willing he might be, to say what his income for a year -past had been. Income in most instances had been exceedingly irregular, -and ordinarily the most that a man could say to the visitor was that his -business had or had not met its running expenses; had or had not, in -addition, furnished some sort of a living for the family; was or was not -paying instalments on the principal of any debt incurred in starting. -Therefore, the standard of life represented by the families in this -study can be shown only by indirect means. - -One of the best of the indirect indications of standards of living -consists in the number of rooms occupied for residential purposes. The -situation in this respect, before and after the fire, of the 94 families -for which information was secured, is shown by Table 53. - -TABLE 53.--NUMBER OF ROOMS IN RESIDENCES OCCUPIED, BEFORE AND AFTER THE -FIRE, BY 94 FAMILIES RECEIVING BUSINESS REHABILITATION, WHO PAID RENTALS -FOR SEPARATE RESIDENTIAL QUARTERS IN BOTH PERIODS - - ==================+============================ - Number of rooms | FAMILIES OCCUPYING - |RESIDENCES OF EACH SPECIFIED - | NUMBER OF ROOMS - +-------------+-------------- - | Before fire | After fire - ------------------+-------------+-------------- - 1 | 19 | 20 - 2 | 3 | 5 - 3 | 28 | 33 - 4 and less than 8 | 39 | 32 - 8 and less than 15| 5 | 4 - ------------------+-------------+-------------- - Total | 94 | 94 - ------------------+-------------+-------------- - -The table shows that no striking change took place in the number of -rooms used for residence by these families. Individual families had -their ups and downs, however. Whereas 39 families occupied the same -number of rooms after the fire as before, 31 occupied fewer than before, -and only 24 occupied more than before. As for outlay for rent for living -quarters, 13 of these 94 families paid the same rent before and after; -27 paid less after the fire, and 54 paid more after the fire. - -In some instances the disparity in the amount paid in the two epochs by -the individual family is very great. Some families were found to be -paying twice and some even three times as much rent as before the fire, -in spite of the strong effort that people naturally made to secure -quarters corresponding in size and price with those previously occupied. -On the other hand, some of the childless couples did not try at once to -resume housekeeping, but boarded, so that their rent dropped from the -price of a flat to that of a single room. When families undertook to -re-establish themselves in 1906-1907, the city was not sufficiently -rebuilt to afford every family just what it required in the way of -quarters at a reasonable price; but the families showed themselves -highly adaptable by taking what they could get, and making the best of -it. - -BUSINESS RENTALS. The list of 894 cases affords 76 instances of families -who, both before and after the fire, maintained places of business -separate from their residences, and the amount of rent paid by 74 of -these families for business quarters is known. The residence rents of 56 -of them have been discussed in the preceding paragraphs. The data -relative to business rents are presented in Table 54. - -TABLE 54.--BUSINESS RENTALS PAID, BEFORE AND AFTER THE FIRE, BY 74 -FAMILIES RECEIVING BUSINESS REHABILITATION, WHO PAID RENTALS FOR -SEPARATE BUSINESS QUARTERS IN BOTH PERIODS - - =======================+====================== - Monthly rentals | FAMILIES PAYING - | RENTALS SPECIFIED - +-----------+---------- - |Before fire|After fire - -----------------------+-----------+---------- - Less than $20 | 23 | 19 - $20 and less than $40 | 25 | 22 - $40 and less than $60 | 11 | 12 - $60 and less than $80 | 9 | 10 - $80 and less than $100 | 0 | 5 - $100 and less than $300| 6 | 6 - -----------------------+-----------+---------- - Total | 74 | 74 - -----------------------+-----------+---------- - -Of the 74 families, 10 were paying the same rent as before the fire, 21 -less rent, and 43 more rent. The premises rented were as follows: 30 -shops, 23 stores, 12 offices, 3 stands, 2 restaurants, a studio, a -stable, a coal yard, and a junk yard. Eight enterprising persons who -took advantage of unsettled conditions to secure better quarters at a -much higher rental in better locations than before the fire were doing -well. - -There are no such striking cases of retrenchment in business rent as -appeared when families gave up housekeeping and went to board. Unless a -man could resume business on a scale corresponding in some degree with -the scale on which he had done business before the fire, he often -became a wage-earner. Where he did drop from a relatively high to a -relatively low rent, his business usually suffered a corresponding -decline. Many people evidently failed to secure advantageous locations, -and though their actual rent was less than it had been, it was harder to -meet. - -COMBINED RESIDENCE AND BUSINESS RENTALS. The simplest and cheapest -arrangement for a family engaged in business is to live in the house in -which the business is carried on. Except in the case of lodging houses, -this presupposes smaller rental and in most instances, smaller income, -because places of business with living quarters attached are usually -remote from the business centers of the town, and attract therefore a -smaller volume of trade. The list of combined quarters is a long one. Of -the families re-visited, 302 are known to have lived in combined -quarters both before and after the fire. Data are complete for 285 of -the 302 cases, and the amounts paid are given in Table 55. - -TABLE 55.--COMBINED BUSINESS AND RESIDENTIAL RENTALS PAID, BEFORE AND -AFTER THE FIRE, BY 285 FAMILIES RECEIVING BUSINESS REHABILITATION, WHO -PAID COMBINED RENTALS IN BOTH PERIODS - - =======================+======================= - Monthly rentals |FAMILIES PAYING RENTALS - | SPECIFIED - +-----------+----------- - |Before fire|After fire - -----------------------+-----------+----------- - Less than $10 | 13 | 33 - $10 and less than $20 | 61 | 27 - $20 and less than $30 | 75 | 53 - $30 and less than $40 | 34 | 58 - $40 and less than $50 | 32 | 44 - $50 and less than $60 | 26 | 25 - $60 and less than $80 | 25 | 24 - $80 and less than $100 | 7 | 6 - $100 and less than $200| 8 | 10 - $200 and less than $400| 4 | 5 - -----------------------+-----------+----------- - Total | 285 | 285 - -----------------------+-----------+----------- - -The quarters secured by the payment of the above rentals include 200 -premises with from 1 to 120 rooms; 37 stores with from 1 to 8 rooms -attached; 25 shops with from 1 to 7 rooms; 12 offices with from 1 to 9 -rooms; 3 studios with from 1 to 3 rooms; 2 saloons with rooms; 2 stables -with rooms; and a factory, a restaurant, a stand, and a theater, each -with a room or rooms attached. - -To secure these quarters, 34 families were paying the same rent as -before the fire, 110 were paying less, and 141, or 49.5 per cent, were -paying more than before. Of the 33 families who paid less than $10 a -month after the fire, 15 had before paid higher rents. Subsequent to the -disaster each of these families rented ground in an out of the way -place, and had put up a shack for a factory or utilized a refugee -cottage for shop and residence. - -Rents have been gone into in detail because, more than any other item, -they show the far-reaching family changes brought about by the disaster. -Astonishing, indeed, is the adaptability of families whose quarters, -from being one room, became seven; or from being eight, became one; -whose rent jumped from $20 for a restaurant and two rooms before the -fire, to $175 for a restaurant and one room afterwards; or who, having -lived for years in a twelve-room house for $35, dropped after the fire, -to a $7.50 ground rent for space for a three-room shack. - -As conditions in San Francisco approach more and more nearly what they -were before the fire,[158] it is to be hoped that the families can -better see how to adjust their efforts so that business will yield at -least a fair living. The details of many of these long-continued -struggles of adjustment are striking, not to say dramatic, and it is to -be regretted that the following pages must deal rather with the general -features of the contest and, for sake of compactness, omit much that -would serve to clothe the dry bones of statistics with living flesh. - - [158] It may be that the steady growth which San Francisco is destined - to make will prevent the rent of business premises ever falling to - before-fire levels. - - -5. OCCUPATIONS - -The Rehabilitation Committee made 4,736 grants to as many families to -enable them to resume business of 219 different kinds. The 894 families -re-visited are a little less than 20 per cent of the whole number. In -the grants made to these, 126 occupations are represented. - -Grants were confined almost entirely to re-establishing families in a -line of business in which they had been engaged as proprietors. A -departure from this rule was for good cause, such as the death or injury -of the former head of the business, or a change in trade conditions. The -number of exceptions is 75, or 8.4 per cent of the whole number of -re-visited families receiving grants. They are: 28 wage-earners and six -housewives given grants to enter business; and 41 former proprietors -aided to re-engage in business in an entirely different line. - -In 79 cases it was recognized at the time the grants were made that it -would be impracticable to reinstate the applicant on the before-fire -scale. In such cases it was hoped that business would be successful -enough on a small scale to admit of gradual expansion. Table 56 shows -the occupations for which grants were most frequently given. - -TABLE 56.--PROPOSED OCCUPATION OF APPLICANTS RECEIVING BUSINESS -REHABILITATION - - =======================================+======================= - Proposed occupation |Applicants who proposed - | to follow each - | specified occupation - ---------------------------------------+----------------------- - Boarding and rooming house | 256 - Tailor shop | 46 - Dressmaking shop | 45 - Notions or branch bakery | 33 - Barber shop | 30 - Restaurant | 30 - Grocery store | 24 - Huckster or peddler | 23 - Millinery shop | 21 - Seamstress | 20 - Cigar stand | 19 - Boot and shoe making and repairing shop| 18 - Physician’s equipment | 18 - Printing shop | 16 - Drayman | 14 - Painting contractor’s shop | 14 - Other occupations | 267 - ---------------------------------------+----------------------- - Total | 894 - ---------------------------------------+----------------------- - -Among the 267 cases entered in the table opposite “other occupations,” -there were 61 occupations with only one representative each, and 49 -with from two to thirteen representatives each. - - -6. HOMOGENEITY OF GRANTEES - -Of the 2,032 applicants for business rehabilitation considered by the -business committee, 464, or about 23 per cent, were refused business -aid, though many who were judged not to be suitable candidates for -business rehabilitation were given aid for other purposes. This severe -weeding out of candidates for one definite, specialized form of aid had -this result, that those aided were a group homogeneous to a high degree. -This fact was voiced often by the investigators during the progress of -the work and by the staff that did the re-visiting in 1908, and was -mirrored in the uniform reports filed by all these visitors. The -uniformity shown in the records was not due to superficial inquiries, -for data were unusually full and often included side-lights on the -situation thrown by old friends, former business associates, former -landlords, and other references. A further indication that the business -group was looked on as being practically homogeneous is the fact that -there were so many unconditional grants of $250. The phenomenon of so -many of the grants being for exactly $250 may have been due in part to -the effort to make the average grant not more than one-half[159] of what -was the established $500 maximum grant, or may have been a reflection of -the committee’s impression that there was little to distinguish many of -the applicants, one from another, either as to plight or as to -recuperative power. - - [159] See Part II, p. 129, for the result of limiting a committee’s - power to make grants larger in amount than $500. - -The applicants that received aid were almost uniformly persons who had -had successful business experience. Most had founded their own -enterprises; none, as far as the records show, had come into his holding -by inheritance, as might have been the case in an older city; and few by -purchase of an established business. There were but few of the -applicants who had occupied for any great length of time the place -burned out. A shifting population and the resultant changes in minor -business centers had been the instruments by which the less fit had been -to a great extent eliminated in the years preceding the disaster. - - -7. RESULTS OF BUSINESS REHABILITATION - -The nature of the occupations which the 894 re-visited families that -were given aid proposed, with the assistance of the committee, to -re-enter, or, in a few cases, to enter for the first time, has already -been shown. How many of these families, at the time of the re-visit in -1908, nearly two years later, had succeeded in getting into and -continuing in business? The answer to this question will go far toward -showing the success or failure of the work of business rehabilitation. - -Data showing the status of the grantees in 1908 are presented in Table -57 and the chart which follows. - -TABLE 57.--BUSINESS AND EMPLOYMENT STATUS AT THE TIME OF THE RE-VISIT, -OF APPLICANTS RECEIVING BUSINESS REHABILITATION - - ========================================+========================== - Status of applicants who received aid |CASES IN WHICH APPLICANT’S - | STATUS WAS AS SPECIFIED - +---------------+---------- - | Number | Per cent - ----------------------------------------+---------------+---------- - In business as planned | 507 | 56.7 - In other business | 36 | 4.0 - Employed in line same as former business| 66 | 7.4 - Employed in line different from former | | - business | 29 | 3.2 - Neither in business nor employed | 256[160] | 28.7 - ----------------------------------------+---------------+---------- - Total | 894 | 100.0 - ----------------------------------------+---------------+---------- - - [160] This group includes 29 applicants who were known to have died - before the time of the re-visit. - -The table and chart show what the Relief Survey visitors found in 1908. -They found 543, or 60.7 per cent, of the families in business; 507 in -exactly the kind of business contemplated by the grant, and 36 in -business of another sort. A much smaller group, 95, or 10.6 per cent of -the total, were engaged in gainful occupations, but not as proprietors. -Of these 95, 66 were employed in the same business, and 29 in a -different line of business than before the fire. There remain 256, or -28.7 per cent of the total number, who were not in business or employed. -The visitors found that of this last group 36 were housewives; eight -were unsettled, their affairs being in a transition state; 33 were -dependent; 31 were known to have left San Francisco; 29 were known to -have died; and 119 were not to be found for a personal interview by the -visitors. Of this latter number, 75 had dropped completely out of sight. - -[Illustration: Neither in business nor employed, 256 or 28.7% - -Employed in line different from former business, 29 or 3.2% - -Employed in line same as former business, 66, or 7.4% - -In other business, 36, or 4% - -In business as planned, 507, or 56.7% - -BUSINESS AND EMPLOYMENT STATUS AT THE TIME OF THE RE-VISIT, OF 894 -APPLICANTS RECEIVING BUSINESS REHABILITATION] - -Of the 351 found not to be in business at the time of the revisit, 140 -are known to have started in business and then dropped out. The -remaining 211, as far as the records show,--some no doubt for the best, -and others for the flimsiest of reasons,--failed even to get into -business. - - -8. REASONS FOR SUCCESS AND FAILURE - -As has been shown in the preceding section, some of the families aided -were as a result of rehabilitation successfully established in business, -while others either did not embark at all in business ventures or began -business only to discontinue. It is important to determine as far as -possible the causes that resulted in success in some cases and in -failure in others. Among the questions which, in the judgment of the -writer, should be considered in this connection, are the following: - -1. Was the grant made in a manner suited to the need of the case? - -2. Was the grant timely? - -3. Was the grant adequate? - -4. Was the location chosen for business a good one? - -5. Was the applicant handicapped by ill health of himself or family? - -6. Did the applicant begin business with sufficient capital? - -It will be noted that the first three questions relate to the deliberate -action of the Committee, and involve a judging of its work by the -reviewer. Question 4 relates to the applicant’s ability to secure or his -own good fortune in securing proper quarters, and also involves a -judgment by the reviewer. Questions 5 and 6 relate to the circumstances -of the applicant. - -MANNER IN WHICH GRANT WAS MADE. The reviewer for the Relief Survey in -1908 found in 21 case records strong internal evidence to the effect -that the grant had not been made in the proper manner. Appropriate -safeguards had not been provided to assure the carrying out of the plan. -Of the 21 families, 12 failed to start in business, one started and gave -up, and only eight were in business in 1908. - -Ignoring those who managed to make a start, let us briefly consider the -12 who failed to do so. A woman who planned to separate from her husband -was granted money to establish a rooming house to support herself and -baby. By mistake the money was handed to the husband, who kept it and -turned her and the child out of the house. She then obtained a divorce -but she never recovered the money. A tailor, sixty-one, who claimed he -was “afraid of the high rents,” spent his grant for living expenses. The -visitor could see no reason why he should not have made a start. In the -other 10 cases there was serious illness or disability in the families, -so the grants were spent to meet doctors’, hospital, or undertakers’ -bills. In each instance the expenditure was an error of judgment on the -part of the beneficiary, as he might have made a second claim on the -relief fund for medical aid until his business should be on a paying -basis. It showed a hesitancy in applying for relief to be expected on -the part of those whose lifelong habit was to be entirely independent. -The 12 families could have been started in business if the expenditure -of the grants had been supervised by a third person acting as agent of -the committee. - -[Illustration: Cigar store of an Italian cripple - -Store owned by a German-Swiss couple - -BUSINESS REHABILITATION] - -The policy of supervision should not have been extended to all business -cases, for the applicants were of all the classes seeking aid the ones -best fitted to put money to good use. But supervision might well have -been extended to all the families which carried obvious burdens of -illness or such handicaps as advancing years, a visionary outlook, or a -lack of initiative. The advantages to be derived from adequate -supervision are shown by the experience of 35 cases re-visited other -than the 21 mentioned above. In all of these 35 cases the results were -mutually satisfactory. In some cases the supervision was found to have -gone no further than the committee’s seeing that a plan was perfected -and a location secured; in others to the extent that an applicant was -not allowed to handle the grant money, it being expended on his behalf -by one of the committee’s visitors, by some other organization, or by a -personal friend acting as trustee. Consequently, the 35 started -business, and of the 33 found by the Relief Survey visitors, 23 were -still in business. - -Guidance in expenditure would undoubtedly have secured the permanent -re-establishment of many a family that through no fault of its own had -dropped hopelessly behind in the race. A supervised payment by -instalments, payments subsequent to a first instalment being conditional -on a square business start having been made, provided that the first -instalment had been adequate for a start, would have resulted in the -canceling of second instalments on grants made to persons with no -original intention of re-entering business or with changed plans. - -TIMELINESS OF GRANT. The second question, “Was the grant timely?” cannot -be answered by a positive “yes” or “no,” as the elusive personal -equation makes assertions fallible. In some cases the beneficiary could -with reason claim that earlier aid would have been more effective. - -There were a number of cases in which it seems obvious that the grants -were unnecessarily and unduly delayed. Twenty-two of these families, -notwithstanding the obstacle, were in business; the only comment to be -made is that some enterprising and refined families were left to endure -the hardships of camp life months after they might have been engaged in -independent business, had the machinery and the funds been available. - -Among applicants who started in business and later dropped out there was -one man so old that results would probably have been the same if there -had been no delay. In three other instances the grants were, in the -opinion of the reviewer, inadequate as well as delayed, a combination -well calculated to bring about failure. - -Among the families whose grants were delayed and who did not even start -in business there was one man whose grant was delayed for six months, -because the check was accidentally delivered to another person of the -same name. This man claimed to have lost good opportunities for -starting. Another grant was delayed forty days, not an unusual length of -time, but in the interval the subjects, a refined American woman and her -elderly husband, had suffered irreparably. The wife had injured herself -doing unsuitable work and had died, leaving the man powerless to open -the rooming house they had planned together. Another applicant, one of -the many whose cases were shelved from three to four months during the -dispiriting period of arrested progress, had a friend who was ready at -the time of the application to loan money to add to the relief grant for -starting a notion store. Three months later the friend’s circumstances -had changed, and with the relief money alone the applicant dared not -make the venture. The predicament of three other applicants was much the -same. By the time they received their business grants, late in the -winter of 1906, every cent of their insurance money had been used for -living expenses. Another illustrative story is that of a German cobbler -with a frail wife and two young children, who after the disaster had -$100 in savings. He bought tools, but as he could not support his family -by cobbling alone and his savings were gone, he asked for a business -grant. When he was finally given $200 to stock a small shop with shoes -to sell, he and his family had been sleeping on the floor for six -months. - -ADEQUACY OF GRANT. Inadequate aid, in the estimation of many of the -applicants, was the one stumbling block in the path to satisfactory -re-establishment. This question, like the two which have preceded it, -must be recognized as having an illusory quality. In the opinion of the -reviewer the complaint of inadequacy was justified in slightly over 100 -cases, in about three-fourths of which the grants were lower than the -average grant of $247. - -Of the 894 grants under consideration, only 52 were for $500[161] or -over, and 162 grants, or nearly one-fifth of the total, were for -exactly $250, from which it appears that the latter figure was firmly -lodged in the minds of the disbursers of the fund. But one in nine of -the re-visited applicants who received business rehabilitation, received -grants for other purposes. The average amount given to those who did -receive such subsidiary aid was $83.75. - - [161] See Part II, pp. 128-129, for explanation of limitation of - grants to less than $500. - -The ultra-cautious policy of the initial rehabilitation work was early -changed. Between June 1 and July 7, 1906, 21 checks for more than $100 -each had been drawn for business rehabilitation, the two highest being -each for $400. By the middle of July, four checks for $500 had been -drawn for business cases. Before the end of July, a $900 business loan -was made. A scanning of the early case records shows that the -committeemen were careful to give the exact amount needed. - -During the third rehabilitation period the size of the business grants -was much smaller than in the preceding period, two-fifths of the grants -being under $100 each and four-fifths less than $200. The average grant -for the 123 re-visited cases which had been passed during the second -period was $305.77; for the 73 passed during the third period, $191.16; -for the 698 passed during the fourth period, $242.26. Of applicants who -received aid in the third period, the period of arrested progress, when -the grants were small, a materially smaller proportion were in business -at the time of the review, than of those who received grants in the -second and fourth periods. - -A few examples show the fate of some applicants who were given prompt, -but apparently inadequate aid. - - * * * * * - -An elderly woman who applied for $250 for a rooming house was given -$100. She is doing well, but had to incur a heavy debt which by close -management, hard work, and with great mental anxiety she has been able -to pay off. - - * * * * * - -A family of five, the father sixty-three, the mother fifty-seven, and -their children, were given $150 for a rooming house. They took a -six-room flat and by subletting two rooms met their rent. But their plan -was to take a larger house which would bring in enough to provide more -than the equivalent of rent and which with the supplementary small -wages of a son and daughter in their teens, would have made a fair -income. - - * * * * * - -A tailor was given $125 to add to his own limited resources in order to -open a shop, but as he couldn’t make good he sold his shop and is now a -bushelman. - - * * * * * - -FAVORABLE LOCATION. After the fire there was naturally for a time a -scarcity of desirable locations for business. With ready money in hand, -those applicants who were keen to judge and prompt to act secured the -best places, while many were left to take locations with which they were -not satisfied and which proved to be unprofitable. - -In some instances locations good at first became undesirable through the -shifting of the population; certain business centers proved to be but -temporary and had to be abandoned like a sinking ship by all who had -begun business there. The man who did not have money to move when his -first location proved unfit, had to fail or discontinue. - -The proportion of re-visited applicants who, having been assisted to -engage in business, were still in business, was materially larger among -those applicants who, in the judgment of the reviewer, secured -satisfactory locations than among those whose locations seemed less -favorable. As is suggested in the preceding sentence, the quality of a -business location is largely a matter of opinion. If a business succeeds -it is easy to conclude that its location is good; if it fails a poor -location is a ready excuse. Here, again, a definite estimate is made -nugatory by the intrusion of underlying queries relative to the -applicants. How adaptable were they? How far sighted? How much -initiative had they? To such as were lacking in any of these qualities a -favorable location did not always mean success. - -HEALTH OF APPLICANTS AND FAMILIES. Serious illness in the family tended, -of course, to interfere with the carrying out of a business plan. The -outcome of business rehabilitation in cases where there was no serious -handicap of this nature, and in those where such a handicap existed, is -shown by Table 58. - -TABLE 58.--BUSINESS STATUS AT THE TIME OF THE RE-VISIT OF APPLICANTS -RECEIVING BUSINESS REHABILITATION, BY HEALTH OF FAMILIES.[162] - - ===========================================+=================+====== - Health of family | APPLICANT | Total - +--------+--------+ - | In | Not in | - |business|business| - -------------------------------------------+--------+--------+------ - Family all well or without serious handicap| 448 | 249 | 697 - Family seriously handicapped by ill health | 95 | 73 | 168 - -------------------------------------------+--------+--------+------ - Total | 543 | 322 | 865 - -------------------------------------------+--------+--------+------ - - [162] Of the 894 families investigated, 29 lost the applicant by death - before the time of the re-visit. - -Since the business grant was given in behalf of the family as a whole, -the health of the whole family including that of the head has been -considered. Of the 697 families without serious handicap, 448, or 64 per -cent, were in business at the time of the re-visit, while 95 of the 168 -families handicapped by ill health, or 57 per cent, were in business. -This latter proportion seems relatively high. Many a man or woman in -frail health can see that his hope for security lies in maintaining a -small business against all odds. The man with more capital and better -health has a chance to make a better income, but he who is without the -alternative of employment for wages cannot permit himself to be -deterred. A further study of the records seems to indicate that, among -the applicants still in business, the proportion who were doing poorly -is decidedly smaller in the case of those not handicapped by ill health -than in the case of those burdened by a handicap of this nature, whether -slight or serious. - -CAPITAL AVAILABLE. The part played by the amount of capital available -for starting afresh in business was an important one. The term capital -as here used includes the grant, and other resources, if any, such as -equipment or stock saved from the fire, insurance, savings, gifts, -loans, and credit. Table 59 shows the numbers starting business with -given amounts of capital, and shows what part the grant played therein. - -TABLE 59.--AMOUNT OF GRANTS TO AND OF CAPITAL AVAILABLE FOR APPLICANTS -RECEIVING BUSINESS REHABILITATION[163] - - ===========================+==============+=================== - Amount of grant or of grant|Cases in which| Cases in which - and capital | grant was as | capital available - | specified | for business, - | |inclusive of grant, - | | was as specified - ---------------------------+--------------+------------------- - Less than $300 | 476 | 231 - $300 and less than $500 | 159 | 121 - $500 and less than $700 | 58 | 145 - $700 and less than $1,000 | 1 | 89 - $1,000 to $5,000 | .. | 108 - ---------------------------+--------------+------------------- - Total | 694 | 694 - ---------------------------+--------------+------------------- - - [163] Of the 894 families investigated, 200 failed to supply - information relative to capital available. - -It has already been seen that grants ranged in amount from less than -$100 to $900. The amount of capital available for starting business -varied from less than $300 to as high as $5,000. More than two-thirds of -all persons in this group received less than $300 cash from the -committee. By virtue of other resources which some of the group had on -hand or managed to secure, 463, or almost exactly two-thirds of the -entire number, had $300 or more available for starting business. - -In general, the rehabilitation committee adhered to its announced policy -of helping only those that were accustomed to doing business on a small -scale. Even among these, however, there were degrees. For clarity, as -the division seems a convenient one, the discussion that follows will -recognize two groups: one of 497 persons whose available capital -including grants was less than $700, and one of 197 persons who had $700 -or more available for the start. These will be spoken of as the low -capital and the high capital groups respectively. In a similar way, -grants for business rehabilitation consisting of less than $300 will be -referred to as small grants, and grants of from $300 to $1,000 as large -grants. - -Of the 497 members of the low capital group, 380 received small grants -and 117 large grants; while of the 197 members of the high capital -group, 96 received small grants and the remaining 101 large grants. Thus -the proportion of applicants who received large grants was much larger -in the case of the high capital group than in the case of the low -capital group--an application, doubtless justifiable, of the scriptural -principle, “unto him that hath shall be given.” - -The members of the high capital group who received small grants were -possessed of other resources so considerable that the grant was, in many -instances, but a small fraction of the capital available for business. -In such cases, the grant derived its importance and its justification -from the fact that it was in the form of cash. The possession of a -certain amount of ready money was always necessary to secure a site, and -was often a necessary condition of obtaining credit. - -Whether or not a given capital is sufficient for a business venture will -depend largely on the nature of the business entered; and, as has -elsewhere been noted, the successful applicants for relief engaged in -many different and highly diversified undertakings. The discussion of -the adequacy of capital and of the relation of capital to grants will -therefore be deferred to the following chapter, in which the recipients -of business relief will be considered in occupational groups. - -SUMMARY. Outward circumstances have much to do with the success of a -business enterprise: the time, the place, and the money form a strong -combination, and with health thrown in for good measure the combination -is almost proof against disaster provided the right man make use of the -combination. A committee disbursing business aid which patiently -eliminated those doomed to fail, could get practically all of its -beneficiaries started if it were left free-handed throughout the whole -period of relief distribution to make well-timed and adequate grants, -and if it spent enough on administration to allow for the supervising of -grants whenever character and circumstances indicated the advisability -of doing so. It may be noted that the 45 persons who in the judgment of -the reviewer received timely aid, properly given, to the extent of $250 -or as much more as was needed; persons who had resources to equal or -exceed the grant, who were in good health, and who secured what seem to -have been good locations, had started in business. Only three of the 45 -had discontinued business, and of these, one had only temporarily -discontinued. - - -II ANALYSIS BY OCCUPATIONS, STUDY OF REFUSALS AND SUMMARY - - -1. SUCCESS OR FAILURE IN RELATION TO OCCUPATIONS - -The proportion of applicants aided who succeeded in establishing -themselves in business varied to a certain extent with the occupation -entered. Sufficient data relative to the occupations and success in -business could be secured for only 702 of the 894 applicants visited in -1908. The table next presented shows for the different occupational -groups the number of cases in which grants of each specified nature were -made and the proportion of these cases that were still in business at -the time of the re-visit. - -TABLE 60.--BUSINESS STATUS AT THE TIME OF THE RE-VISIT OF APPLICANTS -RECEIVING BUSINESS REHABILITATION, BY OCCUPATIONS.[164] - - ================================+============+================== - Nature of occupation | Applicants | APPLICANTS IN - | whose | BUSINESS IN 1908 - |occupations +------+----------- - | were |Number| Per cent - |as specified| | of all - | | |applicants - | | | receiving - | | | grants - --------------------------------+------------+------+----------- - Professional | 79 | 68 | 86.1 - Manufacturing and mechanical | | | - industries | 183 | 146 | 80.0 - Trade | 175 | 124 | 70.9 - Personal and domestic service | 249 | 168 | 67.5 - Transportation and miscellaneous| | | - pursuits | 16 | 7 | 43.8 - --------------------------------+------------+------+----------- - Total | 702 | 513 | 73.1 - --------------------------------+------------+------+----------- - - [164] In this table data are presented for only the 702 applicants of - the 894 investigated for whom complete information relative to - occupation and business success or failure was secured. - -The occupations shown in the table are not necessarily those for which -the grants were given, but the occupations in which applicants were -found engaged in 1908. - -If one thing stands out more clearly than another it is, that following -a disaster, persons who seek to re-establish themselves in professional -or manufacturing pursuits have a much higher expectation of success than -those that seek to re-establish themselves in trade or as proprietors in -some branch of personal and domestic service, such as a restaurant or a -rooming house. - -On an earlier page it has been noted that some applicants were unable to -make a start because of lack of capital. Lack of capital was less -seriously felt by those having mechanical or professional skill, to whom -the amount of capital held appeared to be of slight moment, than by -those in the two remaining groups. The relation of capital to success in -the trade and in the personal service groups is treated, therefore, at -some length in connection with the detailed discussion of these groups. - - -THE PROFESSIONAL GROUP - -Of the 88 members of the professional group re-visited, 79 whose cases -furnished data complete on the points to be considered are here studied. -As for the grants made, none exceeded $500 and 50 were for $250 or less. -Those whose offices, studios, and in many cases, homes also, had been -burned, had little left in the way of material possessions. Twenty -persons are noted on the visitors’ schedules as having had no resources -other than their grants. The amounts with which the members of this -group essayed to re-establish themselves were as follows: 34, less than -$500; 24, $500 and less than $700; and only 21, $700 or more. The -outcome by 1908 was: of the first group 29 were still in business; of -the second, 20; and of the third, 19. There were eight who had not -started, and three who had started and discontinued. - -In the cases of those that did start, the grant was as a rule applied as -a cash payment toward equipment. The difference between the amount of -capital and the amount of the grant, in general, measures the amount of -credit allowed by wholesalers in the purchase of instruments and -equipment. The proportion of success is high even among those with least -capital at their disposal, and no direct relation is to be discovered -between amount of capital and success except in the cases of a dentist -and a photographer who were found to be working for wages and to be -adding savings to their grants so as to start later with better -equipment. Six others, as stated above, also failed to start. A woman -pianist married and gave up her profession. A woman physician accepted a -position in her alma mater as an instructor. A stenographer took a -position on salary instead of opening her own office. An elderly music -teacher became a chronic invalid and was admitted to the Relief Home. A -man who had wanted to resume his work of giving electric treatments took -instead a position with the city board of health and the visitor who saw -him thinks he did not intend to resume his old line. Supervision of his -grant of $250 would have tested his good faith. Another case which -should have been supervised was that of an elderly showman who was given -$450 to replace the tent used to house the wax figures of his quaint -historical show. He spent most of the business grant for an operation to -restore the failing sight of his elderly wife. A supervisor could have -arranged for surgical care without interfering with rehabilitation. - -Three cases, as noted, started but to discontinue. A physician who had -received $450 from the Rehabilitation Committee and $100 from the -Physicians’ Fund, opened an office; then, having closed it “on account -of dull times,” left the city. A gymnasium director set up his -equipment, but found his location a poor one; therefore he stored his -apparatus and closed his place until he should find a better. A public -stenographer had typist’s cramp from overwork. When able to resume work, -he took a salaried position. More careful investigation and supervision -of the eleven unsuccessful cases would probably have resulted in -withholding the grant from one man, and getting one other into business. -But as a group the applicants accomplished all that was possible under -the circumstances, and that without the use of large sums of money. - - -MANUFACTURING AND MECHANICAL GROUP - -An almost equally high degree of success attended the efforts of 183 -persons engaged in manufacturing and mechanical industries. - -[Illustration: Owner aided by Rehabilitation Grant and money privately -loaned - -Hat maker aided by a Rehabilitation Grant - -BUSINESS REHABILITATION] - -These were largely tailors, dressmakers, shoemakers, painters, and metal -workers. In the group of 79 in which capital was under $300, the -attempts at rehabilitation of 50, or less than two-thirds, were -successful. In the group of 104 with more capital, the showing was -higher. The 26 who had $1,000 or more were without exception successful. - -There were 23 who started business and discontinued, and 14 who did not -start. Among these 37 cases, 10 failures appear to be due principally to -lack of capital, but the 27 remaining failures are to be attributed -largely to other causes, among which unfortunate choice of location and -ill health complicated with old age are uppermost. Two examples must -suffice: - -A shoemaker, aged sixty-six, presented a plan to Committee VI which -definitely called for $400 to buy a half interest in a given shop. He -was granted $250, but as he could make no satisfactory arrangements with -his proposed partner he began working at wages. A younger man with that -amount of cash might have started a shop of his own, but this was too -much to expect of one of his age. Another, a much younger man, failed to -make a success of his bakeshop. He leased a lot on which to build his -shop and invested in equipment his capital of $500. When competition -sprang up around him, he could neither afford to move nor to remodel his -shop in order to rent it to some one else for another purpose. - -Perhaps one-half of the foregoing 37 failures could have been averted or -mitigated by intelligent oversight. As a rule, however, it is safe to -assume that persons with the skill to do mechanical work require less -supervision than do those of the groups we are to discuss in the -following sections. - - -TRANSPORTATION AND MISCELLANEOUS GROUP - -Of the 16 members of this group, seven were established in business at -the time of the re-visit. Grants were given to 12 men to start as -teamsters or draymen. Ten of the 12 men bought teams, but only four were -still in business in 1908. The price of hay was high, and work at wages -easy to obtain; the two men who made no start became wage-earners. One -man who was given money to acquire a messenger service, had been -successful. Of the three remaining grantees of this group, one started a -chicken farm which was running with fair success; another, a cleaning -and dyeing establishment which was successful; and the third, a venture -of the last named kind which had failed in the first month. This last -proprietor after his failure had left the city. - -In considering the relatively small number of successes among the -members of this group, it must be remembered that the number of cases is -too small for the data to be truly representative. - - -PERSONAL AND DOMESTIC SERVICE GROUP - -Just as a small manufacturing enterprise is the avenue through which -skilled artisans seek by becoming small proprietors to reach -independence, so rooming and boarding houses, barber shops, restaurants, -laundries, and the like are the roads along which individuals of a less -skilled class travel to reach the same end. The cheap rooming houses of -today are often run by the charwomen of yesterday; the better grade -houses, by widowed housewives of somewhat higher station; the barber -shops, by erstwhile barber’s helpers; and the small restaurants and -lunch counters, by one-time cooks. Competition is extreme because -persons accustomed to small earnings are constantly entering these -fields with their little hoard of savings, ready to be satisfied with -very moderate returns. In the long run, business ability tells in this -as in all other lines of enterprise, but to this class adequacy of -equipment and suitable location are of relatively more importance than -in other forms of enterprise previously discussed. - -In a city changing as rapidly as San Francisco changed for the first -three years after the fire, the wisest could not tell with certainty how -long a certain locality would remain desirable for his purposes. Some -persons, in order to avoid prohibitive rents, signed leases for one or -two years, which held them in poor locations after their better judgment -told them they should move to keep near their shifting patrons. Under -such circumstances two or three hundred dollars in the bank, or even -less, might mean the difference between success and failure. - -Where competition is close it makes a very great difference whether the -equipment is owned outright or whether considerable monthly cash -instalments must be paid. It is true that in ordinary times clever -persons can fit up rooming houses and rent all the rooms at a fair -profit. But ordinarily the small house at best offers a woman nothing -more than an opportunity to be her own employer at very moderate wages; -her fate depending, at each recurring crisis, on a cash reserve -sufficient to carry her over a dull period, or to enable her to win in -an endurance test with a nearby competitor. Rooming houses are spoken of -specifically because more than three-fourths of the grants for personal -service enterprises were given for this purpose. - -As has been shown by Table 60, of 249 applicants visited in 1908 who had -been given aid for personal and domestic service and for whom data have -been tabulated, 168, or almost 68 per cent, were still in business at -the time of the re-visit. - -In this group the tendency of committeemen, already commented on, to -make grants about uniform in amount is clearly seen. In fact, 105, or -more than two-fifths of the 249 cases discussed in this section, -received grants that were $200, and less than $300. It was understood -that many of the enterprises required a considerably larger capital, but -the business committee had the theory that given a sum of $200 or $250 -any normally enterprising person could “raise” the rest. Many applicants -did so, but not all. By sub-dividing the 245 cases in which the amount -of capital is known into three groups we are able to see the respective -parts played by the relief grant and the applicants’ other resources. -The figures are given in Table 61. - -TABLE 61.--BUSINESS STATUS AT THE TIME OF THE RE-VISIT OF APPLICANTS -RECEIVING BUSINESS REHABILITATION FOR PERSONAL AND DOMESTIC SERVICE, BY -SIZE OF GRANTS AND AMOUNT OF CAPITAL[165] - - ==============================+===============+=========+====== - Business status |CASES IN WHICH |Cases in | Total - |CAPITAL WAS LOW| which | - +-------+-------+ capital | - | Grant | Grant |was high | - | small | large | | - ------------------------------+-------+-------+---------+------ - In business at time of revisit| 66 | 41 | 57 | 164 - Started and discontinued | 29 | 7 | 9 | 45 - Did not start | 27 | 5 | 4 | 36 - ------------------------------+-------+-------+---------+------ - Total | 122 | 53 | 70 | 245 - ------------------------------+-------+-------+---------+------ - - [165] Information relative to the amount of capital was secured for - only 245 of the 249 applicants receiving business rehabilitation for - personal and domestic service concerning whom data are presented in - Table 60. - -The classification of capital as high and low, and of grants as large -and small, has been discussed in the preceding chapter. The first group -dealt with in the table, which will be called for convenience the -small-grant low-capital group, consists of persons whose grant was less -than $300 and whose capital available for business, including grant, was -less than $700. Their enterprises in general were those of side streets -and out-of-the-way locations. - -The second group, known as the large-grant low-capital group, is made up -of persons whose grant was $300 or more, but whose entire capital was no -more than $700. They were largely persons whose previous enterprises had -been capitalized at over $700 and to whom the Rehabilitation Committee -gave liberal grants with the idea that the applicant would go into debt -for the balance needed. - -There remains a third group of the high-capital group which was -previously capitalized at from $700 up and which expected to go into -business in fairly prominent locations, on something like the old scale. -As its members had considerable resources, the grant, while it played an -important part in the applicant’s rehabilitation, was not the sole -factor determining a start. Such was frequently the case in the two -low-capital groups. The distinction between large grants and small -grants, as it is of much less importance to the members of this group -than to the members of the two low-capital groups, has not been -indicated in the table. - -It will be noted from the table that the proportion of applicants aided -who were in business at the time of the re-visit was largest for the -high-capital group, and much larger for the large-grant low-capital -group than for the small-grant low-capital group. Brief consideration -will now be given to each of the three groups. - -The small-grant low-capital group has 122 members. Of its members 93 -were given aid to open boarding and rooming houses, 15 to open barber or -hairdressing establishments, eight to start restaurants, three to start -laundries, and three to set up boot-blacking stands. Nearly two-thirds -of the group were widows, and 57 were persons or couples living alone. - -At the time the grants were made, 93, or more than three-fourths of this -group, had no other resources; 27 had savings, collectible insurance, or -real estate available for business. Data are lacking as to the resources -of the two remaining individuals. - -It was the hope of the Rehabilitation Committee that the large -proportion of persons who came empty-handed, would, on receipt of a lump -sum in itself insufficient to establish a business, develop latent -resources. Such was often the result. Of the 93 cases mentioned above as -having no before-fire resources, 46 received cash gifts other than the -relief grant, negotiated friendly loans, or were allowed credit with -former dealers. The manifestly right function of a relief grant of money -for business is distribution such as will not supplant aid from other -sources. But what of the small grants given to persons who could by -neither hook nor crook obtain a supplemental sum? Forty-six of the 93 -did succeed in getting help from other sources, and with three -exceptions, made a start. Forty-seven did not succeed in getting help -from other sources, 19 of whom failed to start. Of this 47, more than -one-third were past the age of fifty. It is precisely in the cases of -these individuals who have no other resources that supervising visitors -would prove useful in devising ways and means to get a venture launched, -arranging if necessary for a further committee grant. - -An inspection of the case records seems to show that the members of the -small-grant low-capital group who increased their resources by borrowing -were, on the whole, more successful than those who did not borrow. Of -the 50 applicants who went into debt, 34, about two-thirds, were found -in business in 1908, while of the 70 who incurred no debt, only 30, -considerably less than one-half, were in business. In the two remaining -cases of the 122, the data were incomplete. The plan of the -Rehabilitation Committee then, which was to have applicants use their -grants as the means of a start on a credit basis, seems justified as -applied to those individuals who have the courage to assume necessary -debts. - -The applicants who did not go into debt seem to have been -ultra-conservative persons for whom the rehabilitation program was too -strenuous. Doubtless for the most part they did well not to go into -debt. Most probably these were frugal souls who had never incurred risks -but had saved their wages and not made their original start until they -could equip a business for cash. Afterwards they had doubtless -continued, as they started, paying cash as they went along. It is not to -be expected of those who have done business on a cash basis all their -lives, that, when the passing years have done their work of lessening -initiative, they should cheerfully and confidently assume a burden of -debt. It would seem to be the duty of a relief committee to recognize -the handicap on those trying to earn their living through business who -never possessed the initiative of the typical business man, have been -robbed of it by age or ill health, or have been made conservative by -domestic responsibilities. - -The 122 cases of the small-grant low-capital group comprise one-half of -the re-visited persons to whom aid had been given for enterprises in -personal or domestic service. In view of the fact that but 66 of the -122, slightly over one-half, were in business in 1908, it seems evident -that a considerable number of these families (1) should not have been -given money except for household rehabilitation, (2) should have been -given sums materially larger in amount, or (3) should have been given -the advantage of expert supervision. - -Before leaving the subject of rehabilitation in personal service, it -will be well to note briefly the remaining 123 cases, which number -divide themselves into a large-grant low-capital group of 53 cases and a -high-capital group of 70 cases. - -The occupations of the members of the large-grant low-capital group were -much the same as the foregoing; of the 53 in this group, 40 secured -grants for boarding and rooming houses, seven for barber shops, and six -for restaurants. As in the case of the preceding group, a number of the -applicants went into debt in order to increase their capital available -for business; and again the Relief Survey records show that those who -incurred debt were, in general, more successful than those who did not. -Extreme care must, however, be exercised in formulating conclusions -because of the small number of cases involved. - -The 70 persons in the high-capital group represent higher standards and -more ambitious plans than the members of the preceding groups. The -grants were often small in amount because the applicant’s resources were -known to be substantial. Capital ranged in this group from $700 to -nearly $3,000. Again, rooming houses are in the ascendancy. There were -56 grants for this purpose, seven for restaurants, three for barber -shops, two for laundries, one for a towel supply concern, and one for a -window-cleaning enterprise. The families were constituted much as in -the small-grant low-capital group, over two-fifths being individuals or -couples living alone. Among the 175 cases of the two low-capital groups, -in which capital was under $700, only one-fifth of the number had -savings, insurance, or real estate available for business. In this -high-capital group 36, or more than half of the cases, had resources. - -Twenty-five out of the 36 who had resources, and every one of the 34 who -were without resources, went into debt, and all but four of the 70 -started business. In the low-capital groups those who stayed out of debt -exceeded those who incurred it. In this group, the great majority had -gone into debt, even including the greater number of those who had -insurance or savings in addition to their grant. - -Of 11 applicants who avoided debt, three did not start in business, but -eight who did so remained in business; while of the remaining 59, who -borrowed, all but one started, and 49 remained in business. Because of -the small number of cases, and particularly of cases in which no debt -was assumed, these figures must not be construed as establishing a -relationship between success and borrowing or failing to borrow. - -Some comparisons between these three groups are suggestive. It seems -that the families in the small-grant low-capital group must have needed -much more money than they had, or so many would not have failed to get -into business as planned. The small grants they received were not enough -to encourage them to incur a moderate debt and go ahead. Consequently, -only slightly over one-half succeeded in establishing themselves in -business. - -Persons in the large-grant low-capital group appear not to have needed -much additional assistance, for while considerably over half of them got -along without incurring debt, over three-fourths were established in -business. - -Those in the high-capital group needed sums of $700 or more to resume -business on anything like the old scale. The grants they received were -in many cases actually, and in most cases relatively, small. Even though -many had substantial resources, yet nearly all went into debt. That the -capital with which members of this group entered business was, in -general, sufficient, seems to be indicated by the fact that 57 of the -70 were in business at the time of the re-visit. - - -TRADE GROUP - -The success of small trade enterprises is affected in the confusion of -post-disaster conditions and, in the absence of expert supervision, -almost as much by the amount of capital available as is personal and -domestic service. Like the keeping of rooming houses and other branches -of personal service, trade is looked upon by the unskilled as an easy -means of earning a livelihood. But the prizes in trade are, as a matter -of fact, reserved for those rare few who have the special sense for -perceiving the “elusive value that hovers now here and now there.” The -average citizen, if he is to make even a modest living by trade, needs -certain material advantages to compensate him for the lack of that keen -economic sense possessed by the shining few who started with the -traditional pack and are now numbered among our merchant princes. When -the everyday citizen sets out to peddle, he must have a horse, a place -to keep him, hay to feed him while he lives, and money enough to make a -payment down on another if he dies. If the business is to be in a shop, -it must be fairly well located, and decently equipped with fixtures and -stock. He can go into debt for fixtures, but as a rule he can get little -credit for stock, especially if it is a mixed stock, like that of a -notion store, or perishable stock, such as food stuff. In fact, the only -shop keeper sure of holding his own in the face of universal competition -is the one who can pay a fair amount of rent from the start, can buy -attractive fixtures for cash, pay cash for all goods,--thus avoiding -interest charges on deferred payments,--and have enough margin left to -extend credit, when necessary, to customers and to carry stock over a -dull season. Such business does not from the start necessarily include -shelter for the family as is the case with a rooming house. It is often -many months before the net income is sufficient adequately to support -more than one person. - -So much for the average citizen, starting business on his own capital, -or given a lump sum by a relief committee and left, without supervision, -to run the risk of making costly if not irretrievable mistakes. - -[Illustration: VIEW FROM NOB HILL LOOKING TOWARD HARBOUR AND FERRY -BUILDING, one year after the fire, April 18, 1907] - -It has already been seen that, of the 175 applicants given assistance -for trade, 124, or about 71 per cent, were in business at the time of -the visit in 1908. In three cases satisfactory data relative to capital -could not be secured. The 172 remaining cases have been classified, like -the persons aided in personal and domestic service, on the basis of -capital and grants. Table 62 shows for the small-grant low-capital -group, for the large-grant low-capital group, and for the high-capital -group the number of applicants in business at the time of the Relief -Survey, those who started but discontinued, and the number who did not -start. - -TABLE 62.--BUSINESS STATUS AT THE TIME OF THE RE-VISIT OF APPLICANTS -RECEIVING BUSINESS REHABILITATION FOR TRADE, BY SIZE OF GRANTS AND -AMOUNT OF CAPITAL[166] - - ==============================+===============+========+===== - Business status |CASES IN WHICH |CASES IN|Total - |CAPITAL WAS LOW| WHICH | - +-------+-------+CAPITAL | - |Grant | Grant |WAS HIGH| - |small | large | | - ------------------------------+-------+-------+--------+----- - In business at time of revisit| 54 | 20 | 50 | 124 - Started and discontinued | 14 | 7 | 4 | 25 - Did not start | 19 | 4 | .. | 23 - ------------------------------+-------+-------+--------+----- - Total | 87 | 31 | 54 | 172 - ------------------------------+-------+-------+--------+----- - - [166] Information relative to amount of capital was secured for only - 172 of the 175 applicants receiving business rehabilitation for trade - concerning whom data are presented in Table 60. - -It will be seen that the proportion of applicants remaining in business -was very high for members of the high-capital group, and only very -slightly higher for the members of the large-grant low-capital group -than for the members of the small-grant low-capital group. - -Of the re-visited applicants who were given rehabilitation for trade, -87, or about one-half, fall within the small-grant low-capital group. -Some of the 87 proposed to become peddlers, canvassers, or agents, but -the majority planned to be merchants or dealers. Notion stores, branch -bakeries, cigar stands, grocery stores, millinery stores, tea and coffee -routes, and stationery stores were among the enterprises contemplated. -Two-thirds of the families either had no dependents or had wage-earners -to supplement the income from the business. The proportion entirely -without resources is high, being 62 out of 87. Twenty-six incurred -indebtedness in order to engage in business; and of these, 23 were in -business in 1908. Of the 61 who did not borrow, only 31 remained in -business. - -It seems that to start a small enterprise, grants of under $300 to -persons who could not bring their capital to a point between $500 and -$700 without assuming an unwieldy debt, were too small, in the absence -of close supervision, to assure their restoration within a reasonable -length of time to a normal standard of living. - -The large-grant low-capital trade group had but 31 members. Nearly half -of the number were families with dependents and without wage-earners. -Their enterprises were of the same character as were those of the -small-grant group. Only eight of the 31 went into debt, and the amounts -they obtained were in no case as much as the grant. Six of the eight -remained in business. Of the 23 that did not borrow, 14 remained in -business. Because of the small number of cases involved, no conclusions -should be drawn as to the relation between success and borrowing. - -There remain of the trade enterprises a high-capital group of 54 persons -in half as many different lines of buying and selling. Over half of -these families had dependents, most of the families having dependents -being couples with from one to five young children. Four-fifths of all -the families had before-fire resources. The persons who contracted -indebtedness numbered 42, and of these, 39 were in business at the time -of the re-visit. Eleven of the 12 families who did not borrow were in -business. Because of the similarity of the proportion of successes among -those who incurred indebtedness and among those who did not, and because -of the small numbers involved, conclusions would be worse than -valueless. - - -2. STUDY OF REFUSALS - -One hundred and six persons who had applied for aid for business and had -been refused were visited in 1908, and most of them were located and -personally interviewed. The visitors had dreaded to meet these -disappointed applicants face to face, and were agreeably surprised to -find that most of them were quite willing to be interviewed and for the -most part bore the Rehabilitation Committee no ill-will. The many who -were doing well were proud to have achieved success without aid; and -those who had failed to get into business and were doing poorly, were -pleased to have some one on whom to lay the blame. Only one man refused -point blank to give an interview. - -Except for showing a preponderance of married couples, the families to -whom aid was refused were constituted about as were those families to -whom aid was given. They had in general much more extensive resources -than the grantees, though 13 had no resources whatever and 22 others had -less than $500. - -The reasons for which aid was refused were in general more technical -than those for which assistance of a less specialized nature was denied. -Six were refused, in fact, because their character and habits were -thought to be such as would militate against success; two were remitted -to the care of near relatives; and two were found to have rehabilitated -themselves unaided. Ten only were refused because they had not been in -business before the fire; and 20 because they presented no feasible plan -or because they wanted to start saloons, which latter proposal, -naturally, the Committee could not approve. Five were refused because -they wanted to be re-established on a large scale. The largest grant the -Committee could have given them would have been too small for their -needs. The remaining 61 were refused because they were judged able to -rehabilitate themselves, if not in business, then through wage-earning. - -Of the 106 refused grants by the Committee, 42 did not start business, -but 62 started without the aid applied for. Two of those refused had -died. Of the 62 who entered business, eight failed and the remaining 54 -were still in business in 1908. Failure to start was much more general -among the candidates for rehabilitation in personal service than among -those who sought aid for manufacturing or mechanical enterprises, which -serves to emphasize what has been said as to the greater expectation of -success in the lines involving mechanical skill. - -As was to be expected from the fact that exhaustive investigation was -not attempted by the Rehabilitation Committee in 1906, a certain number -of the refusals appeared, in the judgment of the reviewer, to have been -unjustified. There were 23 such instances. In 12 of them conditions were -not without remedy. Reports on seven of the cases were submitted to the -Rehabilitation Committee, and grants of from $250 to $350 each were -promptly made. Five other families were found in which circumstances had -changed so as to make aid advisable. To the 12 families, the sum of -$3,090 altogether was distributed in 1908. - - -3. SUMMARY OF THE RESULTS OF BUSINESS REHABILITATION - -Business rehabilitation was successful, then, to the extent that of the -894 applicants aided who were visited, 683 started in business and 543 -were still in business in 1908.[167] Of the 211 applicants who received -grants, but did not enter business, 10 are known to have died; 63 -abandoned altogether their plans for entering business; 21 modified -their plans as stated to the Committee, or substituted other plans; 10 -spent their grants for housing, furniture, or living expenses; and one -invested the grant in his son’s business. Data as to the 106 remaining -cases are lacking. - - [167] See Table 57, p. 186. - -It seemed to the reviewer unlikely that any of the 63 applicants who had -abandoned the idea of going into business at the time of the grant would -ever enter business again. Thirty-nine were working for wages, nine were -housewives, and nine were dependent. Data concerning six are incomplete. - -As to the causes of the breaking down of the plans for rehabilitation -presented to the Committee, the amount of capital available appears to -have played its part. While for nine of the 63 cases in which the plan -broke down utterly, the amount of capital was not known, in only nine of -the remaining 54 cases, or about 17 per cent, was the capital as large -as $500. Of those, on the other hand, who merely modified their plans, -or who substituted others, over half had $500 or more working capital. -In 57 cases it is known how the grant was spent: in 20 instances it went -for general living expenses; in 11 instances for illness and in six -others for funeral expenses; in 11 for household furniture; in three for -housing; in two for clothing; in two for old debts; in one for a -typewriter; and in one for transportation. - -In 42 of the 63 cases of breakdown of the plan, there is strong -internal evidence that the grant was either inadequate (23 cases), given -too late (eight cases); or given without supervision, of which there was -an obvious need (11 cases). In six cases the applicant appears to have -been deficient in enterprise, and in 11 cases the applicant’s -circumstances changed after receiving the grant. Of the four remaining -cases little is known. - -Sickness and death and household and personal needs consumed more than -three-fifths of the diverted grants. In the summer and fall of 1906 the -members of the Rehabilitation Committee often shaved down grants because -of a perfectly natural fear of a future shortage of funds. A mental -habit of caution was being formed during these months of uncertainty -which without doubt affected Committee VI in its later handling of some -1,690 cases. Some of these applications were very properly refused. The -894 re-visited applicants who were aided were given grants averaging -$247. With the half million dollars that Committee VI had on hand, the -grants could have been made to average $400 for the 1,226 grantees aided -by this committee. Doubtless grants of such an amount, augmented when -necessary to provide money for furniture and clothing, coupled with more -frequent supervision, would have reduced materially the number that -failed to re-establish. Failures would then have been largely confined -to those few persons who showed themselves deficient in enterprise, or -whose circumstances changed so completely after receipt of the grant as -to make re-establishment impossible. - - - - - PART IV - - HOUSING REHABILITATION - - -PART IV - -HOUSING REHABILITATION - - - PAGE - I. GENERAL PLAN OF HOUSING WORK 215 - - 1. Introductory 215 - 2. Retrospective 216 - 3. The General Plan 218 - - II. THE CAMP COTTAGES 221 - - 1. General Cost 221 - 2. Families Occupying the Cottages 223 - 3. Wages and Occupations 226 - 4. Housing Before and After the Fire 229 - 5. Two Cottage Settlements 234 - 6. Brief Comments 237 - - III. THE BONUS PLAN 239 - - 1. The Plan Itself 239 - 2. Bonus Recipients 240 - 3. Occupations and Resources 244 - 4. The Houses--Character and Cost 248 - 5. Brief Comments 251 - - IV. THE GRANT AND LOAN PLAN 253 - - 1. The Plan Itself 253 - 2. Relation Between the Department of Lands and Buildings and - the Housing Committee 256 - 3. The Number Aided and the Cost 257 - 4. Families Making Use of the Grants and Loans 259 - 5. Occupations and Resources 262 - 6. Housing Before and After the Fire 266 - 7. Status of Loans in 1909 and 1911 and Additional Aid 271 - 8. Cases of Expensive Building 273 - 9. Brief Comments 276 - - GENERAL CONCLUSIONS ON HOUSING PLANS 277 - -[Illustration: In the land of flowers - -A simple but cozy home - -COTTAGE HOMES A YEAR AFTER REMOVAL] - - -I - -GENERAL PLAN OF HOUSING WORK - - -1. INTRODUCTORY - -A specific housing study was undertaken as one feature of this Relief -Survey in order to ascertain the extent and character of the destruction -of homes, to review the efforts made to furnish temporary shelter, and -the policy and methods followed in the administration of the relief fund -for building purposes. Some effects of the disaster upon the applicants -were studied and the results recorded. - -An attempt was also made to combine with the more specific study a -consideration of the social status of each family, the occupation and -earnings of the breadwinner and of other members, and certain facts -relating to race characteristics and to rent expenditures. The -investigation was begun in August, 1908, by a force of field workers who -during the following three months made visits to the families and from -personal interviews and corroborating inquiry obtained all or part of -the information desired. The time intervening between the fire and the -close of the study was therefore about two and one-half years. Though -the city was by no means entirely rebuilt at the time of the study there -was a demand for and a supply of labor which was in a large measure -normal. Those who had received aid from the relief funds to rebuild had -had time to consider what their permanent housing policy should be and, -in the majority of cases, had made determinate plans. - -The general plan of the study was to secure information for three -specific periods: for the time immediately preceding the earthquake, -when it was assumed that conditions were normal; for the interval -between the disaster and the time the applicants built and occupied -their new homes, when conditions were abnormal; and finally, for the -period covered by the investigation, when most of the applicants had -been living for some time in their new homes, and when conditions were -again relatively normal. - -Easy access was had to the fairly complete minutes of the various -committee meetings, and to the numerous and well-arranged letters of -instruction written by those who had charge of the housing work. Records -had been kept of every case aided, showing the nature, extent, purpose -of the grants, and the date at which the relief was given. This -material, together with reports of the auditor of the Corporation and -extensive files of newspaper clippings, was available for this study. - - -2. RETROSPECTIVE - -There was delay in carrying out any comprehensive plans for housing -because, as has been told,[168] emergency needs had first to be met, and -because when the complex relief organization had taken shape, -rehabilitation was halted by the action of some of the eastern donors to -the funds. Another delaying element was the expectation that the -national government might be persuaded to place large deposits with -local banking houses, which might become available, on easy terms, for -building purposes.[169] To this end a delegation of San Francisco -citizens visited Congress to discuss the plan with the members. After -careful consideration by financiers and those socially interested, the -plan was decided to be impracticable. - - [168] See Part I, pp. 22 ff., 69 ff., and 99. In page 69 ff., just - noted, have been incorporated some of the facts gathered for this - distinctive study. See also Original Housing Plan, Appendix I, p. 394. - - [169] For account of the proposed $10,000,000 building fund, see - _Charities and the Commons_, June 16, 1906. - -When the Department of Lands and Buildings began to work it needed large -quantities of lumber, but private interests had quickly purchased, at -the excessive prices asked, the large supply which had been brought to -the city. The Department was obliged at the beginning to secure from -outside firms an option on 3,000,000 feet of lumber and a proportionate -number of shingles. The option was secured at reasonable terms and the -lumber was speeded to the city by steamers; but so great was the demand -for teamsters that men had finally to be brought from nearby cities and -towns to transport it to the building sites. Many planing mills had -been destroyed, and those running were so crowded with private orders -that the Department to avoid great delay had to erect two planing mills. -These mills caused a saving not only in time but in expense. - -The difficulty of securing reliable contractors was increased by the -number of private orders received by the local firms, so that additional -contractors had to be secured from adjacent cities. The expense of -construction was increased still further by the abnormal prices asked -for labor. The destruction of deeds and other evidences of title; the -difficulty and expense of re-surveys; the perplexity in trying to locate -building sites because of the uncertainty as to whether certain parts of -the city would in the future be used as business or residence sections; -the tardiness of insurance adjustments and the repudiating of liability -by not a few companies,--these factors combined to retard the work and -increase the cost of building. - -In Part I[170] a brief account is given of the first efforts made by the -Department of Lands and Buildings to provide permanent cottages for some -of the refugees. As soon as it became known that building was to be -begun on a large scale, various real estate firms with vacant lot -holdings came forward with proposals to sell, lease, or rent to those in -charge of the relief fund. A typical proposition by a large real estate -company provided for the erection of 3,000 or more houses, to be well -equipped with sanitary plumbing, to be placed on graded grounds, and to -be supplied with an adequate water system. The price of each house, -complete, was to be $1,506. An objection raised against this and similar -schemes for re-housing was that large tracts of unimproved land were as -a rule situated in outlying and inaccessible districts. Practically all -of those who were seeking shelter had formerly lived near the business -center of the city, many at least within walking distance of their -places of employment. They naturally had no desire to take up permanent -residence in an outlying district where excessive expenses would have to -be incurred. All plans, whether submitted in good faith or not, that -seemed to be based primarily on a desire for personal profit were wisely -rejected by the Department. - - [170] See Part I, p. 82 ff. - -The proposition was not only seriously considered of aiding on a large -scale the applicants to build, but steps were taken towards the -purchasing, leasing, and renting of lots. Inspectors located all -available vacant lots and tracts of land within the city, and experts -determined their value. But as all such property was shown to be too -unsatisfactorily situated to justify a large expenditure, it was decided -after further discussion not to purchase, lease, or rent any lots, but -to confine activities either to erecting houses or to aiding those -needing help to construct their own. A further reason that led the -Corporation to withdraw the plan was that to carry it into effect would -require the Corporation to exist for five years at least, and probably -longer. - -The Department considered the possibility of purchasing ready-built -houses, for example in Michigan, to be shipped to the city in sections. -A few such houses, as an experiment, were bought and set up on vacant -lots. Objections to the purchase of such houses were that the workmen of -the city, whose number was increased by the influx of outside workers, -needed to be employed as builders, and that large supplies of lumber -were soon to be available. The plan was quickly abandoned. - -Though the general theory that people should be aided only to regain -their former standard of living was one that played an important part in -determining the question of shelter for the individual family, the -desirability of not restoring former bad housing conditions necessarily -meant that in many cases a family could be encouraged, by promise of -aid, to build and maintain a home of its own which would be much -superior to the quarters formerly occupied. The opportunity which the -city had to prevent the return of its people to undesirable homes was to -be determined, as far as the applicants for shelter were concerned, by -the work of the Department coupled with the applicant’s readiness to -make beneficial use of better conditions of environment. - -[Illustration: Substantial and weatherproof - -Commodious and attractive - -HOMES FROM CAMP COTTAGES] - - -3. THE GENERAL PLAN - -Any adequate plan for housing had to make provision for four classes of -people. First, the property owners, who had in the past acquired some -property within the burned district, should be helped to their feet -again. The carrying out of the bonus plan, intended to meet the needs of -this class, is fully described in Chapter III.[171] Second, the -chronic dependents should be accepted by the city as permanent charges. -The execution of the plan made for caring for this class is the subject -of Part VI.[172] Third, the non-property owners who were resourceful, -should be stimulated, by means of grants or loans, to acquire their own -homes either through the purchase of lots or through leasing the same at -a nominal sum for a period of years. The plan is dealt with in Chapter -IV.[173] Fourth, the non-property owners who had never lived in other -than rented quarters and who were not likely to make wise use of a grant -for the erection of a permanent home, should be sheltered until cheap -cottages could be erected for their temporary use. This last plan[174] -is fully described in Chapter II of this Part. - - [171] See Part IV, p. 239 ff. - - [172] See also Part I, pp. 23 and 87-88, and Part V, p. 305 ff. - - [173] See Part IV, p. 253 ff. - - [174] See Part IV, p. 221 ff. For beginning of the work of supplying - camp cottages, see Part I, p. 22 ff. - -The work of the Department of Lands and Buildings divides itself into -three parts: first, the erection of camp cottages; second, the payment -of bonuses to property owners wishing to re-build; third, a sharing for -a time with the housing committee of the Department of Relief and -Rehabilitation of the work entailed in making grants and loans to -non-property owners for building purposes. - -The number of houses erected directly by the Corporation or in part from -aid given by it according to the three plans which are fully described -in the following chapters, is shown in the following table: - -TABLE 63.--HOUSES ERECTED BY OR WITH THE AID OF THE SAN FRANCISCO RELIEF -AND RED CROSS FUNDS, BY STYLE OF HOUSES OR PLAN UNDER WHICH RELIEF WAS -GIVEN - - =================================+============== - Style of houses or plan of relief|Houses erected - ---------------------------------+-------------- - Camp cottages | 5,610 - Grant and loan buildings | 1,572 - Bonus houses | 885 - Two-story tenement houses | 19 - ---------------------------------+-------------- - Total | 8,086 - ---------------------------------+-------------- - -The camp cottages and the tenement houses were entirely constructed by -the Department of Lands and Buildings through its own contractors, and -were assigned for occupancy by the camp commanders. The capacity of -these camp cottages, allowing one person to the room, was 15,288 -persons, and the greatest population at any one time was 16,448. The -tenement houses accommodated about 650 people. The grant and loan -buildings were erected partly by contractors of the housing -committee[175] of the Department of Relief and Rehabilitation, and -partly by the people themselves. Those applicants whose houses were -built by the housing committee made part payments to the amount of -$57,073.16 in cash. Each owner of a so-called bonus house received from -the Department of Lands and Buildings the promised bonus upon the -completion of his building, in the erection of which the Department had -no part. - - [175] See Part IV, p. 253 ff. - -The amount expended for shelter in the camps has been given in Part -I,[176] and expenditures for the aged and infirm will be considered in -detail in Part VI; but to gather the total expenditures from the relief -funds into one enumeration, the following inclusive table is given: - - [176] See Part I, p. 86, and Table 26, p. 87. - -TABLE 64.--EXPENDITURES FOR HOUSING MADE BY THE FINANCE COMMITTEE OF -RELIEF AND RED CROSS FUNDS, BY THE SAN FRANCISCO RELIEF AND RED CROSS -FUNDS, A CORPORATION, AND BY THE UNITED STATES ARMY FROM CONGRESSIONAL -APPROPRIATION, FROM APRIL, 1906, TO JUNE, 1909 - - Housing the homeless (emergency shelter) $187,056.56[177] - Assistance in construction of permanent homes: - Through Lands and Buildings Dept., - as bonuses $423,288.17 - Through Department of Relief and - Rehabilitation, all grants of - Rehabilitation Committee, of Committee - V, or of other sub-committee, and all - loans whether repaid or not 567,300.85 - ----------- ----------- - $990,589.02 - Construction of camp cottages and tenements 884,558.81[177] - Construction of Ingleside Model Camp for aged and - infirm 36,230.59[177] - Construction and equipment of permanent home for - aged and infirm 374.722.22[177] - ------------- - Total expenditures $2,473,157.20 - ---------------------------------------------------------------------- - - [177] Sixth Annual Report, American National Red Cross, pp. 73, 90, - 96, 98. - -[Illustration: A tent camp was opened here May 19, 1906 - -CAMP NO. 13, FRANKLIN SQUARE] - - -II - -THE CAMP COTTAGES - - -1. GENERAL COST - -The pressure to provide permanent shelter is shown to have been keenly -realized by the Corporation from the beginning of its work, and, before -the Corporation was called into existence, by the army officials, the -Finance Committee, and the American National Red Cross. On September 10, -1906, therefore, the Department of Lands and Buildings had ground broken -for the building of cottages in the official camps.[178] From that date -until March 19, 1907, the work was steadily continued, the contractor -being spurred by the offer of a bonus if certain houses were completed -within ninety days, and the threat of a forfeiture if a longer time were -taken. When the task was done 5,610 cottages had been erected; 4,068 of -three rooms and 1,542 of two rooms each. There had also been built 19 -two-story tenement houses which sheltered about 650 persons. The total -cost of the cottages and tenement houses including painting, plumbing, -sewering, flush toilets, hoppers, water and gas connections, the moving -of tanks from the principal parks, the laying of sidewalks, and a -proportion of office expenses, was, as is shown in Table 64, -$884,558.81. - - [178] See Part I, p. 82. - -The total cost of the 19 tenement houses, including painting, sewering, -patent flush toilets, water, gas in each room and in halls, sinks in -kitchen, baths and public laundries, was $41,678.95, an average of about -$2,200 per tenement. The 15,288 rooms in the two- and three-room -cottages cost, on the average, about $55 per room. - -The erection of these cottages was essentially if not entirely a -business proposition. Little machinery was demanded. A superintendent of -building construction, aided by a small clerical force, constituted the -actual working body. After purchasing the lumber in large quantities, -the Department contracted with five large constructing companies to -erect the cottages in camps situated in different parts of the city. - -The contractors assumed the responsibility of supplying labor and other -service; the Department, that of inspecting the completed work. It was -planned to charge a monthly rental of $4.00 for the two-room and $6.00 -for the three-room cottages, but the plan of collecting rent from the -cottages located on city property was vigorously opposed by the mayor -and made illegal by a special ordinance. However, the technicality was -avoided and the law satisfied by substituting, for the form of lease, a -contract of purchase and sale, whereby the occupant agreed to buy -outright the house occupied by him and to pay for it in monthly -instalments which equaled in amount the rent formerly agreed upon. The -amounts advanced on the cottages by the occupants were later refunded to -those who purchased lots on which to place their cottages. The total -amount collected was $117,521.50 of which $109,373 was refunded. The -amount of $8,148.50 was unclaimed at the date of the investigation. -About 5,343 of these houses were, upon the breaking up of the camps, -moved either by individuals or the Associated Charities to purchased or -rented lots and became the permanent homes of the owners. Thus ground -rent, hitherto practically unknown in the city, is now paid by many of -the camp refugees. - -The cottages were moved to all sections of the city, even to surrounding -towns and counties, and in not a few cases ownership was exchanged many -times. Visits were made to addresses given for 1,137 of these removed -cottages, as a result of which a total of 680 fairly complete records -was secured and the findings tabulated. The investigators tried to get -the present location of the remaining 457 cottages from cottagers whose -addresses at the date of removal from camp were similar to those of -unidentified recipients, but the clue was useless, as the cottages -either had not been moved to the addresses given, or had later been -moved again by the owners. Eighty-seven cottages are known to have been -sold to others and their original owners to have effectually disappeared -from the community; 23 cottagers are known to have refused to pay, or -been unable to pay, ground rent, the lot owners in consequence having -seized their cottages; and nine cottages were rented and the owners -could not be found. The 680 families found and interviewed had, with few -exceptions, owned and occupied the same cottages in the camps. The -exceptions were the occupants of the houses moved by the Associated -Charities and the few who had not made their home in the official camps -but were given cottages. - - -2. FAMILIES OCCUPYING THE COTTAGES - -The important questions to be considered in this review of the housing -situation are, who were the people who used these cottages, and what -difference did the effort of the relief authorities really make to them? - -The proportion of foreign born persons among the occupants of the camp -cottages was very large, though not quite so large, as will be seen, as -was the proportion of the foreign born among the recipients of -bonuses.[179] - - [179] See Table 74, p. 241. - -TABLE 65.--NATIONALITY OF APPLICANTS RECEIVING AID UNDER THE COTTAGE -PLAN - - ===================+================+============== - | Native born | Foreign born - |applicants whose|applicants of - Nationality |parents were of |each specified - | each specified | nationality - | nationality | - -------------------+----------------+-------------- - American | 193 | .. - Irish | 16 | 127 - Italian | 6 | 73 - German | 4 | 55 - Mexican | 1 | 52 - English | 2 | 34 - Porto Rican | 0 | 27 - French | 1 | 15 - Other nationalities| 8 | 66 - -------------------+----------------+-------------- - Total | 231 | 449 - -------------------+----------------+-------------- - -The three nationalities which will be found in greatest numbers among -the recipients of the bonus likewise appeared most frequently among -those who received camp cottages, though the order is different. The -Americans among the cottagers outnumbered the Irish, and the Italians -were in the third place. - -The status of these families with regard to marriage, death, divorce, -and desertion was obtained in every case. - -TABLE 66.--CONJUGAL CONDITION OF FAMILIES RECEIVING AID UNDER THE -COTTAGE PLAN - - =====================+============================ - Conjugal condition | Families of each - |specified conjugal condition - ---------------------+---------------------------- - Married couples | 402 - Widows | 188 - Single men or women | 44 - Deserted wives | 25 - Widowers | 18 - Divorced men or women| 3 - ---------------------+---------------------------- - Total | 680 - ---------------------+---------------------------- - -Though the number of families given as intact is 402, in 73 instances -either the husband or the wife had, at the time of the investigation, -gone from home in search of work, health, or for other reasons. The -large excess of women who had lost their husbands, over the number of -men who had lost their wives, is striking, and is certainly out of all -proportion to the number of widows in the city. No explanation is -offered other than to suggest the greater financial necessity of widows, -especially of those with children. It is known that some of those -included among the 44 single persons were members of a larger family, -and possibly in a few instances they supported an aged parent or others. -Six of the desertions occurred between April 18, 1906, and the time of -the investigation, and four persons were during that time removed from -family life to be imprisoned. - -There were 1,312 children enumerated as members of these complete or -broken families, many of them born to young married people who had but -recently come to the city. More children[180] were found in the Italian -than in the American or Irish families, the proportion being 3.1 -children to an Italian family, 2.1 to an Irish family, 1.8 to an -American family. Ages were recorded of the persons making application -for cottages. - - [180] See Tables 38 and 39, p. 156. - -TABLE 67.--AGES OF APPLICANTS RECEIVING AID UNDER THE COTTAGE PLAN[181] - - ===============================+==================== - Age period | Applicants in each - |specified age period - -------------------------------+-------------------- - Less than 30 years | 81 - 30 years and less than 40 years| 191 - 40 years and less than 50 years| 173 - 50 years and less than 60 years| 132 - 60 years and less than 70 years| 71 - 70 years and over | 24 - -------------------------------+-------------------- - Total | 672 - -------------------------------+-------------------- - - [181] Of the 680 families investigated, eight failed to supply - information relative to age of applicant. - -Sixty-six per cent of the 680 applicants were women. It is interesting -to compare this number with the 41 per cent of women among the -recipients of bonuses[182] and the 18 per cent among the families -receiving grants and loans.[183] The burden of making application fell -more and more on the women as the family moved down in the social and -economic scale. From April 18, 1906, to the date of the investigation, -138 persons in the group suffered the handicap of illness, 55 were -invalided, 28 met with accidents, and 89 were removed by death. These -data represent the carrying of unduly heavy burdens. - - [182] See Part IV, p. 242. The fact that so many women had lodging - houses in the burned district before the disaster accounts partly for - the large proportion of women applicants for bonuses. - - [183] See Part IV, p. 261. - -The number of families in the group that supported other than their own -children, aged parents, or other relatives, was only 68, or 10 per cent -of the total. The size of the households was, however, further increased -by the presence of some persons who were self-supporting or who -contributed to the common income. The comparatively small number of -dependents both before and after the fire may have been due to poverty, -to lack of room, or to the fact that many were comparatively recent -arrivals and had no dependents in America. - - -3. WAGES AND OCCUPATIONS - -The work and wages of this group of families before and after the -disaster were carefully studied. - -TABLE 68.--OCCUPATION BEFORE THE FIRE, OF 415 OF THE MEN IN FAMILIES -RECEIVING AID UNDER THE COTTAGE PLAN - - ====================================+========================== - Occupational group | MEN IN EACH SPECIFIED - | OCCUPATIONAL GROUP - +-----------+--------+----- - |Proprietors|Employes|Total - ------------------------------------+-----------+--------+----- - Personal and domestic service | 10 | 185 | 195 - Manufactures and mechanical pursuits| 9 | 88 | 97 - Trade | 15 | 105 | 120 - Professional | 1 | 2 | 3 - ------------------------------------+-----------+--------+----- - Total | 35 | 380 | 415 - ------------------------------------+-----------+--------+----- - -The incomes of the 35 men who conducted a business before the fire, as -estimated by them, ranged from $20 to $200 a month in 24 instances. -Eleven men gave no figures, but said they had gotten a living out of -their business. Certainly the living was precarious for the group as a -whole, for they had little if any savings. At the time of the -investigation, the number owning their own business was less than half -what it had been in April, 1906. The nature of employment suffered sharp -changes. The record is not complete, but for the 341 men whose -post-disaster occupation record as employes was obtained, 174 may be -classed under personal and domestic occupations, 92 under manufactures -and mechanical pursuits, 59 under trades and transportation, and two -under professional. Fourteen were classed as miscellaneous. It would -appear that the number employed at work demanding chiefly physical -strength, is somewhat increased; the number engaged at work requiring -skilled labor, slightly reduced. - -[Illustration: A janitor’s comfortable home - -Improved at small expense - -CAMP COTTAGES AFTER REMOVAL] - -The following table gives the wages received by the 380 male employes -before the disaster: - -TABLE 69.--ESTIMATED MONTHLY WAGES RECEIVED BEFORE THE FIRE BY THE 380 -MEN WHO WORKED FOR WAGES, IN THE FAMILIES RECEIVING AID UNDER THE -COTTAGE PLAN - - =======================+================== - Monthly wages |Employes receiving - | wages specified - -----------------------+------------------ - Less than $20 | 6 - $20 and less than $30 | 21 - $30 and less than $40 | 43 - $40 and less than $50 | 49 - $50 and less than $75 | 170 - $75 and less than $100 | 60 - $100 and less than $150| 21 - $150 and less than $200| 3 - “Made a living” | 7 - -----------------------+------------------ - Total | 380 - -----------------------+------------------ - -Some few are shown to have made very good incomes, but it is not known -why they had been unable to acquire property before the fire. The actual -wages were in most cases, because of irregularity of employment, -considerably less than the amounts given above, which represent what -would be the wages for regular employment. It was impossible to -ascertain how irregular any given employment was. In comparing the wages -received after the disaster, practically no change is found. Previous to -April 18, 1906, 76 per cent of these men received less than $75 per -month, while at the time of the investigation 75 per cent of them were -receiving less than that amount. From the standpoint of income received -by the chief breadwinner alone, many families were practically on the -same financial basis as at the time of the disaster. - -Of the 265 women who before the fire were either the entire support of -the family or were supplementing the earnings of their husbands, 162 had -been engaged in personal and domestic service, 88 in manufactures, 12 in -the trades, and three in the professions. Of these women, 213 were -widows. After the disaster the number of women employed was reduced to -258. Their wages before the disaster varied from less than $20 a month, -received by 71 women, to “$50 to $75” received by 11, and “above $75” -received by one. One woman claimed to have earned more than $75. A large -proportion, 49, gave their wages as “living expenses.” After the -disaster the number getting less than $20 a month was increased to 94; -but on the other hand, 14 were receiving from $50 to $75. As in the case -of the men, irregularity of employment meant that the actual incomes of -the women were less than their own estimates. Previous to the fire, in -216 different families, or 32 per cent of the total 680, children or -adults other than the principal breadwinner were contributing to the -home by their outside earnings; afterwards this number increased to 271, -or 40 per cent. - -Sub-letting of rooms was a source of income to 113, or 17 per cent, of -the families before the disaster; afterwards the number was reduced to -46, or 7 per cent. The two- and three-room cottages were hardly large -enough for their own members. - -TABLE 70.--ESTIMATED YEARLY INCOMES BEFORE AND AFTER THE FIRE OF -FAMILIES RECEIVING AID UNDER THE COTTAGE PLAN[184] - - =========================+====================== - Estimated yearly income | FAMILIES HAVING - | YEARLY INCOME - | SPECIFIED - +-----------+---------- - |Before fire|After fire - -------------------------+-----------+---------- - Less than $300 | 43 | 102 - $300 and less than $600 | 168 | 179 - $600 and less than $800 | 211 | 176 - $800 and less than $1,200| 119 | 100 - $1200 and over | 94 | 84 - -------------------------+-----------+---------- - Total | 635 | 641 - -------------------------+-----------+---------- - - [184] Of the 680 families investigated, 45 failed to supply - information relative to income before the fire and 39 relative to - income after the fire. - -Table 70 shows that after the fire the proportion of families in the -lower income groups was somewhat larger, and the proportion in the -higher income groups somewhat smaller than before the fire. It appears -from a further study of the data that 329 families had greater incomes -before the fire than after, while 215 had greater incomes after the -fire, and 92 substantially the same income at both periods. Families to -the number of 44 failed to report on this point. - -The standard of living of the families of four to five members with a -smaller yearly income was extremely low. Some were aided by relatives -and others were assisted from time to time by philanthropic societies. -Those who had received regularly as much as $600 a year were probably -self-supporting but had put aside no savings. Only 6 per cent of this -group of families had savings at the time of the fire, and only 7 per -cent were to receive insurance for losses. They carried however only a -small burden of debt. Afterwards, 131 were reported to be in debt, in -the main for improvements made on their property or for the purchase of -a lot. They had, therefore, comparatively little insurance and savings -on which to draw, and received little aid from gifts and loans with -which to rebuild. In fact, only 10 of the entire number stated that they -had received gifts from relatives or from any other source, and an equal -number, that they had obtained loans. The gifts from relatives ranged -from $10 to $750, and the loans obtained, from $25 to $250. Two cases -are noted of large amounts received, one of $3,300, the other of $5,000, -for property sold or inherited after the fire. - -In addition to the privilege of removing the cottages from the camps -without charge,[185] 415, or 61 per cent, of the applicants received -money grants from the Rehabilitation Committee. These amounts were given -for various purposes, but in the main for furniture, clothing, sewing -machines, and other general household rehabilitation. A certain number -were granted small amounts for housing purposes in order that they might -make improvements on their cottages or, in a few cases, to aid in the -construction of new homes. - - [185] See Part I, p. 85, and Part IV, p. 232. - - -4. HOUSING BEFORE AND AFTER THE FIRE - -Only 15 of these families had owned the houses in which they were living -at the date of the fire, though seven others possessed real estate for -which they received rent. One family claimed to have owned property -valued at $5,000. As the majority of the group had lived in rented -houses no attempt was made to learn the value of the rented property. At -the time of removal from the camps all but four owned the cottages in -which they were living. Table 71 shows the character of their previous -dwellings. - -TABLE 71.--TYPES OF HOUSES OCCUPIED BEFORE THE FIRE BY FAMILIES -RECEIVING AID UNDER THE COTTAGE PLAN[186] - - ========================+================== - Style of house |Families living in - | houses of each - | specified style - ------------------------+------------------ - A flat or flats | 466 - Small houses or cottages| 109 - Furnished rooms | 67 - Apartments | 15 - Basements | 4 - ------------------------+------------------ - Total | 661 - ------------------------+------------------ - - [186] Of the 680 families visited, 19 lived in other cities before the - fire. - -It must be borne in mind that the homes which they had occupied were the -least desirable in the city. The houses had been used almost exclusively -as dwellings; only 24 of the families had had a shop or store connected -with their homes. After the disaster but seven had a shop and dwelling -combined. The number of rooms occupied before the fire by those who -during camp life and afterwards lived in two- and three-room cottages, -was: - -TABLE 72.--NUMBER OF ROOMS PER FAMILY OCCUPIED BEFORE THE FIRE BY -FAMILIES RECEIVING AID UNDER THE COTTAGE PLAN.[187] - - ========================+================== - Number of rooms occupied|Families occupying - | each specified - | number of rooms - ------------------------+------------------ - 1 | 50 - 2 | 111 - 3 | 204 - 4 and less than 7 | 284 - 7 and less than 10 | 12 - ------------------------+------------------ - Total | 661 - ------------------------+------------------ - - [187] Of the 680 families investigated, 19 failed to supply - information relative to the number of rooms occupied before the fire. - -The congestion during camp life was probably more undesirable though not -so extensive, crowding being excessive in comparatively few instances. - -[Illustration: Where the trade winds blow - -In full view of the Pacific - -CAMP COTTAGES AT HILL CREST] - -In 379 of the 680 families who lived in camp cottages there had been not -more than one person to a room; in 260, not more than two to a room. -The large number of cottages erected made it necessary to place them -close together. In the parks regular streets were laid out on which the -cottages fronted with very little space intervening between the -buildings. The compact housing of people meant that in some cases -respectable people were compelled to associate to a certain extent with -the less desirable. On the whole, however, the general moral conditions -were not bad, the statements of some that the camp environment was bad -for young people being offset by those of others that they had been able -to maintain their accustomed moral standards. Naturally, the families -whose living conditions had been most favorable before the disaster were -the ones most tried by the abnormal camp life. - -The housing condition before the fire was, in some instances, not only -inadequate but unhealthful. It is certain that only 197, or 29 per cent, -of the families had the use of a bath. When the cottages were moved from -the camps, in 425 cases they were occupied as permanent homes with few -if any important additions. However, 245 of the families had made -improvements, 60 by adding rooms, 160 by adding front or back porches, -others by adding windows or doors or making other minor improvements. -The houses as a rule were placed on wooden foundations. A few were -shingled, but in most instances cracks were sealed with strips, or -covered with building paper inside. With their original coat of green -paint they appeared much the same as when erected in the camps. Some -persons who were fortunate enough to secure two or more cottages joined -them to make one good sized house. - -The re-visit in 1908 disclosed the fact that only 16 bath tubs had been -put into the removed cottages, and that only 40 per cent of the cottages -had been connected with the water mains. The occupants of the remaining -60 per cent, perhaps because they were financially unable to connect -their houses with the regular water supply, had to draw their water from -hydrants in adjoining lots. The location of some of these cottages upon -the high hills characteristic of the city made them difficult of access, -and in some instances the daily supply of water had to be carried 50 to -100 feet up steep hills. - -The toilet provision in the removed camp cottage homes was even less -satisfactory. In only 101 instances, or 15 per cent, were toilets -installed within the house. In the remaining 85 per cent the privies -were outside the house. When a number of cottages were grouped together -on the same tract of land, as frequently occurred, the occupants--in a -few cases as many as 10 families--invariably shared the common privy. - -When the cottages were removed from the official camps most of those -occupying them were given them free of charge.[188] The only cost to be -met was for the moving and subsequent improvements or repairs. The -expense of moving varied according to the distance and accessibility of -the location chosen. The usual price charged by moving companies ranged -from $12.50 to $25; $15 for one and $25 for two cottages being the -common charge. The applicants paid the cost or were aided to do so by -their relatives, friends, or in some cases by their landlord. The -landlord would advance the necessary amount in order to have the -building placed on his own lot, for which he was to receive a monthly -ground rent. The Associated Charities[189] met the expense of moving 175 -of the 680 cottages; the social settlements moved a few others. The -total cost of the houses to these applicants, including moving expenses -and all other improvements, is given in Table 73. - - [188] See Part I, p. 85. - - [189] For cost of removal borne by Associated Charities, see Part I, - p. 86, footnote. - -TABLE 73.--COSTS INCURRED, BY OR IN BEHALF OF APPLICANTS, FOR COTTAGES -OCCUPIED BY FAMILIES RECEIVING AID UNDER THE COTTAGE PLAN[190] - - =======================+================= - Cost incurred | Cottages costing - | as specified - -----------------------+----------------- - Less than $50 | 365 - $50 and less than $100 | 130 - $100 and less than $200| 120 - $200 and over | 52 - -----------------------+----------------- - Total | 667 - -----------------------+----------------- - - [190] Of the 680 families investigated, 13 failed to supply - information relative to costs incurred. - -The expenditure of the larger sums meant that substantial additions had -been made, and that by the increase of housing space the building had -been made far more desirable as a permanent home. - -At the time of the investigation the cottagers had lived in their new -locations for from ten to eighteen months. Although 558, or 82 per cent, -of those who had occupied rented rooms before the fire preferred their -old to their present quarters, a majority were satisfied with their new -neighborhood, and 315, or 46 per cent, claimed that the new environment -was as desirable as the old, or in some cases more desirable. Upon -removal from the camps many of the cottages had been taken to vacant -lots to be grouped so closely together that there was comparatively -little privacy for each family. The objection of some to their present -surroundings was due partly to this fact, partly to the loss of familiar -friends that had made the old neighborhood congenial. The Corporation -had been anxious that the cottages should not be removed to different -parts of the city to be grouped under conditions practically identical -with those in the camps. However, though the sale of cottages to vacant -lot owners had been steadily refused, the liberal policy of giving -cottages to those occupying them in the official camps or to others in -need of shelter resulted in a number being located close together on the -same leased tract. The lots varied greatly in size. In some instances -four or five cottages were erected on an ordinary city lot, of 80 to 100 -feet depth and 20 feet width. In others, 60 or more cottages were -crowded onto a tract as large as a city block. About 70 per cent of the -families occupied lots with at least one other cottage. - -The lots were purchased by the cottagers, leased for a term of years, or -rented by the month. Of the 680 families only 70 had purchased lots. The -prices paid ranged from $250 to $3,000, but in more than half of the -cases were under $1,000. At the time of the investigation these lots -were being paid for by monthly instalments of from $8.00 to $25, and but -seven of the 70 families had canceled their indebtedness. Half the -number had not paid more than a quarter of the price of the lot, and -some were barely meeting the interest on the debt and were making no -headway toward acquiring the property. - -Those leasing lots had signed contracts which would be in force from two -to five years,--a few even longer. What will happen when the agreements -expire, especially to those who have made no improvements on their -cottages, it is difficult to predict. It is known that many who removed -their cottages from the camps disposed of them shortly afterward so as -to get housing accommodations similar to those they had had before the -disaster. Some of the cottages which were made into convenient and -tasteful homes will doubtless be occupied by their owners for a long -time, for the owners will make an effort to complete the purchase of -their lots, or to renew the leases when they expire. - -The rentals paid by those who were leasing lots varied from $6.00 to $15 -per month, though a great majority paid from $6.00 to $8.50. Those -renting from month to month perhaps occupied slightly less desirable -lots; the rentals paid varied for the most part from $3.00 to $8.00 per -month. - - -5. TWO COTTAGE SETTLEMENTS - -Mention has been made of the unsatisfactory cottage settlements that -took the place of the camp life.[191] Two such settlements were visited -and the housing and other living conditions investigated. - - [191] See Part I, p. 85. - -The first tract is a sand lot belonging to an old estate, which was -leased by a real estate agent for a period of five years at a rate of -$280 per month. The Corporation refused to sanction his plan, but by -some means he secured an official permit in October, 1907. - -After he had spent over a month in grading his tract and in placing most -of the 1,200 feet of sewer pipes, he was notified by the city board of -health that he might not be allowed to open his settlement as his -locality was threatened by the bubonic plague. In March of the following -year when he could make it clear that his sewerage and sanitation system -complied with the public health ordinances, he was granted a health -permit. On May 1, 1908, his block was opened to occupants. Two men, one -of whom was a Porto Rican boss who had come to San Francisco after the -disaster by way of Hawaii, were his assistants in securing people to -move into the block. Many came to this settlement from Lobos Square, -when that camp was broken up on June 30, 1908. For each cottage -moved, the two assistants received $1.00 commission, the boss receiving -in addition from the house-movers a commission of from $1.00 to $2.00. - -[Illustration: First cottages in Villa Maria - -The proprietor and his family - -BEGINNINGS OF A COTTAGE SETTLEMENT] - -This block is 412 feet long and 272 feet wide, and the whole is -sub-divided into lots, each 20 x 37¹⁄₂ feet. A two-plank sidewalk 3,016 -feet in length was laid and 18 inches of gravel placed on the two -interior streets by the residents, who received as payment a remittance -of part of their ground rent. Each lot was leased for a term of three -years, with the privilege of a two-year renewal to the satisfactory -lessees, at a monthly rate of $6.00 for the lots on the inner streets, -$7.00 and $8.00 for those facing the city streets. There were several -exceptions to these rentals, however, one being the case of a -hardworking, but very poor old woman whose monthly rate was lowered -$1.00; another case was that of a woman who for a time was paying a $10 -monthly instalment in order to buy her house; a third, that of a family -which, after the cottage granted had been burned, was transferred to a -higher priced cottage at the same rent of $6.00. At the time of the -investigation only 12 of the 121 cottages were vacant. All had been -moved from Lobos Square by their original occupants or owners, except -about 20 which were moved by the agent in order to fill the block. - -According to the agent, a number of families were at the time of the -investigation in arrears for their monthly ground rent and 12 had not -paid since they moved their cottages onto the block. On the average the -arrearage was equivalent to the entire number being one month behind. -Though several families vacated their cottages mainly because of their -inability to pay the rent, none had been evicted on that account. -Several purchasers of the vacated cottages had had to pay the arrears to -the agent as well as the purchase price to the owners of the cottages. - -The sanitary conditions, according to the visitors’ report, met the -requirements of the board of health but did not conform to the normal -sanitary standard. One toilet and an adjoining hydrant were provided for -four cottages. Inspections usually were made twice a week by the janitor -whose duty it was to enforce cleanliness. The members of each group did -the cleaning in common and reported any breakage or defect in the -plumbing to one of the camp residents, a plumber. The janitor and -plumber received pay for their services in free rent. - -Near each toilet and hydrant stood a large covered garbage can which was -emptied three times a week or oftener. The agent paid for these -services, which amounted to $25 a month for the block, and also the -water bill, which amounted to about $92 a month. He provided a supply of -ordinary garden hose, kept at two of the centrally located cottages, -with which to fight fire. About one-quarter of the cottagers had made -small additions to their cottages, such as porches, and about one-third -had bettered them slightly by paint, screen doors, and similar -improvements. A few of the most energetic had small, pretty gardens. The -housing conditions of a majority of these people seemed, on the whole, -to be better than before the fire. They at least paid less rent, and in -most cases, enjoyed cleaner quarters and better sanitation. - -There was little sickness, though dissipation and moral degeneracy were -conspicuous among the majority of these people, who before the fire had -lived, many of them, in very undesirable localities. They suffered keen -poverty, due in part to scarcity of work, but perhaps largely to -intemperance and shiftlessness. Any day a group of men might be found -idle, while their women and children provided meager support. - -The second tract was, previous to April 18, 1906, a vacant lot 192 x 137 -feet. It was leased by a woman, a Mexican, for a period of three years, -with the privilege of a one-year renewal. No money was spent in grading, -in filling for sidewalks, or for other improvements; practically the -only item of expense was for sewerage. One hopper, one faucet, and a -toilet for each four families were installed to conform to the -requirements of the board of health. The landlady paid $100 for this -sanitary work, which had caused great dissatisfaction on account of its -poor quality. The individual families had had an increase in water rent -from 50 cents the first month to $1.15 the fourth, on account of leakage -in the pipes. The ground rent of $6.00 a month for lots 25 feet square -facing the city streets and of $5.00 for inner lots of the same size was -a little cheaper than that asked in other similar settlements; but added -charges for garbage and water made a total cost that was on the -average about what was met by those who occupied cottages elsewhere, -under better conditions. There were 55 children in all on the lot. - -[Illustration: CAMP COTTAGES ON A SUBURBAN TRACT] - -The 27 families occupying this lot came from the Lobos Square camp. The -landlady, as an inducement, had offered free ground rent for the month -of June, 1908. Three-quarters of the cottages were moved and repaired by -the Associated Charities at an average cost of $28.50 a cottage.[192] -The Associated Charities had recently shingled and put in sinks for the -six most nearly dependent households. It is not known how much the -landlady paid for her lease nor what profits she reaped. She regretted -the undertaking, however,--a result that might have been foreseen when -such a helpless class of tenants was accepted. - - [192] For work of Associated Charities in relation to housing - families, see Part I, pp. 85-86. - - -6. BRIEF COMMENTS - -The erection of a large number of two- and three-room cottages was -necessary if shelter were to be given to the poorest class of the -homeless refugees. With individual exceptions, the people had been -accustomed to comparatively low standards of living. They consumed each -day the daily wage, so were helpless when overtaken by the disaster. - -The investigation revealed that those responsible had acted wisely in -providing the shelter without consulting the wishes of those for whom it -was intended. Opportunity to secure shelter was given through the -“bonus” and the “grant and loan” schemes for those who had some means -and initiative; but those without resources of their own were not in a -position wisely to suggest the manner of their housing. The Department -outlined the work on a large scale and executed it in a straightforward, -businesslike manner. The happy result was abundant shelter for all the -poorest families with the oncoming of the winter rains. - -Some critics have claimed that a more equitable distribution of the -funds would have been to give to the poorest class as much as to the -more fortunate refugees, but a careful examination of the facts shows -that the policy adopted was more feasible as well as more expedient. -Those who possessed vacant lots, or other property, or who could -command means with which to build, gave tangible proof that the -foundation of previous thrift and enterprise would serve as a guarantee -of wise use of aid from the relief funds. The applicants who had owned -no property, possessed no savings, and whose standard of living was low, -could offer little, if any, guarantee of a wise use of funds. Had a body -of expert social workers been engaged to study each family individually -and to plan its future home, superintending the purchase of a lot and -the construction of a house,--in fact, teaching each to be a good -householder,--a more liberal housing allowance could have been safely -granted. Such a constructive plan would have called for far more -elaborate and efficient machinery than was at hand, and would have -required a much longer time. However, it is realized that a situation -which concerned practically the future home life of every camp refugee -presented a wonderful and probably unparalleled opportunity for wise -constructive philanthropy. - -It will be important, in the event of future disasters, to see if the -least efficient can be re-housed so as to be, through careful -supervision of individuals, brought to a higher standard of living. - - -III - -THE BONUS PLAN - - -1. THE PLAN ITSELF - -The first definite housing resolution agreed upon by the Executive -Committee of the San Francisco Relief and Red Cross Funds was an effort -to advance through its Department of Lands and Buildings 33¹⁄₃ per cent -of the cost of a home to be built on the ground owned by any resident of -the city whose house had been destroyed, with the provision that in no -instance should the amount granted to any one person exceed $500. This -was the most generous housing offer made and was limited to those who -were to rebuild within the burned territory. It was known as the “bonus -plan.” The offer was announced to the public through the newspapers in -August, 1906, by the Department of Lands and Buildings, and remained -open until October 1, 1906, being reopened in February, 1907, for two -weeks. Originally, $400,000 was set aside for the bonuses. In February, -1907, an additional $100,000 was appropriated. - -The bonus, or gift, offered to anyone who desired to rebuild on property -owned by him in the burned district was granted to 885 persons. The -total amount granted was $423,288.17.[193] In slightly over 10 per cent -of the cases the amount actually given as a bonus to the applicant was -less than $500, due to the fact that he had received aid from other -departments, or because the cost of the house was less than $1,500. In -one instance the amount of the bonus was as low as $83. - - [193] This total included an expense item of $761.17, incurred for - investigating titles, etc. - -The general procedure was for an applicant to submit his plans to the -Department of Lands and Buildings for approval, and when approval was -obtained to begin to build his house. Little machinery was required, for -no attempt was made to investigate the actual needs of the applicants. -The Department satisfied itself that the person was eligible under the -terms offered, and before making payment received assurance from its -inspector that the building was located at the place designated by the -applicant and represented a certain value. The length of time between -the granting of an application and the completing of the house varied -from one to 14 months. When the second appropriation of $100,000 was -made, consideration was given to the question of fixing a maximum limit -upon the cost of the houses to be built by the receivers of bonuses, but -no definite action followed. - -During the early stages of the relief work the great question was, how -soon will the burned district be rebuilt. Houses must be rebuilt if -residents temporarily living in the nearby cities were not to be -permanently lost. Stores and warehouses must be rebuilt if the small -tradesmen and lodging-house keepers were to return, to attract, in their -turn, other industries. Labor leaders asserted that a large number of -those who were living in outlying districts or outside the city were -workingmen who were handicapped both by loss of time and by increase in -expenditure in having to go to and from their accustomed places of -labor. Four or five thousand workingmen were said to be anxiously -waiting to make use of a liberal offer to re-establish their homes on -their own lots in the burned area. The number was over-estimated, for -only 885 bonuses were granted, many to persons who owned their own -business and were not workingmen on a daily wage. If such a large number -ever made application for the bonus, they either did not possess -sufficient savings or enjoy an income large enough to avail themselves -of the Corporation’s offer. Capitalists were also anxious for rebuilding -to begin as rapidly as possible; so the plan, when announced, was gladly -received by all classes. It is possible that the expenditure of the -first $400,000 appropriated for bonuses at the moment when many were -debating the wisdom of rebuilding, turned the tide of decision in favor -of immediate action. As early as March, 1907, 470 bonus homes had been -built at an expenditure of $200,147.17. - -[Illustration: Home built by a letter carrier - -Home of an elderly U. S. Government employe. Bonus, $250 - -BONUS HOUSES] - - -2. BONUS RECIPIENTS - -The field investigation of the bonus cases made by this Survey included -visits to 572 persons, or 65 per cent of the entire number. These were -selected at random and scattered over the entire burned district. In -26 instances the investigator was refused information, 44 of the houses -were rented out and the addresses of owners could not be obtained, and -12 of the houses had been sold or were vacant and the whereabouts of the -owners were unknown. The remaining 490 cases, 55 per cent of the total -number receiving bonuses, yielded practically complete schedules. All -except one of the bonus recipients studied--Notre Dame College, an -institution accommodating about 75 students--represented families, or -were persons who wished to establish homes. It is believed that the -cases selected are in every way typical and that the results obtained -would be substantially the same if the entire number had been visited. -The characteristics of these 489 persons who received bonuses, and their -relative condition before and after the disaster, are briefly given in -the following pages. - -TABLE 74.--NATIONALITY[194] OF APPLICANTS RECEIVING AID UNDER THE BONUS -PLAN - - ===================+=====================+===================== - Nationality | Native born | Foreign born - | applicants whose | applicants of each - |parents were of each |specified nationality - |specified nationality| - -------------------+---------------------+--------------------- - Irish | 19 | 185 - Italian | 1 | 93 - American | 81 | .. - German | 2 | 41 - English | 3 | 10 - French | 2 | 11 - Other nationalities| 3 | 38 - -------------------+---------------------+--------------------- - Total | 111 | 378 - -------------------+---------------------+--------------------- - - [194] For comparative figures as to nationality found by the first - registration, see Part I, p. 74. - -That a large proportion of those who received bonuses were foreign born -was to be expected, as the regions burned were inhabited largely by the -Italians north of Market Street and by the Irish, south. - -The conjugal condition of the bonus recipients is shown in Table 75. - -TABLE 75.--CONJUGAL CONDITION OF FAMILIES RECEIVING AID UNDER THE BONUS -PLAN - - ===================+=========================== - Conjugal condition|Families of each specified - | conjugal condition - -------------------+--------------------------- - Married couples | 321 - Widows | 126 - Widowers | 23 - Orphaned children | 8 - Single men | 6 - Single women | 5 - -------------------+--------------------------- - Total | 489 - -------------------+--------------------------- - -In November, 1908, when the schedules were completed, 390 of the 489 -families, or 80 per cent, had the same status as before the fire; 99, or -20 per cent, had suffered changes of various kinds. These changes, in -the main, resulted from deaths and the natural separation of maturing -children from the home. From the date of the disaster to the time of the -investigation, 53, or 11 per cent, of the families suffered loss by -death of one or more of their members, the total deaths being 57. One of -this number had been killed by the earthquake, and many,--the exact -number could not be ascertained,--died from such indirect effects of the -disaster as nervous prostration, or typhoid fever contracted in camp. -The deaths for the period considered, though slightly above the normal, -were not excessive. - -In 41 per cent of the bonus cases the application was filed by the wife -or some other woman member of the family, and the grant was made in her -name. The large number of women applicants may be explained in part by -the fact that the blank application for a bonus had to be signed by the -owner of the lot, whether man or woman,[195] and it is a common practice -in San Francisco, as elsewhere, for a husband to put his property in his -wife’s name. Furthermore, Table 75 shows a large proportion of widows -among the applicants and a small proportion of widowers. - - [195] See form in Appendix II, p. 447. - -The size of the family was, as a rule, not large, and the burden of -dependence carried not heavy. In only 28 cases were there persons other -than children who were wholly dependent. In 43 cases relatives or -friends lived with the family, but were either self-supporting or made -contribution to the family income. There were 1,333 children of these -families, or 2.7 to a family, not all of whom were living at home; many, -married or single, were living and working away from their parents. - -TABLE 76.--AGES OF APPLICANTS RECEIVING AID UNDER THE BONUS PLAN[196] - - ===============================+=============== - Age period | Applicants in - |each age period - -------------------------------+--------------- - Less than 30 years | 6 - 30 years and less than 40 years| 80 - 40 years and less than 50 years| 144 - 50 years and less than 60 years| 116 - 60 years and less than 70 years| 108 - 70 years and less than 80 years| 33 - 80 years and over | 2 - -------------------------------+--------------- - Total | 489 - -------------------------------+--------------- - - [196] Note the difference in ages between those receiving the bonus - and the camp cottage occupants. See Part IV, p. 225. - -It will be seen from Table 76 that 47 per cent of the applicants were -under fifty years of age and that 29 per cent were over sixty years of -age. The few that had reached an advanced age were given a bonus not on -account of their need, but as a stimulus to build on their property in -the burned district. - -The health of the family was more fully recorded than in the case of the -camp cottagers. No note was made of such minor ailments, or accidents, -as would bring no handicap, but 181, or 37 per cent, of the families -suffered from sickness and accident to such an extent that there was a -distinct handicap, either through burdensome doctors’ bills, or by -having the source of income temporarily reduced or cut off. Including -the 53 families who had sustained deaths, 48 per cent of the whole -number were shown to have suffered from the effects of illness or -accident. This total burden should not, however, be reckoned as an -aftermath of the disaster.[197] - - [197] For general health conditions during period immediately - following the disaster, see Part I, p. 89 ff. - - -3. OCCUPATIONS AND RESOURCES - -The means by which the men in the families earned a livelihood before -April, 1906, are given in Table 77. - -TABLE 77.--OCCUPATIONS BEFORE THE FIRE OF 433 MEN IN FAMILIES RECEIVING -AID UNDER THE BONUS PLAN - - ====================================+========================= - Occupational group | MEN IN EACH SPECIFIED - | OCCUPATIONAL GROUP - +----------+--------+----- - |Proprietor|Employes|Total - ------------------------------------+----------+--------+----- - Personal and domestic service | 112 | 80 | 192 - Manufactures and mechanical pursuits| 22 | 61 | 83 - Trade | 38 | 62 | 100 - Professional service | .. | 2 | 2 - Retired | 46 | .. | 46 - Invalid | 10 | .. | 10 - ------------------------------------+----------+--------+----- - Total | 228 | 205 | 433 - ------------------------------------+----------+--------+----- - -The number of those who had owned and operated an individual business is -shown to exceed slightly the number that were employed at a definite -rate of wages. Thirty different industries and 66 different kinds of -employment are included in the four categories. The number of women who -earned support for themselves outside of their own homes, and in whole -or in part, for their families, was 31; of these, 17 were in personal -and domestic service, 11 in manufactures, two in trade, and one in -professional service. The heads of the remaining 25 families were either -aged men or women who were supported by their own children, or persons -otherwise cared for. - -The status with reference to ownership of business remained almost -unchanged; only 12 persons who had owned and managed a business before -the fire were forced later to seek permanent employment as wage-earners. -Almost exactly the same number of persons, 11, who were wage-earners -before the disaster, conducted a business of their own at the time of -the investigation. These slight variations show that the bonus -recipients, possessing more than ordinary ability, were able to -re-establish themselves. - -[Illustration: Built by Italians - -Bonuses $500 each - -Home of two Italian families - -A widow’s venture - -Bonus $500 - -BONUS HOUSES] - -Perhaps a better estimate of the earning capacity of the bonus -applicants is obtained by comparing the number whose incomes were -permanently increased or diminished or remained practically the same -during the stress of abnormal conditions. A study of the data shows that -201 applicants enjoyed larger incomes before the fire than after; that -237 applicants had smaller incomes before the fire than after, and that -in 47 cases the income was about the same at both periods. Of the 490 -applicants, including Notre Dame College, for which information was -secured, five failed to supply information as to relative income. - -The large number of those who enjoyed increased incomes at the time of -the investigation may be accounted for in part by the fact that members -of the same families before April 18, 1906, were not contributing to -their limit. In not a few cases, however, an increase in wages of those -who had previously worked full time, accounts for the difference. -Perhaps the chief significance of the figures lies in the fact that in -the majority of cases there was no serious decrease in income.[198] The -number of women who added to the family income, or managed their own -property, before and after April, 1908, did not materially change. In -the earlier period, 109 of the women[199] were conducting a business or -earning wages; in the later period, 94 were doing so. - - [198] See Part IV, p. 250-251, for sub-letting as a factor. - - [199] The figure given for women’s occupations is larger than on page - 244, as the latter figure includes only women who were counted to be - the main support of themselves or of their families. - -The number of contributors to the family income in both periods was -obtained in each instance. In 41 families the number of contributors was -larger before the fire than after; in 76 families the number was smaller -before than after. Three hundred and sixty-nine families had the same -number of contributors to the family income at both periods, and three -families failed to supply information on this point. The additional -number of contributors may in several instances be accounted for by the -greater age of the children, an increase which is to some extent -counterbalanced by the withdrawal on account of marriage or advancing -age of some contributors to the common purse. - -It was not possible to estimate the exact value of the lots owned by the -applicants before the fire; their exact value could have been learned -only by sale. What is, however, believed to be a fairly accurate -estimate is given in Table 78. - -TABLE 78.--VALUE OF LOTS OWNED BEFORE THE FIRE BY APPLICANTS RECEIVING -AID UNDER THE BONUS PLAN[200] - - ===========================+======================= - Value of lots owned before |Applicants owning lots - the fire |of each specified value - ---------------------------+----------------------- - Less than $1,000 | 53 - $1,000 and less than $2,000| 274 - $2,000 and less than $3,000| 131 - $3,000 and over | 27 - ---------------------------+----------------------- - Total | 485 - ---------------------------+----------------------- - - [200] Of the 490 applicants, including Notre Dame College, for which - information was secured, five did not own lots before the fire. - -The above valuations are supposed to be those extant before the -disaster. Although in some districts the value of lots may have -increased after the fire, and in others may have decreased, no effort -was made, because of the inherent difficulties, to ascertain the amount -of the later valuation. It is not known why the bonus was granted to the -five persons who did not own lots before the disaster. - -In addition to the lots on which these dwellings had stood, 51 families -had owned both before and after the fire other realties, such as houses, -lots, or ranches. The value of the additional real property in 40 cases -was found to have averaged $7,558. Similar data with reference to 35 -families showed the average value of their additional property after the -fire to be $4,052; 17 other families possessed additional property -before, but not after; while 16 families reported acquiring additional -property after the disaster. In practically every instance the owners -drew from their properties a substantial addition to their incomes. - -In order to rebuild their homes, 352, or 72 per cent, of the applicants -negotiated loans with banks or with relatives or friends. The interest -was from 6¹⁄₂ to 8 per cent. Previous to April 18, 1906, 61 of those who -later received the bonus had rented their houses and occupied living -quarters elsewhere,--in four instances, in cottages on lots on which the -houses stood; in others, with relatives, in rented rooms in more -desirable residence sections, or in houses owned in other parts of the -city. After the fire the number who rented their homes to others -increased to 74; 22 of this number, in place of four, lived on their -own lots in small cottages or shacks built in the rear of each lot. - -Four hundred and fifty, or 92 per cent, of those who received the $500 -bonus had carried, and received after the fire, insurance in amounts -ranging from less than $500 to $20,000. Of 204 families from whom -reliable data were secured, 25 were found to have received full payment; -78 to have received more than 75 per cent, but less than 100 per cent of -their loss; 82, more than 50 per cent but less than 75 per cent; and 12, -more than 25 per cent but less than 50 per cent. One received less than -25 per cent and six received nothing. - -The field workers found it peculiarly difficult to learn what had been -the amount of bank savings of the different families. Many refused to -answer the question; others denied that they had had savings; 167, or 34 -per cent, of those tabulated admitted having put aside amounts varying -from less than $500 to more than $4,000; and 38 that they had savings, -the amounts of which they would not give. - -Though all aided under the bonus plan were property owners,[201] a -number were in debt both before and after the fire. Table 79 indicates -the number in debt and the amount of this indebtedness. - - [201] The five who did not own lots on which they wished to build had - presumably other property. - -TABLE 79.--INDEBTEDNESS CARRIED BEFORE AND AFTER THE FIRE BY FAMILIES -RECEIVING AID UNDER THE BONUS PLAN[202] - - ===========================+=========================== - Amount of indebtedness |FAMILIES WHOSE INDEBTEDNESS - | WAS AS SPECIFIED - +------------+-------------- - | Before fire| After fire - ---------------------------+------------+-------------- - Less than $500 | 21 | 38 - $500 and less than $1,000 | 49 | 66 - $1,000 and less than $2,000| 61 | 83 - $2,000 and less than $3,000| 32 | 65 - $3,000 and over | 13 | 72 - ---------------------------+------------+-------------- - Total | 176 | 324 - ---------------------------+------------+-------------- - - [202] Of the families investigated, three that carried indebtedness - before the fire and four that carried indebtedness after the fire - refused to state the amount of the indebtedness. - -From the table it will be noted that before the fire 179, or 37 per -cent, of those aided, had carried a burden of debt, while afterwards the -number was increased to 328, or 67 per cent. Loans to the amount of the -indebtedness noted could have been obtained upon the property owned. - -Additional aid was granted by the Rehabilitation Committee to 116, or 24 -per cent, of the bonus grantees, in amounts varying from $5.00 to $500. -These grants were in the main for clothing, sewing machines, medicine, -or other general household relief. The aid included 59 furniture grants. -In 10 of the 116 cases the full bonus was not given, so that the sum of -grants amounted to not more than $500. Sixty-five of the applicants were -not eligible for the full bonus, as the buildings they erected were -worth less than $1,500 each. The department, it may be remembered, had -agreed to pay not more than one-third of the value of the house which -should be erected.[203] - - [203] See Part IV, p. 239. - - -4. THE HOUSES--CHARACTER AND COST - -As far as this group of families is concerned the burned area was built -up substantially as before the earthquake. As wood was the material -available, without exception the 490 bonus houses were frame. The -general appearance of the houses was good. Most were painted and had -adequate foundations, and a majority had basements. The basements in -many cases were sublet, or were used for business purposes. The number -of stories to a house varied from one to four; only three of the houses, -however, had four stories. The greater number were of two stories. All -the houses were connected with the city water supply and the sewerage -system. Three hundred and eighty-one, or 78 per cent, of the new houses -contained bath rooms, and all but three had installed one or more patent -flush closets. - -A fair gauge of the character of the houses rebuilt is the cost, if the -high price of building materials be borne in mind. - -TABLE 80.--COST OF HOUSES REBUILT AFTER THE FIRE BY APPLICANTS RECEIVING -AID UNDER THE BONUS PLAN - - ============================+============== - Cost of houses |Houses costing - | as specified - ----------------------------+-------------- - Less than $1,500 | 65 - $1,500 and less than $3,000 | 210 - $3,000 and less than $5,000 | 118 - $5,000 and less than $10,000| 92 - $10,000 and over | 5 - ----------------------------+-------------- - Total | 490[204] - ----------------------------+-------------- - - [204] Includes Notre Dame College. - -One house cost $39,000, another $78,000, and three from $10,000 to -$20,000. It must be remembered that one of these was Notre Dame College. -Only 16 per cent of the houses were built by the applicants themselves. -The original plan was to aid those that had suffered the loss of their -homes. Fifty-five of the houses destroyed were, however, used for both -dwelling and business purposes; 69 of those rebuilt were similarly used. -Each business was on a small scale,--a grocery or fruit store, a saloon, -or a barber shop. The number of rooms in the houses formerly occupied -and those in the houses lived in after the fire is given in the -following table: - -TABLE 81.--NUMBER OF ROOMS IN HOUSES OWNED BEFORE THE FIRE AND IN HOUSES -REBUILT AFTER THE FIRE BY APPLICANTS RECEIVING AID UNDER THE BONUS PLAN - - ===================+====================== - Number of rooms | HOUSES HAVING EACH - | SPECIFIED NUMBER OF - | ROOMS - +-----------+---------- - |Before fire|After fire - -------------------+-----------+---------- - 1 | .. | .. - 2 | .. | 1 - 3 | 1 | 6 - 4 | 14 | 51 - 5 and less than 9 | 150 | 184 - 9 and less than 13 | 171 | 138 - 13 and less than 16| 83 | 58 - 17 and less than 21| 42 | 23 - 21 and over | 28 | 28 - -------------------+-----------+---------- - Total | 489 | 489 - -------------------+-----------+---------- - Average number of rooms before fire 12.2 - Average number of rooms after fire 10.6 - ========================================== - -As in not a few cases two houses instead of one were built on a lot, the -combined number of rooms is given in the preceding table. A further -examination of the data shows that in 168 of the bonus cases the houses -were rebuilt to contain a greater number of rooms, in 259 to have less, -in 62 to have the same. No attempt has been made to compare size and -desirability of the rooms, but it seems probable that there was no great -difference in the character of the houses rebuilt as far as rooming -space is concerned. - -In 453, or 93 per cent, of the bonus cases tabulated, the exact number -of rooms occupied by the family and its dependents in its own or in a -rented house was ascertained. - -TABLE 82.--NUMBER OF ROOMS PER FAMILY OCCUPIED BEFORE AND AFTER THE FIRE -BY FAMILIES RECEIVING AID UNDER THE BONUS PLAN[205] - - ========================+====================== - Number of rooms occupied| FAMILIES OCCUPYING - | EACH SPECIFIED NUMBER - | OF ROOMS - +-----------+---------- - |Before fire|After fire - ------------------------+-----------+---------- - 1 | 8 | 11 - 2 | 13 | 37 - 3 | 65 | 72 - 4 and less than 7 | 302 | 303 - 7 and less than 10 | 55 | 27 - 10 and over | 10 | 3 - ------------------------+-----------+---------- - Total | 453 | 453 - ------------------------+-----------+---------- - - [205] Of the 489 families investigated, 36 failed to supply - information relative to the number of rooms occupied both before and - after the fire. - -The proportion of families occupying less than four rooms was smaller -before the fire than after the fire, while the reverse is true of -families occupying seven or more rooms. It would appear from this that -after the fire the crowding was slightly increased. By actual count, 218 -families were found to have occupied more rooms before the fire than -after, 152 families occupied the same number, while 83 enjoyed a larger -number after the fire. - -[Illustration: Two ambitious dwellings built with aid of bonuses - -Built with bonus of $500 and money privately loaned - -BONUS HOUSES] - -The number of families who let rooms before and after the fire was -extraordinarily large. Before the fire 375, or 76 per cent, and -afterwards 378, or 77 per cent, let either furnished rooms or -unfurnished suites. In a majority of cases the family itself occupied -one flat and let the others. It is evident that the average small -property owner rebuilt his house with the expectation of drawing an -income from it. - - -5. BRIEF COMMENTS - -If the Corporation had refused to grant a bonus to anyone who was to -build a house to cost above $2,500, more than 50 per cent of the grants -would have been denied. When the second appropriation of $100,000 was -set aside for the bonus grants in 1907, one intimately connected with -the work wrote: “In connection with the proposed expenditure of $100,000 -to be used for assisting those intending to rebuild in the burned -district, I will state that, as there will be numerous applicants for -such assistance, it might be wise to place some restrictions upon the -bonus other than those now in force. For instance, I recommend that a -person desiring to build a house valued at $3,000 should not be granted -said bonus, as evidently he is not in need, and in my opinion, does not -require our help. Furthermore, I believe it would be well to investigate -each application to determine whether the applicant has received -assistance from the Committee previous to placing the application with -the Department.” - -The man who had to pass on the bonus applications said: “Henceforth the -bonus should be granted only in cases which have been proven -conclusively to be in need of it, for my impression after a careful -examination of these applications, is that they are not in particular -need of the bonus but could get along perfectly well without it, though -possibly not so easily.” - -Another letter, dated March 11, 1907, to the staff in charge of the -grants said, “In making the allotments under the new appropriation I -would advise that you question each grantee carefully and refuse to -issue the amount where the house is already completed or nearly built. -This, of course, can only be determined from personal examination of the -applicant, for many whose houses are already practically completed, -frame their applications as if they were just about to begin.” - -The feeling that, regardless of loss, there was the right to share in -the relief funds, pushed many who had already begun to build into the -ranks of applicants for the liberal gift of $500. A possible evil effect -of this liberal offer was that some persons, in order to take advantage -of it, incurred heavy indebtedness, which they would be forced for a -long time to carry. The extra cost for building during the fall of 1906 -and the winter of 1907 offset in a measure the financial gain from the -bonus. - -After a great disaster the efficient distribution of a large sum of -money to aid in rebuilding calls for the exercise of two distinct -functions, business management and supervision of rehabilitation work. -It is not probable that the same person can with equal success perform -the two functions. A neglect of either means a grave miscarrying of the -plan itself. - - -IV - -THE GRANT AND LOAN PLAN - - -1. THE PLAN ITSELF - -The Department of Lands and Buildings at first gave its entire attention -to the camp cottages and bonuses. However, a large number of -applications for small grants or loans to build had been early filed -away to bide their time. The insistence of applicants and the -recognition of their need to be heard led to the transfer of these -applications to another department of the Corporation. November 1, 1906, -the Rehabilitation Committee[206] referred to its new housing committee -of five members, Committee V, the 800 applications that had accumulated. - - [206] The Rehabilitation Committee, it must be recalled, was a - committee of the Department of Relief and Rehabilitation. - -Committee V organized at once and formulated plans for making grants and -loans and for building houses. It assumed the work of housing to be -general rehabilitation, and therefore perfected a system whereby all -those asking for assistance could be investigated and helped according -to their needs. - -There were, speaking in general, two classes of applicants to whom the -committee extended aid: - - 1. Some applicants planned and built their own houses, but received - aid from the relief funds. A maximum cost of each house to be erected - was fixed by the committee, and the applicant was supposed to pay the - greater part. The amounts distributed under this plan were considered - grants and not loans. - - 2. Other applicants desired to purchase houses which were planned and - constructed under the direction of the committee. In some cases of - this class the grant covered the entire cost of the house, while in - others the grant was supplemented in one or both of the two following - ways: - - a. A part of the cost of the house was treated as a loan to be repaid - by the applicant. - - b. The applicant made a cash payment covering a part of the cost. - -The Committee, in order to make good its second offer, engaged -contractors to build houses which, including plumbing, should cost not -more than $500.[207] Under both offers, the applicant was required to -show that he had suffered material loss and that he was the head of a -household and was able to support his family; that he was unable to -secure a suitable house at a reasonable rent, and that he had secured a -lot in the city and county of San Francisco on which to build. The plan -of the building submitted had to comply with the provisions of the city -building code. The carrying out of the plans,[208] with any modification -of policy, the Rehabilitation Committee left to its sub-committee, to -which the grant and loan plan had been referred. - - [207] As a matter of fact, the average cost including plumbing was - $682.45. - - [208] See Appendix I, p. 417. - -The housing committee, assuming that theirs was in the highest sense -rehabilitation work, perfected a thorough system of investigation of all -applications. It defined its purpose to be: “To assist families in need -of proper shelter to obtain a home suitable to their wants and in -proportion to their earnings.” - -In placing the grants and loans, its theory was to give aid so as to -stimulate the recipient to use it for the distinct benefit of his -family. In a case where a family had heavy burdens and a limited income, -money was granted outright. When there was reason to believe that a -recipient could repay a part of the large amount needed, a grant was -frequently supplemented by a loan. As general rules should be few in -number, the committee exercised its own judgment in each individual -instance. The plans therefore worked differently in different cases. In -some cases the applicant deposited part of the cost of the house to be -built which was supplemented by a grant or loan. In other cases, the -applicant being unable to make a deposit, the committee bore the entire -first cost of the house. - -Many were aided who had no real estate before April, 1906, but purchased -or leased a lot in order to build. Even the maximum limit set for the -cost of the house was not adhered to in every instance. The loans ranged -from $37 to $595,[209] as the committee found it wise to readjust its -own plan so that the amounts given or loaned should be such as would -meet the actual needs revealed by a careful investigation. A reliable -bank was enlisted to see that the loans were properly executed, -mortgages recorded, and monthly instalments collected. This bank became -the financial agent of the Corporation, and those who received loans -felt their obligation to be to it rather than to the Corporation. In -case a house were built on a lot temporarily leased, the bank secured -from the applicant and the owner of the property an agreement to the -effect that the house should not be moved without the consent of the -committee. In case an applicant failed to meet his financial obligation -the house reverted to the Corporation, not to the lot owner. - - [209] For range of grants, as distinguished from loans, see Part IV, - p. 258. - -The committee, it may be seen, had two clearly defined functions: (a) to -administer a business which called for the employment of contractors, -the outlining of plans and specifications for buildings, the appointing -of inspectors to locate lots and to examine the buildings erected, and -(b) to conduct a bureau of rehabilitation through which might be learned -the present and past conditions and the future prospects of the -individual applicants. The oversight given by the two groups, business -men and social workers, meant a decrease in the number of failures to -re-establish homes. - -The work of Committee V, which began November 1, 1906, ended the latter -part of July, 1907. The committee as a whole was in continuous session -during the first weeks. Thereafter two of its members gave to it -practically all their business hours. After July, 1907, however, minor -details connected with final acceptances and instalments of additional -plumbing and other tasks incidental to the closing of the work, were -under the direction of one member. - -In many instances the delays were long between the asking for and the -receiving of a grant or loan, in part because the grant and loan plan -was the last housing plan to be put into effect. Some families were -purposely not given assistance until the house was completed, which -accounted for the delay of some months between the approval of an -application and the payment of the grant. Other families were themselves -the cause of long delays, because of their inability quickly to build. -The actual delays ranged from less than one month in 62 instances to -twelve months in one instance. Fifty per cent of the 896 applicants for -whom detailed information was secured had to wait two months or less. - - -2. RELATION BETWEEN THE DEPARTMENT OF LANDS AND BUILDINGS AND THE -HOUSING COMMITTEE - -As the Department of Lands and Buildings and the housing committee were -both engaged in building houses, it was found to be important in order -to avoid delays in the work, to plan some division of duties. -Accordingly, on March 29, 1907, following much discussion, a plan of -co-operation was agreed upon. The housing committee was to consider all -applications first and to determine in each case the amount of aid to be -granted; the terms, whether on a cash or instalment basis; and the -general design and specifications for the house. The Department of Lands -and Buildings was to have full charge of construction and cost and of -the inspection of completed cottages. - -This agreement, which called for a division of work, gave recognition to -the dual need, of rehabilitation of applicants and of sound business -management. The housing committee turned over to the Department the -designs, blue prints, and specifications for the four styles of cottages -that were being erected, together with outstanding contracts. The -following regulations to govern the two bodies were determined upon: - - 1. The housing committee should send to the Department of Lands and - Buildings, in each case, a description of the lot upon which the - building was to be erected, together with the name and address of the - applicant, and should designate the style of cottage to be - constructed. - - 2. When the housing committee received from the Department of Lands - and Buildings the total cost of the house and the name of the - contractor, the amount necessary to pay for the house should be - deposited to the housing committee’s account and held there until - ordered paid to the contractor. - - 3. When the house had been completed and accepted by the Department of - Lands and Buildings the contractor should be given an order on the - cashier for the amount due. The cashier should draw the necessary - check, signed by a representative of the housing committee. - - 4. The Department should send notice to the housing committee when a - house had been completed and accepted. - -On March 11, 1907, the manager of the Department of Lands and Buildings -had at the request of the Executive Committee of the Corporation been -made superintendent of construction of the housing committee. - -[Illustration: HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF LANDS AND BUILDINGS] - -Despite the detailed regulations there were dissatisfaction and -friction; so on April 26, 1907, the housing committee passed a -resolution to the effect that inasmuch as the housing committee bore the -full responsibility of the manner in which the relief work relating to -the building of houses was conducted, and, since the members of the -housing committee were dissatisfied with the manner in which the -superintendent of construction was performing his duties, the housing -committee made a most urgent request to the Executive Committee that the -superintendent withdraw from all work in which the housing committee was -concerned. - -The specific charges were (a) that poor contractors were employed, (b) -that desirable contractors who were difficult to obtain at that time -complained of the superintendent’s treatment, (c) that the -superintendent who had done efficient service in erecting the camp -cottages, was entirely unfit for his new position because of his -unfriendly and unsympathetic attitude toward the applicants, (d) that, -finally, the building of the much-needed new houses was unnecessarily -slow. - -The relation which unfortunately existed between these two, the -Department and the committee, is mentioned at this stage, in order to -explain in a measure the long delay and hold-up of orders by the -committee. It accounts for much of the dissatisfaction that existed -among the people and for some hardships endured by not a few applicants. -The delays due to friction made it necessary for the housing committee -to continue its work after the bonus plan was discontinued. - - -3. THE NUMBER AIDED AND THE COST - -A complete statement of the work done shows that there were 2,098 -applications for relief under the grant and loan plan acted upon -subsequent to November 1, 1906. Assistance was given in 1,572[210] -cases, the total expenditure being $519,723.17. Previous to November 1, -1906, the Rehabilitation Committee, as part of its regular work and -without special machinery, had made grants in 163 cases. The amounts -granted in these 163 cases bring the total expenditure for relief in -grant and loan cases up to $567,300.85. The 1,572 cases in which aid was -given subsequent to November 1, 1906, are dealt with in this chapter. -Families to the number of 543 had homes planned and built for them by -the committee, while 1,029 families were given aid to build according to -their own plans. The 543 families for whom houses were constructed by -the committee received 543 grants, amounting to $197,942.86, or an -average of $364.54 per grant, and 384 loans amounting to $115,558.33, an -average of $300.93 per loan. It will be noted that loans were made only -to applicants who also received grants. The assistance given to the -members of this group amounted in all, therefore, to $313,501.19. In -addition, the applicants whose houses were constructed by the committee, -themselves deposited amounts aggregating $57,073.16 towards the erection -of their homes; but this sum is, of course, distinct from the relief -given and is not included in the above total. - - [210] This number includes not only the cases in which grants were - given by the sub-committee on housing (Committee V) but all cases in - which grants for housing were given by any of the sub-committees of - the Rehabilitation Committee subsequent to November 1, 1906. Both - principal and subsidiary grants are included. See Tables 40 and 41, - pp. 157 and 158. - -The houses were classified, according to the manner in which they were -planned and built, as Styles I-VI. - -TABLE 83.--STYLE OF 543 HOUSES BUILT BY THE HOUSING COMMITTEE FOR -APPLICANTS RECEIVING AID UNDER THE GRANT AND LOAN PLAN - - ===================+=============== - Style |Houses of each - |specified style - -------------------+--------------- - I 1, 2 or 3 rooms| 78 - II 3 rooms | 9 - III 4 rooms | 348 - IV 5 rooms | 94 - V 4 rooms | 13 - VI 5 rooms | 1 - -------------------+--------------- - Total | 543 - -------------------+--------------- - -The 1,029 applicants who built according to their own plans, received -altogether $206,221.98 in grants, an average of $200.41 per grant. The -amounts granted to individuals ranged from $55 to $570.[211] - - [211] The apparent discrepancy between this figure and the maximum of - $595 given on page 254 is accounted for by the fact that grants are - discussed above, loans previously. - -In its work of construction the committee employed 20 building -contractors[212] and one plumbing contractor. The average cost of the -543 dwellings erected was $544.92 for the construction work alone. Five -hundred and eleven of these houses were equipped with plumbing at an -additional cost averaging $146.15 per house. - - [212] The contractors engaged were those accustomed to handle a small - amount of building, the larger and more responsible contractors being - unwilling to undertake to handle such small lots of building. - -To obtain the material presented in this study, visits were made to -1,157 of the families who had received grants or grants and loans from -the housing committee. From 896, or 77 per cent of the families visited, -schedules were obtained for tabulation. No trace of 172 of the remaining -261 could be found. They had received aid to build their own houses, and -had undoubtedly done so in most cases. As they had come as strangers -into their various new neighborhoods, only to move shortly, the people -in the immediate vicinity knew nothing of them. Of the remaining 89 -families, 33 had rented and 35 had sold their houses, and had -disappeared. Only eight persons were found who had received aid but had -not built; 13 who had built refused to give any information. - - -4. FAMILIES MAKING USE OF THE GRANTS AND LOANS - -Data with regard to who and what the 896 families visited were, are -given in the following pages. The 28 different nationalities represented -is a greater number than for those who received the bonus, a smaller -number than for the camp cottagers. - -TABLE 84.--NATIONALITY OF APPLICANTS RECEIVING AID UNDER THE GRANT AND -LOAN PLAN - - ===================+======================+============== - Nationality |Native born applicants| Foreign born - |whose parents were of |applicants of - | each specified |each specified - | nationality | nationality - -------------------+----------------------+-------------- - American | 397 | .. - Irish | 19 | 115 - German | 12 | 108 - English | 3 | 43 - Italian | 3 | 33 - Swedish | .. | 24 - Scotch | 3 | 18 - French | 1 | 18 - Austrian | .. | 12 - Danish | .. | 12 - Other nationalities| 7 | 68 - -------------------+----------------------+-------------- - Total | 445 | 451 - -------------------+----------------------+-------------- - -The Americans and Irish head the list, as in the camp cottage group. The -large number of Americans and the small number of Italians as compared -with the bonus group may be explained in part by the fact that these -applicants were not compelled to build in the burned section, which, it -may be recalled, included the portions of the city that had been most -thickly settled by the Irish and Italians. - -The status of the families that had received the grant and loan was more -normal than that of either of the other groups. This is shown by the -figures given in Table 85. - -TABLE 85.--CONJUGAL CONDITION OF FAMILIES RECEIVING AID UNDER THE GRANT -AND LOAN PLAN - - ========================+========================== - Conjugal condition |Families of each specified - | conjugal condition - ------------------------+-------------------------- - Married couples | 729 - Widows or deserted wives| 127 - Widowers | 18 - Single men | 11 - Single women | 11 - ------------------------+-------------------------- - Total | 896 - ------------------------+-------------------------- - -The above 14 per cent of widows and deserted wives should be compared -with the 31 per cent for the camp cottage group, and the 26 per cent of -widows for the bonus group. A family to avail itself of this aid had to -have resources of its own. The widows and deserted wives with children -had with these 127 exceptions to be helped in other ways. In 143 -instances, or 16 per cent of the total, the families had others living -with them. There were 2,069 children in all the families, or 2.3 to each -family. The number of children to an Italian family was 2.5; to an Irish -family, 3.0; and to an American family, 1.9. In 689, or 77 per cent of -the families, the domestic status, when visited, was the same as before -the fire. The remaining 207 families, or 23 per cent, had been unable to -maintain the same family relations. The separation or scattering of -their members was attributed to the following causes: - -In 82 families a death or deaths had occurred. The children from 40 -families had left home to work or to attend school, adult members of 37 -families went away to work or for other purposes, and children from 37 -families married and left home. There were eight cases of divorce or -desertion, and three cases in which the nature of the family’s change of -status could not be determined. - -It is not known to what extent the deaths in 82 families were caused -indirectly by the disaster. There was but slight variation in the number -of dependents carried before and after the fire. Some changes were due -to loss of members of the family by death or marriage and the loss of -earning power due to old age. The actual number of families in which -there were no dependents had decreased in the fall of 1908 from 91 to -70. - -Of the 896 applications, 161, or 18 per cent, were filed by the wife or -some other woman member of the family. As in the other groups, the age -of each applicant, but not of the members of his or her family, was -obtained. - -TABLE 86.--AGES OF APPLICANTS RECEIVING AID UNDER THE GRANT AND LOAN -PLAN - - ===============================+================== - Age period |Applicants in each - | age period - -------------------------------+------------------ - Less than 30 years | 76 - 30 years and less than 40 years| 279 - 40 years and less than 50 years| 290 - 50 years and less than 60 years| 147 - 60 years and less than 70 years| 74 - 70 years and less than 80 years| 27 - 80 years and over | 3 - -------------------------------+------------------ - Total | 896 - -------------------------------+------------------ - -The majority of the applicants were in the prime of life, with small -families whom they supported by their daily wages. Some of the -comparatively small number--251 applicants--above fifty years of age -were not able to work on full time. - -Upon the question of the health of the families before the fire, during -the period of camp life, and after moving into the new home, information -was secured for 882 cases. Only 53 families reported a handicap due to -ill health for the period before the fire, as compared with 356 who -report ill health during the period of camp life, and 294 who report ill -health after moving into the new home. It is probable that the estimate -of 53 families handicapped by illness before the fire is too low. - -It would appear from the above that an unduly large proportion suffered -from illness during the two and one-half years following the disaster. -The schedules state in many cases that sickness was due directly to the -earthquake, the fire, and subsequent abnormal living conditions. It is -impossible to state the number so handicapped as distinct from those -whose illness had no connection with the catastrophe. - - -5. OCCUPATIONS AND RESOURCES - -Only 66 of the men in the grant and loan group were proprietors in -business before the disaster; the remainder being skilled and unskilled -wage-earners. Though only 66 of these men could claim business ownership -before the fire, they had been engaged in 31 different industries or -professions. Their distribution by groups of occupations was as follows: -professional, three; personal and domestic, 10; manufactures, 21; -trades, 30. The past occupations of one who was retired and of one who -would not give the information are not material. Of the 66, only 46 were -in business for themselves after the fire. The rather meager incomes -drawn by these applicants from their business or profession before and -since the disaster are given below: - -TABLE 87.--MONTHLY INCOME BEFORE AND AFTER THE FIRE OF MEN RECEIVING AID -UNDER THE GRANT AND LOAN PLAN WHO WERE IN BUSINESS BEFORE THE FIRE[213] - - =======================+====================== - Monthly income | MEN HAVING MONTHLY - | INCOMES AS SPECIFIED - +-----------+---------- - |Before fire|After fire - -----------------------+-----------+---------- - $25 and less than $100 | 35 | 22 - $100 and less than $200| 17 | 9 - $200 and less than $300| 6 | .. - “A living” | 8 | 14 - -----------------------+-----------+---------- - Total | 66 | 45 - -----------------------+-----------+---------- - - [213] Of the 46 men who were in business after the fire, one refused - to supply information relative to business income. - -[Illustration: Built by the owner with insurance money and a grant of -$250 - -Built by a teamster with a grant of $250 and money privately loaned - -GRANT AND LOAN HOUSES] - -The incomes received after the disaster did not differ widely from those -received before, though a larger number, it is seen, reported having -merely a scant living. - -Seventy-five per cent of the men in the grant and loan group worked for -wages or on a monthly salary before the fire. They include artisans, men -of ordinary skill, and laborers, engaged in 87 different industries. Of -the 670 wage-earning or salaried men for whom data were tabulated 16 -were employed in professional service, 230 in personal and domestic -service, 254 in manufacturing or mechanical pursuits, and 170 in trade, -transportation, or miscellaneous occupations. The wages received ranged -from $25 to $200 per month. Two hundred and eighteen men received larger -wages before the fire than after, but the reverse was true in 285 cases. -The indication is that the abnormal conditions had made no great change -in the earnings for the two and a half years after the fire. - -As in the other groups, the incomes here considered are based upon the -nominal wage, for no estimate of the irregularity in the employment, -either before or after the disaster, could be obtained. During the -period immediately following the earthquake, many men of this group -could not secure steady employment. The family incomes, therefore, were -for a time very meager. - -Before the fire seven of the women were occupied in professional work, -137 in personal and domestic service, 15 in trades, and 51 in -manufactures,--a total of 210 women[214] who received incomes with which -to support themselves wholly or in part. About half worked outside their -own homes, and about half, working within or without, had a business or -a profession of their own. The largest single occupation was that of -letting rooms. - - [214] See Table 88, p. 264. - -While the number of women that contributed to the family income -decreased after the fire, from 210 to 133, the amount of income remained -practically the same, and the nature of their employment did not vary to -any great extent. The fact that fewer families had housing space for -lodgers probably accounts for the decrease in the number of women -contributors after the disaster. - -With reference to the family income as a whole, a comparison of incomes -of the 896 families before and after the disaster shows that 252 -families had a greater income before, 347 a greater income afterwards; -129 families could show no change in income. Of the remainder, 66 did -not know whether there was variation, and two refused to give the -information. On the whole, the Relief Survey showed that a large -majority of these applicants had, at the time of the investigation, -adjusted themselves to conditions so that they were on a normal basis -and were earning practically the same amounts as before the disaster. - -TABLE 88.--MONTHLY INCOME BEFORE AND AFTER THE FIRE OF WOMEN IN FAMILIES -RECEIVING AID UNDER THE GRANT AND LOAN PLAN[215] - - =====================+====================== - Monthly income | WOMEN HAVING MONTHLY - | INCOMES AS SPECIFIED - +-----------+---------- - |Before fire|After fire - ---------------------+-----------+---------- - Less than $20 | 45 | 30 - $20 and less than $30| 46 | 28 - $30 and less than $40| 47 | 26 - $40 and less than $50| 22 | 14 - $50 and less than $60| 15 | 11 - $60 and over | 28 | 11 - “Made a living” | 2 | 9 - “Aided husband” | 3 | 3 - ---------------------+-----------+---------- - Total | 208 | 132 - ---------------------+-----------+---------- - - [215] Of the 210 women who had incomes before the fire two refused to - supply information relative to income. Only 133 of the 210 women had - incomes after the fire, and of these one refused to supply information - relative to income. - -The number of contributors to the family income was not seriously -altered by the abnormal conditions. Six hundred and seven, or 68 per -cent, of the families had the same number contributing to the income -afterwards as before, and in practically every instance the contributors -were identical. In the many families with but one breadwinner there was -no change. The 157 instances in which the number of contributors was -greater before the fire, and the 121 instances in which the number was -greater afterwards, might be accounted for by normal changes in family -life. Eleven of the families supplied no information on this subject. In -a certain number of families, children having reached their majority -during the interval from April, 1906, to September, 1908, had left home -to seek employment elsewhere. Changes due to death, to sickness, to -marriage, and old age have been already commented upon. With this group -of families, as with the bonus families, there were some members apart -from young children who were non-contributors to the common income. - -Three hundred and twenty-eight of these applicants, or 37 per cent, are -known to have received insurance varying in amounts from less than $250 -to $5,000; 234 of the number received less than $500. As the payments -were greatly delayed in some instances the insured were hindered in the -completing of their building plans. The grants were often received from -the housing committee before the insurance was finally adjusted. - -As far as could be learned, only 162, or 18 per cent, had savings in -amounts sufficient to aid them to rebuild. The people either had -received income not more than enough to meet current expenses or had -managed unwisely. The savings varied from less than $50 by each of 12 -applicants to between $2,000 and $3,000 deposited by one. One hundred -and twenty-four had less than $500. - -When visited, only 53 of the applicants, or 6 per cent, were found to -possess property in addition to the house in which they lived, while -before the fire, 128, or 14 per cent, had owned either a small lot or a -house and lot which had been rented to others. The greater number of -these properties were small, ranging in value from $500 to $1,500. - -In addition to the grants and loans made by the housing committee, 233 -applicants had negotiated private loans secured by a mortgage on the lot -and on the house to be erected, in amounts ranging from less than $100 -to over $5,000. A few large amounts were obtained after the housing -committee loan was made, and were used to erect a larger house or to -replace a temporary one. At the time of the investigation 66 families -had paid their debts in full, and 74 had reduced them by as much as -one-fourth. Sixty-two families had received additional money in gifts -from relatives and friends, from trade unions, fraternal lodges, -consuls, and from special funds, the amounts ranging from less than $100 -to $1,500. - -Only 93 of the applicants, or about 10 per cent, owned the property on -which they lived at the time of the earthquake, but in order to take -advantage of the grant and loan offer 670, or 75 per cent, purchased -lots afterwards. As is seen in Table 89, these lots varied greatly in -value. The average frontage was about 25 feet. - -TABLE 89.--VALUE OF LOTS PURCHASED AFTER THE FIRE BY 670 APPLICANTS -RECEIVING AID UNDER THE GRANT AND LOAN PLAN - - ===========================+====================== - Value of lot | Applicants owning - |lots of each specified - | value - ---------------------------+---------------------- - Less than $500 | 227 - $500 and less than $1,000 | 274 - $1,000 and less than $2,000| 92 - $2,000 and over | 77 - ---------------------------+---------------------- - Total | 670 - ---------------------------+---------------------- - -For the most part these lots were on tracts outside the burned district. -Instead of returning to rented quarters in former congested centers, -many built their own homes in the more thinly settled parts of the city -where lots could be purchased at a low rate. A few were unfortunate in -the choice of location, as the effort to get to and from the daily work -was too great. A small number, therefore, gave up their lots and rented -quarters closer to their employment. The street-car strike of 1907 was -the cause of some removals. Fifty-nine families leased lots for a -definite period of from two to ten years, at a rate of from $1.00 to $25 -a month. The greater number paid a ground rent of from $5.00 to $10. A -few others were given free use of lots by relatives or intimate friends. - - -6. HOUSING BEFORE AND AFTER THE FIRE - -Very little is known about the rented dwellings in which most of the -families had lived, though a few are known to have occupied both upper -and lower stories. After the fire only 41 rented their homes and lived -elsewhere. They were not housed in as large buildings as before the -fire, but at the time of the investigation were settled fairly -comfortably in their own homes. - -The number of rooms occupied by the families before and after the -disaster varied but slightly. - -TABLE 90.--NUMBER OF ROOMS PER FAMILY OCCUPIED BEFORE AND AFTER THE FIRE -BY FAMILIES RECEIVING AID UNDER THE GRANT AND LOAN PLAN[216] - - ============================+========================= - | FAMILIES OCCUPYING EACH - |SPECIFIED NUMBER OF ROOMS - Number of rooms occupied +-------------+----------- - | Before fire | After fire - ----------------------------+-------------+----------- - 1 | 25 | 10 - 2 | 59 | 52 - 3 | 181 | 203 - 4 and less than 7 | 590 | 613 - 7 and less than 10 | 35 | 14 - 10 and less than 13 | 1 | 1 - ----------------------------+-------------+----------- - Total | 891 | 893 - ----------------------------+-------------+----------- - - [216] Of the 896 families investigated, five failed to supply - information relative to the number of rooms occupied before the fire, - and three, relative to the number of rooms occupied after the fire. - -The number of families that sublet rooms to others or kept roomers both -before and after the fire was small in comparison with the number of -bonus applicants who rented rooms.[217] Before the disaster 179 -families, or 20 per cent, added to their income by subletting; at the -time of the investigation only 74, or a little more than 8 per cent, did -so. The reason is that the grant and loan applicants were themselves to -a large extent living in rented rooms before the fire, and afterwards in -houses that contained no more rooms than were called for by the family -needs. - - [217] See Part IV, pp. 250-251. - -Before the fire 382 families, or 43 per cent, did not have a bath in the -house. In the new homes built with the aid of a grant or loan 355, or 40 -per cent, were without this convenience. There is no question but that -it would have been a great gain to families if, through the instigation -of the housing committee, all could have been brought to install baths -in their new houses. Practically all the houses were connected with the -city water supply. Toilets were installed, but a few were on the -outside, not within the houses. Most of them were connected with the -regular sewerage system and but a very few houses had cesspools -attached. The plumbing, though simple and cheap in quality, was found to -be in fairly good condition and to have served its purpose -satisfactorily. - -The houses were either painted or, as in the greater number of -instances, shingled on the exterior. They presented a neat appearance. -At the date of the investigation, most of the houses, having been -erected but a very short time, were in good repair and afforded ample -shelter to the families occupying them. For the most part they were -one-story buildings. A few, however, were one and one-half and two -stories. All were built of wood, and a majority stood on wooden -foundations. Some few stood on either a new or an old concrete or brick -foundation. Some had basements which were sublet as living quarters or -were used for storage purposes. It is difficult to determine whether the -housing committee should have prevented the building and use of -basements as dwellings. Some were unfit for habitation, but not -infrequently, as the houses were built on the side of a steep hill, the -basements were well-lighted and drained. A few of the families used -their houses for the joint purpose of residence and business, but not so -large a number as before the disaster. Individual thrift and enterprise -were shown by many of the applicants, who for not more than $700 had -been able to build and furnish their houses within and without in an -artistic and attractive way. The woodwork in some cases was -well-finished and had been painted by a member of the household. The -houses so improved had an attractive, homelike appearance. - -Much disappointment was felt by some applicants who had had houses built -for them by the committee’s contractors, when they compared their houses -with those built at no greater expense by applicants who had used their -own plans. As a rule, most of the latter houses were well built. They -were more solid, warmer, and more satisfactory as far as cost and -specifications were concerned. However, some of the houses that were -built for the applicants by contractors were almost as unsatisfactory as -those built by the committee’s contractors. The contract houses for the -most part showed poor workmanship, with inferior lumber and finish. Most -were considered “finished” when they, mere shells, had but few doors and -windows, no shelves, no steps, no ceilings, and no adequate foundations. -A few did not have building paper placed on the sides of the house -between the rough boards and the shingles or other outer finish to keep -out the rain and the wind. To remedy these defects and to make many -needed improvements, such as plastering, painting, the building of -porches, and other additions necessary to render each house a habitable -home, the owner had to make a heavy outlay. A few of these “beginnings” -which served as homes, cost without plumbing about $200 to $300. - -[Illustration: Built by the Housing Committee - -Built by the owner, who had some resources - -GRANT AND LOAN HOUSES] - -Frequently arrangements were made between the owner and the contractor -whereby certain alterations were made on payment of $50 to $70 in -addition to the contract price. Steps cost $10 more; a better -foundation, often necessary because of a deep slope, $10 to $20 -additional; larger windows $20 to $40 extra; a dormer roof instead of a -gable, $40 more. All departures from the original contract were supposed -to have the approval of the committee, but its consent was not always -obtained. - -In cases where the owner lived nearby, or on part of the same lot, and -could maintain a general supervision, or as in a few instances, where -the lot owner and contractor were old friends, the houses erected by the -committee’s contractors were substantially constructed. - -As already stated, only 93 of these applicants, or about 10 per cent, -owned the houses in which they were living at the time of the disaster. -The value of the residences owned before the disaster and after are -given in Table 91. - -TABLE 91.--VALUE OF HOUSES OWNED BEFORE AND AFTER THE FIRE BY APPLICANTS -RECEIVING AID UNDER THE GRANT AND LOAN PLAN[218] - - ===========================+======================== - |APPLICANTS OWNING HOUSES - |OF EACH SPECIFIED VALUE - Value of houses +-----------+------------ - |Before fire| After fire - ---------------------------+-----------+------------ - Less than $500 | 1 | 174 - $500 and less than $1,000 | 4 | 533 - $1,000 and less than $1,500| 12 | 104 - $1,500 and less than $2,000| 14 | 28 - $2,000 and less than $3,000| 24 | 14 - $3,000 and less than $4,000| 16 | 3 - $4,000 and less than $5,000| 9 | .. - $5,000 and less than $6,000| 3 | 1 - $6,000 and over | 5 | 2 - ---------------------------+-----------+---------- - Total | 88 | 859 - ---------------------------+-----------+---------- - - [218] Of the 896 applicants investigated 37 failed to supply - information relative to houses owned after the fire. Of the 93 - applicants who owned houses before the fire, five failed to supply - information relative to the value of the houses. - -After the fire, nearly 75 per cent of the houses ranged in value from -$500 to $2,000. Some who built houses worth less than $500 did so in -order to have a temporary cottage while waiting to put up a permanent -home on the same lot. - -The cost of the houses erected by the housing committee through their -own contractors was from a minimum of $333 to a maximum of $875. It will -be recalled that the published notice of the housing committee was to -the effect that its aid to applicants who built for themselves would be -confined to those building houses worth not more than $750. As the -committee found a large number needing aid, who were anxious to build -houses of greater value, it doubtless acted wisely in extending its -limit. Four hundred and thirty-seven of the applicants, or over one-half -of those the value of whose houses was known, built at a cost greater -than $750.[219] - - [219] Compare with p. 253. It will be noted that the regulation fixing - the maximum value of the houses to be constructed at $750, applied - only in cases where applicants made their own contracts. Of the 437 - houses exceeding $750 in value, a large number were doubtless built - under different arrangements so that the $750 limit did not apply. See - cases of expensive building, Part IV, p. 273 ff. - -TABLE 92.--MONTHLY RENTALS PAID BEFORE THE FIRE BY FAMILIES RECEIVING -AID UNDER THE GRANT AND LOAN PLAN[220] - - =====================+====================== - Monthly rental |Families paying each - | specified monthly - | rental - ---------------------+--------------------- - Less than $10 | 98 - $10 and less than $20| 402 - $20 and less than $30| 83 - $30 and less than $40| 21 - $40 and less than $50| 5 - $50 and less than $60| 6 - $60 and less than $70| .. - $70 and less than $80| 1 - $80 and over | 1 - ---------------------+--------------------- - Total | 617 - ---------------------+--------------------- - - [220] Of the 896 applicants investigated, 93 owned houses before the - fire and therefore paid no rent, and 186 failed to supply information - relative to rent paid. - -If those who paid less than $10 a month rent were families and not -single persons, the quarters, it is safe to say, were inadequate. Those -who paid the larger rents specified did so in order to sublet. During -the period intervening between the destruction of their homes and the -building of other houses by the aid of grants and loans, shelter had -been sought in various places and under many different conditions. -Ninety-six families had been living in one of the official camps. Three -hundred and six occupied their houses before the grant was received, -moving into unfinished houses in order to avoid payment of rent or to -get away from an undesirable environment. Many of the families living in -unfinished houses were given a grant to complete plumbing or some other -needed improvement. - - -7. STATUS OF LOANS IN 1909 AND 1911 AND ADDITIONAL AID - -As has already been seen 384 loans were made to persons for whom houses -were constructed by the housing committee.[221] The amount of these -loans was $115,558.33. These figures are based on a final statement of -loans, made by the auditor of the San Francisco Relief and Red Cross -Funds on April 29, 1911, when all the accounts had been closed.[222] - - [221] See Part IV, p. 258. - - [222] One grant of $100 which was subsequently refunded, and which was - entered on certain statements as a loan, is not included in the - figures given in this section. - -The loans ranged from a minimum of $37 to a maximum of $595. They were -payable in monthly instalments of $10 or more with interest at 6 per -cent. - -On January 20, 1909, a short time after this investigation was -completed, a report issued by the special collector of loan instalments -indicated the status with reference to payment of these obligations. -There were at that time 97 recipients of loans, 25 per cent of the total -number, who had ceased making payments or had never made any, and were -therefore to be considered delinquent. Between 200 and 300 were paying -from time to time but had not settled their accounts in full. The total -amount that had been collected was $54,310.60, and the balance unpaid, -exclusive of interest, was $61,247.73. In a report to the auditor it was -stated that “some of the grantees have been very prompt in meeting their -obligations but a large number have not seen fit to meet their monthly -installments.” As a matter of fact some of the loans were, for various -reasons, converted into grants and the account of the applicant closed. - -Between January, 1909 and January 1, 1911, a considerable sum was -collected. The situation on the latter date, as reported by the auditor, -is shown by the following statement: - -TABLE 93.--STATUS ON JANUARY 1, 1911, OF LOANS TO FAMILIES RECEIVING AID -UNDER THE GRANT AND LOAN PLAN - - ==================================================== - Total amount of housing loans $115,558.33 - ----------- - Collections on housing loans - Principal $82,200.30 - Interest 8,011.25 - ---------- - $90,211.55 - ========== - Balance of principal unpaid $33,358.03 - -The statement shows that $82,200.30, 71.1 per cent of the principal -loaned, had been collected, in addition to $8,011.25 interest. More than -half of the principal repaid represents the repayment in full of 188 or -49.0 per cent of the loans. The remaining loans were canceled or changed -to grants, 22 wholly, 174 in part,--some for the reason that the -circumstances of applicants had changed, and they were unable to pay as -agreed, and some because collecting was likely to entail undue expense. -As it was, the expense of collecting the money recovered came to -$11,460.10. - -The Rehabilitation Committee gave the following additional aid to 356 of -the 896 grant and loan cases studied. - -TABLE 94.--ADDITIONAL AID FROM THE RELIEF FUNDS GIVEN TO FAMILIES -RECEIVING AID UNDER THE GRANT AND LOAN PLAN[223] - - ================================+================================ - Nature of additional aid |Families received additional aid - | of each specified nature - --------------------------------+-------------------------------- - Household | 279 - General relief | 44 - Tools for mechanics and artisans| 11 - Transportation | 3 - --------------------------------+-------------------------------- - Total | 337 - --------------------------------+-------------------------------- - - [223] Of the 896 families investigated only 356 received additional - aid, and 19 of the 356 failed to supply information as to the nature - of the aid received. - -Forty per cent of the entire number received additional aid in -comparison with 24 per cent of the bonus cases. In most instances no -earnings or savings were available for the purchase of a lot and for -initial building expenses. The household grants were therefore needed -especially by those who had lived in the burned district. - -TABLE 95.--AMOUNT OF ADDITIONAL GRANTS FROM THE RELIEF FUNDS MADE TO -FAMILIES RECEIVING AID UNDER THE GRANT AND LOAN PLAN - - ========================+================== - |Families receiving - Amount of additional aid|additional aid as - | specified - ------------------------+------------------ - Less than $50 | 89 - $50 and less than $100 | 148 - $100 and less than $150 | 75 - $150 and less than $200 | 25 - $200 and less than $250 | 10 - $250 and less than $300 | 6 - $300 and less than $350 | 2 - $350 and over | 1 - ------------------------+------------------ - Total | 356 - ------------------------+------------------ - - -8. CASES OF EXPENSIVE BUILDING - -Six cases of families that built homes worth more than $2,000 each will -give some idea, though inadequate, of the circumstances surrounding some -of the more fortunate of this group of 896 applicants. - -The first is a German family of three members, the man a waiter, aged -forty-four, who earned $50 a month before the fire, his wife, and one -dependent child. He was one of the 93 applicants who had owned the home -in which he lived. His house and lot were valued at $6,000, and by -sub-letting a part of the house he added $20 a month to his income. The -insurance carried was $3,500, of which $2,800 was paid. He built a -temporary shack to house his family, at a cost of $300, towards the -payment of which he was granted $150. He now has an eighteen-room house -worth $8,700. The business loan of $6,200 negotiated by him was reduced -by $200 at the time of the investigation, and he was sub-letting rooms, -somewhat irregularly, at $145 a month. His wages as waiter had increased -$5.00 a month. The child’s constant sickness had been a handicap. The -grant was for the temporary shack erected probably before the insurance -was received or any definite plan made for permanent rebuilding. - -The second family, Danish, had also three members, the man a carpenter, -aged forty-seven, his wife, and a child. Before and after the disaster -the man made $80 at his trade and he later became a teamster at the same -wage. The family belongs to the group that paid rent, which was reduced -by sub-letting. Their rental had been $18 a month for a second-story -flat of five rooms, three of which had been sub-let for $15 a month. The -insurance carried on his household goods was $200, of which he collected -$70. The seven-room house built after the fire cost the Dane $3,800, the -lot $850, to pay for which a private loan of $3,300 was negotiated, and -a grant of $200 obtained from the housing committee. The debt at the -time of the investigation had been reduced to $2,320. The man, being a -carpenter, had done most of the inside work on his house. The family was -occupying three rooms and sub-letting four at a monthly rental of -$18.75. There had been no sickness in the family. The grant was small in -comparison with the cost of the house and lot, but it may have been the -fillip needed to bring the man to the point of purchase. The rate at -which the debt was being canceled seems to justify the big venture. If -the family escape the handicaps of sickness and accident during the next -few years, the result will indicate that the housing committee was -warranted in extending aid. - -[Illustration: 1 2 3 4 - -METHODS OF HOUSING REHABILITATION - -Nos. 1 and 3 represent the $500 bonus; No 2 is a grant and loan cottage -built by a committee contractor and is being paid for in instalments; -No. 4 represents a beginning with the aid of a small bonus of $100 from -the committee. Four cottages in the background received early housing -grants] - -The third, another German family, likewise is a family of three, but in -this instance an old couple, the man seventy-seven, and a grown son, an -electrician who had earned $140 a month. The house which they had owned -before the fire, valued with the “lot” at $10,000, had 19 rooms, 13 of -which were let for $82.50 a month. An insurance of $6,000 was carried, -on which $4,500 was collected, which happened to be the exact amount of -the mortgage on the property. This family also, soon after the fire, -built a cheap cottage, price $500, towards payment for which the housing -committee granted $305. The electrician and a married son, the one -other child, who lived away from home, later built a $6,000 two-story -twenty-room apartment house, from which is drawn $110 a month in rents. -There is no record of the source from which the $6,000 was drawn. This -group had carried no burden of sickness. - -The fourth is a large Irish family, a man of forty-four, his wife, and -eight children. As agent for a railroad company he had earned $80 a -month before the fire, and was afterwards advanced to $100. They had -rented for $30 a month a house of 11 rooms, four of which they had -sub-let for $20. They had no insurance, but had savings to the amount of -$500. The house of eight rooms which they built after the fire on a -$1,500 lot, cost $5,000, towards payment for which the housing committee -granted $250. The Rehabilitation Committee gave $100 for furniture. At -the time of the investigation the mortgage on the property amounted to -$2,300, and two of the children were earning $89 a month. This family is -financially better off than in 1906. While in camp they had suffered to -some extent from sickness. - -The fifth is another Irish family, that of a laborer of thirty-seven, -his wife, and two young children. Before the fire he had earned $65 a -month, after the fire $85, but at the time of the investigation he was -earning but $60 irregularly. The family had formerly rented a four-room -flat for $13 a month, and though no insurance was carried, had savings -amounting to $1,600. Of this sum $650 was used in purchasing a lot on -which a $3,000 house was built. The house was not yet entirely furnished -at the time of the investigation. The committee grant was $250. The debt -carried exactly equaled the amount of savings before the fire. The -family had had sickness, which had meant a heavy outlay for medical -care. - -The sixth and last is an American family of two maiden sisters, aged -about fifty-five. As dressmakers they had earned $60 a month and had -lived in their own house of 17 rooms, valued with the lot at $6,000, on -which was a $2,800 mortgage. They sub-let six rooms for $45 a month. The -insurance collected was but $300, and after the fire they were able to -earn but $55 a month. The sixteen-room house they built cost $7,000, on -which they had a debt of $4,800. Their housing grant was $200, and they -had received an additional rehabilitation grant of $200 for furniture -and a sewing machine. At the time of the investigation they were earning -$70 at their trade and were collecting $20 a month for rent. They too -had been handicapped by sickness, and had had difficulties with their -contractor. - - -9. BRIEF COMMENTS - -Perhaps no more important rehabilitation work was done than that by the -housing committee. Partly through its stimulating efforts, by means of -the grant and loan plan, many persons, the majority of whom were -wage-earners who had carried but little insurance, accumulated small -savings, and had but few friends and relatives to extend help, were -brought to own their homes. - -The chief difficulty that the committee had to contend with was the -securing of competent and reliable contractors and plumbers. From time -to time they had to make changes which increased their own work of -supervision and worked hardship to the applicants. By giving a few -orders at a time to a contractor, with the promise of further orders if -the work were satisfactory,[224] the effort was made to stimulate sound -work. The best results were secured, as has been shown, by the -encouragement to men to themselves build or to superintend their own -building. Those who had initiative or the resource of friends in the -building trade were able to get what they wanted; those who lacked -business push trusted to contractors. The lesson is plainly writ, -however, that where feasible, the encouraging of men, in an emergency, -to assume responsibility for providing their own homes, promises better -results than to offer, under abnormal conditions, to build houses in -quantity for sale. The personal equation in this matter, as in every -other, precludes the drawing of any sweeping conclusion. The plan of the -housing committee to study each applicant, and then make the plan as -closely fit his case as the prevailing conditions will allow, is a safe -one. - - [224] The result was a rushing of work for the sake of prospective - orders. - - -GENERAL CONCLUSIONS ON HOUSING PLANS - -A very large proportion of the workingmen and small tradesmen in San -Francisco own their own houses and lots. The land values in certain -sections had not been excessive, so that many wage-earners were able to -invest savings in small lots on which to establish permanent homes. What -part the Corporation took in adding to the number of those who own their -own homes has been shown in this study. - -It has been pointed out that the bonus group received the most bountiful -housing aid, that the grant and loan group came second in the securing -of liberal assistance, and that the camp cottage people were given the -least. - -The re-visit, to recapitulate, showed that a majority of the persons who -received the bonus, which it must be borne in mind cannot be called a -relief measure, possessed not a little property, were fairly well -established in business or at profitable employment, and were entirely -able to re-establish their homes when the unsettled conditions had -passed. At the date of the re-visit this group of people were housed in -their own homes, which compared favorably in almost every way with those -occupied when the earthquake came. - -The erection of cottages within the camps to serve as temporary shelter -for approximately 18,000 people, was well planned and efficiently -executed. As has been shown, a number of the cottages came later into -the possession of speculators or were soon taken over by landlords in -satisfaction of unpaid ground rent. On the other hand, many were owned -by persons who were able to purchase small lots, and who in the fall of -1908 bid fair to retain their attractive and comfortable little homes. -Without the gift of the cottages this would not have been possible to -them. It would seem on the whole that these applicants were better -housed at the date of the investigation than at the time of the fire -which, probably, more than any other single fact, indicates the -soundness of the housing plans. - -The standards of many of the families who received camp cottages were so -low that an extensive scheme of constructive philanthropy by which an -effort might have been made slowly to raise their standards of living -would have been of great value. This would have been a stupendous task. -But should the expenditure of another great rehabilitation fund be -called for, ought not such an attempt to be kept in mind? - -The plan to aid applicants with small grants and loans was undoubtedly -well conceived and effectively worked out. The machinery installed by -the housing committee enabled it to reach the class of people whom it -was most anxious to help, also to weed out a large number that it was -thought unwise to aid. The great merit of the grant and loan policy was -that it stimulated a large number to purchase lots and erect homes of -their own who otherwise would probably never have seriously considered -the possibility. - - - - - PART V - - RELIEF WORK OF THE ASSOCIATED - CHARITIES FROM JUNE, 1907, - TO JUNE, 1909 - - -PART V - -RELIEF WORK OF THE ASSOCIATED CHARITIES FROM JUNE, 1907, TO JUNE, 1909 - - - PAGE - I. THE NATURE OF THE CASES 281 - - 1. Introductory 281 - 2. Nature of the Dependency 282 - 3. Social Character of the Cases 286 - 4. Occupations of Applicants 294 - - II. THE METHODS OF RELIEF EMPLOYED 298 - - 1. Reapplications 298 - 2. Emergent Relief 299 - 3. Permanent Relief 305 - 4. Relief Refused 310 - 5. Conclusions 314 - 6. The Associated Charities Since the Fire 317 - - -I - -THE NATURE OF THE CASES - - -1. INTRODUCTORY - -In Parts I and II frequent mention has been made of the important -rehabilitation rôle played by the Associated Charities. In this fifth -part of the Relief Survey, measure is taken of the burden carried by the -Associated Charities for the two years after it resigned as an -investigating agent of the San Francisco Relief and Red Cross Funds and -took up, with the financial aid of the funds, its independent work of -caring for the remnant. The remnant was composed of the people who had -suffered from the earthquake and fire but had asked for no help until -more than a year had elapsed; of those who continued to need aid because -of the extraordinary vicissitudes of their life; of others who had -formed the habit of turning to a relief agency for assistance; and of -those who required further succor because that given by the Corporation -had been inadequate. - -The Associated Charities was selected for special study, not only -because it had been continuously the agent of the Corporation, but -because its work promised to give the fullest answer to the question: To -what extent has the San Francisco problem of dependency deepened? This -study is, then, in a sense, an exhibition of the aftermath of the great -disaster. - -The range of the inquiry involved the asking of three questions: First, -what was the character of the rehabilitation? Second, how was it done? -Third,--a quadruple question,--how much was induced by the disaster -itself, how much by the fact of the existence of relief measures the -year after the disaster, how much by the administration of these -measures, and how much by conditions that tend at all times to produce -dependency? - -The field of investigation plainly defines itself as: first, to know the -number and character of the persons that remained dependent after the -fifteen months of conscientious rehabilitation work, and to compare them -in regard to number and character with the lesser number of persons that -for two years before the disaster were under the care of the Associated -Charities; second, to learn what methods of relief were used to render -these persons once more effective members of the community; and third, -to measure in some degree the efficiency of these methods. - -The primary purpose of this study was to learn as far as possible the -psychological effects of the disaster by studying a group of refugees -who continued to draw on the relief funds after the general public had -fallen out of the bread line. It has been impossible, however, to hold -strictly to the purpose, because the Associated Charities,[225] in -resuming its normal place in the community, aimed rightly to administer -to the needs of the city’s poor whether or not the individual applicant -could show a relation between his necessity and the disaster. From the -point of view of the Associated Charities, all persons applying for aid -from June, 1907, to June, 1909, had an equal claim on its funds. Its -power of realizing this aim of impartially meeting the needs of the -applicants has been limited by the fact that as a society it was known -by the public at large, as well as by the direct and indirect sufferers -from the disaster, by their relatives, and by their friends, to be -acting as the financial agent of a corporation that continued to have -large sums of money to disburse. - - [225] Before and since the disaster the Associated Charities has been, - except for the work done by the Hebrew Board of Relief, the accepted - general relief society. It has had, throughout, the active - co-operation of the Catholics. - - -2. NATURE OF THE DEPENDENCY - -The interest in the relief administration centers in the desire to know -to what extent it altered the poverty situation of the city. The -presumption is, of course, that the work of the Associated Charities and -kindred agencies was greatly increased by the disaster, but it is -important to get a specific idea of the increase for the two selected -years, and to determine what proportion is a distinct result of the -social upheaval brought by the earthquake and fire of 1906. - -To answer this question required a knowledge of the work of the -Associated Charities for the two years before the fire as exact as for -the two years under consideration.[226] By one of the most notable -incidents of the great fire, the building containing the records of the -Associated Charities escaped the flames. These records, no previous -study of whose facts had been made, were therefore available. The -stories of the applicants to the Associated Charities for the two years -preceding April 18, 1906, have been analyzed, and in order that -comparison might be possible, a similar study of records has been made -of the post-disaster cases. - - [226] At the time of the fire the Associated Charities had been in - existence for over seventeen years. Its original aim had been to - confine its work to organizing charity; but as there was no general - relief society in existence it was called on more and more to do - relief work. By 1905 the society had a list of 900 subscribers; an - annual income of not more than $5,000; a staff consisting of a general - secretary, two or three paid investigators, and a stenographer on part - time. In addition to these, the office had the exclusive use of two - district nurses supported by special funds. With a staff and an income - so limited it was possible to give little beyond emergency aid to - needy families in their homes. The problem of homeless men was not - touched. The initial steps had been taken looking to co-operation with - other philanthropic agencies along several lines. In conjunction with - the Merchants’ Association, a charities endorsement committee had been - formed; a children’s agency had been established, and a department of - legislation and law organized to originate needed social legislation - and to give free legal aid to applicants. For a résumé of the - development of the work of the society after the disaster, see Part V, - pp. 317-318. - -As the means to aid during the two years from June, 1907, to June, 1909, -were drawn almost exclusively from the Corporation and the Board of -Trustees of Relief and Red Cross Funds, a statement of the work of the -Associated Charities is practically a survey of the further use made of -the disaster relief funds. - -The Associated Charities, as an independent agent, reopened its doors to -applicants on June 17, 1907; but since it had assumed the responsibility -before the complete transfer of duties was effected, data are here given -for the period beginning June 1. From June 1, 1907, until June 1, 1909, -6,766 applications were made to it in the following order: - - June 1, 1907, to December 31, 1907 2,547 - January 1, 1908, to December 31, 1908 3,154 - January 1, 1909, to June 1, 1909 1,065 - ----- - Total 6,766 - -From April 18, 1904, to April 18, 1906, 1840 cases had applied for aid -at the office. There was therefore a nearly fourfold increase in -applications during the two post-disaster years under comparison. There -are no data to show the sequence of increase or decrease of cases for -the earlier period. The number of monthly applications during 1908 and -1909 was as follows: - -TABLE 96.--NUMBER OF APPLICATIONS TO THE ASSOCIATED CHARITIES FOR -ASSISTANCE, BY MONTHS. 1908 AND 1909[227] - - =========+=====+===== - Month | 1908| 1909 - ---------+-----+----- - January | 474| 229 - February | 815| 237 - March | 417| 219 - April | 219| 145 - May | 172| 135 - June | 195| 274 - July | 146| 113 - August | 152| 97 - September| 115| 84 - October | 173| 42 - November | 126| 161 - December | 150| 183 - ---------+-----+----- - Total|3,154|1,919 - ---------+-----+----- - - [227] As the figures in this table are for the calendar years 1908 and - 1909, the totals do not correspond with the figures for the period - from June 1, 1907, to June 1, 1909, presented in other tables in this - Part. While there were some inconsistencies between various records - consulted, as to the number of applications per month, it is believed - that the figures presented are approximately correct. - -Although for three of the months of 1909, June, November, and December, -there was an increase of applications over the corresponding months of -the previous year,--an increase of 41, 28, and 22 per cent -respectively,--the work for 1909 as a whole, compared with 1908, -decreased 39 per cent. - -In relating the facts found in the case records of applicants from June -1, 1907, to June 1, 1909, 815, or 12 per cent, of the 6766 records are -omitted,--107 because they were found to be the records of cases -belonging not to the Associated Charities but to other relief societies; -606 because they were not relief society records, but were those of -cases cared for in the City and County Hospital which for reasons of -office organization were, during a number of months of the year 1907, -filed with the Associated Charities’ records; 102 because they were too -incomplete to give the required data. The facts drawn from the remaining -5951 cases are compared with 1550 cases of the earlier pre-disaster -period. Two hundred and ninety cases, or 15.8 per cent, of the 1840 -cases of that period (April 18, 1904, to April 18, 1906), had to be -omitted, some because they were records of cases handled by other relief -societies, and a larger number because the statement cards lacked -sufficient data to permit tabulation. The large number of cases marked -“Unknown” throughout this study makes it incontestably plain that the -records are lacking in many details. Though admirably complete as -compared with those before the fire, and much more so during the years -1908 and 1909 than during 1907, yet data have failed with regrettable -frequency. - -TABLE 97.--ASSOCIATED CHARITIES CASES CLASSIFIED AS HAVING LIVED OR NOT -HAVING LIVED IN THE BURNED AREA, AND BY NUMBER AIDED, AND NUMBER REFUSED -AID. JUNE 1, 1907, TO JUNE 1, 1909[228] - - ======================================+==========+===========+======= - Classes of applicants |Applicants|Applicants | Total - | aided |refused aid| - --------------------------------------+----------+-----------+------- - Applicants who had lived in burned | | | - area: | | | - With rehabilitation record | 1,309 | 571 | 1,880 - Without rehabilitation record | 1,512 | 604 | 2,116 - --------------------------------------+----------+-----------+------- - Total | =2,821= | =1,175= |=3,996= - | | | - Applicants who had not lived in burned| | | - area | =1,303= | =439= |=1,742= - --------------------------------------+----------+-----------+------- - Grand total | =4,124= | =1,614= |=5,738= - --------------------------------------+----------+-----------+------- - - [228] Data are not available as to the former place of residence of - 123 of the 4,247 applicants aided, and of 90 of the 1,704 applicants - who were refused aid. - -One point on which the records in many cases fail to supply information -is as to whether or not the applicant had been burned out. In the -previous studies of this Survey no division has been made of the -refugees into the two classes of those who lived within or without the -burned area, because dependency as a result of the disaster was known to -be due not alone to having been in the first named class. Since one of -the vital points of this study, however, is to determine how much of the -relief work of the Associated Charities during the second of the -two-year periods was due, directly or indirectly, to the earthquake and -fire, an effort has been made to reach the point by dividing the 5,738 -applicants about whom the fact was known into two groups: 3,996, or 69.6 -per cent, of whom had lived within the burned area; 1,742, or 30.4 per -cent, of whom had lived without. The further classification given in -Table 97 reveals the interesting fact that a large number of persons who -had lived in the burned area made no recorded application for -rehabilitation until after June, 1907. - -Fifty-three per cent of those burned out, who by June, 1909, had come to -the Associated Charities for assistance, first made application for -relief needed as a result of the disaster, after the rehabilitation work -was done. Many of them had undoubtedly received their share of clothes, -had stood in the bread line, and had lived in the camps, but as their -names are not on the records of the Rehabilitation Committee they had -had, up to the time that they applied to the Associated Charities, no -rehabilitation in the accepted sense of the term. - - -3. SOCIAL CHARACTER OF THE CASES - -The social characteristics of these cases are second in importance only -to the question of their relation to the disaster. - -What do the records show with regard to their nationality, their family -relations, their ages, the size of their families, their occupations, -and their characteristics in general? What were the disabilities that -drove them to ask for help? What proportion of the disabilities from -which they suffered can be marked against the rehabilitation methods? - -Forty-one different countries, as shown by Table 98, are represented by -the persons who made application in each of the two-year periods, and of -whom the place of birth was learned. - -[Illustration: Completely devastated. First tents in Washington Square - -Partly Rebuilt. Cottages in Washington Square - -TELEGRAPH HILL AND WASHINGTON SQUARE] - -The situation as far as nationality governed application shows but -slight variation between the two periods of time. There are, however, a -few interesting variations; as, for instance, the falling off in the -second period in the number of applicants born in the British Empire, in -the Scandinavian countries, and in the United States. Only the Irish and -Italians have materially increased their proportionate numbers. Did the -relief funds cause this increase, or did the catastrophe bear most -heavily on these nationalities? When it is recalled[229] that the Latin -Quarter was wiped out and that “South-of-Market,” largely the -residential quarter of the poor Irish, was entirely burned, the fire -seems undoubtedly to be responsible. - - [229] Part I, p. 4. - -TABLE 98.--NATIVITY OF APPLICANTS FOR RELIEF FROM ASSOCIATED CHARITIES, -BEFORE FIRE AND AFTER FIRE[230] - - ===================================+========================== - Nativity | APPLICANTS OF EACH - | SPECIFIED NATIVITY - +-------------+------------ - | Number | Per cent - +------+------+------+----- - |Before| After|Before|After - | fire | fire | fire | fire - -----------------------------------+------+------+------+----- - United States | 532| 1,933| 42.7| 37.0 - Ireland | 135| 734| 10.9| 14.0 - Italy | 65| 541| 5.2| 10.4 - Spain, Mexico and Porto Rico | 113| 500| 9.1| 9.6 - Germany | 118| 475| 9.5| 9.1 - Great Britain, Canada and | | | | - Australasia | 113| 373| 9.1| 7.1 - Norway, Sweden and Denmark | 38| 138| 3.1| 2.6 - Finland, Russia, Poland and Armenia| 32| 150| 2.6| 2.9 - Other countries (24) | 97| 381| 7.8| 7.3 - -----------------------------------+------+------+------+----- - Total | 1,243| 5,225| 100.0|100.0 - -----------------------------------+------+------+------+----- - - [230] Data are not available as to the nationality of 307 of the 1,550 - persons applying for relief before the fire, and of 726 of the 5,951 - persons applying for relief after the fire. - -No question is of greater importance than that involved in the relation -between relief and the family. In Parts I and II the effort of the -Rehabilitation Committee has been shown to have been to limit closely -the amount of aid given to single, able-bodied persons and to -able-bodied men.[231] This policy is shown in the following table to -have influenced the work of the Associated Charities also, so that the -widow and the handicapped family received primary consideration in the -extended rehabilitation work. - - [231] See Part I, p. 47, and Part II, p. 123. This policy was, of - course, being carried out in spirit when breadwinners were helped not - with continued general relief, but with means to re-establish a home - through a housing or business grant. - -TABLE 99.--FAMILY TYPES AMONG APPLICANTS FOR RELIEF FROM ASSOCIATED -CHARITIES, BEFORE FIRE AND AFTER FIRE[232] - - ======================================+=============================== - | CASES OF EACH SPECIFIED TYPE - +---------------+--------------- - Family type | Number | Per cent - +-------+-------+-------+------- - | Before| After | Before| After - | fire | fire | fire | fire - --------------------------------------+-------+-------+-------+------- - Families | | | | - (1) Married couples with children | 500 | 2,012 | 34.2 | 33.9 - (2) Married couples without children| 109 | 522 | 7.5 | 8.8 - (3) Widows with children | 167 | 1,044 | 11.4 | 17.5 - (4) Deserted wives with children | 53 | 258 | 3.6 | 4.3 - (5) Widowers with children | 41 | 144 | 2.8 | 2.4 - (6) Deserted husbands with children | 8 | 20 | 0.6 | 0.3 - (7) Divorced men or women with | | | | - children | 26 | 109 | 1.8 | 1.8 - (8) Orphan families | 10 | 30 | 0.7 | 0.5 - (9) Illegitimate families | 6 | 65 | 0.4 | 1.1 - --------------------------------------+-------+-------+-------+------- - Total families | =920=|=4,204=| =63.0=| =70.6= - | | | | - Detached persons | | | | - Men | 362 | 916 | 24.8 | 15.4 - Women | 163 | 798 | 11.1 | 13.4 - --------------------------------------+-------+-------+-------+------- - Total detached persons | =525=|=1,714=| =35.9=| =28.8= - | | | | - Dependent minors | =16=| =33=| =1.1=| =0.6= - --------------------------------------+-------+-------+-------+------- - Grand Total |=1,461=|=5,951=|=100.0=|=100.0= - --------------------------------------+-------+-------+-------+------- - - [232] Data are not available as to the family type of 89 of the 1,550 - persons applying for relief before the fire. - -Since the term “families” covers the widest range of variations in -social status, it has seemed wise to make the nine family -classifications given in the above table. It is plain that the seventh -group lacks in value as compared with the classifying of each group -separately according to sex. The incompleteness of the records made a -separation by sex impossible. The most notable difference in the numbers -applying for relief before and after the fire occurs in the case of -widows with children. If to the 1,044 widows with children--taking the -figures of the second period--be added the 258 deserted women and the 30 -orphaned families, all supported by women, 1,332, or 22.3 per cent of -all the cases, are shown to be families dependent upon women as -breadwinners. If the 798 childless, detached women be added to the -1,332, we have 2,130 women dependents, or 35.7 per cent of those that -applied,[233] which must be compared with 26.8 per cent for the period -before the fire. The 164 widowers and deserted husbands with children, -2.7 per cent of all the cases of the later period, is a relatively -larger number of such cases than is usually found in charity records. -The proportion of the group called “illegitimate families” rests upon -facts open to challenge as to exactness or completeness. Though the -presumption is that the number is too small, 65 such cases for the -second period are all that can be proven by the records. The fact that -the percentage of applications from single men was less after than -before the fire shows that the policy to limit relief given to this -class had a deterrent effect. The 49 dependent minors applying to the -Associated Charities in the two periods for various reasons were not -referred for care to the city’s child-caring agencies. - - [233] See Devine, Edward T.: Misery and Its Causes, New York, - Macmillan, 1909. The percentage of women breadwinners in the 500 - cases, New York Charity Organization Society in the year 1908 is given - as 40.8 per cent. - -Of 1,375 married couples who had lived in the burned area 647, or nearly -47 per cent, had a rehabilitation record, while the majority of all the -men applying were without such records. By actual count over 80 per cent -of the single men who made the first application after June, 1907, had -come to San Francisco within the year after the disaster, lured -presumably by the expectation of work. - -The age of the person entered on the statement card as the main source -of support for the family group, has been chosen as the age basis for -Table 100. - -In the second period of time 55.6 per cent of all the cases in which the -age was ascertained were over forty years of age. This proportion falls -to 54 per cent when the family cases alone are considered. - -From the records for the first period, it was possible to tabulate data -relative to the age of the breadwinner for only 661 family groups. In -only 175 of these 661 groups, or 26.5 per cent, was the breadwinner -known to be over forty years of age. - -TABLE 100.--AGE OF PRINCIPAL BREADWINNER IN FAMILIES APPLYING FOR RELIEF -FROM ASSOCIATED CHARITIES. JUNE 1, 1907, TO JUNE 1, 1909[234] - - ===========================+===================== - Age of breadwinner | FAMILIES WITH - | BREADWINNER OF EACH - | SPECIFIED AGE - +----------+---------- - | Number | Per cent - ---------------------------+----------+---------- - Under 30 years | 682 | 16.2 - 30 years and under 35 years| 597 | 14.2 - 35 years and under 40 years| 647 | 15.4 - 40 years and under 60 years| 1,632 | 38.8 - 60 years or over | 646 | 15.4 - ---------------------------+----------+---------- - Total | 4,204 | 100.0 - ---------------------------+----------+---------- - - [234] Data are not available as to the age of the principal - breadwinner in 1,747 of the 5,951 families applying for relief after - the fire. - -TABLE 101.--AGE OF PRINCIPAL BREADWINNER IN FAMILIES APPLYING FOR RELIEF -FROM ASSOCIATED CHARITIES, BEFORE FIRE AND AFTER FIRE, BY FAMILY -TYPE[235] - - =======================================+============+=============== - Family type | Families | FAMILIES WITH - | for which | BREADWINNER 40 - |information | YEARS OF AGE - |as to age of| OR OVER - |breadwinner +------+-------- - |is available|Number|Per cent - | | | of all - | | |families - ---------------------------------------+------------+------+-------- - Married couples with children | | | - Before fire | 372 | 83 | 22.3 - After fire | 2,012 | 946 | 47.0 - Married couples without children | | | - Before fire | 84 | 26 | 31.0 - After fire | 522 | 293 | 56.1 - Widows and deserted women with children| | | - Before fire | 135 | 44 | 32.6 - After fire | 1,302 | 864 | 66.4 - Widowers and deserted men with children| | | - Before fire | 34 | 17 | 50.0 - After fire | 164 | 110 | 67.1 - Other family types | | | - Before fire | 36 | 5 | 13.9 - After fire | 204 | 65 | 31.9 - ---------------------------------------+------------+------+-------- - Total Before fire | 661 | 175 | 26.5 - After fire | 4,204 |2,278 | 54.2 - ---------------------------------------+------------+------+-------- - - [235] Data are not available as to age of the principal breadwinner - and family type for 889 of the 1,550 families of persons applying for - relief before the fire, and for 1,747 of the 5,951 families applying - for relief after the fire. - -[Illustration: Largely rebuilt. Washington Square restored to park uses - -TELEGRAPH HILL AND WASHINGTON SQUARE] - -The preponderance of applicants past forty in the second period is not -surprising. Given a prosperous community and care in dispensing aid in -time of disaster it was to be expected that those approaching middle age -would be the ones to apply for and to receive aid. - -It is interesting to note whether the strain due to the conditions -following the disaster was felt more by the native or by the foreign -born married groups. - -TABLE 102.--AGE OF PRINCIPAL BREADWINNER IN FAMILIES THAT HAD BEEN -BURNED OUT APPLYING FOR RELIEF FROM ASSOCIATED CHARITIES, BY NATIVITY -AND REHABILITATION RECORD. JUNE 1, 1907-JUNE 1, 1909[236] - - =======================================+============+================ - | Families |FAMILIES BURNED - | burned out | OUT WITH - | for which | BREADWINNER - Nativity and rehabilitation record |information | 40 YEARS - |as to age of| OF AGE OR OVER - |breadwinner +-------+-------- - |is available| Number|Per cent - ---------------------------------------+------------+-------+-------- - Native born | | | - With rehabilitation record | 558 | 322 | 57.7 - Without rehabilitation record | 473 | 226 | 47.8 - ---------------------------------------+------------+-------+-------- - Total | =1,031= | =548=| =53.2= - | | | - Foreign born | | | - With rehabilitation record | 966 | 666 | 68.9 - Without rehabilitation record | 1,032 | 583 | 56.5 - ---------------------------------------+------------+-------+-------- - Total | =1,998= |=1,249=| =62.5= - | | | - All cases with rehabilitation record | =1,524= | =988=| =64.8= - All cases without rehabilitation record| =1,505= | =809=| =53.8= - ---------------------------------------+------------+-------+-------- - Grand total | =3,029= |=1,797=| =59.3= - ---------------------------------------+------------+-------+-------- - - [236] Data are not available as to age of the principal breadwinner, - nativity, and rehabilitation record for 967 of the 3,996 burned out - families applying for relief after the fire. - -The answer given by the table is that the foreign born family was older -than the native born, whether it had had rehabilitation aid before -applying to the Associated Charities or not. The facts indicate that the -courage and resourcefulness of comparative youth whether of the foreign -or of the native born, tended to make men under forty wait until all -other resources had failed before appealing for aid. - -The number of children shown in Table 103 gives but the approximate -number of living children of the different families. Though data were -fairly complete for children, minor and adult, living at home, there -were probably many instances in which children who were married or no -longer members of the household, were not named on the statement card. -The count, however, tells facts sufficiently interesting to a student of -dependency to warrant its inclusion. - -TABLE 103.--NUMBER OF CHILDREN IN FAMILIES HAVING CHILDREN APPLYING FOR -RELIEF FROM ASSOCIATED CHARITIES, BEFORE FIRE AND AFTER FIRE - - ==================+========================= - Number of children| FAMILIES HAVING EACH - | SPECIFIED NUMBER OF - | CHILDREN - +------------+------------ - | Number | Per cent - +------+-----+------+----- - |Before|After|Before|After - | fire | fire| fire | fire - ------------------+------+-----+------+----- - One | 263 |1,204| 32.4| 32.7 - Two | 205 | 989| 25.3| 26.9 - Three | 150 | 608| 18.5| 16.5 - Four | 85 | 370| 10.5| 10.0 - Five | 58 | 255| 7.2| 6.9 - Six | 26 | 130| 3.2| 3.5 - Seven | 9 | 69| 1.1| 1.9 - Eight | 9 | 36| 1.1| 1.0 - Nine or over | 6 | 21| .7| .6 - ------------------+------+-----+------+----- - Total | 811 |3,682| 100.0|100.0 - ------------------+------+-----+------+----- - -In the first period only 6 per cent of these families applying had more -than five children; in the second only 7 per cent. Seventy-six per cent -of the families in each period had three or a smaller number of -children. Large families evidently played a small part in the dependency -situation. It is true that the cases which presented serious problems of -treatment were often those with a large number of children, but the -actual number of such cases was small. The high average age of the -applicant and the likelihood, therefore, of his having unrecorded -children living away from home must, it is reiterated, be borne in mind. - -The applicants in 75 per cent of the cases of the second period, -mentioned in Table 104, were found to be suffering from two or more -disabilities. The classifications were taken from the case records. - -TABLE 104.--CAUSES OF DISABILITY AMONG APPLICANTS FOR RELIEF FROM -ASSOCIATED CHARITIES, BEFORE FIRE AND AFTER FIRE - - ====================+=========================== - Disability | CASES IN WHICH THE CHIEF - |DISABILITY WAS AS SPECIFIED - +------------+-------------- - | Number | Per cent - +------+-----+------+------- - |Before|After|Before| After - | fire | fire| fire | fire - --------------------+------+-----+------+------- - Death | 31 | 111| 2.0| 1.9 - Illness | 493 |1,366| 31.8| 23.0 - Old age | 56 | 344| 3.6| 5.8 - Accident | 94 | 264| 6.1| 4.4 - Unemployment | 302 |1,532| 19.5| 25.7 - Laziness | 26 | 184| 1.7| 3.1 - Desertion or divorce| 90 | 151| 5.8| 2.5 - Vicious habits | 143 | 295| 9.2| 5.0 - Other disabilities | 315 |1,704| 20.3| 28.6 - --------------------+------+-----+------+------- - Total |1,550 |5,951| 100.0| 100.0 - --------------------+------+-----+------+------- - -The largest single disability for the second period was unemployment. Of -those who applied to the office between June, 1907, and June, 1909, -1532, or 25.7 per cent, came for the alleged reason that they were out -of work. The greater percentage of illness before than after the -disaster is also noteworthy. Included in the other disabilities or -handicaps that led to application for relief should be mentioned -unsanitary surroundings and overstrain, the latter a term used to -describe a general break-down of nerve due to the conditions following -the disaster. Under the caption “vicious habits” are included all cases -in which drunkenness, the drug habit, brutality, licentiousness, or -professional mendicancy had played their part in bringing persons to be -a charge upon a charity office. Add to those classed as having vicious -habits those who were recorded as being lazy, as having deserted or -divorced a partner, and 49 of those reported under “other disabilities” -who had been neglectful or had served a penal term, and we have a total -of 679 persons of the second period who may be said to have come to make -application, or caused others to apply, by reason of the effects of -wrong living. As this count does not include those whose illnesses -resulted from evil practices or those whose unemployment resulted from -disabling vice, it is not complete. It indicates, however, that -dependency after the fire did not come in an exceptionally large number -of cases as a result of evil living. Before the fire vicious habits were -reported as responsible for 9.2 per cent of all the cases of distress. - - -4. OCCUPATIONS OF APPLICANTS - -In the table that follows all applicants for relief for the second -period are classified by general occupation. - -TABLE 105.--APPLICANTS FOR RELIEF FROM ASSOCIATED CHARITIES CLASSIFIED -BY GENERAL OCCUPATIONS, AS REFUGEES WITH AND WITHOUT REHABILITATION -RECORD, AND AS NON-REFUGEES. JUNE 1, 1907, TO JUNE 1, 1909 - - =====================+=========================+======+========+===== - Occupation | APPLICANTS WHO HAD LIVED|Appli-| Appli- |Total - | IN BURNED AREA | cants| cants | of - +---------+---------+-----+ who | whose | all - | With | Without |Total| had | former |clas- - |rehabili-|rehabili-| | not |place of| ses - | tation | tation | | lived| resi- | - | record | record | | in | dence | - | | | |burned| is | - | | | | area |doubtful| - ---------------------+---------+---------+-----+------+--------+----- - Professional service | 44 | 38 | 82| 45| 6 | 133 - Public service | 11 | 7 | 18| 10| .. | 28 - Personal and domestic| | | | | | - service | 574 | 366 | 940| 252| 13 |1,205 - Unskilled labor | 255 | 372 | 627| 288| 20 | 935 - Transportation | 94 | 110 | 204| 83| 10 | 297 - Trade | 172 | 114 | 286| 109| 15 | 410 - Manufacturing and | | | | | | - mechanical industries| 579 | 460 |1,039| 371| 30 |1,440 - Miscellaneous | | | | | | - occupations | 24 | 32 | 56| 30| 3 | 89 - Unknown | 127 | 617 | 744| 554| 116 |1,414 - ---------------------+---------+---------+-----+------+--------+----- - Total | 1,880 | 2,116 |3,996| 1,742| 213 |5,951 - ---------------------+---------+---------+-----+------+--------+----- - -[Illustration: A street, showing close quarters in camp - -WASHINGTON SQUARE CAMP] - -In between 23 and 24 per cent of the cases, the facts of occupation were -not stated in the records. A study of the cases remaining proves how -widely need distributed itself through all economic classes in the -community. The persons enumerated were engaged in about 200 different -callings. - -Of the 4,537 persons for whom data concerning occupation were secured, -32 per cent were employed in the manufacturing and mechanical -industries, 27 per cent were in personal and domestic service, and 21 -per cent were in unskilled labor. The proportion of applicants in trade -was 9 per cent and in transportation between 6 and 7 per cent. Less than -3 per cent of the applicants were in professional service or in -miscellaneous occupations and less than 1 per cent in public service. -Whether considered as having lived within or without the burned area, no -striking difference appears in the proportion in each group of -occupations. - -The facts concerning the occupations of the needy show that the mass of -poverty in San Francisco centered, as might be expected, in the same -occupations before the fire as afterwards. The data for both periods are -presented in Table 106. - -TABLE 106.--GENERAL OCCUPATIONS OF APPLICANTS FOR RELIEF FROM ASSOCIATED -CHARITIES, BEFORE FIRE AND AFTER FIRE[237] - - =======================================+========================= - Occupational group |APPLICANTS IN EACH SPECI- - | FIED OCCUPATIONAL GROUP - +------------+------------ - | Number | Per cent - +------+-----+------+----- - |Before|After|Before|After - | fire |fire | fire |fire - ---------------------------------------+------+-----+------+----- - Professional service | 67| 133| 6.1| 2.9 - Public service | 13| 28| 1.2| .6 - Personal and domestic service | 259|1,205| 23.4| 26.6 - Unskilled labor | 243| 935| 22.0| 20.6 - Transportation | 85| 297| 7.7| 6.5 - Trade | 107| 410| 9.6| 9.0 - Manufacturing and mechanical industries| 297|1,440| 26.8| 31.8 - Miscellaneous occupations | 36| 89| 3.2| 2.0 - ---------------------------------------+------+-----+------+----- - Total | 1,107|4,537| 100.0|100.0 - ---------------------------------------+------+-----+------+----- - - [237] Data are not available as to the occupations of 443 of the 1,550 - persons applying for relief before the fire, and of 1,414 of the 5,951 - persons applying for relief after the fire. - -In the two years before April 18, 1906, as in the two years following -June 1, 1907, the largest percentage of persons was engaged in those -vocations which are grouped as mechanical and manufacturing trades, as -unskilled labor, and as personal and domestic service. The proportion of -applicants in these three groups combined was, however, smaller before -the fire, totaling 72.2 per cent before the fire as compared with 79 per -cent in the later period. This is possibly due, in part, to the fact -that the proportion of persons whose occupation was unknown was larger -before the fire than after. The proportion of demand for help from -persons in professional and public service was larger before the fire -than after, for applicants in these occupations constituted 7.3 per cent -of the cases in the period from April, 1904, to April, 1906, and only -3.5 per cent of the later cases. The disaster only slightly affected the -proportion of persons in need who were in transportation employment or -in trade. Before the fire 7.7 per cent of all applicants were in -transportation employment and 9.6 per cent in trade, and after the fire -6.5 per cent were in transportation employment and 9 per cent in trade. - -No specific data as to income are offered, because after some brief -experimentation a study of income seemed futile. A person applying for -aid may understate his income because he is humanly open to the -temptation of trying to make as good a case for himself as possible, or -may overstate it because he does not take into account the amount of -irregularity to which he as a weekly or daily wage-earner is subject. In -about 3000 of the cases in which income data were available for study, -the potential earning power could have been in every case safely -estimated by the occupations. The income for the average breadwinners, -most of them semi-skilled, may be said to have approached during the -periods stated the sum of $15 to $20 per week, an amount that represents -something near the minimum earning power of the wage workers in San -Francisco, a class of persons paid more highly than in any other part of -the United States. For instance, among the American families burned out -who were given aid, 32 gave their earning power at $10 to $15 per week, -27 at $15 to $20, and 21 at $20 or over. - -It is of course of fundamental importance that the relief agent should -know the total income of the families or individuals applying for aid. -Only by learning what the income actually or approximately is can -treatment be made to fit actual need. The record hurriedly written under -pressure of work may fail to reveal the facts used by the investigator -in determining treatment. The record may not, therefore, show the actual -sum of knowledge held and used as the basis for treatment. The record, -on the other hand, may be no more meager than was the investigation that -it records. In the latter case, investigation, as well as treatment, has -been in the hands of an agent who has lacked either time or training, or -both, to do work such as is called for by the present standards of -adequate case work.[238] - - [238] See Part III, p. 173, for method of determining income of - persons owning their own business. - -Summarizing the facts concerning the character of the cases and the -situation that forced these individuals to seek aid, it would appear -that the cases group themselves into three leading types. - -1. Dependency because of abnormal conditions. - -2. Dependency because disaster had converted semi-dependency into -complete dependency. - -3. Dependency because character and circumstance, irrespective of -abnormal conditions, induced dependency. - -It is plain that each group requires a separate treatment and that in -estimating the character and utility of the relief measures applied, -each class will have to be kept in mind. A conscientious effort was made -to find how many of the applicants belonged to both periods of -treatment, but the results of the efforts were so inconclusive that they -cannot be given. - - -II - -THE METHODS OF RELIEF EMPLOYED - - -1. RE-APPLICATIONS - -The preceding chapter makes plain that from June, 1907, to June, 1909, -there was made on charity the largest demand in the history of San -Francisco, and it seems safe to assert that the majority of those who -asked aid would never have done so had they not been suddenly overtaken -by the material losses and physical strain of a great disaster. - -This chapter deals with the policies and costs of relief and the reasons -discernible for refusing aid to applicants. - -Any account of relief work, to be satisfactory, must include such a -statement of the effect of the relief upon those to whom it was given as -will enable the reader to decide how far it was appropriate and -sufficient for the need it aimed to supply, how far it was given only to -those who could or would benefit by its use, and how far, when refused, -it was justifiably withheld. An attempt was made to note the instances -in which the work of the Associated Charities could be said to have -restored a family to efficiency. Only a case by case re-visit, by Relief -Survey investigators, which for the reasons given later it was thought -best not to make, would have determined the point for any great number -of cases. - -Table 107 shows the size of the grants and the number of persons that -applied to the Associated Charities after having been under the care of -the Rehabilitation Committee before June, 1907. - -The largest proportion of the earlier grants was for furniture, which -were given, in sums of from $75 to $150, to 905 applicants. The next -largest was for general relief, by which 388 applicants were aided, in -the greatest number of instances because of sickness. - -TABLE 107.--SIZE OF GRANTS MADE BY THE REHABILITATION COMMITTEE, BEFORE -JUNE 1, 1907, TO APPLICANTS FOR RELIEF WHO AFTERWARDS APPLIED FOR RELIEF -FROM THE ASSOCIATED CHARITIES - - ===================+=========================== - Amount of grant |APPLICANTS RECEIVING GRANTS - | OF EACH SPECIFIED AMOUNT - +-------------+------------- - | Number | Per cent - -------------------+-------------+------------- - Under $50 | 82 | 4.4 - $50 and under $100 | 420 | 22.3 - $100 and under $150| 437 | 23.2 - $150 and under $200| 293 | 15.6 - $200 and over | 517 | 27.5 - None | 131[239] | 7.0 - -------------------+-------------+------------- - Total | 1,880 | 100.0 - -------------------+-------------+------------- - - [239] Of the 131 applicants who received no money grant from the - Rehabilitation Committee, 19 received relief other than money. - -There is evidence that 1768[240] persons aided by one group of -rehabilitation workers reapplied later to another group.[241] The -question that arises is, Why?[242] In reading the records of cases, -reapplication cannot be attributed to any one cause. For example, a -group of about 60 lodging-house keepers, the majority of whom had been -given over $200 with which to establish rooming houses, had to apply to -the Associated Charities for aid in untangling their subsequent business -difficulties. In a few instances the first grant served as a spur to ask -for more; in other instances the amount given was insufficient to -accomplish what was intended; in still other instances, failure of -health, inability to secure lodgers, rise of rentals, the bank flurry, -the unemployment crises, each played a part in inducing a miscarriage in -the plan. - - [240] From the 1,880 noted in the table have been deducted the 112 - applicants to whom the aid given was neither in money nor in kind. - - [241] It should be borne in mind that persons who reapplied were in - many cases making their reapplication to the same individuals who had - extended treatment in the first instance. - - [242] Part II, p. 127 ff., should be read in connection with this - discussion. - - -2. EMERGENT RELIEF - -The relief given by the Associated Charities from June, 1907, to June, -1909, can be divided from the point of view of material service rendered -into three principal types of aid: - -1. Moving camp cottages to permanent locations. - -2. Giving aid. - - (a) In sums less than $50, or in kind. (Emergency and temporary - relief.) - - (b) In the form of care for the destitute sick. - - (c) By finding work for the unemployed. - -3. Administering pensions and grants. - - (a) Grants made by the Rehabilitation Committee previous to the - assumption of work by the Associated Charities. - - (b) Grants or pensions made by the Associated Charities from money - donated by the Corporation on advice of the Rehabilitation Committee. - -The first type of aid has been already considered. The aid given in -money, other than large grants and pensions, and in kind (2, a), is -noted in Table 108. - -TABLE 108.--EMERGENCY AND TEMPORARY RELIEF GIVEN IN MONEY OR IN ORDERS -BY ASSOCIATED CHARITIES. JUNE 1, 1907, TO JUNE 1, 1909[243] - - =======================+=========+============ - Nature of aid |Number of| Amount of - |grants or| grants - | orders | or orders - -----------------------+---------+------------ - Food | | - Groceries | 3,526| $10,158.44 - Meat | 3,519| 5,301.90 - Milk | 2,435| 2,877.25 - Vegetables | 23| 32.65 - Emergency and food | 592| 2,094.20 - -----------------------+---------+------------ - Total | =10,095=| =20,464.44= - | | - Household | | - Rent and furniture | 499| 6,466.88 - Sewing machines | 52| 1,355.00 - Fuel | 163| 212.35 - -----------------------+---------+------------ - Total | =714=| =8,034.23= - | | - Clothing | =212=| =1,583.37= - Lodging | =447=| =639.80= - Transportation | =27=| =76.85= - Merchandise | =718=| =718.00= - Carfare and incidentals| =1,042=| =2,438.57= - -----------------------+---------+------------ - Grand total | =13,255=|=$33,955.26= - -----------------------+---------+------------- - - [243] Because of the fact that many persons received a number of - grants, the total number of grants as shown in this table necessarily - exceeds the number of persons receiving relief, as given in other - tables in this Part. - -[Illustration: 1. The start - -2. Well under way - -3. Joining two cottages - -4. The completed dwelling - -REMOVAL FROM THE CAMP] - -Most of this relief went to persons who would be dependent on aid in -normal times and to the unemployed. The relief for the hungry was given -for the most part in the form of orders, which varied in amounts from 10 -cents to $10.44. The two items “emergency and food” are classed together -under “food,” because they represent temporary aid given to persons -whose special emergent need was food, but who had to have coupled with -it other necessities. The rent and furniture grants varied in amounts -from $1.00 to $75. A small supply of half worn clothing was kept on hand -for distribution. This supply was drawn on in some instances; in others, -money or an order was given for the purchase of new clothing. Materials -for clothing, “merchandise,” were given in the form of $1.00 orders. - -The following table shows actual expenditures for medical relief made by -the Associated Charities in the course of its case work. - -TABLE 109.--EXPENDITURE BY ASSOCIATED CHARITIES FOR CARE OF SICK, IN -ADDITION TO AID FROM RED CROSS FUNDS. JUNE 1, 1907, TO JUNE 1, 1909 - - ================================+=========+========= - Nature of aid |Number of|Amount of - | grants | grants - --------------------------------+---------+--------- - | | - Glasses | 79 | $229.73 - Ambulance | 6 | 21.00 - Hospital | 9 | 118.14 - Surgical | 23 | 230.22 - Prescriptions at $.25 | 847 | 211.75 - Prescriptions for larger amounts| 1,351 | 1,181.38 - --------------------------------+---------+--------- - Total | 2,315 |$1,992.22 - --------------------------------+---------+--------- - -In Parts I and II accounts have been given of how the Department of -Relief and Rehabilitation aided the hospitals in their care of the sick. -To the Associated Charities, however, fell the task of caring for the -sick poor in their homes, a task made doubly heavy because of the -scattering of the applicants throughout the city. In the table of -disabilities, in Chapter I,[244] it has been shown that although the -percentage of sickness among applicants was less in the second period -than in the first, the number of sick persons to be cared for was much -greater. As the expense of caring for the sick in their homes was not -made solely chargeable upon the Relief and Red Cross Funds, physicians -and nurses having given their services freely, specific enumeration of -services rendered to the sick does not belong to this particular study. - - [244] See Table 104, p. 293. - -The Society’s employment bureau was during the two-year period after the -fire in charge of a paid agent, who replaced the volunteers that had -been able before the disaster to give but irregular service. As has been -shown in the preceding chapter, the community was called on to care for -an unusually large number of middle-aged women, widows with children, -and aged men. The employment agent had therefore to deal with the -problem of the more or less untrained, incapable worker, with whom a -regular agency could not or would not grapple. - -In looking through the records, applicants were found to have been of -all ages, but except during the unemployment crises of February and -October, 1908, they were predominantly feminine. In regard to capacity -the majority were low-skilled. Among these were the usual types of -persons: the willing and able to work, pathetically few in number; the -willing but inefficient because too delicate, too refined, or too -specialized as to training; and the willing, the eager for employment, -who ought to be protected from work. In the last class were not only the -obviously incapacitated, but the children under suitable working age and -the widowed mothers. - -The good social service work done by the employment agent in showing -women in what way they could best serve the real welfare of their -children and in bringing them in touch with the public and private -sources of relief is an interesting and suggestive story, but it is not -one that belongs to this Relief Survey, except in so far as it shows -that the Associated Charities itself was enabled to do better work for -its people after having passed through the ordeal of the rehabilitation -work than before the disaster. The fine spirit of independence that -drove some to persist in seeking work is illustrated by the following -stories. - -An Irish widow who had been burned out and who was suffering from -incipient tuberculosis applied for work. She consented after much -persuasion to go to a home farm near San José, where for the sake of her -self-respect she was to do some housework. After a week or more a letter -arrived from the perplexed head of the house saying that the Irish woman -had suddenly and summarily left with the announcement that she’d “rather -die than be so lazy.” She had left to hire out as a cook in a family -which was quite unaware of her being tubercular. - -Another woman accepted aid to carry out an employment plan which was -somewhat opposed to her own. She dropped from sight, apparently having -acquiesced in the office scheme. A year later she was found at a -different address placidly pursuing, with fair success, the vocation she -had been warned not to undertake on account of probable failure through -ill health. - -A widow in wretched general health who was burned out, had received -before June, 1907, in addition to the aid of the camp and bread line, -$1.00 for expressage. She came to ask the Associated Charities in the -late spring of 1908, for money to go into business. Even the staff, -whose policy was to make the largest possible concession to plans made -by the applicant, hesitated and proposed that she do something involving -less personal responsibility. She refused, so some generous-hearted -members of the Rehabilitation Committee interceded for her. Two grants -were made therefore, contrary to the judgment of the society’s staff, of -$150 and $200 respectively, to be used under Associated Charities -supervision for business purposes. In June, 1909, the woman was reported -to be dying in a hospital; the business enterprise had failed. - -In finding work for applicants a standard rate of wages for standard -work was insisted upon. For all work the quality of which was below par -by reason of the delicate health, relative inefficiency, or character -defect of the applicant, the employer was left to settle terms with the -employe. The greater number of women were given the only employment of -which the average untrained middle-aged woman is capable; domestic work, -“day’s work,” and house cleaning were paid for at prices ranging from -$1.50 per day to $2.00 per day, plain sewing at $1.60 per day, care of -the sick at $10 per week. - -The two periods of unemployment which came in February and October, -1908, and which came as an indirect result of the disaster, brought -heavy problems. - -On February 5, 1908, arrangement was made to give work to unemployed -men. It was decided that work orders should be granted to those -applying, preference being given to men with families. From February 5 -to March 26, 1781 work orders of three days each were given, a total of -5343 days’ work. As there were a number of repetitions, 1781 work orders -represented about 920 men at work during the--approximately--six weeks. -The majority of the men were untrained. One hundred and ninety-eight who -had training were classified as follows: Bricklayers and stone masons, -7; electricians, plumbers, machinists, and engineers, 44; upholsterers, -2; watchmakers, 3; painters, 11; butchers, 5; cooks and bakers, 13; -carpenters, 74; teamsters, 22; clerks and bookkeepers, 17. About 15 per -cent of the 198 were members of unions. Most of the applicants had large -families dependent upon them. As they were chiefly men newly arrived in -San Francisco who expected to profit by the demand for labor created by -the rebuilding, they were in reality not a fair charge on the relief -funds. Their only relation to the earthquake and fire was the fact of -their having been attracted to the city after April, 1906, by what -proved to be in their case a Will-o’-the-wisp. The Porto Ricans and the -Russians lead in the number of those who had come to San Francisco after -the fire, and these are followed in point of numbers by the Mexicans and -the Spanish. - -As to the kind of work provided, four plumbers, six carpenters (all -union men), and some of the laborers were set to work on the camp -cottages. Seventeen of the carpenters were given work on the new -Associated Charities building then in process of construction. Other -groups were given work by the Corporation in repairing the almshouse -road, in taking apart buildings at Stanley Place, South Park, and Lobos -Square, and in loading wagons with warehouse supplies to be taken to the -Relief Home. At this time and in the similar crisis in October, -preference was given to family men. The payment was made either in -money, or in kind; sometimes in both. Ninety-seven per cent of the men -were paid at the following rate for three days’ work: Meat order, -$1.00; grocery order from the store room of the Associated Charities, -$3.00; and cash $.50. In some few cases, to those who were sent to work -on the almshouse road, carfare also was given. As the Associated -Charities purchased all groceries at wholesale, it was able to give four -dollars’ worth of groceries for the three-dollar order. Men with large -families, if they had no other employment were allowed five days’ work -each week instead of three. - -In October, 1908, about one-third of the men given employment were put -to work upon a temporary tuberculosis hospital which was being built at -the Ingleside Track. Four hundred and forty-two dollars in labor was -paid for building four large wards, a diet kitchen, medicine closets in -each one of the wards, and the bath and toilet rooms. Two-thirds of the -men worked either at the almshouse or at the quarry which was started -and run for several weeks by the Associated Charities. Many of the men, -however, resented being put at quarry work which they considered -belonged to convicts. Their dissatisfaction, the physical inability of a -large number of them to do such heavy labor, and the inclemency of the -weather, which caused the work to be intermittent, made the experiment -one that can not be classed as a notable success. - -To carry on this work for the unemployed the San Francisco Relief and -Red Cross Funds made during February, March, and October, 1908, three -appropriations of $5,000 each. Of this amount, $14,105.26 was expended -in wages or equivalent aid to unemployed men and their families. - - -3. PERMANENT RELIEF - -The work of relief was carried on with most care in the case of those -applicants to whom money had been given in sums of over $50, in some -instances in one grant, in others, in the form of pensions. Though -numerically of relatively slight importance, these cases occupied so -much of the attention of the force that they may justly be taken as most -representative of policies and accomplishments. The amounts of the gifts -are shown in Table 110. The grant was made most often to the family -whose dependence was a result of the abnormal times. - -TABLE 110.--GRANTS AND PENSIONS OF $50 AND OVER GIVEN BY THE ASSOCIATED -CHARITIES[245] - - ===================+===================== - Amount of grant |Grants or pensions of - or pension |each specified amount - -------------------+--------------------- - $50 and under $100 | 28 - $100 and under $150| 55 - $150 and under $200| 47 - $200 and under $250| 48 - $250 and under $300| 8 - $300 and under $350| 11 - $350 and under $400| 4 - $400 and over | 4 - -------------------+--------------------- - Total | 205 - -------------------+--------------------- - - [245] Some grants of over $50 have been grouped with the emergency - relief cases. - -The disaster case has many variations, but the common mark is that the -applicant is thrifty, in fairly good health, and capable of -self-support. Adventitious circumstances brought a reduction or a loss -of income. With rare exceptions, when the grant was sufficient the -family became entirely self-supporting. The policy of the office was to -find what had been the former standard of living, and to aid so that not -only would the same standard be maintained but a higher one if possible -attained. The two cases that follow illustrate how in 18 or more cases a -grant of from $75 to $500 gave the aid needed to make a fresh and -successful start. - -A peddler of imported linen goods, in poor health, with a wife also in -poor health, and four children under fourteen years of age, who had been -burned out, asked for no aid until 1908. He believed he could do without -help, but when the wife became very ill the man knew that he must appeal -for relief. He was granted at once $250 to purchase a stock of goods, -though his plan for resuming his old business was vague. For about three -months, as the family seemed able to care for itself, the case was not -held under treatment. Then the wife died, leaving the man as sole -caretaker of four ill children. The children, three suffering with -typhoid fever and one with tuberculosis of the hip, were sent to a -sanatorium and a grant of $150 was secured, which was supplemented -later by a grant of $300. A large part of these two sums was spent for -hospital treatment, but the remainder was invested in getting the man to -make a fresh start at his old business of selling imported linens. When -the family was revisited in June, 1909, the man’s sister-in-law reported -him as making a good living. Having employed a housekeeper, he was able -to keep his children properly and to give them a suitable education. -This expenditure of $700 lightened burdens brought alone by disaster and -illness. - -[Illustration: HOME FOR THE AGED AND INFIRM (the “Relief Home”)] - -An American widow fifty-nine years of age, with a daughter of forty -stone deaf and in ill health, and the daughter’s three children under -thirteen, had kept a boarding house before the fire in fairly -comfortable quarters in one of the busier districts of San Francisco. -The daughter, separated from her husband, an inebriate and a gambler, -was entirely dependent on her mother. With high courage the fine woman -planned to rent and furnish a hotel in one of the smaller watering -places of the state. The Rehabilitation Committee gave her $400 for the -purpose. The venture failed, so two years later she applied to the -Associated Charities for rehabilitation. She was given $200 with which -to move the furnishings saved from the first venture to a suburban town, -where she now has a successful rooming and boarding house. She is -valiantly carrying her own burdens. - - * * * * * - -There are some 20 or more cases whose success is dubious, because the -money was used for purposes for which it was not intended; because the -plan to keep a domestic group intact through the expenditure of a large -grant was frustrated; or because defective character balked the -rehabilitation plans. In most of these cases the investigation failed to -unearth characteristics or resources which, if discovered, would have -made a flat grant unnecessary or undesirable. - -Pensions were granted of course for several different ends. In a good -many instances they were given primarily to tide a family over the -period during which one of the younger members was being given a good -business training so as to be prepared to undertake the chief support of -the group. These so-called “scholarship” grants had definite and -satisfying results. A typical case will illustrate the method. - -A Mexican seamstress of thirty-five and her three orphan sisters were -living together at the time of the disaster. One of the sisters, aged -thirty-three, had to be sent afterwards to a hospital for the insane. A -married sister, aged thirty-four, with a child of three years, was -deserted by her husband the day of the earthquake, and had to place the -child in the Orphans’ Home. The deserted wife assumed charge of the -household, and the two young sisters of fifteen and thirteen who were -markedly intelligent were kept at school. The seamstress was very proud -of her young sisters, so she borrowed $20 from a woman who worked in the -same factory with her in order that she might send the elder to a -business college. Later when taken ill she found herself in debt and -unable to carry out her plan. She then applied to the Associated -Charities and was given two grants of $75, one for general relief, the -other to keep the girl in the business college. The girl graduated and -her knowledge of Spanish and English then enabled her to get a specially -advantageous position. All the sisters are the better for the grant -which raised their social status. - -The pension was given most often to persons who, because of the -catastrophe, fell into dependency from which, unaided, it was impossible -for them to extricate themselves. The unanswered question in connection -with these pension cases was: What sum of money, in San Francisco, -constituted an adequate monthly sum for the support of a needy family? -If a semi-dependent, how much should have been spent before it could be -proven whether the power of self-support was latent or was lacking? No -one knew, as the community’s best practice furnished no guide. The -Rehabilitation Committee and the Associated Charities acted on the -general principle of granting such pensions as they felt they could -afford. The Associated Charities hoped, moreover, that if the sum of $15 -to $25 given as a pension were not sufficient, the usual neighborhood -help would gradually develop so as to eke out the amount given. The -pensions were most often given in the form of money, but in some cases -in weekly food orders. The following pension case is illustrative: - - * * * * * - -A Greek aged thirty-five deserted his wife and five children under -thirteen years of age at the time of the fire. Before the disaster the -family was known to the Associated Charities as one in which the man was -not meeting his responsibilities. The oldest child, a boy, was a decent, -serious little chap; the second, also a boy, was so wild that he had -later to be sent to a reformatory; and the three youngest were sickly, -weak-eyed little creatures. When the woman made application immediately -after the disaster she was given $75 for clothing. She was lost in the -big body of refugees, but when found again in the fall of 1908, though -pitifully destitute, was making a brave effort to support her children. -The eldest boy was given a position as office boy at the Associated -Charities at $4.00 a month, a baby from the children’s agency was put to -board in the home at the rate of $11 a month, and $150 was appropriated, -to be given in monthly sums of $20. With this monthly income of $35, $10 -of which went for rent, she was enabled, having judgment in expenditure, -to get along. - -As is brought out in Part VI, an unusual number of old people had been -thrown on the community for care. To some of these, who were invalids, -pensions were given so that they need not go to the Relief Home. - -In the two-year period covered by this study, from June 1, 1907, to June -1, 1909, the total receipts of the San Francisco Associated Charities -amounted to $252,046.75.[246] As has been stated above,[247] this money -was contributed almost exclusively by the Corporation and the Board of -Trustees of Relief and Red Cross Funds. The Associated Charities -disbursed, in the period dealt with, $236,303.72,[248] of which sum -$180,577.78, or 76.4 per cent, was expended directly on relief work, and -$55,725.94 was expended on salaries and other administrative -expenses.[249] The expenditure for salaries amounted to $41,560.21 for -the period,--a monthly average of $1,351.80 for the last seven months of -1907, of $2,023.19 for the year 1908, and of $1,563.86 for the first -five months of 1909. - - [246] A statement of the receipts of the Associated Charities from - June, 1907, to September, 1912, inclusive, is given in Appendix I, p. - 419. - - [247] See Part V, p. 283. - - [248] The sum of $31,224.11 expended through the Associated Charities - for the payment of what were known as the “Red Cross Pensions” is not - included in this total. - - [249] A statement of the disbursements of the Associated Charities - from June, 1907, to September, 1912, inclusive, is given in Appendix - I, pp. 419-421. - -Data are not available for a complete classification of disbursements -according to the nature of the relief afforded. It is impossible to -state separately the expenditure for the purposes termed in this Part -“emergency and temporary relief” and “aid given the unemployed.” - -It appears from data available that there was a total expenditure by the -Associated Charities for housing, from June 1, 1907, to June 1, 1909, of -$59,556.06.[250] - - [250] Compare with figures presented in Part I, p. 86. While the - amount given above covers all housing relief granted by the Associated - Charities for the period from June 1, 1907, to June 1, 1909, the - $55,963.50 mentioned in Part I relates to expenditures for moving or - repairing cottages during the entire period of the relief work. - - -4. RELIEF REFUSED - -The policy behind a refusal to aid measures the quality of relief as -well as the policy which shapes giving. The cases to which material aid -was refused have therefore been segregated and an attempt is here made -to state what the records show concerning the basis and utility of such -refusal. It will be remembered that 5951 cases applied for relief and -that 1704 of these were refused aid. The following table gives the -number refused who had or who had not lived in the burned area and the -number who had not made application for rehabilitation aid before June, -1907. - -TABLE 111.--APPLICANTS FOR AID FROM THE ASSOCIATED CHARITIES TO WHOM AID -WAS REFUSED, CLASSIFIED AS HAVING LIVED OR NOT HAVING LIVED IN THE -BURNED AREA. JUNE 1, 1907, TO JUNE 1, 1909[251] - - ===========================================+====================== - Classes of applicants |APPLICANTS REFUSED AID - +---------+------------ - | Number | Per cent - -------------------------------------------+---------+------------ - Applicants who had lived in burned area | | - With rehabilitation record | 571 | 35.4 - Without rehabilitation record | 604 | 37.4 - -------------------------------------------+---------+------------ - Total | =1,175= | =72.8= - | | - Applicants who had not lived in burned area| =439= | =27.2= - -------------------------------------------+---------+------------ - Grand Total | =1,614= | =100.0= - -------------------------------------------+---------+------------ - - [251] Data are not available as to the former place of residence of 90 - of the 1,704 refused aid. - -It must be borne in mind that the total number of applications made to -the Associated Charities on the part of applicants who had been burned -out was, 1,880 by those who had had a rehabilitation record before June, -1907, and 2,116 by those who had had no such record. The percentage of -refusals is seen to be, therefore, very nearly the same,--about 30 per -cent of refusals for the first class, 29 per cent for the second. - -Although many of these applicants had rations until, and shelter perhaps -for months after they had secured work, to refuse further aid to 1,175 -applicants burned out, or 29 per cent of those who made application from -June, 1907, to June, 1909, called for an exercise of courage and a -holding firm to the well-defined principles of the relief -administrators. - -The following criticisms are typical of those that had to be answered: - -A woman prominent in labor circles, speaking of a rejected case, said to -one of the managers of the Associated Charities and voiced a rather -widespread sentiment: “I can’t see the justice of this picking and -choosing. My friend was burned out and was just as good as some of those -who received help--and there was plenty of money! Who was it for, if not -for the refugees?” Another in writing to the office said: “Mrs. X---- is -old and ought not to have to work any more. Surely some of that relief -money can be found for her.” The bitterness of the refugees themselves -made, however, the loudest plaint in the chorus of discontent. - -Two classes then, in one or other of which many San Franciscans are -today, quarreled with this policy of investigating the claims of the -refugees; on the one hand, those who held theoretically that all who had -felt the blow should, if they asked, receive help; on the other, those -who held concretely that they themselves, having been losers, had a -“right” to a portion of the relief fund. - -The natural desire to give generously to the limits of one’s capacity, -especially to those whom disaster has robbed of competence, is what -constructive charity work always has to face from those who “cease not -to give without any regard.” As years make it possible to view without -prejudice the aim and result of the more cautious, less emotional policy -pursued, it seems demonstrable that time will vindicate the much -criticized deliberation of the Rehabilitation Committee and the -Associated Charities. As has been considered in Part I, the extent of -need and of the sum to meet it were both unknown, and what was foreseen -happened,--that a portion of the fund was needed to be held in reserve -for those who at first courageously refrained from asking help, but who -as the strain proved too great necessarily appealed. The dual risk of -giving to the sham refugee and of carrying the man who could help -himself and who was inclined to lean on relief could only be avoided by -careful investigation and treatment, even though both raged at the -refusals of an “unjust” committee. The final argument is that no relief -should be so generous as to dry up the normal sources of aid in a -community. That aid is wisest which rouses all the neighborhood and -civic sources of help into effective action. - -It is undeniable that the records show a certain number of persons to -have been refused aid who seemed as entitled to help as some who by -influence or persistence got at least a minimum. “Influence” is used -with no invidious intention. In San Francisco as in every other -community a certain number of wholly disinterested persons bear an -enormous share of the burden of the charity work. When these asked aid -for a case and gave their word that it was deserved, it was difficult, -often impossible, to deny the aid. The Associated Charities did give -help in a good many instances where in its own judgment aid could have -been refused and the cases left for reconstruction to neighborship and -individual capacities. Table 112 shows the causes for refusal to aid. - -The first three reasons for refusal and the ninth and tenth could be -brought under the heading “thirst for relief money,” and make the total -for the type, 516, or 30.3 per cent of the refusals. The attitude of -mind was expressed collectively by the naïve Italian woman who said -frankly that she “thought they could get something nice,” and by the -Irish woman who said with equal naïveté “they could get something for -the asking.” The 77 applicants who asked for money for purposes of -relief no longer being granted, asked aid too late for the building of a -cottage or for the moving of a house or for furniture. Twenty-seven of -these had not been burned out, and about two-fifths of the remaining 50 -had had rehabilitation before June, 1907. - -TABLE 112.--REASONS FOR NOT GIVING AID FROM ASSOCIATED CHARITIES TO -APPLICANTS - - ==========================+===================+=======+=========+===== - Reason for not giving aid | APPLICANTS WHO | Appli-| Appli- |Total - | HAD LIVED IN | cants | cants | - | BURNED AREA |who had| whose | - +---------+---------+ not | former | - | With | Without | lived | place | - |rehabili-|rehabili-| in | of resi-| - | tation | tation |burned |dence is| - | record | record | area | doubtful| - --------------------------+---------+---------+-------+---------+----- - Applicant merely seeking | | | | | - more relief money | 54 | 36 | 21 | 3 | 114 - Applicant has already had | | | | | - as much money as is | | | | | - justified | 29 | 4 | 1 | .. | 34 - Applicant able to get | | | | | - along without help | 143 | 149 | 61 | 15 | 368 - Applicant has relatives | | | | | - who can help or have | | | | | - helped | 27 | 54 | 30 | 2 | 113 - Money no longer given for | | | | | - use desired | 19 | 31 | 25 | 2 | 77 - Applicant would not accept| | | | | - aid offered | 24 | 27 | 11 | 3 | 65 - Applicant’s plan | | | | | - unpracticable | 19 | 14 | 26 | 1 | 60 - Applicant withdrew | | | | | - application | 25 | 30 | 43 | 5 | 103 - Case reported without | | | | | - knowledge of applicant | 10 | 3 | 13 | 8 | 34 - Pauperization feared | 7 | 3 | 3 | .. | 13 - Applicant a professional | | | | | - beggar | 31 | 14 | 11 | 2 | 58 - Applicant lazy | 4 | 12 | 4 | .. | 20 - Applicant vicious | 5 | 11 | 8 | 1 | 25 - Applicant a drunkard | 34 | 17 | 4 | 3 | 58 - Applicant unthrifty | 3 | 11 | 4 | .. | 18 - Applicant could not be | | | | | - found | 13 | 40 | 36 | 14 | 103 - Aid received from other| | | | | - sources or case referred | | | | | - to other societies | 53 | 68 | 73 | 19 | 213 - Disposal of application | | | | | - not known | 71 | 80 | 65 | 12 | 228 - --------------------------+---------+---------+-------+---------+----- - Total | 571 | 604 | 439 | 90 |1,704 - --------------------------+---------+---------+-------+---------+----- - -In reading some of the cases of families burned out who had no -rehabilitation record in the group of 368 “able to get along without -aid,” the question often mooted was, “If these were not given, why were -others?” This may be a feeling, not a judgment. It is probable that the -records, though relatively complete, do not tell enough to permit a fair -judgment, but it is one of the regrets of the analyst of these cases -that in justice to the difficulties of the current work they could not -be re-visited. The protest of the office was that re-visits would stir a -whole neighborhood to descend upon it again in hope that there was a -little more money to be distributed,--a protest voiced concretely by one -visitor, who said, “We can scarcely be seen to pass along the street in -a given neighborhood without receiving calls a few days later from -people eager to know if there is any more relief money to give away.” -The objection, based as it was on a recognition of human frailty, had to -be respected. Other objections given to a re-visit were that some -persons would be found to be so disgruntled that a fair statement could -not be got from them; that others were too stupid to understand the -questions or too indifferent to care to answer them. An attempt to -re-investigate any of these groups would fairly seem to have been a -waste of effort and money. - -The small number, 13, refused on the ground of fear of pauperization may -raise a smile, but the heading is a reflex of the dread in the minds of -some of the visitors. “This is a very decent family who have never had -aid,” writes one of the visitors, “and I do not think it well to begin -for fear of pauperizing them.” It is noteworthy that of the 58 refused -as “professional beggars,” 45 had lived in the burned area and of these -31 had rehabilitation records; that of the 58 refused on account of -alcoholic habits, 51 had lived in the burned area, 34 of whom had a -rehabilitation record. Whether these refugees had acquired the habits of -begging and of drinking after the earthquake experience is not shown by -the records. The individuals in these last two groups, many of whom were -members of families, needed much more than they asked for, but the -thorough investigation and constructive treatment they should have -received could not be meted out to them at a time when material -assistance was the overwhelming issue. - - -5. CONCLUSIONS - -Positive questions have been asked; they have received but few definite -answers. It is easy to question, but hard to answer positively, when -past efforts are but meagerly recorded, and present efforts are too -fresh for an accurate measure to be taken of their results. It is a -simple task theoretically to define a line of inquiry; it is a complex -one to separate human beings into classes and to determine just what -circumstances of character and condition forced each into his -appropriate place. - -The notable facts for the inquirer as to the effect of the disaster upon -the dependency situation are these: There were a little over three and -one-half times as many applicants for aid at the Associated Charities -during the two years from June, 1907, to June, 1909, as in those from -April 18, 1904, to April 18, 1906. - -It is not as plain as could be wished how many of the 3996 applicants to -the Associated Charities who had lived in the burned area were charges -on public or private charity before the fire, or would have become so in -any case. The point seems hardly demonstrable. - -What is plain beyond question is that the disaster brought for the two -years a burden of dependency of over three times the ante-disaster -proportions. What is not so plain is how far the relief funds swelled -these proportions. - -As to results, the records prove some definitely successful instances of -aid given. Health restored; financial independence regained by the -capable, temporarily dependent; and relatives or friends found to -support dependent adults and minors, are achievements cheeringly -demonstrable in 25 per cent of the cases. - -A relief fund whose amount was fairly adequate to meet the need has had -one patent result. A number of persons tottering toward dependency by -reason of the failing health of a breadwinner, of a wife, or of -children, who in ordinary times would not have been helped in San -Francisco, at the right moment received the inspiration of friendly -visitors and the instruction of trained nurses. The intellectual and -physical care added to the material combined to stay deterioration, and -in some instances to raise standards. - -The more insistent call of the children for protection because of the -demoralizing effects of the camp life brought response from the -Associated Charities, which through its children’s agency found for each -defenseless child a protecting friend, a foster home, or when nothing -else was available or suitable, an appropriate institution. - -For the remainder of the cases, results lie less within the range of -demonstration. This much is certain; there was neither impulsive nor -indiscriminate giving. Though the amount that was spent, inclusive of -administration expenses, totals for the period from June 1, 1907, to -June 1, 1909, a sum of $236,303.72, yet the first feeling on reading the -history of the treatment of the average case was rebellion that in so -many instances such niggardly doles had been given. When, as was of -course true of adult dependence, the aim was restoration of financial -independence, the means granted often seemed insufficient to warrant any -hope of success. After this feeling has been for six months tried in the -crucible of a careful investigation of the facts of cost of living[252] -and habits of spending among persons of low income, it still seems not -without foundation. - - [252] A study made of the family budgets of 49 cases under care of the - Associated Charities from June, 1907, to June, 1909, could not, owing - to lack of space, be included in this Relief Survey. - -One result of the disaster and of the use of the relief funds is the -notably increased efficiency in relief work in San Francisco. Out of the -widespread experience born of and bred by facing a large and varied -round of relief problems, comes the first gain. While it is incorrect to -say that San Francisco had no poverty in the days before the fire, it is -true that the mass of those seeking aid were dependents because of -unemployment and ill health, both due in many cases to ignorance or to -vicious practices. The problem of destitution involved in the care of -this type of cases does not stimulate a worker to any such broad and -aggressive social policies as those which he must meet when handling the -cases of capable and nearly self-directing people whom circumstances -alone, loss of occupation, insanitary conditions, new situations, force -to seek aid and guidance. Add to this fact of greater experience, that -the relief funds enabled the work to be carried by a staff of visitors -more nearly adequate than before the fire to meet the demand for -investigation and treatment. Add the further fact that there had been -enough not only to pay for relatively efficient office service but to -give aid of a kind approximately sufficient. In a summary of these three -gains will be found in part the value to the Associated Charities of San -Francisco and to the people it serves of having been selected as the -final agent of the San Francisco Relief and Red Cross Funds will in part -be clear. - - -6. THE ASSOCIATED CHARITIES SINCE THE FIRE - -When the Associated Charities set up its own office in June, 1907, the -allowance of money made to it from the relief fund enabled the society -to form a staff of from 12 to 15 experienced workers; to institute a -division of labor among the office force which had never before been -possible; to announce the formation of a new department, namely, a civic -relief bureau; and to undertake to deal in a thorough-going way with all -cases handled by this bureau, obtaining employment for applicants when -necessary, and giving whatever relief might be called for by the -exigencies of the case. - -The co-operation of the Associated Charities with all the other -philanthropic agencies of the city has been made much closer by the -fire. In working together shoulder to shoulder under the Relief -Corporation, the philanthropic agencies of the city became well -acquainted with one another and the way was paved for important working -agreements. - -One such working arrangement is that by which various children’s -institutions make use of the placing-out department of its children’s -agency. During the years 1907-1909, 212 children were taken from -orphanages and placed in family homes. Curiously enough, only four of -these were children of refugees. The work of the placing-out department -in 1909 was double what it had been before the fire. - -The children’s agency has another department which demands mention here, -because as a result of the disaster its work has also been doubled. This -is the boarding-out department. Its expansion is due to two causes. On -the one hand, children’s institutions could accept fewer children, -having been cut down in capacity by their material losses; and on the -other, there had been an actual increase in the number of foundlings, -illegitimate infants, and children requiring protection. The records of -the juvenile court for 1907-1909 show that 29 per cent of dependency -cases came from residents of public camps. The boarding-out department -of the Associated Charities had some of these to provide for. Among the -candidates for public care were the children of ten insane mothers and -the infants of ten unmarried mothers whose plight was thought to be -directly traceable to the situation after the fire. - - - - - PART VI - - THE RESIDUUM OF RELIEF - - THE AGED, THE INFIRM, AND THE HANDICAPPED - - -PART VI - -THE RESIDUUM OF RELIEF: THE AGED, THE INFIRM, AND THE HANDICAPPED - - - PAGE - - I. INGLESIDE MODEL CAMP 321 - - 1. History of Its Establishment 321 - 2. Administration 324 - 3. General Statistics 327 - - II. RELIEF AND NON-RELIEF CASES 335 - - 1. General Analysis 335 - 2. Applicants and Non-applicants for Relief and Rehabilitation 336 - - III. RESULTS 356 - - -I - -INGLESIDE MODEL CAMP - - -1. HISTORY OF ITS ESTABLISHMENT - -Owing to the general confusion in the city, the emergency character of -the relief, and the constant shifting and changing of the homeless -population immediately after the earthquake and fire, the first grouping -of the refugee camps was entirely accidental. No classification by age, -condition, or special need was possible. But among the first naturally -to be differentiated were the aged and the infirm, who must be cared for -until friends or relatives could assume their support. If they proved -ultimately to be friendless as well as homeless and incapable of -self-support, provision would have to be made for permanent care. As -early as June these classes were sent to Camp 6,[253] the Speedway, and -plans for sheltering those who would require public relief during the -ensuing winter were discussed. By the end of July their housing became a -pressing problem. - - [253] For description of the official camps, see Part I, p. 78 ff. - -In 1906 the city and county of San Francisco had an almshouse -accommodating about 900 persons, situated on a fine tract of land about -one mile southeast of Golden Gate Park. Some of its buildings were very -old and insanitary, the standard of care was low, and it was full to -overflowing. After mature consideration the Corporation finally -determined to build a Relief Home on this tract and to present it to the -city as a permanent provision for aged dependents; but since it seemed -probable that the new building could not be finished before the summer -of 1907[254] it became necessary to provide at once temporary barracks -for the shelter of the aged and infirm. - - [254] The building of the Relief Home was authorized September 18, - 1906, but on account of shortage of lumber and delay due to abnormal - labor conditions it was not ready for occupancy until January, 1908. - -At that time the cost of lumber, transportation, and labor was -excessive, and there was the added difficulty of quickly finding a -suitable location. The generous offer of Thomas H. Williams, president -of the California Jockey Club, to give free use of the race track -buildings, relieved the pressure on the Corporation to make provision -for the winter. At Ingleside race track there were 26 stables, each 40 x -160 to 220 feet, containing from 20 to 40 box stalls apiece. The -buildings were already piped for water, partially sewered, easily -accessible by street car, and in such condition that they could be made -ready for occupancy in a short time and at a relatively small cost. - -The offer was at once accepted, and the Department of Lands and -Buildings was authorized to make the necessary alterations. The stalls -were thoroughly renovated to serve as single rooms for inmates. They -were cleaned and disinfected, windows were put in, the floors were -covered with canvas and the walls with building paper. The hay lofts -were converted into dormitories. The buildings were connected with the -main sewer to the ocean and each was equipped with toilets, baths, hot -and cold water, and a large heating stove. The section to be used as a -kitchen was furnished with four large army ranges, and the dining room -with a number of long tables and benches, and with enamelware dishes. -Simple furniture for each room and for the dormitories, a butcher shop, -and storage warehouse, completed the preparations for those who were -fairly able-bodied. For the sick a hospital section with a separate -kitchen was established, to be used in addition to the annex of St. -Luke’s Hospital already on the grounds. Finally, one section was set -aside as a social and reading room, and another for religious services. - -While these preparations were under way, a great diversity of opinion -existed as to how many aged and infirm and handicapped refugees would -finally remain to be cared for at Ingleside. The population of Camp 6, -where the decrepit and semi-able-bodied refugees were concentrated, had -been at the beginning of July 756 persons, and was over 800 when -Ingleside Camp was ready early in October. It was expected to have added -to this latter number a few persons from each of the other camps as -these were abandoned, and to subtract a few who did not belong in the -special classes for which Ingleside was intended. September 5, Rudolph -Spreckels, chairman of the Department of Camps and Warehouses, estimated -the final number at 500, because whenever the food kitchens had been -closed only a few persons had applied to be admitted to Camp 6.[255] -Seats for about 700 were provided in the dining room at Ingleside. - - [255] San Francisco _Chronicle_, Sept. 6, 1906. - -[Illustration: INGLESIDE MODEL CAMP] - -In the autumn, as fast as the cottages[256] were completed, the tents -were abandoned and the families removed to the cottages. Those not -capable of self-support or who had no relatives to care for them were -assigned to Camp 6, to be sent to Ingleside when it should be ready. -Some of this residue refused to go to Camp 6, and managed to find -friends or work at the last moment,[257] so that when the inmates of -Camp 6 were finally removed to Ingleside between October 8 and October -29, there remained to enter only 400 from Camp 6, and 84 from all the -other camps,--a total of less than 500. The subsequent condemnation of -the old City and County Hospital followed by the accidental burning of -one of the almshouse buildings in the spring of 1908 made it necessary -to send some inmates of both these institutions in March, 1908, to -Ingleside Camp, which had been closed following the transfer of the aged -and infirm in January to the Relief Home. One hundred and thirty-one -almshouse inmates were about to be moved to Ingleside in the latter part -of October, 1907, when the politicians discovered that this would -deprive the almshouse men of their residence and invalidate their vote -in the impending election. Some of the newspapers spoke of it as “a -political job to deprive registered voters of the suffrage which had -been enjoyed for years” and the transfer was finally postponed till -after election. These 131 almshouse inmates are not included in the -detailed statistics which follow. - - [256] See Part I, pp. 82 and 85 ff. - - [257] See preceding reference, also, for part taken by Associated - Charities in reducing number of the residue chargeable on the new - institution. - -At no time was the number of inmates higher than 809. Altogether 1,287 -names were registered on the index book during the fifteen months of its -existence. This discrepancy of approximately 500 between the highest -number and the total population of Ingleside represents the movement of -the more able-bodied and least permanent residents of the camp. In the -detailed study of cases it will appear that a certain number of adults -were sent to Ingleside who did not properly belong there or whose -rehabilitation had been postponed by the withholding of the relief -funds. Besides these, a few refugees waiting to hear from friends were -admitted for a short period; and a few transient men and women stayed -for less than a month, leaving in many cases no record except a name. In -short, out of the total of 1,287 persons at Ingleside during 1906 and -1907, not more than half belonged to the aged, infirm, and handicapped -classes for which permanent provision would have to be made. - - -2. ADMINISTRATION - -Ingleside Model Camp was organized October 8, 1906, by Captain Julius N. -Kilian,[258] of the United States Army. On January 1, 1907, the command -was transferred to C. M. Wollenberg[259] who had been up to that time -chief clerk in the Department of Camps and Warehouses. - - [258] Captain Kilian had been in charge of the Moulder School - Warehouse. See Part I, p. 37. - - [259] Mr. Wollenberg continued in charge during the consolidation of - Ingleside with the almshouse and, having qualified under the civil - service law in July, 1908, became the permanent superintendent of the - Relief Home. - -Besides being old, infirm, or incapacitated to some degree, the classes -assembled at Ingleside were inevitably the most discontented of all the -refugees. During the months of Captain Kilian’s administration certain -conditions prevailed that made his task exceptionally difficult. All the -inmates had been torn from their habitual grooves of life and had -suffered shock and considerable hardship; many had feebly but vainly -tried to get back into old niches and could not adapt themselves to new -ones. Some had applied for rehabilitation only to be gently told that -they were too old to begin again or that their plans were impracticable; -others had found their friends and relatives to be neglectful; still -others, the last precipitate of the social confusion, were a -semi-vicious, irresponsible, and idle lot who were at Ingleside only -because they could not find food and shelter in their old disreputable -haunts. All, regardless of capacity or need, were convinced that they -were being deprived of their “just and equal share” of the millions -contributed by a philanthropic public. - -Among this heterogeneous company, many of whom had fallen into vulgar -and disorderly, if not vicious, habits during six months of -irresponsible camp life, it was Captain Kilian’s task to establish good -feeling, health, and discipline. The restoration of order began with the -enforcement of cleanliness and decency. When the inmates grabbed their -food from the dishes on the table they were summarily relegated to what -became known as the “hog table”; when they fought among themselves, or -railed at the employes, or returned drunk from a visit to friends -outside, they were warned; if the offense was repeated, they were -ejected from camp. During the first three months 30 were ejected, and in -the following year from five to 10 persons a month were sent away. Of -the total of 70 persons sent away from the camp the majority (30 men and -10 women) were ejected for drunkenness; the remainder for stealing, -vulgar conduct, and insubordination. It was found necessary to -discipline and finally to discharge for intoxication a considerable -number of employes as well as refugees. The strict insistence upon -sobriety meant a better grade of helpers for the camp. - -The restlessness of the inmates and the accessibility of Ingleside to -five saloons at the gate and to the street cars made a rather strict -regulation of admission and discharge necessary. When inmates overstayed -their passes they were required to show cause on their return, and were -sometimes refused re-admission. As a consequence, some ran away and -others who went out on passes never returned. A curious result of the -confusion after the fire is revealed by the easy movement of persons -from the old almshouse to Ingleside. It appears that 59 of the 1,287 -inmates of Ingleside had been in the almshouse at some time before the -fire; and that 114 inmates ran away from the almshouse or were -discharged at their own request between April, 1906, and January, 1907. -Those familiar with the conditions of both institutions believe that -between 100 and 200 persons left the almshouse and went to refugee camps -to pose as earthquake sufferers, to return ultimately to the almshouse -either directly or through Ingleside.[260] - - [260] The almshouse records of this period do not show accurately the - movement of the inmates. It is probable that a much larger number left - than they indicate. - -When Captain Kilian was recalled to regular military duty in January, -1907, he left a camp of about 660 refugees comfortably housed, well fed, -and under excellent discipline. He had not, however, undertaken to solve -one of the most important problems, the employment of inmates within the -camp. During the military period, paid employes performed the greater -part of the labor necessary to the maintenance of the camp. Mr. -Wollenberg on taking charge required, as he had a smaller staff of -employes, a definite amount of labor, varying according to the physical -condition of each inmate. This policy served both as a disciplinary -measure and as a means of natural selection. The comparatively -ablebodied were ejected from camp if they refused to work, so that the -population gradually sifted down to the aged, the infirm, and the -incapacitated who had no relatives to care for them. Besides the routine -duties necessary to keep the camp in sanitary condition, other work was -provided. Twelve acres of ground were planted in potatoes, cabbages, and -turnips at a cost of about $100. The yield was over $600 worth of -vegetables. A dairy was established to provide the camp with milk; -furniture was made by the men for the new Relief Home, to be opened in -January, 1908. Tailoring and carpentry shops and a shoe repairing shop -afforded work at a fair wage. A sewing department was organized by -Lucile Eaves,[261] with an equipment of 20 sewing machines and materials -in bulk from the relief supplies. Every woman who could sew was expected -to be in the sewing room twice a week, and during fifteen months over -6,000 garments and 754 curtains for the Home were made and distributed. -The Woman’s Alliance provided social recreation at least once a week, as -well as books and magazines. - - [261] See Part I, p. 88. - -In spite of the shock of fire and earthquake, and in spite of the -discomforts of camp life in the preceding summer, the health of the -inmates of Ingleside Model Camp was exceptionally good. This was no -doubt due to the regularity of life, the good food, the strict -enforcement of sanitary regulations, and the prompt medical attention. -The camp hospital, which contained an average of 30 patients during the -first few months, was enlarged in July, 1907, to make room for its -quota, 35, of the City and County Hospital patients, and thereafter -averaged 77 patients. During thirteen months only 49 deaths occurred at -Ingleside, and most of these were due to old age. There were, however, -24 deaths in hospitals to which patients were sent from Ingleside. This -rather small number does not fully represent the proportion of deaths to -the number of inmates, as the personnel of the camp was constantly -changing. Of the 1,287 inmates of Ingleside 164 were known to be dead -three years after the fire. - -For the accommodation of its almshouse charges at Ingleside the city -agreed to pay 30 cents a day per inmate, at the time that it was costing -38.6 cents a day to maintain an inmate in the almshouse. The average -cost a day per inmate at Ingleside during 1907 was 50 cents. The total -cost of Ingleside Model Camp for approximately fifteen months was: - - Construction $36,230.59 - Operation and maintenance $173,573.19 - Care of almshouse inmates $21,447.04 - - -3. GENERAL STATISTICS - -The Ingleside records which constitute the basis of the tables that -follow were merely admission cards made out by the commanders of camps. -They give information with regard to sex, age, marital condition, -nativity, occupation, address on April 17, 1906, and the name and -address of a relative or friend who should be notified in case of death. -The cards were obviously not intended for sociological purposes. They -often do not give some of these simple facts, and are not uniform in -statement; but they have been supplemented by information taken from the -records of an investigator at Camp 6, and from the cases on file in the -Associated Charities and the Rehabilitation Committee offices. The -records have been further amplified through interviews with a number of -employes who were for a long time at Ingleside, and are most of them now -employed at the Relief Home. The greatest care has been taken not to -draw unwarrantable conclusions from incomplete and uncertain data. - -Aside from placing on record a brief history of Ingleside Model Camp, -the main purpose of this study has been: first, to find what proportion -of the inmates of Ingleside had been self-supporting before the fire of -1906 and what proportion were at that time potential almshouse inmates; -second, to examine critically the treatment of those aged and infirm -persons who awaited at Ingleside the outcome of their applications for -rehabilitation; and third, to determine whether any number of those now -dependent upon public relief could have been saved from that fate. - -Tables 113 and 114 show concisely the conjugal condition of the -Ingleside population and the extent to which the inmates differed in -this respect from the aged, infirm, and incapacitated population in the -San Francisco almshouse during the thirty-five years preceding 1906, and -from the general population of California. - -TABLE 113.--INMATES OF INGLESIDE MODEL CAMP BY CONJUGAL CONDITION AND -SEX[262] - - ===============================+====================================== - Conjugal condition | PERSONS WHOSE CONJUGAL CONDITION WAS - | AS SPECIFIED - +------------+------------+------------ - | Males | Females | Total - +------+-----+------+-----+------+----- - |Number| Per |Number| Per |Number| Per - | | cent| | cent| |cent - -------------------------------+------+-----+------+-----+------+----- - Single | 385 | 53.3| 90 | 20.7| 475 | 41.1 - Married | 77 | 10.7| 67 | 15.4| 144 | 12.5 - Widowed | 166 | 23.0| 218 | 50.3| 384 | 33.2 - Divorced, separated or deserted| 13 | 1.8| 15 | 3.5| 28 | 2.4 - Unknown | 81 | 11.2| 44 | 10.1| 125 | 10.8 - -------------------------------+------+-----+------+-----+------+----- - Total | 722 |100.0| 434 |100.0|1,156 |100.0 - | | | | | [263]| - -------------------------------+------+-----+------+-----+------+----- - - [262] These figures relating to conjugal condition were taken from the - rough admission statements of persons admitted to Ingleside and do not - exactly correspond with the figures presented in Tables 119 and 120, - which were take from the files of the Relief Committee and the - Associated Charities. The latter probably correspond more nearly to - the facts. - - [263] The 131 inmates who were transferred to Ingleside from the - almshouse, as has been stated, are not included in this study. - -The preponderance of men is characteristic of all refuges for the aged -and infirm, partly because old women can earn a bare living by petty -domestic services long after the age at which old men can maintain -themselves at hard labor; partly because relatives, however poor, are -more loath to allow an aged woman than an aged man to become dependent -on public charity. As regards family ties, the table shows further the -isolated condition of this group. Two-fifths of them may be assumed to -have had no living children; the remainder had had six months to rejoin -their children but had failed to do so. - -The conjugal condition of the Ingleside population is compared in the -following table with that of the inmates of the almshouses of the United -States in 1903-04, as well as with the general population of the state -in 1900. - -TABLE 114.--CONJUGAL CONDITION OF INMATES OF INGLESIDE MODEL CAMP, -COMPARED WITH CONJUGAL CONDITION OF INMATES OF ALL ALMSHOUSES OF THE -UNITED STATES IN 1903-4 AND OF THE GENERAL POPULATION OF CALIFORNIA 15 -YEARS OF AGE AND OVER, IN 1900 - - =================================+==========+===========+============= - |Inmates of|Inmates of |General popu- - |Ingleside | all alms- | lation of - |Model Camp| houses of |California, - | |the United | 15 years - | | States |of age and - | |1903-4[264]|over, 1900 - ---------------------------------+----------+-----------+------------- - Number considered | _1,156_ | _163,176_ | _1,095,222_ - ---------------------------------+----------+-----------+------------- - Per cent: | | | - Single | 41.1 | 52.1 | 41.2 - Married | 12.5 | 16.0 | 49.3 - Widowed | 33.2 | 27.8 | 8.1 - Divorced, separated or deserted| 2.4 | 1.3 | .8 - Unknown | 10.8 | 2.8 | .6 - ---------------------------------+----------+-----------+------------- - Total | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 - ---------------------------------+----------+-----------+------------- - - [264] The figures given relate to paupers in almshouses December 31, - 1903, and to paupers admitted during the year 1904. - -The percentage of single persons at Ingleside was about one-fifth less -than in the almshouses of the country at large. This difference is due -probably to the fact that the Ingleside Camp did not admit -children.[265] Under no one of the three classifications was the number -of single persons shown to be less than 41 per cent. The percentage of -widowed persons at Ingleside was about one-fifth more than in the -almshouses at large, and four times as great as in the general -population of the state. The discrepancy between the number of widowed -and married persons at Ingleside in comparison with the almshouses of -the United States may be accounted for by the fact that a number of -so-called “widowed” persons reported at Ingleside were separated or -deserting partners. - - [265] A few children were at Ingleside with their mothers for a short - period while awaiting the completing of plans, but they are not - included in the 1,156 cases upon which this table is based. - -Table 115 shows the ages of the inmates as compared with those of -inmates of the San Francisco almshouse and of all almshouses during the -periods specified. - -TABLE 115.--AGE DISTRIBUTION OF INMATES OF INGLESIDE MODEL CAMP, -COMPARED WITH AGE DISTRIBUTION OF INMATES OF SAN FRANCISCO ALMSHOUSE -DURING A TEN-YEAR PERIOD, AND OF INMATES OF ALL ALMSHOUSES OF THE UNITED -STATES, IN 1903-1904 - - =========================+============+============+============== - Age period | INMATES OF | INMATES OF |INMATES OF ALL - | INGLESIDE | SAN FRAN- |ALMSHOUSES OF - | MODEL CAMP | CISCO ALMS-|UNITED STATES - | | HOUSE 1894-| 1903-1904 - | | 1906[266] | [267] - +------+-----+------+-----+-------+------ - |Number| Per|Number| Per| Number| Per - | | cent| | cent| | cent - -------------------------+------+-----+------+-----+-------+------ - Less than 10 years | .. | .. | ..| ..| 7,151| 4.4 - 10 years and less than 20| | | | | | - years | 2 | .2| 17| .2| 5,706| 3.5 - 20 years and less than 30| | | | | | - years | 22 | 1.9| 159| 2.1| 13,835| 8.5 - 30 years and less than 40| | | | | | - years | 67 | 5.8| 386| 5.1| 16,402| 10.1 - 40 years and less than 50| | | | | | - years | 114 | 9.9| 775| 10.3| 21,358| 13.1 - 50 years and less than 60| | | | | | - years | 226 | 19.6| 1,457| 19.4| 26,448| 16.2 - 60 years and less than 70| | | | | | - years | 412 | 35.6| 3,008| 40.1| 31,810| 19.5 - 70 years and less than 80| | | | | | - years | 235 | 20.3| 1,446| 19.3| 26,237| 16.0 - 80 years and less than 90| | | | | | - years | 49 | 4.2| 231| 3.1| 9,715| 6.0 - 90 years and over | 5 | .4| 20| .3| 1,344| .8 - Age unknown | 24 | 2.1| 9| .1| 3,170| 1.9 - -------------------------+------+-----+------+-----+-------+------ - Total |1,156 |100.0| 7,508|100.0|163,176| 100.0 - -------------------------+------+-----+------+-----+-------+------ - - [266] Figures for ten years. No report was published for the year - 1900-1901. - - [267] The figures given relate to paupers in almshouses, December 31, - 1903, and to paupers admitted during the year 1904. - -As Ingleside Model Camp was established to house the aged, the infirm, -the handicapped, and the convalescent, it was to be expected that as -many as 92 per cent of the inmates should be over forty years of age, 82 -per cent over fifty, and 62 per cent over sixty years of age. - -[Illustration: The Reading Room - -The Sewing Room - -INGLESIDE MODEL CAMP] - -Table 116 shows that for many years the foreign born have been more than -twice as numerous in the almshouses as in the general population of -the city and county of San Francisco. The proportion of foreign born -found in the Ingleside figures would undoubtedly have been materially -larger than the 53.8 per cent reported if it had been possible to -distribute Ingleside’s 29.1 per cent “unknown” between native and -foreign born. This result corresponds to the figures for the whole -country in which the foreign born whites have a much larger -representation in the dependent than in the general population. It must -not be overlooked, however, that dependence may be due quite as much to -the fact of belonging to the unskilled wage-earning class as to being a -foreigner. - -TABLE 116.--NATIVITY OF INMATES OF INGLESIDE MODEL CAMP, COMPARED WITH -NATIVITY OF INMATES OF SAN FRANCISCO ALMSHOUSE DURING A TEN-YEAR PERIOD, -AND OF THE GENERAL POPULATION OF THE CITY AND COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO IN -1900 - - ============================+=======+=========+========== - Country of birth |Inmates| Inmates | General - | of | of San |population - |Ingle- |Francisco| of city - | side |almshouse| and - | Model |during 10| county - | Camp | years, | of San - | |1894-1906|Francisco, - | | [268] | 1900 - ----------------------------+-------+---------+---------- - Number considered |_1,156_| _7,433_ | _342,782_ - ----------------------------+-------+---------+---------- - Per cent born as specified--| | | - United States | =17.1=| =27.1= | =65.9= - Foreign countries | | | - Canada | .9 | 1.6 | 1.5 - China | .2 | .3 | 3.1 - England | 4.2 | 5.1 | 2.6 - France | 1.6 | 3.0 | 1.4 - Germany | 9.9 | 9.8 | 10.3 - Ireland | 24.0 | 37.2 | 4.7 - Italy | 1.1 | 1.3 | 2.2 - Mexico | .9 | .. | .4 - Norway | .6 | .7 | .6 - Scotland | 2.0 | 1.3 | .9 - Sweden | 1.4 | 2.0 | 1.5 - Switzerland | .9 | 1.3 | .6 - Other foreign countries | 6.1 | 9.2 | 4.3 - ----------------------------+-------+---------+---------- - Total | =53.8=| =72.8= | =34.1= - Unknown | =29.1=| =.1= | =..= - ----------------------------+-------+---------+---------- - Grand total |=100.0=| =100.0= | =100.0= - ----------------------------+-------+---------+---------- - - [268] No report was published for the year 1900-1901. - -The proportion of Irish in the Ingleside camp was about five times as -great as in the general population of San Francisco, but only about -two-thirds as great as in the San Francisco almshouse. The Germans, on -the other hand, constitute a slightly larger proportion of the general -population than of either the Ingleside inmates or inmates of the San -Francisco almshouse. The English have contributed considerably more than -their proportionate quota to Ingleside and to the almshouse. - -Occupation is quite as important as nationality, age, or infirmity, in -determining what individuals in a given locality are likely to become -dependent. The table presented below shows the facts on this point: - -TABLE 117.--OCCUPATIONS OF INMATES OF INGLESIDE MODEL CAMP[269] - - ========================================+=============== - Occupation |PERSONS OF EACH - | SPECIFIED - | OCCUPATION - +------+-------- - |Number|Per cent - ----------------------------------------+------+-------- - Laborers | 139| 13.2 - Domestics | 85| 8.1 - Cooks and cooks’ helpers | 67| 6.4 - Housekeepers | 63| 6.0 - Dressmakers and seamstresses | 44| 4.2 - Lodging-house and boarding-house keepers| 30| 2.8 - Nurses | 25| 2.4 - Carpenters and carpenters’ helpers | 24| 2.3 - Peddlers | 23| 2.2 - Clerks | 18| 1.7 - Bakers | 15| 1.4 - Agents and canvassers | 14| 1.3 - Teamsters | 14| 1.3 - Waiters | 14| 1.3 - Painters and painters’ helpers | 13| 1.2 - Tailors and tailoresses | 13| 1.2 - Miners | 12| 1.1 - Cannery workers | 12| 1.1 - Laundry workers | 12| 1.1 - Sailors | 10| .9 - Machinists | 10| .9 - Shoemakers and cobblers | 9| .9 - Storekeepers | 9| .9 - Teachers | 9| .9 - Blacksmiths | 9| .9 - Other occupations | 362| 34.3 - ----------------------------------------+------+-------- - Total | 1,055| 100.0 - ----------------------------------------+------+-------- - - [269] Information relative to occupation was not secured for 101 of - the 1,156 inmates. - -The table reveals an occupational distribution of Ingleside inmates -materially different from that found in the typical almshouse. At -Ingleside, as in most permanent institutions for adult dependents, the -laboring and domestic classes constituted the chief element, but the -proportion of persons in these classes seems to have been smaller than -is generally the case. Of the 123,647 inmates of almshouses in the -United States in 1904 who were classified according to occupation by the -census office, 59,119, or 47.8 per cent, were reported as -non-agricultural laborers or as servants. The persons classified as -cooks, laborers, and servants admitted to the San Francisco almshouse -from 1869 to 1894 numbered 5,330, or 41.4 per cent of the 12,879 persons -admitted who were nineteen years of age or over and had had occupations. -It appears from Table 117 that 354, or 33.7 per cent, of the 1,055 -Ingleside inmates classified according to occupations were laborers, -domestics, cooks and cooks’ helpers, or housekeepers. In other words, -the proportion of persons occupied as laborers or in domestic -occupations seems to have been about one-third at Ingleside, as compared -with slightly over four-tenths in the San Francisco almshouse and -slightly less than one-half in the almshouses of the United States. - -These comparisons must be accepted with some caution because of -differences in the classifications of occupations applied to the three -sets of data. A reasonable allowance for this factor does not, however, -alter the distributions in such a degree as to invalidate the results -obtained. The figures cited may be accepted as indicating with -substantial accuracy differences in the general proportions of laborers -and domestic workers. - -For the purpose of this study the chief interest of the table of -occupations lies in a few groups which are represented not at all or by -only a few individuals in the permanent institutions for dependents, but -which at Ingleside comprised about 13 per cent of the population. In -these groups were dressmakers, seamstresses, lodging-house and -boarding-house keepers, nurses, storekeepers, agents and canvassers, and -teachers. These, plus an indefinite number that might be added from the -other miscellaneous occupations, were undoubtedly for the most part -accidental dependents. They, it might also be assumed, would be likely -to regain self-support if given assistance by the Rehabilitation -Committee. - -But the inference from the general information given in the foregoing -tables is that, apart from this comparatively small proportion, in -respect to age distribution, proportion of the sexes, social status, and -nativity, the inmates of Ingleside Model Camp did not differ essentially -from the inmates of the San Francisco almshouse. It would have been -interesting to know how long these persons had lived in California, but -unfortunately this information is given in only about one-third of the -cases. Ninety per cent of this third are recorded as having been more -than ten years in the state. Since applicants might assume, however, -that relief would be given more readily to old residents than to -transients, it is probable that a number of the unknown were recent -arrivals who were careful not to admit the fact. - -In the detailed study of individuals which follows, the cases are -classified with respect to dependence or independence before the -disaster and with respect to relief afterward. It will serve to show to -what extent conclusions have been justified. - - -II - -RELIEF AND NON-RELIEF CASES - - -1. GENERAL ANALYSIS - -In analyzing the material relating to the 1,156 persons known to have -been in Ingleside Model Camp at some time, and included in this study, -it must be remembered that practically all had already received relief -in the shape of food, clothing, and shelter at other camps or in -hospitals during the six months succeeding the fire. The word “relief” -will be used hereafter to refer to specific aid refused or given outside -of Ingleside. - -After the primal necessities, food, clothing, and shelter have been -provided, the factor of highest importance in determining what further -relief shall be given is the family relation. With respect to family -relationship, the inmates of Ingleside have been classified in the -following table: - -TABLE 118.--FAMILY RELATIONS OF INMATES OF INGLESIDE MODEL CAMP - - ====================================================+=============== - Family relation | PERSONS IN - | EACH CLASS - +------+-------- - |Number|Per cent - ----------------------------------------------------+------+-------- - Single and widowed men and women. | 868| 75.1 - Aged married couples, or aged mothers, each with an | | - adult son or daughter | 93| 8.0 - Mothers with young children | 28| 2.4 - Transients, for whom only slight data, or no data at| | - all, are available | 167| 14.5 - ----------------------------------------------------+------+-------- - Total | 1,156| 100.0 - ----------------------------------------------------+------+-------- - -In this table the divorced, deserted, and separated persons are included -among the single and widowed because they required the same treatment. - - -2. APPLICANTS AND NON-APPLICANTS FOR RELIEF AND REHABILITATION - -The transients at Ingleside who were single men and women merely waiting -to hear from friends or of possible jobs, and a few families temporarily -stranded, are for lack of full information omitted from the discussion -that follows. The 28 mothers with young children, most of whom were at -the camp a short time, have also been omitted because they were not -representative of the classes for which Ingleside was maintained, and -furthermore because the Associated Charities assumed responsibility for -their treatment. - -The 961 persons remaining fall into two general classes: families of -aged adults, and detached people of both sexes. Since the problem of an -old mother with an adult son or daughter is almost identical with that -of an old married couple, they are studied together. These two general -classes have been rearranged in the following table according as they -applied or did not apply for relief to the Corporation before April 1, -1907, or to the Associated Charities[270] through which agency -applications for relief on the part of Ingleside inmates were made after -that date. - - [270] See Part V, p. 298 ff. - -TABLE 119.--INMATES OF INGLESIDE MODEL CAMP CLASSIFIED AS FAMILIES AND -SINGLE AND WIDOWED MEN AND WOMEN AND AS APPLICANTS TO SAN FRANCISCO -RELIEF AND RED CROSS FUNDS, APPLICANTS TO ASSOCIATED CHARITIES, AND -NON-APPLICANTS - - =================================+====================+=======+======= - Applicants and non-applicants | FAMILY CASES |Single | All - | | and |persons - +---------+----------+widowed| - |Number of| Number |men and| - | families|of persons| women | - ---------------------------------+---------+----------+-------+------- - (1) Applicants to S. F. R. and R.| | | | - C. F. to March 31, 1907 | 26 | 53 | 215 | 268 - (2) Applicants to Associated | | | | - Charities from April 1, 1907 | 7 | 14 | 68 | 82 - (3) Non-applicants | 13 | 26 | 585 | 611 - ---------------------------------+---------+----------+-------+------- - Total | 46 | 93 | 868 | 961 - ---------------------------------+---------+----------+-------+------- - -Of the 585 single and widowed non-applicants, 425 were men and 160 -women. The 93 persons included under family cases are identical with the -93 mentioned in Table 118 as aged couples or aged mothers each with an -adult son or daughter. - - -(a) FAMILY CASES - -The group of 46 families of 93 persons, 12 of whom only were under fifty -years of age, will first be studied. - -The treatment of aged couples, whether a husband and wife or an old -mother with an elderly son or daughter, should differ from that of -infirm single men and women because there are bonds of relationship to -be conserved. So long as either partner shows any capacity for -self-support it is a practical as well as a humane thing to try the -experiment of re-establishing him or her. If in some or even in a -majority of cases the experiment prove a failure, the risk is -nevertheless one to be taken. The experiments in behalf of this group of -46 families had often to be made with very scant information as to the -capacity of the applicants. In judging the results it must not be -forgotten that all the institutions for the aged and infirm were full in -the winter of 1906-07, and that a thorough investigation such as is -usually made by a charity organization society before giving aid was -then quite impossible. - - * * * * * - -1. Twenty-six of the families, comprising 53 adults, as shown by Table -119, applied to the Corporation for relief before April 1, 1907, and 20 -of these received relief in addition to their home at Ingleside. Of the -adults in these families, two-thirds were women of an average age of -fifty-seven years, the other third, men of an average age of sixty-three -years. More than half were permanently incapacitated by senility or by -paralysis, lead-poisoning, blindness, deafness, severe hernia, the loss -of a leg or an arm, or mental defect. - -Of seven of the couples that received grants, the wife or husband died -within a year after the fire, before the struggle to maintain themselves -had more than begun. The following notes relate to six of the seven. A -grant of $250 and a sewing machine was made to a paralyzed engineer and -his wife. The wife had supported herself and her husband for several -years by a little store which she re-established. After the husband died -she continued to do well until she fell and broke her thigh. She was -then sent to a hospital and from there to the Relief Home. A peddler of -seventy-four who seemed to have had some savings received $150 to buy a -stock of optical goods. The wife, who kept a rooming house at first -successfully but after his death less so, applied to the Associated -Charities in 1908 for more aid. The visitor, who refused assistance -because the woman still had money from the husband’s life insurance, -made the note: “The woman is a fraud and a fortune teller, but ill and -pathetic.” Two families of this group, although chronic charity cases -before the disaster, were helped to buy small amounts of clothing and -furniture and in one case a seventy-five dollar wooden leg. The -surviving partners, as might be expected, are now in the Relief Home. -Two able-bodied wives, when deprived of their husbands by death, became -self-supporting. One was a nurse, the other a washer-woman about fifty -years of age. One received $22 to furnish a room, and the other was -given clothing. The following notes tell briefly the story of one more -of the 26 families. Three women of three different generations proved -too heavily handicapped with sickness. The mother, who died of shock -soon after the earthquake, has not been considered as among those -applying for relief. The daughter had become poisoned while working in a -lithographic shop and later developed tuberculosis. She and the -grandmother, a seamstress, still able-bodied, were moved to a locality -where the older woman could presumably get work, and were given a stove -and a little money for comforts. But when the young girl also died, the -old woman gave up the struggle and went to the Relief Home. Thus, of -these 14 persons specifically mentioned, seven died within a year after -the fire, four went to the Relief Home, while one became partially and -two entirely self-supporting. - -Besides the two families already described who received charitable aid -before the fire, there were two other such among these applicants. One, -an old mother and son, had lost furniture and personal effects estimated -as worth $400. They applied for rehabilitation and a sewing machine in -August, 1906. As the son was unmarried, able-bodied, and under forty -years of age, the grant was refused on the ground that he should support -his mother. Some months later, from the officers at Ingleside, it was -learned that the man was industrious and had good habits, but was unable -to keep regular work on account of being feeble-minded. A grant of $75 -and a sewing machine was therefore made. A year later the Associated -Charities found the man out of work and the mother feeble, and decided -that the Relief Home was the place for her. It seemed inevitable that -the son should arrive there when his only asset, muscular strength, -should be used up. - -The second family had been in receipt of aid from several charities -before the fire. It consisted of a deaf, partly paralyzed, and -hard-drinking old carpenter and his ailing wife, both past sixty years -of age. They claimed to have lost a thousand dollars’ worth of furniture -and personal property but applied while at Ingleside for the small sum -of $40 for special relief. Ten dollars was given. Six months afterward -they applied to the Associated Charities. The man, who meanwhile had -been earning $3.00 per day, had broken two ribs. The Associated -Charities, therefore, paid their rent ($12) and in March, 1909, they -were temporarily self-supporting. They were, however, the inevitably -dependent family that if life were prolonged would find its way to the -Relief Home.[271] - - [271] Six months after the date when this was written they were in the - Relief Home. - -The effect on family life of the presence of drunken husbands is a -monotonous tale, but it is cheering now and then to hear of a decent -wife rescued from her fate. A drunken old peddler and his old wife -recovering from illness were granted $100 for furniture and clothing. -Before they left Ingleside the camp commander urged that the woman be -sent to her relatives in Pennsylvania “to escape the brutality of her -husband.” Upon the relatives agreeing to care for her, transportation -and $50 were given to carry her to them. The peddler drifted to the -Relief Home. - -Of quite another sort were the remaining nine of the 20 families that -received relief. Although some of their members arrived at the Relief -Home they came by another road, along which they struggled so -courageously as to win the respect of all who knew them. In this better -class are an aged German sign painter and his still more aged and very -feeble wife. Before the fire he had been able to earn $20 a week, and -although his eyesight was already failing, he asked the Corporation for -tools, supplies, and a little rent. The visitor reported that there were -three grown children,--a feeble-minded son, a crippled daughter who -earned a bare living as a waitress, and a married son too poor to care -for his parents. The feeble old mother was transferred to the Relief -Home and $90 altogether was given the old man with which to re-establish -himself. After a year, he too, overcome by his failing sight, submitted -to be sent to stay with his wife in the Relief Home. When at the last -moment he wept because he could not pay the rent in arrears, a -benevolent society paid it in order that he might go conscience free. - -Other families with an average advantage in age of at least ten years -maintained themselves in spite of serious handicaps. A man who had many -years before lost both legs, had prior to 1906 earned $45 per month as -an elevator man. He asked for furniture and clothing. Although the wife -was strong neither physically nor mentally, $150 was granted in care of -the Associated Charities. Two and a half years later the wife was at -work, the husband had just secured a permanent position as elevator man, -and a little of the grant was left for emergencies. Another elderly -couple, consisting of a blind husband and an able-bodied wife, who had -earned together about $30 a month before the fire, received $150 for -household relief and a news-stand. They went into business in a suburb -and became self-supporting. - -That kindly and influential friends are quite as useful as money to -those in straits, is illustrated by the case of an old master mariner, -disabled for many years, who was supported by his competent wife. Before -the fire she kept a small notion store and was caretaker for a -settlement club. On the recommendation of the settlement workers who -knew her worth she received a grant of $115 and a refugee cottage which -was erected on the grounds of a society for which she acted as -janitress. She and her husband were then able to live comfortably in -their cottage on her earnings of $25 per month. - -[Illustration: The Kitchen - -The Dining Room - -INGLESIDE MODEL CAMP] - -A similar case is that of the family in which the Hebrew husband, -although seventy-eight years old, had been able before the fire to earn -a living for himself and his wife with a little cigar store. They -were known as honest, industrious people to a society that recommended -them for a grant of $150. Later, $77.50 worth of plumbing and repairs -were added to their cottage. They promised to be self-supporting for -some time. In case of need the Hebrew Board of Relief stood ready to -make a monthly allowance so that they might never go to the Relief Home. - -Other cases of which less is known were encouraging. A painter, his -wife, and his wife’s sister, who received $50 for furniture, had not -again applied for help. An old hunchback and his wife who received $80 -for furniture and clothing, were given the use of land on the edge of -the city by some friends, and for a while at least were made -self-supporting by the proceeds of their chickens and their garden. -Another family, exceptional in that both partners were under fifty years -of age, received a grant of $250. The husband, a longshoreman, had had -both arms broken, but two years after the fire the couple were again -self-supporting. As they are exceptional also in having several young -male relatives in the city, they are not likely to become dependent. - -Another history is differentiated from the varied but generally pitiful -struggles of old persons by its ending touched with romance. An old -mother with a daughter nearing middle age lost furniture, clothing, -piano, and paintings worth $1,000. They had earned a modest living, the -mother by taking roomers, the daughter by teaching music. They were -given a sewing machine and $300 with which to establish a rooming house. -Within a year and a half the mother became so seriously demented as to -prevent their keeping lodgers. They fell behind in the rent, the -Associated Charities supplied food and after a severe struggle on the -daughter’s part to keep her mother out of the insane asylum, the old -woman was finally committed in the summer of 1908. Meanwhile a kindly -lodger became interested in the younger woman, and after his references -had been approved by the Associated Charities, the daughter married him. - -A brief review of the circumstances and habits of five of the six -families who applied for relief and were refused fully justifies the -decision of the Rehabilitation Committee. The first was a woman of fifty -whose husband, a man over eighty, had died at Ingleside in the autumn of -1906. She not only was fairly strong but had grown children quite able -to give her a home. The second was an old couple by no means -incapacitated who had kept a store and been pretty well-to-do before the -fire. They were given a cottage and $50 for furniture before coming to -Ingleside, but were refused business rehabilitation on the ground that -the $500 insurance they had received was sufficient to re-establish -them. In 1908 the Associated Charities gave them a stove and had some -plumbing done in their cottage, but they were found to be grasping and -untrustworthy. Two other couples were of the hard-drinking, -intermittently-working, often-sick type, to whom rehabilitation can -never be given with any prospect of success. Of these, a comparatively -young couple were given $50 for furniture and clothing and were provided -with employment. In the following two years husband and wife had been -twice to the Associated Charities for help, and had been in and out of -the county hospital. When last seen they were “living with friends.” The -other couple, the man a drunkard and the woman a fakir, had a charity -record, reaching back to 1896, in which they were described as being too -incompetent to support themselves. They were forcibly removed from a -wretched shack to Ingleside in the winter of 1907 and are now in the -Relief Home. - -The last of this group was an old mother with an epileptic son of fifty, -by occupation a cooper. They had lived on the verge of distress before -the fire, and although the son afterward earned good wages for awhile -cleaning bricks, it was not believed that he could long support his -mother and himself. In the winter of 1907 both were obliged to go to the -Relief Home. - - * * * * * - -2. The seven families at Ingleside who applied first to the Associated -Charities for rehabilitation do not differ as a group in any way from -the earlier applicants. Two are cases of old people neglected by their -grown up children; two, of the chronically unfortunate and inevitably -dependent class; and two couples, younger than those we have been -considering, were forced to apply for help because the man in each -family developed tuberculosis. One case only, foreigners of good birth -and education, differs in the details of the struggle and in its -solution. Both husband and wife were teachers who had scarcely made a -living before the fire and who, being over sixty years of age, could -not regain their clientele nor find new work. The Rehabilitation -Committee through the Associated Charities sent them back to their -native country where they will have a home with relatives. - -If we turn from the picturesque, human aspect of the families who -applied for rehabilitation or relief, to the financial, the brief -summary is: (1) Twenty families of 41 persons, whose estimated total -losses amounted to $10,000, asked for relief to the amount of $3,000 and -were granted relief to the money value of $2,500. In addition they -received shelter and food at Ingleside at a cost of $2,200. (2) After -three years seven of the 41 individuals were dead, 10 were in charitable -institutions, one was in an insane asylum, one was married, three were -with relatives, and 19 were self-supporting.[272] Aside from the comfort -afforded to each by the grants received, it may be said to have cost -$132 apiece to make the 19 persons self-supporting. It must not be -forgotten that while the effort was being made to gain self-support -outside of the institution, the institution was spared the cost of -maintaining each at a rate of not less than 50 cents a day. - - [272] The data for all of the 20 families are not given in the - preceding pages. The 19 persons listed as self-supporting, it should - be borne in mind, were in several cases believed to be only - temporarily independent of charitable aid. - - * * * * * - -3. The last group of the families of adults to be considered is the 13 -families containing 26 persons that did not apply for specific relief -other than institutional care. They differ from those that did apply -chiefly in being a little more infirm and incompetent and in having no -children or relatives, apparently, to fall back upon. It is probable -that some of them did not apply for rehabilitation because Ingleside -Camp and the Relief Home seemed to be the only natural or desirable -relief. Information is available as to the subsequent fate of only 19 of -the 26 persons. Of these, four were known to be dead three years after -the disaster, eight were in the Relief Home, one was in another home, -four were self-supporting, and two had moved to the country. - - -(b) SINGLE AND WIDOWED MEN AND WOMEN - -1. The 215 single and widowed men and women at Ingleside who asked for -aid from the Rehabilitation Committee before April, 1907,[273] are -roughly classified in Table 120. - - [273] See Table 119, p. 336. - -TABLE 120.--SINGLE AND WIDOWED INMATES OF INGLESIDE MODEL CAMP APPLYING -TO THE SAN FRANCISCO RELIEF AND RED CROSS FUNDS FOR REHABILITATION, BY -NATURE OF REHABILITATION APPLIED FOR - - ============================+================ - | Applicants for - Nature of relief applied for| relief of each - |specified nature - ----------------------------+---------------- - Business rehabilitation | 46 - Household rehabilitation | 43 - Transportation | 27 - Special relief | 38 - Hospital care | 11 - General relief | 50 - ----------------------------+---------------- - Total | 215 - ----------------------------+---------------- - -BUSINESS REHABILITATION. Of the 46 persons in this group who applied for -business rehabilitation, 29 were men and 17 were women. Eighteen of the -29 men received aid to the amount of $1,389, the largest individual -grant being $200 to an attorney, aged thirty-one, who asked only for law -books. This man is one of the small group who, three years after the -grant was made, were known to be self-supporting. - -No action was taken by the Committee in six cases, either because the -applicants could not be found at the addresses given, because they -refused the aid offered, or because the applications were received too -late. - -Grants were refused in five cases. In this group is a so-called -attorney, a man who had fraudulently lived by his wits for years. -Immediately after the fire this plausible old fakir was cared for by a -religious society which asked for special clothing for him because he -was “an odd size.” He applied to the Rehabilitation Committee for $1,500 -to rebuild a lodging house he claimed to have owned. The visitor found -that he had not owned a house and lot before the fire, that the old -woman relative whom he professed to have supported was another fraud, -and that his only real claim on charity was that he was too fat to wear -ready made clothes. In the summer of 1909 he was again heard of at a -summer resort earning his living by assisting an evangelist in religious -meetings. - -Three years after the grants were made the condition of the 18 men who -were aided was ascertained to be as follows: three were found to be -self-supporting; for four no definite information was obtained but they -were believed to be independent; eight were dependent, and three had -died. The eight dependent cases, all elderly men, were with one -exception being cared for at the Relief Home; one was in an insane -asylum. - -A young seaman who is recorded as having died after being aided, -committed suicide. He had had a leg amputated, had been in the hospital -for sometime after the fire, and then had gone to Ingleside to -convalesce. The Relief Committee gave him an artificial leg, and he was -in and out of the Relief Home several times trying unsuccessfully to -find work. On his return from one of the attempts he killed himself. The -other two who died were elderly men. - -To put the case from the financial point of view, $1,389 was given to 18 -men; $620 has made seven of them possibly self-supporting, and $769 was -expended upon 11 who failed. Those who were not found at the address -given may be self-supporting as they have not drifted back to the -Rehabilitation Committee. A single fact is sufficient to explain the -success of one group and the failure of the other. The seven successful -ones averaged fifty years of age, while omitting the exceptional case of -the young seaman 10 of the 11 averaged sixty-seven years. Again, the -occupations of the unsuccessful are seen to be unskilled and common -labor. Incompetence, physical or mental, added to age in most instances, -brought these men to Ingleside. - -Twelve of the 17 women who applied for business rehabilitation were -given aid. One of these, a lodging-house keeper who expected to receive -$2,500 in insurance, was granted only $75. When the insurance was -received it amounted to but $700, and as she invested in a large rooming -house, heavy debts were incurred. Though she was running behind she may -not have failed. She blamed the Rehabilitation Committee for not having -given aid sufficient to insure success. Two milliners, each about forty -years of age, together received $699 and had not re-established -themselves. One, however, had had typhoid fever after the fire, and -never fully recovered. Both were doing a little casual work. Five -others who were given grants amounting to $560 were dependent. None of -these had given much promise of self-support but were given the full -benefit of the doubt. One of them, later in the Relief Home, lost $100 -in the fire, which she had painfully saved for proper burial. The -Rehabilitation Committee replaced this money for funeral expenses. - -One of the five women who were denied business rehabilitation was -refused because she owned real estate which when sold would provide -sufficient capital. - -HOUSEHOLD REHABILITATION. The records of application for household -relief by single or widowed inmates present quite another aspect of the -relief situation than that exhibited by the data regarding business -rehabilitation. The 43 people in this group[274] asked for very little -more than the two essentials--furniture and clothing. Clothing had been -given in quantities immediately after the fire, and these applicants, -aged and infirm people, re-applied months later when winter was coming -on. The heavier part of their demand was, however, for furniture to -start bachelor housekeeping. Before the fire San Francisco abounded in -furnished lodgings at all prices; but afterward there were almost none -to be had at prices within the means of those whose age and incapacity -prevented them from earning more than minimum wages. Furniture for the -shacks, cottages, and tenements was necessary, but because of the dearth -of second-hand stuff, the prices of new pieces, even of the meanest -sort, were very high. The average grant of $59 per person, therefore, -was not too much with which to buy a bed and bedding, a table, chairs, -and cooking utensils, and, in some cases, to pay the first month’s rent. -A visitor of much experience, in commenting on such cases, said, “It is -appalling to think that mere beds and tables may make the difference -between pauperism and independence.” Grants were refused to three -applicants; two of them drank to excess, and the third was in need of -permanent care. - - [274] See Table 120, p. 344. - -When one considers that these applicants above sixty years of age were -sewing women, charwomen and cleaners, cannery workers, peddlers, and -laborers who must regain their patrons or find new work, the results are -very encouraging. One-third only were in 1909 found to be dependent on -charity; another third were living with relatives or had died or been -lost to view; while the last third were presumably self-supporting. - -TRANSPORTATION. The 27 persons who applied for transportation were -rather more homogeneous than those of any other group. In 15 cases -transportation was granted. These 15 individuals were maintained for -months at Ingleside until assurance was obtained that they would have -proper care if transported; and yet, the experiment was not always -successful. For instance, an old nurse was sent to Chicago where her -nephews and nieces, although poor, had offered her a home which was -visited and approved by the Chicago Bureau of Charities. After some -months in Chicago the exacting old woman became so burdensome that the -relatives could not care for her. With the advice of the Bureau of -Charities she was sent back to San Francisco and placed in the home for -the aged. In a few cases careful plans came to nothing, because erratic -old people would not consent to be transported. - -The case of an old woman of 97 is very pathetic. She had formerly lived -in San Francisco and had stored her furniture when she went away. She -happened to be visiting in the city on April 18, 1906, in the district -burned. The step-daughter to whom she went first abused her and then -sent her to Ingleside. The poor old woman while waiting to be given -transportation to join her husband in Utah fell ill and just after the -coveted transportation was given “died of disappointment.” No judgment -can be formed as to whether there was unnecessary delay on the part of -the visitor of the Rehabilitation Committee but after the shock of the -earthquake, “disappointment” can scarcely be regarded as the chief cause -of death. - -The war veterans, four of whom were transportation cases and not less -than a dozen of whom were at Ingleside, gave trouble quite -disproportionate to the hoped-for results. They were traveling paupers -each of whom had either been discharged for bad conduct from some -soldiers’ home or more probably had left because of restless and vicious -habits. Two were given transportation to Washington, District of -Columbia, where they belonged, but neither ever arrived. Two others were -refused transportation because they belonged in a veterans’ home in -California. - -To summarize the 15 cases to whom about $1,000 was given in -transportation and money, four in 1909 were still, in spite of what -seems to have been reasonable precaution, dependent on the charity of -San Francisco and one on the charity of Philadelphia. The burden of the -other 10 was transferred to relatives or to communities to whom it -rightly belonged and San Francisco was relieved from a possible future -obligation greater than that represented by the $1,000 expended. - -Transportation was not given in 12 cases. The principal reason for the -refusal of transportation was the lack of assurance that the persons -applying would not become charges on the communities to which they -wished to go. Six are now in homes for the aged, one died shortly after -applying, two may have returned to the soldiers’ homes where they -belonged, and three are possibly self-supporting. Their circumstances -and condition are shown by the following transcript from the records. - - GRANT REFUSED: - - Night clerk; age 61. Applied for transportation to San Diego. - Recommendations not sufficient. Got job as watchman. In Relief Home. - - Watchman; age 43. Applied for transportation to Los Angeles. - Physically incapacitated. In Relief Home. - - Hotel runner; age 47. Asked for transportation to family in Spokane. - Able to work. - - Peddler and war veteran; age 80. Applied for transportation to - brothers in New York with whom he had quarreled long ago. Had left - Veterans’ Home in 1904. Got work. - - Ship joiner; age 75. New York relatives refused to receive him because - of his vicious habits, but would pay for him in Relief Home, where he - remained. - - Chiropodist and war veteran; age 83. Son in New York surprised that he - had left Soldiers’ Home. Would receive him if fare was paid. - - French cook; age 68. Asked for transportation to brother in France, - but brother did not reply to letters. Went to work. - - Longshoreman; age 57. Wished to go to Los Angeles. Had been in - hospital for weeks, unable to care for himself. Died shortly afterward - in camp. - - Teamster (Negro); age 65. Applied for transportation to wife in - Washington, D. C. No reply from wife. In Relief Home for third time. - - Carpenter; age 57. Wished to go to Seattle to collect debt of $50. Was - advised to write. In Relief Home. - - GRANT CANCELED: - - Car builder; age 69. Granted $100 and transportation to sister in - Northern California. Went to Iowa instead. Check for $100 cancelled. - - NO ACTION: - - Cigar clerk; age 69. Applied for transportation to sister in Kansas. - Could not be found by visitor. Later, in Relief Home. - -SPECIAL RELIEF. The 38 single or widowed inmates whose applications fall -under the head of “Special Relief” were nearly all in need of special -medical or surgical attention, or of convalescent care. - -From the standpoint of restoration to self-support this group, as shown -by the abstract given below, is discouraging, but it is doubtful if the -Rehabilitation Committee in granting the special relief, expected the -recipients to regain economic independence. Owing to the crowded -condition of the hospitals in 1906 and 1907 it was necessary to avoid -sending to them persons who could be provided for otherwise. The yet -greater overcrowding in the institutions for the aged and infirm made it -compulsory, until the Relief Home was completed, to give some outdoor -relief to those who did not imperatively require institutional care. - -Those still independent three years after the grant was made averaged -twelve years younger than those then receiving relief. The financial -showing is not so discouraging as the social. The 29 persons received -grants amounting to $2,955, an average of $102 each. This sum would have -paid for keep in an institution, if there had been room, for not more -than seven months. The average time that elapsed before each became -dependent is, in the known cases, considerably more than seven months. -The money therefore was not wasted. Moreover, those objecting, as most -of them did, to going to an institution, had the comfort of attempting -self-support. - - GRANT MADE:[275] - - (a) Not Dependent (probably): - - Domestic servant; age 68. Granted $150. No information could be - obtained in 1909. - - Domestic servant; age 35. Granted $75 for an operation. - Self-supporting. - - Cook; age 66. Granted $50. No information could be obtained in 1909. - - Housewife; age 50. Granted $75 for washing machine. Ejected from - Ingleside. Small amount for current expenses. - - Cannery clerk; age 61. Granted $20, and later $75, to go to hospital - and then to the country. Now with friends. - - Plasterer; age 56. Granted $50. Later arrested and in jail three - months. - - Peddler; age 54. Granted $60 and a free license. No information - obtained in 1909. - - Carpenter; age 32. Tuberculous. Granted $300 to go a warmer climate. - Now recovering. - - (b) Dependent: - - Cook; age 61. Living on savings before fire. Granted $100. Later - assisted by A. C. In Relief Home. - - Seamstress; age 59. Granted $100. Assisted by private charity. - - Bookkeeper; age 65. Granted $100. In Home for the Aged. - - Janitress; age 50. Granted $50. Sent to hospital. - - Domestic servant; age 38. Granted $75. Partially self-supporting; in - and out of Relief Home. - - Nurse; age 78. Granted $200. Went to niece. Assisted by several - charities. - - Housewife; age 95. Granted $25 and later $125. In Home for the Aged. - - Rooming-house keeper; age 72. Granted $75. Went to hospital. Assisted - by private charity. - - Nurse; age 65. Granted $100. In Relief Home. - - Cloak maker; age 65. Granted $100. Assisted by charity. In Relief - Home. - - Housewife; age 81. Granted $140 in instalments. In Relief Home. - - Dressmaker; age 57. Granted $100 and sewing machines. In Relief Home. - - House worker; age 60. Granted $100 and truss. In Relief Home. - - Seamstress; age 65. Granted $125 and sewing machine. In Relief Home. - - Peddler; age 60. Granted $20. In Relief Home. - - (c) Dead: - - Seamstress; age 75. Granted $150 in instalments. Died September, 1907. - - Nurse; age 79. Granted $100 “till well enough to work.” Died April, - 1908. - - Janitor; age 58. Granted $50 for stove and bedding. Died February, - 1907. - - Lecturer on psychology; age 70. Granted $75 and transportation to San - Diego. In Relief Home. Died 1908. - - Housewife; age 67. Granted $150. Went to relatives. Died 1907. - - GRANT REFUSED: - - Seamstress; age 36. Because earning $12 per week. - - Nurse; age 64. In need of permanent care. Died in Relief Home June, - 1909. - - Chambermaid; age 70. In need of permanent care. - - Children’s nurse; age 73. In need of permanent care. In Relief Home. - - Domestic servant; age 70. Asked for money to pursue invalid claim to - property. - - NO ACTION--CHECK CANCELED: - - Housewife; age 55. Could not be found by visitor. - - Dressmaker; age 73. Granted $100 and sewing machine. Could not be - found. - - Cannery worker; age 40. Granted $75. Could not be found by visitor. - Assisted later by Associated Charities to go to the country. - - Maker of knitted articles; age 68. Granted $100 and sewing machine. - Drank to excess. In Relief Home. - - [275] No information is available as to occupation, age, or present - status of one of the 29 persons to whom grants were made. - -HOSPITAL CARE. The small group of 11 persons who applied for hospital -care, were of the same general character. Illnesses of a serious nature -required special treatment either at Ingleside or other institution. Two -of the 11 were sent to an insane asylum, two died at Ingleside, and -five were in homes for the infirm. Two became self-supporting. - -GENERAL RELIEF. There remains a heterogeneous group of applicants for -general relief, most of whom asked for money for living expenses, or for -such inexpensive things as false teeth, trusses, and spectacles. Of the -50 persons who applied for general relief, 20 were refused. The total -amount paid out in grants to the remaining 30 was $1,735.70. - -Three years after the grants were made 10 of these persons, five of whom -received less than $25 each, were believed to be independent, 15 were in -the Relief Home, one was dependent on other charity, and four were dead. - - * * * * * - -2. Between April, 1907, and April, 1909, 68 persons who had been at -Ingleside Model Camp at some time, in addition to the 14 persons in the -seven families already considered in Table 119 and on page 342, applied -to the Associated Charities.[276] Since these 68 persons did not apply -to the Corporation during the first year after the fire they must either -have gone from Ingleside to friends or must have expected to be -self-supporting. More than half of them were over fifty years of age and -nearly all were more or less incapacitated; in short, they do not seem -to have differed from those who before the fire found their way to the -almshouse. On April 18, 1909, 39 of these were in the Relief Home, four -were in asylums or hospitals, four had left the city, and three were -self-supporting. With regard to 18 persons of this group no information -could be obtained. - - [276] See Table 119, p. 336. - - * * * * * - -3. The most conspicuous thing about those who did not apply for -rehabilitation, both men and women, is their high proportion of -disabilities, a proportion even higher than that of the applicants. Of -the 585 non-applicants among the single or widowed men and women,[277] -no less than 330, 56 per cent, were infirm or crippled, or needed -special care for some reason. Table 121 shows the nature of their -disabilities. - - [277] See Table 119, p. 336. - -TABLE 121.--DISABLED SINGLE AND WIDOWED INMATES OF INGLESIDE MODEL CAMP -WHO DID NOT APPLY FOR REHABILITATION, BY SEX AND NATURE OF DISABILITY - - =============================+======================== - |NON-APPLICANTS WITH EACH - | SPECIFIED DISABILITY - Nature of disability +-------+--------+------- - | Men | Women | Total - -----------------------------+-------+--------+------- - Infirm or crippled persons: | | | - Too infirm to work | 33 | .. | 33 - Lame or crippled | 19 | 11 | 30 - Feeble | .. | 21 | 21 - Without one leg or one arm | 19 | .. | 19 - Blind or very deaf | 9 | 6 | 15 - Paralyzed | 11 | 1 | 12 - Bed-ridden | .. | 3 | 3 - -----------------------------+-------+--------+------- - Total | =91= | =42= | =133= - -----------------------------+-------+--------+------- - Persons needing special care:| | | - Sick | 44 | 23 | 67 - Normally convalescent | 31 | 17 | 48 - Injured in accidents | 33 | 2 | 35 - Senile or demented | 16 | .. | 16 - Severely rheumatic | 15 | 4 | 19 - Tubercular | 4 | 8 | 12 - -----------------------------+-------+--------+------- - Total | =143= | =54= | =197= - -----------------------------+-------+--------+------- - Grand total | =234= | =96= | =330= - -----------------------------+-------+--------+------- - -Four-fifths of the 585 non-applicants were over fifty years of age. -Nevertheless, they applied for no relief other than shelter for a longer -or shorter time at Ingleside. Their neglect to make application for -rehabilitation may be set down in a great measure to the want of -initiative due to infirmity (more than one-seventh of the number have -since died), and to the apathy that comes to the inevitable institution -inmate. In 1909 one-third of this group were in the Relief Home or in -some other charitable refuge. But the margin of over one-third of the -remainder whose condition was known, who went to work or to friends and -were not as yet dependent on charity, is surprisingly large. - -Table 122 shows what became of the non-applicants as far as the facts -are known. - -TABLE 122.--SUBSEQUENT HISTORY OF SINGLE AND WIDOWED INMATES OF -INGLESIDE MODEL CAMP, WHO DID NOT APPLY FOR REHABILITATION BY SEX - - =================================================+================= - Subsequent history | INMATES WHOSE - | HISTORY WAS AS - | SPECIFIED - -------------------------------------------------+-----+-----+----- - | Men |Women|Total - -------------------------------------------------+-----+-----+----- - Died within one year of admission to Ingleside | 31 | 16 | 47 - Died within three years of admission to Ingleside| 33 | 11 | 44 - Went to work or to friends or relatives | 83 | 25 | 108 - Now in charitable institutions | 124 | 70 | 194 - No information available | 154 | 38 | 192 - -------------------------------------------------+-----+-----+----- - Total | 425 | 160 | 585 - -------------------------------------------------+-----+-----+----- - -It is highly suggestive that a very large proportion of those who went -to work or to friends or relatives left in January, 1908, when Ingleside -was about to be closed and all the inmates removed to the Relief Home. -When the final alternative was presented to go permanently to an -institution or to find some other home, they were able to make the -latter choice. Most of them belonged to the wandering labor classes -which find no hardship so great as the monotonous, comfortable life of -an orderly institution where thorough discipline is maintained. The -Relief Home was, fortunately, located beyond the city a mile from any -car line. It was far removed from the bustle and the sensational -diversions which were so pleasantly accessible to the lazy and the -semi-vicious at Ingleside. The mere limitation of the right to go in and -out freely was so irksome that many chose to take their chance in the -world again rather than go where they must ask for a pass. - - -(c) APPLICANTS WHO HAD NEVER BEEN AT INGLESIDE - -Mention has already been made, page 325, of the fact that between 100 -and 200 persons left the almshouse shortly after the fire, most of them -presumably going to the camps and posing as refugees. Besides these -there were 27 applicants for relief who, although not in the almshouse -at the time of the fire, had been there one or more times, one of them -16 times, in the eight years previous. In most instances the -Rehabilitation Committee had no means of knowing that these people were -former almshouse inmates, and the grants were made merely on the ground -of old age. The more important details concerning this group of 27, none -of whom were at Ingleside, are as follows: - -To 13 persons relief was granted in sums ranging from $15 to $125, and -six of these were believed to be non-dependent in 1909, while seven were -in the Relief Home. Grants were refused to nine applicants; eight of -these required such care and supervision as that provided in the Relief -Home, and the ninth, who was an opium taker, was aided by a sister. -Checks were canceled in three cases: one, because other relief was -given; another, because the applicant was found to be a drunkard; and -the third, because the money had been paid to the wrong person. In the -two remaining cases of the 27 no action was taken. - -It is surprising to find that the 13 cases in which relief was granted -average ten years younger than the Ingleside cases. They were either -persons who had gone in former years to the almshouse to convalesce -after illness, as was customary with those discharged from the City and -County hospital, or persons who had some physical or mental disability -that made it difficult to keep employment. Most of the others who were -not in the Relief Home in April, 1909, if they live will probably come -back there. Of the 14 applicants who did not receive aid, nine were in -the Relief Home three years after the disaster or had died there. - -One last group of the aged and handicapped remains to be mentioned,--35 -applicants who had been neither in the almshouse nor at Ingleside, but -who arrived at the Relief Home between April, 1908, and April, 1909. -These had been able to hold out until then against the ravages of age, -disease, incapacity, and misfortune. A few, a very few, were again -independent of relief three years after the grant was made, but of the -remainder, 21 were still in the Relief Home or other charitable -institutions, and nine had either left the city or had died. - - -III - -RESULTS - - -The final important question to be considered in this study of relief of -the aged and infirm is: What proportion of the aged and infirm persons -in the Relief Home in April, 1909, were there solely because of the -earthquake and fire of April 18, 1906? To answer this question one must -know the proportion between the total population of San Francisco and -the aged and infirm in the almshouse for some time previous to 1906. - -TABLE 123.--PROPORTION OF ALMSHOUSE INMATES AND OF ALMSHOUSE ADMISSIONS -TO TOTAL POPULATION, SAN FRANCISCO, 1890, 1900, 1905, AND 1909 - - ====+=============+=========+===========+============+============ - Year| Population | Average | Almshouse | Admission | Admissions - | of city and |number of|inmates per|to almshouse|to almshouse - |county of San|almshouse| 1,000 of | during |per 1,000 of - | Francisco | inmates |population | year | population - ----+-------------+---------+-----------+------------+------------ - 1890| 298,997 | 736 | 2.5 | 560 | 1.9 - 1900| 342,782 | 947 | 2.8 | 670 | 2.0 - 1905| 379,847[278]| 890 | 2.3 | 773 | 2.0 - 1909| 409,499[278]| 1,295 | 3.2 | 816 | 2.0 - ----+-------------+---------+-----------+------------+------------ - - [278] Estimated. - -It seems fair to assume that the disaster was responsible, at least in -part, for the increase of the proportion of almshouse inmates in the -population from 2.3 per 1,000 in 1905 to 3.2 per 1,000 in 1909. The fact -that in 1909 the number of admissions was not higher indicates that -already as regards this class the abnormal conditions resulting from the -fire were passing away. The high death rate would shortly reduce the -Relief Home population almost to its normal proportion.[279] - - [279] Between 1900 and 1905 the inmates of the almshouse went in and - out much more freely than they do now at the Relief Home, but the - effect on the average number present is impossible to calculate. - -The increase, from 1904-05 to 1909, in the relative number of almshouse -inmates in the population must not be attributed wholly to the disaster. -The condemnation of the unsanitary City and County Hospital threw a part -of the burden of its chronic cases on the Relief Home. The shock of the -disaster to highly nervous and ill-balanced persons doubtless produced -insanity in a number of cases. As the state insane hospitals were -already overcrowded, the least troublesome found refuge in the Relief -Home. But perhaps the most important factor in producing this charitable -burden was the general disorganization of industry in the years 1907-08, -due to a street-car strike in San Francisco and to the financial panic. -The slow recovery of certain industries caused by the exorbitant cost of -building was perceptibly checked. The result was that only young and -able-bodied men could get work. Old and semi-able men who would in -normal times have continued for several years to make a bare living, -could find no work after the brick cleaning was done. This economic -stagnation accounts for the failure of some who were given tools, or -small grants to set up little shops or buy stock to peddle. The buying -capacity of the laboring class, their prospective patrons, was greatly -diminished. - -Finally, the number of the aged and the infirm in the Relief Home was -increased by those sent from a number of the private charities whose -buildings were burned or whose funds were lessened. The private -charitable agencies were the more inclined to disburden themselves as -the new institution was so attractive. As one of the employes put it: -“If the city furnishes clean steam-heated rooms, three hot meals a day, -electric lights, and every convenience, the place will always be full. -Lots of people in the Relief Home never had so much before.” The new -institution at its dedication was advertised to set a high standard of -care. The maintenance of this standard by the superintendent drew to it, -undoubtedly, some who formerly would not have applied for admission. - -Since the variations in the numbers of the old almshouse inmates -registered the increase due to the industrial stagnation following the -labor agitation and the panic of 1893, it is reasonable to conclude that -the several circumstances described above had increased the number of -the inmates in the Relief Home as much as had the disaster of April 18, -1906. - -An interesting question, growing out of the coalescence in the Relief -Home of the Ingleside refugee group with the old almshouse population, -is the comparative social standing of the two groups. Were the Ingleside -inmates potential almshouse inmates or were they such as would not have -arrived there but for a great and wholly impersonal misfortune? The -“refugees” maintained in the Relief Home a class identity and were -particular to insist that they were not like “the old almshouse people.” -It has been pointed out[280] that there was a group at Ingleside whose -occupations and general history marked them as belonging to a somewhat -more skilful and resourceful class than the rest. Such of these as went -to the Relief Home continued to be superior and exceptional, but far the -larger number were precisely of the same human stuff as the interminable -procession that had for forty years been entering the almshouse. On this -point the testimony of employes who were in charge at Ingleside and -later at the Relief Home was nearly unanimous and quite conclusive. They -agreed that three-fourths of these refugees were “almshouse types” and -would have reached an almshouse in a few years; and that some of the -others, of rather better education and character, would have been cared -for in private charitable institutions, or by children and relatives who -because of the fire were too poor to take them. It is pointed out that -these last if they shared the poverty of their kindred would have been -far less comfortable than in the Home. - - [280] See Part VI, p. 333. - -One clear distinction between the almshouse people and the refugees is a -difference of temper. During the relief period the refugees got the idea -that there were “millions for relief,” in which they had a “just and -equal share,” and that as the Relief Home was built for them they had -exceptional rights in it as victims of misfortune. They were, -therefore,--the women especially,--more exacting, lazy, and termagant -than the old-time inmates. Ingleside has been described as “one long -vacation picnic” where they had varied and abundant food, very little -work and, to satisfy their gregarious instincts, continuous gossip. -Those who had become accustomed to the freedom of the camps were -consequently more incorrigible as well as more able-bodied than the -almshouse inmates, and were never bound by such necessary rules of labor -and discipline as existed there. - -It has already been demonstrated[281] that so far as age, proportion of -the sexes, marital condition, and nativity are concerned, at least -four-fifths of the refugees at Ingleside did not differ essentially from -the inmates of the San Francisco almshouse. Collateral information -corroborates this conclusion. The rents they had paid and the wages they -had received before the fire were rarely above those common to the -unskilled laboring classes, while the streets they had lived in were in -the districts familiar to charity visitor and settlement worker. It may -be concluded upon these facts that not more than one-sixth of the -Ingleside refugees, at most 200 persons, were of the more fortunate and -resourceful sort who but for some extraordinary disaster would never -have become dependent. - - [281] See Tables 114-116, pp. 329-331. - -Before undertaking to estimate the work of the Rehabilitation Committee -in relation to the aged and infirm it is imperative to make clear the -characteristics of the different classes with which they had to deal. -The problems of the helpless, the very old, and the very young, stand -apart. But the destiny of old people cannot, like that of children, be -determined solely by the will of others, for self-will increases rather -than diminishes with the approach of senility. So long as the old are on -their feet in the world, whatever plans are made, whatever relief is -proposed, may be set at naught. They cannot be imprisoned unless -positively vicious, nor be refused relief, because the humane standard -requires that age, however unlovely, shall be kindly treated. - -There were at Ingleside 70[282] unruly, immoral, drunken people, who had -to be ejected but who returned again and again by way of the jail and -the hospital to ask assistance. To such as these only food and shelter -could safely be given. In the Relief Home they were relegated to “The -Last Chance,” the name given by the residents to the building for senile -incorrigibles. Some were in their second infancy and behaved like filthy -animals, others had senile dementia and “imagined violence like -children,” accusing the nurses of stealing from them and of starving -them, yet it would have been impossible to get them committed for -insanity. Still others who came and went from Ingleside and who went in -and out of the Relief Home as often as permitted, became insane with -rage whenever they were crossed. Angry at some trifle, they would rave -by the hour; but if locked up or deprived of some privilege they would -gradually recover self-control and be quiet for weeks until crossed -again. It would have been impossible for them to live in a family even -of their own relatives. It was all but impossible to care for them in -the institution until their vigor was depleted enough to make them -stationary. - - [282] See Part VI, p. 325. - -Another class is the wanderers, in all stages of senile dementia. Some -were intelligent enough to apply for relief but wandered from Ingleside, -could not be found by the visitors, and turned up later in the Relief -Home. A few were promised grants but never claimed the checks. Those in -the Relief Home got lost, could not remember where their rooms were, or -now and then climbed the barbed-wire fence and ran away. Although for -their proper care the same precautions were needed as at a prison, -neither Ingleside Model Camp nor the Relief Home could be so organized. -Every person had the legal right to come and go from the Relief Home at -will. Some of the relatively able-bodied would go out to visit -acquaintances or relatives, to beg a little, to work a little, or even -to pawn their clothes, and after drinking up the money obtained, return -exhausted or filthy to recuperate in the Home. The same may be said of -the one-third of the inmates who were entered in the records as drinking -or drunkards. Many of them combined with intemperance some other -infirmity. For our purpose, however, it is immaterial whether they began -to drink as a result of physical debility or whether they were sick -because of drunkenness. In either case, it was very nearly hopeless to -give them money for rehabilitation. A number are known to have wasted -their grants in drink. - -[Illustration: _See Frontispiece_ - -“PORTALS OF THE PAST” - -This beautiful arch was found practically uninjured in the midst of the -ruins at the summit of Nob Hill. Mr. James D. Phelan had it removed to -the banks of a little lake in Golden Gate Park, where it stands as a -memorial to the devastated city.] - -The Ingleside population affords a painful study in isolation. Among a -thousand refugees over fifty years of age, a majority would be expected -to have children or relatives and the hasty inference would be that -family care should be given to a number that were in the Relief Home. -Filial obligation is, indeed, too little emphasized; but frequent -migration weakens the family tie. An examination of these cases does not -show many in which the refugees were dependent because of wilful neglect -by relatives. The superintendent of the Relief Home in the year 1909 -carefully investigated all cases about which there was rumor of property -concealed or relatives able to give support. The result was that only a -very few of either were discovered. In the case of those who had hidden -savings, or an inheritance, the city compelled the payment of $15 a -month for board and lodging or the leaving of the institution. In the -case of most children who had been well-to-do, a payment was agreed on -rather than the return to relatives. - -A cursory glance at the Ingleside records would give the impression that -all the mutilated, semi-blind, deaf, rheumatic, and disabled old people -in the countryside; the one-legged and one-armed men and the men with no -legs at all; the partly paralyzed and otherwise crippled, had been -gathered there,--a forlorn company more than half of whom added to other -defects the slowness of old age. The problem was not merely the relief -of the aged, but the relief of the handicapped. The crippled had been -for the most part self-supporting before the fire; some were elevator -men, some were watchmen, many had sold notions or papers on the streets -or peddled goods in the country roundabout. The peddlers on the whole -did very well with their grants, perhaps because a physical mutilation -is an asset to a peddler, or because no definite patronage had to be -regained. A person with a physical defect but accustomed to unusual or -skilled occupation, as for instance, the printing and distributing of -bill-heads or the repairing of musical instruments, is not debarred from -self-support as is the man who belongs in the ranks of common labor. - -The restoration to self-support of even the able-bodied elderly women -was quite as difficult as the rehabilitation of the handicapped. There -was after the fire, as always, a considerable demand for cheap general -houseworkers. To the casual observer, these sturdy old women at -Ingleside ought to have been able at least to earn their lodging and -food. But if the observer had attempted to employ one in her own -household she would have found it all but impossible to endure her -personal peculiarities. More than half were born and had lived in -foreign countries, and although to a degree Americanized, were relapsing -into the peasant habits of childhood. In cleanliness and decorum a -rising standard had left them far behind. To uncleanly and vulgar habits -and lack of skill were added a tendency to misrepresent, even when -truth-telling would be advantageous, and to be voluble on the subject of -chronic grievances or ailments. Women of another type who were both -cleanly and competent could not keep in work because they lacked -initiative. Someone had to do their thinking for them. In the Relief -Home where they had kindly supervision they became excellent helpers -capable of earning small wages. - -The chief elements in the failure of these old people, men and women, to -recover their independence, were lack of adaptability, lack of speed, -and poor judgment in business matters. Those who had maintained -themselves for years, could not get back into their narrow familiar -groove nor find another into which to fit themselves. An old man who was -probably as good a cabinet maker as any other in the city, could do -barely half the work in a day expected by employers, because of -over-conscientiousness and slowness. In a thousand ways the inefficiency -due to ignorance, lack of skill, and poor judgment, predestined the -refugees of Ingleside to failure, whether they received grants or not, -and whether the aid given was great or small. - -In some cases the grants seem pitifully inadequate and it may be -questioned whether the individuals had a fair chance to re-establish -themselves. Remembering the high rents, the cost of materials, the cost -of transportation, the dearth of employment, and the lessened -consumption, larger sums than those given would seem to have been -necessary to afford a prospect of permanent rehabilitation. But the -Corporation could not anticipate panic nor exceptional lack of -employment. A large proportion of these cases, moreover, had to be -decided in August, 1906,[283] when the grants were discontinued or made -in small amounts. In the cases of those who received $150 or more, there -was no higher proportion of success than where smaller amounts were -given. It is impossible to determine from the information we have -whether the later dependence of one-third to one-half of the Ingleside -refugees was due to the industrial situation or to the deficiencies of -the individuals themselves or to inadequate relief. One conclusion we -may safely set down: no case of failure was due to any one of these -causes alone. - - [283] See Part I, p. 99 ff. - -Turning from the discussion of these qualifying circumstances to -estimate the results of the relief of the aged, the infirm, and the -handicapped at Ingleside and in the Relief Home, certain things emerge -very definitely. For convenience and clearness they may be set down -categorically. - -1. _The speculative character_ of relief after disaster, especially in -the case of persons over fifty years of age, should be recognized and -too much must not be expected from the issue. The recuperative power of -aged persons is relatively small under ordinary conditions of life, but -when they are thrown out of the groove of years, subjected to shock and -hardship, and made to begin over again, it is infinitely smaller. For -this reason the element of uncertainty should be reduced to a minimum by -the use of records, by the employment of trained investigators, and by -the consultation with camp commanders or others who have observed the -applicants for some time. During the earlier part of the relief work in -San Francisco grants were made after investigation, in lump sums which -in a considerable number of cases were squandered or used unwisely. -After the Model Camp at Ingleside had been in operation for some months -and the camp commander had had time to observe the inmates, the -recommendations of visitors were often modified at his suggestion; in -some cases the money was placed in the hands of a visitor to be expended -for the applicant, and in many others it was given in care of the -Associated Charities. These later grants lasted longer and were of more -avail in relieving the recipient than those made on less information and -with fewer precautions. - -2. _The value of charity records_ as a basis for determining the kind -and amount of relief that should be given in an emergency cannot be -over-emphasized. The case records of the Associated Charities, of the -several benevolent societies of the different nationalities, and of the -Catholics and the Hebrews, and the records of the almshouse, all should -have afforded a quick means of learning the former dependent or -independent position of many applicants. Unfortunately in San Francisco, -before the fire, most of these agencies did not sufficiently understand -the value of permanent detailed records. The result was that a number of -people who previously had been more or less dependent were assisted on -the assumption that they were as likely to become self-supporting as -those who had never applied for aid. Elderly indigents rarely resort to -an alias and they might have been easily identified if the records had -been reasonably complete and had been available in one central bureau. -Since the disaster, the exchange of case information among the principal -charitable agencies is proving invaluable in preventing duplication of -relief and in developing unity of plans for constructive charity. - -3. _The value of trained investigators_ is distinctly apparent in a -comparison of their recommendations with those of amateurs in the -Ingleside cases. The inexperienced visitor, “taken in” by some plausible -old person, would recommend a grant of several hundred dollars; the -committee, mindful of many applicants yet to come and suspicious of the -excessive enthusiasm of the visitor, would give half as much carefully -guarded. The trained visitor, on the other hand, seized upon the hopeful -points as well as the limitations of capacity and formed a balanced -judgment which the committee usually accepted in substance and which was -generally justified by the subsequent history of the applicant. The -business of an investigator is not to harden his sympathies and expose -imposture, but to become a trained and sympathetic expert in human -nature. Especially in emergency relief, therefore, his judgment should -be of the highest value. - -4. _The pension and the direct grant_ were both used in providing for -two quite different classes of the aged and infirm. A number of feeble -persons who had been decent and hardworking before the fire but who, -very evidently, could never again be self-supporting, were given grants -outright “till they should be able to work again”--as the committee -kindly phrased it--or because they were “too nice to go to the -almshouse.” A larger number of cases, where it was impossible to -determine whether the applicants were still capable of self-support or -in need of institutional care, were given the benefit of the doubt. This -was, indeed, almost compulsory because institutional facilities were so -meager. The intention of these grants must be wholly commended, but the -history of the cases treated by the two methods indicates clearly that -the money given in instalments in care of a visitor or of the Associated -Charities had been much more effectively spent than that given to the -applicant in a lump sum. If it be assumed--as it should be--that no -decent person of this borderland class should be prematurely relegated -to an institution, the results in San Francisco prove that a limited -pension in the care of a friendly visitor is both wise and humane. It -is, moreover, economical. - -5. _The age of possible rehabilitation_ is approximately defined by the -results of these cases. The natural period of self-support is between -sixteen and sixty; but the capacity of the unskilled laboring classes to -keep the pace of modern industry often begins to decline at middle age. -As regards health and ability to be self-supporting the decade between -fifty and sixty is critical; and the number of those between sixty and -seventy who, after such a disruption of their lives as that produced by -the earthquake and fire, are able to re-establish themselves even with -assistance, will be very small. To conserve the common self-respect and -society’s humane instincts, as many as possible should be encouraged to -try. - -6. _The lack of provision for certain classes_ in San Francisco was well -known to charity workers before the fire, but it became a far more -serious matter owing to the sudden increase and shifting of these -classes of dependents. There were many people set down as -“convalescents” at Ingleside who remained permanently in need of -institutional care. The hospitals continued to discharge, at the -earliest possible moment because of overcrowding, numbers of half-well -people who had no homes and little or no resources. Even those who went -back to poor homes frequently did not recover fully for want of proper -care during the convalescent period. Those without homes must go to the -Relief Home, and the increase of this class of inmates became a serious -tax on the institution. The medical attention that must be given to the -inmates of the Relief Home is greater than had to be given in the old -almshouse. The increase in the number of the incurables, due in some -measure to the shock and hardships of 1906, makes great demands upon -the nursing staff. Although the number of admissions per thousand of the -population is now no greater than before the disaster, the permanent -burden of refugees will remain proportionately great for some years to -come. Certain special classes--the convalescent, the incurable, the -advanced tubercular, the chronic alcoholic, have never been adequately -provided for in San Francisco. The transition from emergency to -permanent provision affords the opportunity for developing the best -methods and differentiating the kinds of charitable care. - - - - - SOME LESSONS OF THE RELIEF - SURVEY - - -SOME LESSONS OF THE SURVEY - - - PAGE - PART I. ORGANIZATION AND THE EMERGENCY PERIOD 369 - PART II. REHABILITATION 370 - PART III. BUSINESS REHABILITATION 371 - PART IV. HOUSING REHABILITATION 371 - PART V. AFTER-CARE 372 - PART VI. THE AGED AND INFIRM 372 - - -SOME LESSONS OF THE RELIEF SURVEY - -What then are some of the lessons to be learned from this review of the -San Francisco relief work that may be applied in other great disasters? - - -PART I. ORGANIZATION AND THE EMERGENCY PERIOD - -We see among other things: - -1. The importance of postponing the appointment of sub-committees until -a strong central committee has been able to determine general policies -and methods of procedure. - -2. The wisdom of reducing the bread line and the camp population as -quickly as possible after the disaster so that the relief resources may -be conserved to meet the primary need of rehabilitation. - -3. The value of utilizing for emergency administration a body so highly -organized and so efficient as the United States Army, to take charge of -camps, and to bring to points of distribution the supplies required for -those in need of food and clothing. - -4. The necessity of utilizing the centers of emergency distribution for -the later rehabilitation work of district committees and corps of -visitors. - -5. The need of establishing a central bureau of information to serve -from the beginning of the relief work as a clearing house, to prevent -confusion and waste through duplication of effort. - -6. The importance of legal incorporation for any relief organization -that has to deal with so large a disaster. - -7. The importance of a strict audit of all relief in cash sent to a -relief organization. The impossibility of an equally strict accounting -for relief in kind, because of the many leaks and the difficulties -attendant upon hurried distribution. - -8. The desirability that contributions, especially those in kind, shall -be sent without restrictions, as only the local organization is able to -measure relative needs at different periods of the work. - -9. The recognition of the American National Red Cross, with its -permanent organization, its governmental status, and its direct -accountability to Congress for all expenditures, as the proper national -agency through which relief funds for great disasters should be -collected and administered; thus securing unity of effort, certainty of -policy, and a center about which all local relief agencies may rally. - - -PART II. REHABILITATION - -We have to recognize: - -1. The need, in at least the early stages of rehabilitation, of the -district system, in order to facilitate application and investigation -and to insure prompt committee action upon calls for assistance. - -2. The need of a bureau of special relief from beginning to end of the -rehabilitation work in order to meet the emergent and minor requirements -of families and individuals without having to use the necessarily -complicated slow-moving machinery of the rehabilitation organization -itself. - -3. The fact that even in a community where the residences of over half -of the population have changed and the business section has been -completely destroyed, it is possible to make individual investigations -of family wants such as will generally mean the adding of the judgment -of one outsider at least to that of the family. - -We have to recognize further: - -4. That the period of time elapsing between applications and grants will -not be greatly altered if, after the early stages of rehabilitation, a -centralized system is substituted for a district system. - -5. That a flexible scheme of rehabilitation is furthered when no rigid -limit is fixed for an individual grant and deliberation is required in -each case where a grant of large amount is made. - -6. That though rehabilitation may proceed generally along the line of -fortifying each family in one particular direction, as for instance, in -its business relations or housing accommodations, it will always be -necessary to provide a considerable proportion of the families with -subsidiary grants for other purposes. - -7. That any centralized system which attempts to fix arbitrarily the -different types of cases with which different committees shall deal will -create a certain amount of confusion. If a centralized system seem -desirable, the question is whether the committees in the central office -should not have authority to consider cases according to geographical -divisions rather than according to typical classes of applicants. - - -PART III. BUSINESS REHABILITATION - -We learn, and the fact deserves to stand apart: - -That when grants are made for the re-establishment in business of -persons of little ability or experience, close supervision of plans and -expenditures by agents of the relief committee is necessary to secure -the best results. - - -PART IV. HOUSING REHABILITATION - -We have to recognize: - -1. That to provide but one form of housing rehabilitation is far from -satisfactory. - -2. That in a general way the three forms provided in San Francisco met -the needs of the three general classes to be reached. - -(a) With reference to the camp cottages it is too soon to say how -successful the experiment will ultimately be of giving cottages for -removal to other sites to those who may be classed as comparatively weak -in resourcefulness and character. It is certain, however, that the -permanent close grouping of the cottages in great numbers on open lots -is a danger to be guarded against. - -(b) With reference to the grant and loan houses, though it seems that in -general the houses built by applicants were better than those built by -the housing committee for the applicants, it by no means follows that -direct grants of money if commonly adopted would always bring good -results. Individual capabilities must be one determining factor. As to -grants and loans, it may be said that a double standard is not -practicable. A grant on one house and a loan on its neighbor lead to -dissatisfaction and often failure on the part of the borrower to meet -his debt. - -3. That because of the highly specialized business ability required, a -separate department of the relief organization should have charge of all -building and details of building. - -4. That decisions upon housing applications and dealings with housing -applicants should be centered in a rehabilitation department. - - -PART V. AFTER-CARE - -We are brought to see that: - -1. The applications made to an emergency relief organization will not -include all who, as a result of the disaster, will eventually be obliged -to seek succor. It is demonstrated that some permanent agency must be -prepared to help those who, fighting heroically to the very end of their -resources, give up after the temporary relief organization has -discontinued active work. - -2. The number of sufferers who need after-care may be increased by -families who have been attracted to the city by illusive expectations of -work. - -3. The problems of family relief after a great disaster are essentially -those requiring the personal care and attention which are characteristic -of the work of an associated charities under normal conditions. The -number of families that have come to the San Francisco Associated -Charities in the years since the Corporation turned over the relief work -to it, has been far larger than before the fire. It follows that for -some years after so tremendous a disaster there should be an increase in -the force of trained workers proportionate to the increase in the -applications for rehabilitation. The community must be prepared to pay -the additional cost. - -4. Grants of relief, when they must be given regularly and for a -considerable period (in the form that is often described as pensions), -should be sufficiently large to assure reasonable standards of living. - - -PART VI. THE AGED AND INFIRM - -We see finally that: - -1. A great disaster increases especially the number of the aged and -infirm who become public charges. - -2. One of the tasks of delicate readjustment is to remove from the -almshouse the aged men and women who, merely through the rough chance -of a great catastrophe, are thrown with those whose lifelong habits and -disabilities lead to the almshouse. - -3. A critical test of the quality of a community is how far the -responsibility for the aged, infirm, and handicapped who, save for the -disaster, would never have become dependent upon public relief, is -resumed by relatives, friends, or others who in the ordinary course of -events would have cared for them; how completely the standard of private -and family care for them shall be as though the disaster had never -occurred. - - - - - APPENDIX I - - DOCUMENTS AND ORDERS - - -APPENDIX I - -DOCUMENTS AND ORDERS - - - PAGE - 1. List of Members Finance Committee of Relief and Red Cross - Funds and Its Permanent Committees 377 - 2. General Orders No. 18 379 - 3. Extracts from The Army in the San Francisco Disaster. By - Brigadier General C. A. Devol 383 - 4. Letter from General Greely to James D. Phelan 387 - 5. Plan of the Executive Commission 391 - 6. Original Housing Plan 394 - 7. The Incorporation of the Funds 398 - 8. Appointment of Board of Trustees Relief and Red Cross Funds, - February, 1909 401 - 9. List of Official Camps 404 - 10. Grants to Charitable Organizations 405 - A. By Denominations and Nature of Work 405 - B. By Denominations 405 - 11. Rehabilitation Committee: Details of Administration 406 - I. Directions given by the Associated Charities 406 - II. Monthly budgets 408 - III. Method of work beginning July 7, 1906, in connection - with the district [section] organization 408 - IV. The centralized system 412 - V. Consideration of cases out of turn 412 - VI. A lesson learned regarding records 413 - VII. Loose ends 415 - VIII. Bookkeeping and registration notes 415 - 12. General Plan of Housing Committee 417 - 13. Statistics from Associated Charities 419 - A. Receipts of San Francisco Associated Charities from all - sources, by months, from June, 1907, to September, 1912, - inclusive 419 - B. Disbursements of San Francisco Associated Charities for - relief and for administration, by months, from June, 1907, - to September, 1912, inclusive 419 - - -APPENDIX I - - -1 - -LIST OF MEMBERS FINANCE COMMITTEE OF RELIEF AND RED CROSS FUNDS AND ITS -PERMANENT COMMITTEES - - -FINANCE COMMITTEE - - James D. Phelan, Chairman - J. Downey Harvey, Secretary - Rufus P. Jennings (elected Secretary in the beginning but resigned) - James L. Flood (resigned July 16) - Thomas Magee - M. H. de Young - W. F. Herrin - Herbert E. Law - William Babcock (resigned June 29) - I. W. Hellman, Jr. (appointed in place of I. W. Hellman) - Rudolph Spreckels (appointed in place of Claus Spreckels) - Charles Sutro, Jr. - Allan Pollok (appointed April 21) - Garret W. McEnerney, elected to membership April 24th - Frank G. Drum, elected to membership April 24th - Joseph S. Tobin, elected to membership April 24th in place of - R. J. Tobin - -Elected April 24 to represent the California Branch of the Red Cross: - - W. W. Morrow - John F. Merrill - Horace Davis - -Appointed later: - - F. S. Stratton, appointed April 30 - F. W. Dohrmann, appointed June 29 on nomination of California Red - Cross to succeed John F. Merrill, resigned. - Charles S. Wheeler, appointed July 13 to succeed William Babcock, - resigned. - -NOTE: At the meeting of April 30 Dr. E. E. Baker of Oakland was -appointed to Finance Committee to represent Governor Pardee, at the -latter’s request. Later in the same meeting it was arranged that, since -Dr. Baker’s duties prevented him from attending meetings, he should be -represented on the Finance Committee by F. S. Stratton. Mr. Stratton was -from that date on a member of the Finance Committee, representing both -the Governor and the Oakland Relief Committee. - - -SUB-COMMITTEES OF FINANCE COMMITTEE - -_Committee of Supervision_ (appointed April 22) - - Allan Pollok, Chairman - F. W. Van Sicklen - A. Haas - Wm. Cluff - J. Solomon - Nathan Bibo - R. B. Hale - L. P. Lowe - W. L. Harvey - D. Samuels - R. D. McElroy - Edward Heller - W. F. Williamson - -_Purchasing Committee_ (also called Purchasing Agents, appointed April -26) - - Allan Pollok - Edward T. Devine - -_Auditing Committee_ (appointed May 7) - - M. H. de Young, Chairman - Joseph S. Tobin - Frank G. Drum - -_Committee on Hospitals_ (appointed May 9) - - Edward T. Devine, Chairman - J. Downey Harvey - Allan Pollok - -_Rehabilitation Committee_ (authorized May 5, appointed June 29) - - Edward T. Devine, Chairman (succeeded Aug. 6 by Mr. Dohrmann). - Rev. D. O. Crowley, representing Archbishop Riordan - Rev. J. A. Emery, representing Bishop Nichols - Rabbi Jacob Voorsanger - O. K. Cushing (Treasurer) - F. W. Dohrmann (Chairman from Aug. 6 on) - Dr. John Gallwey - -Later appointments made by the Executive Committee were - - Ernest P. Bicknell, appointed July 31 to succeed Dr. Devine - C. F. Leege, appointed July 31 alternate for Mr. Dohrmann and on Nov. - 2, member, to succeed Mr. Bicknell - Abraham Haas, appointed Nov. 2 to succeed Rabbi Voorsanger - Frank Miller, appointed Nov. 9 to serve during Mr. Dohrmann’s absence. - On Nov. 2 Mr. Dohrmann was granted leave of absence for 90 days and - Mr. Cushing was appointed Acting Chairman in his place - - -EXECUTIVE COMMISSION (OFFICIAL TERM OF OFFICE JULY 1 TO AUGUST 1, 1906) - - Edward T. Devine, Chairman (appointed by the American National Red - Cross) - Edward F. Moran (appointed by the mayor) - George H. Pippy (appointed by the Finance Committee) - - -2 - -GENERAL ORDERS, NO. 18 - - - HEADQUARTERS PACIFIC DIVISION, - SAN FRANCISCO, CAL., _April 29, 1906_. - -I. In order to economically and efficiently perform the non-military -duties of distributing relief supplies, the City of San Francisco is -hereby divided into seven civil sections, as described in Paragraph XIV. - -II. The following named officers are charged, generally, with -administrative duties, as follows: - -1. Major Lea Febiger, Inspector General; in general charge of the -organization of relief stations, of their personnel, methods of -administration and requisitions. Headquarters: Hamilton School Building, -on Geary Street near Scott Street. - -2. Major C. A. Devol, Depot Quartermaster; with all questions of -transportation, storage, and allied duties. Headquarters: Presidio -Wharf. - -3. Major C. R. Krauthoff, Depot Commissary, with the commissary duties -in connection with providing food supplies and the filling of -requisitions approved by Major Febiger, Dr. Edward T. Devine, Special -Representative of the National Red Cross, or other duly authorized -agents or officials. Headquarters: Folsom Street Wharf. - -4. An officer of the Army, not yet selected; with supplies other than -food, and the filling of requisitions for such supplies after approval -by Major Febiger, Dr. Devine, or other duly authorized official. Pending -his selection these duties will be performed by Major Devol. -Headquarters: Presidio Wharf. - -5. Lieutenant Colonel G. H. Torney, M. D., U. S. A., has been placed in -charge of all sanitary work. He is charged with the proper organization -of sanitation, the formulation of regulations to carry out the proper -measures of safety against any danger from unsanitary conditions, -co-operating with the Health Commission of San Francisco. - -6. Colonel W. H. Heuer, Corps of Engineers, is charged with all duties -relating to engineering problems connected with the work in hand and in -this connection will consult freely with the civil authorities in regard -to the water supply, sanitation and all other matters in which -engineering skill is required. - -III. As far as practicable, all applications for relief, (whether for -food, clothing, tentage or bedding) will be made direct to, and the -administrative business connected therewith transacted directly with, -the officers above named. This will facilitate relief and centralize -data and action relative thereto. The officers named will, as far as -possible, transact their business with each other and with outside -applicants direct, that is, without reference to Division Headquarters, -the object being to insure an economical, efficient and prompt service -for the distressed and destitute. - -IV. 1. As soon as practicable an officer of the Army, with assistants, -will be assigned to each of the seven sections enumerated, with the -view of co-ordinating the work, and introducing at the earliest moment -such methods as will prevent dishonesty or wastage, eliminate the -unworthy and impostors, and insure economical administration. - -2. Wherever an officer of the Army is not available a responsible -civilian of the locality, designated by Dr. Devine, will be placed in -immediate charge of each relief station, and assisted in organizing a -proper personnel to carry on the work. - -3. As soon as possible, rigid daily inspections will be made of every -relief station, and local regulations introduced with the view of -correcting abuses, neglects or mistakes. Relief stations will be reduced -in number and personnel limited to the smallest possible number -consistent with pressing demands. - -4. The officer or person placed in immediate charge of each relief -station will be carefully instructed by the officer in charge of the -civil section to make his requests in duplicate, and those for food -supplies must be separate and distinct from those for clothing, bedding, -tentage, etc., because they must be filled from different supply -departments. All requests must be in duplicate, and submitted through -the officer in charge of the civil section to Major Febiger, at the -Hamilton School Building, on Geary Street near Scott. In case of -immediate need the requisition may be taken direct to Major Febiger. - -V. It is expected and desired that commanders of military districts in -San Francisco, charged with guarding of public buildings and other -military duties, shall extend advice and, as far as practicable, needful -assistance in the interests of the non-military duties of relief. - -VI. Charges of wastage, deception, theft and improper appropriation of -relief supplies have been freely made, and it is claimed that the food -supply in some cases is too lavish in quantity, and is being issued -without suitable discrimination. The period of extreme distress for food -has passed, and at the earliest possible moment the issue of rations -must be confined to helpless women and children, and refused to adult -males, unless they are sick or in feeble condition. - -VII. For the information of Division Headquarters, a system of -inspection will be established through the Inspector General’s -Department, in order that the inspectors may be facilitated as much as -possible in gaining information giving a clear idea as to how the work -is going on. All officers connected with the distribution of supplies -will keep such memorandum records, aside from their regular records, as -will enable them to give to the inspectors a summary of the work being -done, the method pursued, and in general such information and -recommendation as they may have for improvements and economy. - -VIII. The following permanent relief ration is fixed, the amount being -stated in allowance per ration or per 100 rations: - - MEAT COMPONENTS. - - 10 oz. canned meat or salt meat or canned fish, or - - 14 oz. fresh meat to the ration. - - BREAD COMPONENTS. - - 14 oz. fresh bread or 10 oz. hard bread, or crackers or - - 12 oz. flour to the ration. - - COFFEE AND TEA. - - 1 lb. coffee to 15 rations or - - 1¹⁄₂ lbs. tea to 100 rations. - - VEGETABLE COMPONENTS. - - 1¹⁄₂ oz. beans, peas, rice or hominy, to the ration. - - ³⁄₄ lb. fresh vegetables (80 per cent. potatoes, 20 per cent. onions) - to the ration. - - DRIED FRUIT COMPONENT. - - 1 oz. dried fruit to the ration. - - MISCELLANEOUS. - - 15 lbs. sugar to 100 rations. - - 3 quarts vinegar (or pickles) to 100 rations. - - 2 lbs. salt to 100 rations. - - 4 oz. pepper to 100 rations. - - 4 lbs. soap to 100 rations. - - 1¹⁄₂ lbs. candles to 100 rations. - -It is recognized that exact conformity to articles herein mentioned is -at present impracticable. However, the ration, commencing at noon, -Tuesday, May 1, 1906, will be confined to the articles herein named, or -proper substitutes equivalent thereto. - -IX. After May 1, 1906, no rations beyond the articles above named, or -their substitutes, will be issued from any relief station or district -under military control, except on the prescription or order of a -reputable physician or other competent authority. Issues of luxuries, or -articles of special diet must be confined to infants or invalids. Any -other course will speedily exhaust the very limited means of subsistence -now at the disposal of the Army and of the Finance Committee of Relief -and Red Cross Funds. - -X. At the earliest practicable moment, each of the four officers charged -with the supervision of the work of distribution of supplies will report -approximate data from which the Division Commander can determine. - - A. The amount of United States supplies actually received to date by - the Army and the amount in transit. - - B. The total amount of all kinds of supplies (army relief and other - relief) actually received to date by the Army. - - C. The total amounts issued daily to stations distributing food, - clothing, tentage, etc., under Army control. - - D. Same for those not under army control in San Francisco. - - E. Amounts issued to towns outside of San Francisco. - -While present reports through lack of sufficient force and supervision, -cannot be exact, it is expected that they will as soon as possible be -reduced to the methods generally in vogue in the Army. - -XI. Officers in charge of departments will submit a report as soon as -conditions permit, of the disbursements made, or indebtedness contracted -in carrying out the relief work by the Army. They will immediately -submit requisitions for necessary funds, giving the period which they -are expected to cover, such requisitions to be accompanied by notes -explaining the reason and necessity for such funds. - -XII. Officers charged with these duties will be expected to make such -daily record as to enable them to make weekly, or when otherwise called -upon, a brief report of the work done, and when the civil authorities -resume the work to present a complete report covering their entire -operations. - -XIII. Rigid economy is enjoined on every officer of the army engaged in -relief work. No indebtedness will be contracted without the authority of -one of the officers named in this order or the department or division -commanders. It is desired and directed that any unusual and abnormal -expense be reported verbally or in writing to the Division Commander so -that authority covering expenditures, apart from the necessary ones of -the employees, material and ordinary routine, may be specifically -authorized. - - XIV. RELIEF SECTIONS[284] - - [284] In General Circular, No. 1, May 1, 1906, Section 1 is defined as - the section in which relief stations are numbered between 1 and 100; - Section 2, between 200 and 300, and so on. This numbering was used - instead of that of General Orders No. 18. - -1st Section wherein all official relief stations are numbered between 1 -and 100, is bounded as follows: On the south by Fulton street, on the -east by Devisadero street, on the north and west by San Francisco Bay, -and Pacific Ocean, including Presidio Reservation, but not including -Fort Miley reservation. - -2nd Section wherein all official relief stations are numbered between -101 and 200 is bounded as follows: On the north by Fulton street, on the -east by Devisadero street and Castro street, on the south by 18th and L -streets, on the west by the Pacific Ocean. - -3rd Section wherein all official relief stations are numbered between -201 and 300, is bounded as follows: On the north and east by San -Francisco Bay, on the south by Union street, on the west by Devisadero -street. - -4th Section wherein all official relief stations are numbered between -301 and 400, is bounded as follows: On the north by Union street on the -east by the Bay, on the south by Market street, on the west by -Devisadero and Castro streets. - -5th Section wherein all official relief stations are numbered between -401 and 500, is bounded as follows: On the north by Market street, on -the east by the Bay, on the south by 18th street, on the west by Castro -street. - -6th Section wherein all official relief stations are numbered between -501 and 600, is bounded as follows: On the north by 18th street, on the -east by the Bay, on the south by the County Line, on the west by the -Southern Pacific Railroad. - -7th Section wherein all official relief stations are numbered between -601 and 700, is bounded as follows: On the north by L and 18th street, -on the east by the Southern Pacific Railroad, on the south by the County -Line, on the west by the ocean. - - BY COMMAND OF MAJOR GENERAL GREELY: - S. P. JOCELYN, - _Colonel, General Staff, Chief of Staff_. - - OFFICIAL: - W. G. HAAN, - _Captain, General Staff, Military Secretary_. - - -3 - -THE ARMY IN THE SAN FRANCISCO DISASTER[285] - -BY BRIGADIER GENERAL C. A. DEVOL - - [285] Extracts from article printed in the Journal of the United - States Infantry Association, Vol. IV, No. 1, pp. 59-87. - -At 7:45 on the morning of the disaster Companies C and D, Engineer -Corps, arrived from Fort Mason and were reported to the Mayor and Chief -of Police. They were directed by the former to guard the banking -district and send patrols along Market Street to prevent looting. At -8:00 a.m., the Presidio garrison, consisting of the 10th, 29th, 38th, -66th, 67th, 70th, and 105th Companies of Coast Artillery; Troops I and -K, 14th Cavalry; and the 1st, 9th and 24th Batteries of Field Artillery, -began to arrive. - -The Headquarters and 1st Battalion 22d Infantry, were brought from Fort -McDowell by boat, arriving at 10:00 a.m., and were held for a time in -reserve at O’Farrell Street. They were later utilized as patrols and as -an assistance to the fire department. The Fort Miley troops, the 25th -and 64th Companies Coast Artillery, had a longer march and did not -arrive until 11:30 a.m. - -Troops subsequently arrived in the city as follows: - -April 19. Companies E and G, 22d Infantry, from Alcatraz Island; -Companies K and M, 22d Infantry, from the depot of recruits and casuals, -and the 32d, 61st and 68th Companies Coast Artillery, from Fort Baker; - -April 21. Headquarters and two battalions 20th Infantry, from Presidio -of Monterey; - -April 22. Headquarters and ten companies 14th Infantry, from Vancouver -Barracks; - -April 23. The 17th and 18th Batteries Field Artillery from Vancouver -Barracks. - -These troops were all stationed in the Pacific Division and were ordered -to San Francisco by the Division Commander. Troops arriving later by -orders from the War Department will be enumerated later. It is believed -the prompt appearance of the United States troops on the streets of the -city was an object lesson to the minds of the evil-disposed, reminding -them that the law of the land still existed with ready and powerful -means at hand to enforce it, and was of incalculable moral and material -benefit to the city. - -General Funston moved into the Commanding General’s quarters at Fort -Mason, establishing both Division and Department Headquarters at that -point, and the Signal Corps immediately began to stretch wires for -telegraph communication to various points of importance in the city. - -The entire force in the city finally consisted of 1 Major-General, 1 -Brigadier-General, the 1st and 14th Regiments of Cavalry, the 10th, -25th, 27th, 29th, 32d, 38th, 60th, 61st, 64th, 65th, 66th, 67th, 68th, -70th, and 105th Companies Coast Artillery; the 1st, 9th and 24th -Batteries Field Artillery; the 11th Battalion Field Artillery, -consisting of the 17th and 18th Mountain Batteries; the 10th, 11th, -14th, 20th and 22d Regiments of Infantry; Companies C and D, Corps of -Engineers; Companies A and B, Hospital Corps; Companies A, E and H, -Signal Corps, and 168 staff, detailed and retired officers, a grand -total of 6000 men and officers. To these men were added during the -earlier days a large force of the navy, a battalion of marines, and a -force of naval apprentices, also the force of the National Guard, State -of California. - -Officers of the Quartermaster’s Department were stationed at Oakland -Pier, Point Richmond, the Santa Fe freight yard, Entries Nos. 1, 2, 3, -and 4, Quartermaster Depots Nos. 1, 2, 3, and 4. Officers of the -Subsistence Department were stationed at the Food Depots, Nos. 1, 2, and -3. The various Quartermaster and Commissary Depots were connected by -wire with the office of the Depot Quartermaster, which had been -established in the Quartermaster Warehouse at the Presidio, and the -Commissary Depots connected with the office of the Depot Commissary, -which was established at Folsom street dock. Every arriving car was -checked up across the bay, either at Oakland Pier or Point Richmond. -Every lighter leaving for any of the entries was reported by wire to the -Depot Quartermaster with the car numbers and what entry consigned to. -The Depot Quartermaster could thus control the supply and balance the -arrivals at the different entries, wiring orders to deliver more or less -at the different points as occasion demanded. A dispatch boat was put in -service, making two trips daily to Oakland Pier. At each trip, yard car -slips giving complete list of cars with numbers and contents were -forwarded to the main office. These were abstracted as fast as they came -in and from this abstract acknowledgment of arrival was made to all -donating parties in the different parts of the country. This branch of -the work was most important, as Relief Committees in the various cities -and towns were always desirous of obtaining information which would -enable them to inform the people of their community that the stores had -arrived in San Francisco and had reached the suffering people. The -record also enabled satisfactory answers to be given to the hundreds of -inquiries by wire and mail from all over the country on this subject. -Every car load was finally accounted for and inquiries answered locating -stores, except in some cases of individual packages. - -The Quartermaster-General had been asked by wire to have the number of -every car of military supplies reported to San Francisco by wire as soon -as it was dispatched. These instructions were promptly given, and this -advance information aided very greatly in preventing confusion. - -The stores for the Presidio were delivered by river steamers acting as -lighters from cars at Oakland Pier. At Entry No. 2, or the three docks -above described, deliveries were from river steamers acting as lighters -and also from cars delivered alongside of the docks by floats. Entry No. -3 was by cars sent across the bay on floats and delivered at the 3d and -Townsend Railroad yard, which fortunately was not destroyed by fire. The -small amount of freight that arrived from the south also came into this -depot. Entry No. 4 was from the Santa Fe Railroad by float to the Spear -and Harrison freight depot. The steamships delivered at the three docks, -8, 10, and 12. It will thus be seen that there were four avenues through -which supplies could reach the city simultaneously, and by night as well -as by day. - -Forty-five officers were detailed on arrival to take charge of various -stations throughout the city. Fifteen were ultimately detailed as -assistants to the Depot Quartermaster, and placed in charge of the -various entries and depots, as above stated. As the various stations -were established in all administrative departments, the Signal Corps -connected up the stations by wire with the main offices and Department -Headquarters. Operators were placed at all instruments and -communications by day and night established. During the first three days -issues were made from the quarter-master supplies in store at the four -depot warehouses at the Presidio, which amounted to 3,000 tents, 13,000 -ponchos, 58,000 shoes, 24,000 shirts and other articles necessary to -relieve immediate suffering. This issue was made in the face of -necessity without any authority, but when reported was promptly approved -by the Secretary of War. - -The Finance Committee asked that the army take over all transportation -in the city for all purposes for betterment of management in -systematizing under one head. The Division Commander directed the Depot -Quartermaster to take it over, and Captain Peter Murray, Quartermaster, -8th Infantry, was directed to report to him for that purpose. An office -for this part of the transportation was established at Hamilton School, -and in two days the number of hired teams for this part of the work was -cut down from 557 to 109. - -The population of San Francisco had spread over the surrounding country, -refugees in large numbers going to San Jose, Oakland, Berkeley, Alameda -and Sausalito, and naturally the people in these outlying towns demanded -their proportionate share of relief. Officers were sent to the various -interested sections and remained in charge, the system being similar to -San Francisco. The distribution, however, of supplies over this enlarged -territory added considerably to the burden which relief workers were -already carrying. - -The gradual evolution of a completed camp system had kept pace from day -to day with the growth of other relief work. As before stated, there -were on hand at the Depot Quartermaster’s storehouse for immediate issue -some 3,000 tents (common), and 12,000 shelter tents. This canvas placed -indiscriminately wherever ground was available initiated what grew into -a very complete system of camps. By the prompt action of the War -Department, tentage had been shipped by express from different depots in -the United States and soon became available, there being finally issued -some 25,000 tents, many of which were conical, and wall tents of large -capacity. - -As fast as camps were established the outlying and scattered tents in -that vicinity were called in and placed systematically as a part of the -camp. Each camp was known by number and each tent was known by number. - -On May 29, General Orders were issued, defining the camps, the total at -that time being twenty-one, eighteen of which were in San Francisco and -the other three in outlying cities. The sanitary arrangements varied in -regard to the different conditions. Eighteen camps were variously -scattered through Golden Gate Park, the Presidio Military Reservation, -what is known as Harbor View Flat, Fort Mason Military Reservation, and -the various other parts of the city. No restrictions were placed on the -inmates of these camps save those required by decency, order, and -cleanliness. If the occupants persistently refused to obey the rules to -meet the above requirements they were obliged to forego the benefits of -government canvas and relief stores. - - -4 - -LETTER FROM GENERAL GREELY TO JAMES D. PHELAN - -HEADQUARTERS PACIFIC DIVISION SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - - June 15, 1906. - - Mr. James D. Phelan, Chairman, - Finance Committee of Relief and Red Cross Funds, - Hamilton School, City. - - Sir:-- - - 1. I understand from the morning papers that a telegram signed by you - and Mayor Schmitz, has asked the retention of the Army on duty in San - Francisco for ninety days from July 1st. - - 2. I have seen Mayor Schmitz this morning and he concurs with me in - the belief that the relief of the Army on July 1st is in the public - interests, and after consideration of the opinions expressed by me in - this letter, I trust that the Finance Committee will agree in the - wisdom of withdrawing their request. - - 3. The spirit of American institutions is obviously adverse to the - quartering of troops in times of peace in large cities, which is in - this case supplemented by reasons of a practical and economic - character. From all sources, there is a consensus of opinion that the - service of the Army for relief purposes in San Francisco was of great - benefit to the city of San Francisco and the State of California. That - July 1st marks the date on which federal troops should cease to guard - stores, control camps, administer order and provide sanitation for - civilians quartered on city grounds or private property, is my - conviction. - - 4. Your attention is called to the fact that there are classes of - worthy citizens who in considerable numbers are now deprived of their - ordinary means of gaining a livelihood, either by lack of public funds - or from destruction of private business. Among these may be mentioned - firemen, policemen, school teachers and physicians. - - 5. Your attention is particularly called to the fact that a certain - number of such persons could be given temporary employment by the Red - Cross organization if the present guards and camp administrations of - the Army were withdrawn. In short, the officers and men of the Army - are now performing duties and rendering services which should be - performed and rendered by the destitute men in San Francisco. I submit - to your Committee whether it is advisable to favor a policy which thus - discriminates against civilian labor because the work of the Army is - done without expense to the Red Cross Funds. - - 6. If the Red Cross was not amply supplied with funds, there might - exist a necessity for free army labor but such is not the case. The - morning paper reports that Mr. Bartnett is favoring the immediate - distribution of the greater part of six million dollars now in the - possession of the Committee. - - 7. Of all the methods of relief that which most commends itself to me - from a careful consideration of this question, is that advanced by - Dr. E. T. Devine, and known under the general term of rehabilitation. - There is no better way of rehabilitating a man than by allowing him to - earn a living salary. In this case it can be conjoined with the care - and relief of the destitutes who are rapidly being reduced in number. - - 8. It has been unofficially advanced that the withdrawal of the Army - would involve conditions of disorder and that sanitary conditions - would not be as carefully observed as under strict military methods. - It is believed that the rigidly enforced methods of the Army cannot be - equalled by ordinary civilian control and it is also acknowledged that - the suggestion of a soldier with a gun is more potent in enforcing - order that the directions of a policeman with a club. - - 9. On the question of order and sanitation, experience has shown that - the people of San Francisco are self-respecting and desirous of - conforming to proper methods of life as regards the three important - points of order, decency and cleanliness. That this is a fact and not - an opinion, is shown by the conditions attending the 43,000 people now - under canvas in the City of San Francisco. Of this number 18,000 are - under military supervision, while 25,000 are scattered elsewhere - throughout the city. About 10,000 of these people have been - continually under military supervision and 8,000 more have lately been - taken in charge. It might be thought the 25,000 other people - supplemented by the 8,000 lately transferred, would in the past two - months have become centers of infectious diseases or the centers of - disorder and violence, which has not been the case as infectious - diseases have been sporadic and the conditions of order have been such - that as far as I know no murder has been committed and only one or two - assaults have been made. - - 10. It appears to me that the time has arrived when some definite plan - of organization should be formulated. At present no one connected with - the Red Cross has any power to act, not even Dr. Devine, save as to - certain expenditures for rehabilitation which in limited amounts have - been appropriated. - - 11. To illustrate a practical method of handling this question, a - definite line of organization is herewith suggested. It is worse than - useless to expect that the interests of the tens of thousands of - people and sums of money running into the millions can be economically - and efficiently administered by men giving such part of their time as - remains after transacting their own business, to the questions of - relief. There must be not only a paid personnel but to obtain men of - character, efficiency and skill, they must be well compensated. - - 12. The Finance Committee should allow no money to be spent except on - estimates which should be submitted monthly in advance so that they - may be properly discussed by the Finance Committee before paying the - money. Emergencies can be met by allowing a small sum for each - particular department for contingent expenses. It is believed that the - duties of the Finance Committee should be confined to questions of - policy and considering of estimates and authorizing them formally. - - 13. The executive work should be done by three men who should receive - a salary of not less than $5,000 per year. One member should be a - special representative of the Red Cross and as Dr. Devine would - probably not remain many months and his services are needed as an - advisory to the Finance Committee, it is suggested that some one be - named by Dr. Devine if he will not serve himself. The second member - should be named by the Mayor of San Francisco and the third should be - selected by the Finance Committee from individuals familiar with the - industrial, commercial and business interests of San Francisco. This - committee should divide the duties between themselves. - - 14. Supplies should be centralized and should be in charge of a - carefully selected man to receive $10.00 per day, with an assistant - who should receive $5.00 per day. This official should under no - circumstances have anything to do with the purchase of supplies but - only be responsible for their receipt, care, and issue. - - 15. Each camp should be placed under a very carefully selected officer - of the Fire or Police Department who is on furlough; preferably to be - Captains and Lieutenants of the Fire Department and Captains, - Lieutenants and Sergeants of the Police Department, and should be paid - according to the size and importance of the camp. The familiarity of - these men with the people of San Francisco and their habits of - authority should enable them to properly supervise these camps, which - naturally would be under the general direction of one of the three - executive members of the committee. The present surgeons should be - replaced by doctors of executive ability and standing of which it is - understood that there are many without practice. There should be about - one doctor to each seven hundred persons and their pay should be from - $3.50 to $5.00 per day. - - 16. At places where guards are necessary, civilian watchmen, drawn - largely from furloughed policemen and firemen and male school - teachers, should be placed in charge. It might be added that wherever - opportunity for women’s work offers, it should be given to school - teachers of standing now on furlough. - - 17. All expenses of sanitation and policing of these camps should be - at the expense of the Red Cross. While they would be naturally - subjected to inspection from time to time by the sanitary officers of - the city yet such officers would, it is believed, not interfere unduly - with the arrangements in these camps. There should be special police - officers on duty at night at the larger camps, these also to be paid - employees. - - 18. In short, an organized, well selected and properly paid personnel - is indispensable to the successful handling of the relief work. - - 19. Supplementary to the executive committee, there should be an agent - charged with the rehabilitation work, acting under the special - direction of Dr. Devine or his successor. The policy regarding - rehabilitation should be liberal and a very considerable sum should be - set aside therefor subject to distribution as Dr. Devine or his - successor might direct. - - 20. Briefly this letter looks to action and organization, which cannot - progress satisfactorily while the Army is conducting independently a - part of this work. There are large sums of money on hand and the - public naturally has a right to demand results. - - 21. Valuable time is being lost as regards questions of shelter and - rehabilitation through lack of suitable organization. - - 22. The Committee will think perhaps that I have expressed myself - very forcibly in this matter, but my great interest in the adoption of - the best and speediest means of restoring normal conditions in San - Francisco and in the relief of its destitute, will, I hope, be viewed - as excuses for my speaking freely and fully, and offering definite - advice relative to the work in hand. - - 23. In view of the great importance of the interest the municipality - has in this work, I have furnished a copy of this letter to his Honor, - Mayor E. E. Schmitz. - - 24. May I then express the hope that the Finance Committee will agree - with me that the Army will be withdrawn on July 1st. - - 25. I may add that should the services of say half a dozen officers be - needed in the way of advice and aid during July, I should be glad to - take steps looking to their detail provided the Secretary of War - approves which I believe he will. - - Very respectfully, - A. W. Greely, - Major General, Commanding - - -5 - -PLAN OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMISSION[286] - -Submitted to the Finance Committee, Relief and Red Cross Funds, June 26, -1906 - - [286] See Part I, p. 20. - -The work to be undertaken will naturally fall into eight main -departments. - -I. MANAGEMENT AND SANITATION OF CAMPS. The camps are of four classes: - -1. Military Camps on military reservations. These will continue under -the supervision of the military authorities and our only relation to -them will be to furnish any necessary food, clothing or other relief, -and to arrange for the eventual removal of any who are not able to make -their own arrangements. - -2. Military camps in public parks and squares. The problem in these -camps is to provide superintendence, sanitation, policing and labor, -which are now supplied by the Army. The present organization should be -continued, the pay-roll being transferred but the personnel so far as -possible being retained from the commanding officer of camps down. -Estimates for the expense of conducting these camps for the month of -July have been supplied to the Finance Committee by General Greely and -appropriations in accordance therewith are recommended. - -3. Camps in public squares or on other city property not under military -control. These camps should be immediately incorporated into the system -which now prevails in the military camps. The co-operation of the Park -Department, the Health Department, and the Police Department will be -essential, but we are informed by the Mayor that the expense of -sanitation and policing which has heretofore been borne by the Army will -have to be met from the Relief Fund and probably the same is true of the -non-military camps which will become a part of the same system. - -4. Camps and straggling shacks and tents on private property. The -Commission will have no authority to interfere with persons living -either in tents or in temporary dwellings on private ground, but the -giving of any relief to such persons may be made subject to any -conditions which are considered necessary, and the intervention of the -Health Board may be asked whenever there are insanitary conditions. - -II. WAREHOUSES. After July 1st, there will be only two warehouses, one -in the Moulder School, for provisions and the other, now in the Crocker -School, and about to be removed to the new warehouse, Geary and Gough -Sts., construction of which has been authorized by the Finance -Committee, for clothing and other relief supplies. It is expected that -the present management of these two warehouses can be continued, the -military officers now in charge being given leave for this purpose and -engaged by the Commission. In this event the officers, as -superintendents of the warehouses, will probably be made purchasing -agents of the Commission for the kind of goods of which they -respectively have charge. - -III. HOT MEAL RESTAURANTS. There are now some 27 hot meal restaurants, -on which 10 cent and 15 cent tickets are issued by the Red Cross in the -several sections, to be redeemed by the Finance Committee. As these -restaurants are located in camps any necessary supervision of their -management and sanitation so long as they are continued may safely be -entrusted to the superintendent of camps and to those who are in charge -of the several camps under his direction. The Commission should assume -responsibility for the issuing of tickets and certifying the bills of -the contractors to the Finance Committee. - -IV. SECTION ORGANIZATION. The civilian chairmen of the seven sections, -in addition to their duties in the distribution of food and clothing in -the relief stations have succeeded to the duties of the military chiefs -of sections, and they should be responsible to the Commission until -relieved, which cannot probably be earlier than the end of July. These -chairmen have given their entire time to this work since May 1st and -they should be paid for their services. They should be held responsible -in the immediate future for the distribution of clothing, meal tickets -and other relief and for the second registration which is now in -progress and which will bring to the Commission a large number of cases -in which gifts of money or its equivalent are required. - -V. HOSPITALS. The care of the indigent sick has thus far been in part in -emergency hospitals maintained as a part of the camp system, and in part -in private hospitals on a per capita basis--payment being made to the -hospitals for each patient who is accepted as a proper charge on the -relief fund. It is desirable that the present plan be continued, under -the supervision of the Commission, the medical executor who has been -engaged by the Hospital Committee remaining in charge and supervising -the emergency hospitals in camps as well as the care in private -hospitals, of which the expense is met from the Relief Fund. - -VI. SPECIAL RELIEF. This is now one of the most important parts of the -work to be done by the Commission. It includes all aid given to -individuals or families other than food or ordinary clothing. Its -key-note is rehabilitation. Its object is to enable those who are now -dependent on the relief stations, or whose means of livelihood have been -destroyed, to become self-supporting. The means employed are the -furnishing of tools, furniture, sewing machines or other things, -transportation to other places, or loan, as may be indicated by the -investigation in each instance. The Finance Committee has thus far -advanced $15,000.00 for experimental work in this direction. About 500 -applications have been passed upon, and checks have already been drawn -and await signature, for over $3,000.00 in excess of the amount -appropriated. It is recommended that an additional appropriation for -this purpose be made at once. An advisory committee of 5 or 7 members -will be appointed in connection with this work. - -VII. LOANS. The Commission has under consideration the advisability of -opening a department of loans on - - 1. Pledges, such as are ordinarily deposited in pawn-shops. - 2. Real estate mortgage for the erection of homes. - 3. Chattel mortgage on furniture, etc., and - 4. Personal endorsement. - -Such a department or departments would be of great service to persons -who do not wish to accept charity and who are still not in position -unaided to build, furnish their homes or get started in business. -Especially is this true on account of the delay and uncertainty in the -payment of insurance claims. The Commission is not yet prepared to make -a definite recommendation on this subject, and it is named only as one -of the departments of work which it may be desirable to undertake in the -near future. - -VIII. HOUSING. The question of shelter appears to the Commission to be -the one of paramount importance--so important indeed as to require not -only further consideration by the Commission itself and by the Finance -Committee, but also the co-operation of a strong board of consulting -architects and builders who would doubtless be willing to assist the -Commission in this capacity without compensation. Estimates are before -the Commission for the construction of temporary dwellings of from -$200.00 to $400.00 each. His Honor, Mayor Schmitz, has expressed the -opinion to the Commission that instead of constructing such temporary -buildings efforts should be made to provide before the winter season a -sufficient number of permanent homes of an attractive character for all -who need to be housed. The Commission is inclined to accept this view -although it is admitted that some additional temporary barracks may be -found necessary if by September 1st, it appears that there will be a -shortage of permanent housing accommodations. - -If the Finance Committee decides that it will be advisable that -$1,000,000.00 or some such amount be invested in acquiring land and -erecting homes to be rented and sold on reasonable terms of monthly -payment, it is probable that this sum can be greatly augmented by -investment from private parties, if for any reason the Government -deposits are not found to be available for this purpose. The business -can be so conducted as to pay a reasonable return on such investment and -still make the dwellings of moderate cost to the renter and purchaser. - -FINANCES. It is understood by the Commission that complete financial -control remains with the Finance Committee as was suggested by General -Greely in his letter of June 15 to the Finance Committee. All work -undertaken by the Commission will be on estimates and plans submitted in -advance to the Finance Committee. All bills will be audited and paid by -the Finance Committee. The Commission will make only such purchases and -contracts and engage such employees as have been authorized by the -Finance Committee, and the certificate of the duly authorized officers -and agents of the Commission would become a warrant for payment when -found to be in accordance with the action of the Finance Committee. -Certified copies of resolutions authorizing given lines of work should -be supplied by the Finance Committee to the Commission. On the other -hand, to fix responsibility and prevent confusion, all executive work, -both for relief and for rehabilitation, should devolve upon the -Commission, which should be held responsible for initiating relief -measures, presenting them to the Finance Committee and subsequently -carrying them into effect. - - -6 - -ORIGINAL HOUSING PLAN - -Recommendations Submitted to Finance Committee, July, 1906 - - San Francisco, Cal., July 10, 1906. - - James D. Phelan, Esq., - Chairman Finance Committee. - - Sir:-- - -The Finance Committee at its last meeting referred to the Rehabilitation -Committee for consideration and report a proposition made in the Finance -Committee by Mr. M. H. de Young that a donation be made to any -workingman owning a lot in the burnt district of one-third of the value -of the dwelling to be erected on it, this donation however, not to -exceed in any case the sum of five hundred dollars, and to be paid, not -to the lot owner, but to the contractor who builds the house when it is -completed and clear of liens. - -The Executive Commission has had under consideration various plans for -acquiring tracts of land and building homes for sale or rental, one such -plan having been referred to the Commission by the Finance Committee at -its last meeting. The Executive Commission has also appointed, with the -knowledge and approval of the Finance Committee, a consulting board of -architects and builders who have placed their services at our disposal -without compensation, both for expert counsel on general plans and for -the making of suitable designs for dwellings which might be built by the -Commission, or by individual lot owners. - -Under these circumstances, both the Executive Commission and the -Rehabilitation Committee have given careful consideration to this -subject, and have held informal joint sessions in order that any -recommendations made by this Committee might have the endorsement of -both bodies, and might, if possible, be such as to secure the immediate -favorable consideration of the Finance Committee. It is agreed on all -sides that no time is to be lost if houses are to be made available -before the winter season, and before the tents which are now in use are -so dilapidated as to be uninhabitable. - -The Rehabilitation Committee recommends the acceptance of the principle -that workingmen and others of moderate means whose homes were destroyed -by fire, who own lots in the burnt district, and who cannot obtain from -banks, building and loan associations or other societies enough to -rebuild without assistance, should be aided in rebuilding by a donation -or loan from the relief fund. This policy involves no new action by the -Finance Committee except the appropriation from time to time of such -sums as may be required by the Rehabilitation Committee to carry it into -effect. It is exactly in line with the work which that Committee was -created to undertake. This Committee is therefore already endeavoring to -ascertain how many applications are likely to be made for such donations -or loans, and devising such safeguards as will protect the operation of -the plan from the obvious abuses to which it might be subjected. If -there are any conditions of such grants which the Finance Committee, or -its members, would consider it desirable to call to our attention, it is -suggested that this be done at the earliest possible moment; and if the -Finance Committee disapproves the plan, that of course, should be -indicated before any further steps are taken. As soon as the information -is available, an estimate will be presented to the Finance Committee as -to the amount of money which is required to carry this policy into -effect. We consider it doubtful whether this plan, of itself, will go -very far towards providing shelter for the families now in tents, but -the time which has elapsed since the plan was proposed has not been -sufficient to enable us to secure accurate information on this subject. - -The Executive Commission on July 9th held a conference with the -consulting Board of Architects and Builders, at which the Chairman of -the Finance Committee, the Mayor, and some of the members of the -Rehabilitation Committee were present, and the whole subject was -exhaustively considered. The conclusion reached was that no one plan had -been suggested which would completely solve the problem of housing the -homeless families, but that immediate action is desirable in the -following directions: - -I. The first necessity is the shelter of those who are entirely -dependent. We recommend for this purpose the erection on city property -of an attractive permanent building or buildings on the cottage pavilion -plan for the care of aged and infirm persons, chronic invalids and other -adult dependent persons for whom it is not so much a question of -rehabilitation as of permanent maintenance. We recommend that such -building or buildings to be erected from the relief fund be large enough -to accommodate one thousand men and women, and that the maintenance of -the institution after it is erected be left to the municipality. -Alternative plans would be to care for these aged and infirm persons in -existing private institutions, on a per capita weekly basis similar to -that on which patients are now cared for in private hospitals, or to -make an allowance in the nature of a pension for their care, in private -families. We believe that the erection of a special pavilion would be -more economical and that it has the indirect advantage of enabling the -city to secure an attractive modern public home for aged and infirm -persons. The plan suggested, supplemented by the policy now in force of -caring for the indigent sick in hospitals and the ordinary operation of -the established charitable agencies of the city, will, it is believed, -adequately and humanely shelter those who are actually destitute, and -who, from lack of any earning capacity, must remain entirely dependent -upon public relief. - -II. The next and more serious problem is the supply of dwellings for -families who ordinarily pay a moderate rental, who do not own land and -have no considerable savings, but who are in receipt of ordinary wages. -There are probably five thousand families now in tents or other -temporary shelter who are in this position. Possibly, if those who are -temporarily out of the city and who desire to return are included, this -number may be ten thousand. No accurate estimate is possible for the -reason that there is no information available as to what number have -already permanently removed to suburban towns, what number has been -absorbed in existing homes by the doubling up process, and what number -will build for themselves. What is certain, however, is that no real -beginning has yet been made by private enterprise or otherwise in the -erection of dwellings for the five thousand families of which we do have -knowledge, although nearly half of the long summer season, which, -fortunately, lay between the disaster of April and the winter season, -has already elapsed. It was, therefore, the unanimous conclusion of the -conference, and it is the official recommendation of the Relief -Commission that in addition to all that is done for individuals through -the Rehabilitation Committee some considerable contribution to the -supply of homes should be made directly from the Relief and Red Cross -Funds, either by financial assistance to private individuals or -corporations in building on a large scale, suitable dwellings, on -satisfactory terms; or by the creation for this particular purpose of an -incorporated body, which can make contracts and enforce legal -obligations. It is, therefore, recommended: that unless the alternative -suggested can be made immediately effective, eleven or more persons, -including the Mayor, the Chairman of the Finance Committee and suitable -representation of the National Red Cross, the Executive Commission and -the Rehabilitation Committee, be designated by the Finance Committee to -form a corporation under the laws of this State relating to corporations -not for profit, that not less than one million dollars be subscribed by -the Finance Committee as capital or as a permanent loan to this -corporation; that the homes thus provided be sold on a monthly -installment plan to families who were living in San Francisco on April -17th, and rented to those who are unable to purchase; that all income -from rentals and sales after meeting necessary expenses be invested in -the building of other houses, or for such other public philanthropic -objects as may be decided upon by the corporation with the consent of -the Finance Committee. After one year it might be found practicable and -desirable for the corporation thus formed to sell its remaining property -and interests to Savings Banks or otherwise, and to dispose of the -entire sum thus obtained for the relief of those who were still at that -time in any way in distress through the disaster, or if there were no -such distress, then for some public purpose which might be decided upon. - -The essential thing at this time is that, at the earliest possible -moment some of the funds which are now lying idle in the treasury of the -Finance Committee, shall be put at work providing homes for the working -people of the community. The plan which we have recommended is proposed, -first, as a relief measure because the tents will not provide proper -shelter after October; second, as a measure of public policy, because, -in the interests of the community it is not desirable that San Francisco -shall lose her present population of working people merely because there -are not dwellings to be rented or bought; third, also as a measure of -public policy, because it is desirable that workingmen shall have the -opportunity to own their homes, and this opportunity is now afforded, -not on a charitable, but on a reasonable and just business basis; and, -finally, because the intelligent and efficient carrying out of the plan -proposed will enable the community to set a standard of attractive, -sanitary, safe, and yet comparatively inexpensive dwellings which will -have a beneficial effect not only in the immediate future, but for the -coming generation. The co-operation of the municipal administration in -enforcing suitable conditions as to sanitation, light, ventilation, fire -protection, etc., of the architects in making plans for convenient and -attractive homes at moderate cost, of the building trades in getting -these homes built, and of the Finance Committee in advancing capital and -creating a corporation which will ensure the purchasers against fraud or -injustice, will solve the housing problem and nothing less than this -co-operation will solve it. - -In closing this report, however, the Rehabilitation Committee and the -Relief Commission alike wish to emphasize the fact that there is no -intention that the relief fund shall become a providence of the -refugees, solving all their difficulties and relieving them of all -individual responsibility. On the contrary, it is confidently expected -that each family will to the greatest possible extent solve its own -problems, find its own capital, decide on the plans for its own home, -discharge its obligations for any money advanced as soon as practicable, -and that if these recommendations are adopted the entire business will -be so conducted by the Rehabilitation Committee, the Executive -Commission and the corporation formed for the purpose of acquiring land -and building homes, as to preserve in full integrity the fundamental -traits of American character, individual initiative and personal -responsibility. - -Respectfully submitted on behalf of the Executive Commission and the -Rehabilitation Committee. - - Edward T. Devine, - Chairman. - - -7 - -THE INCORPORATION OF THE FUNDS - -SAN FRANCISCO RELIEF AND RED CROSS FUNDS, A CORPORATION - -(Incorporated July 20, 1906) - -MEMBERS AND DIRECTORS - - James D. Phelan, President - F. W. Dohrmann, First Vice President - W. F. Herrin, Second Vice President - J. Downey Harvey, Secretary - Horace Davis - Frank G. Drum (resigned Aug. 21, 1906, resignation accepted Feb. 26, - 1907) - I. W. Hellman, Jr. - W. F. Herrin - Rufus P. Jennings - Herbert E. Law - Thomas Magee - Garret W. McEnerney - Judge W. W. Morrow - Allan Pollok - Rudolph Spreckels - F. S. Stratton - Charles Sutro, Jr. - Joseph S. Tobin - Charles S. Wheeler - Ex Officio, the Governor of California - Ex Officio, the Mayor of San Francisco - -Changes made later: - - O. K. Cushing, elected member and director April 16, 1907, to succeed - Mr. Drum. - Edward T. Devine, elected member July 27, 1906. - -The plan of organization adopted by the Executive Committee of the -Corporation for conducting the five departments into which it divided -its work was as follows: - -DEPARTMENT A. FINANCE AND PUBLICITY - -This department shall be in charge of the President or Acting President -of the Corporation. It shall comprise all matters pertaining to - -Finances of the Corporation. - -The donations made or promised to the Corporation. - -The custody of funds on hand. - -The General Office. - -The Bureau of History. - -All publications issued or made by this Corporation. - -All Information to be given to the Press shall emanate from this -Department or shall be submitted for approval to this Department before -being printed except that each Chairman of the Department may transmit -information concerning the work contemplated or done in his Department -to the Press. - -All automobiles except when assigned to their Departments, shall be in -the custody and under the direction of this Department. - -The Staff of this Department shall consist of the Secretaries and -stenographers at large. - -Accountants and Employees of the General Office. - -The Janitors, door-keepers and messengers of the Office Building. - -The Chauffeurs of the automobiles not assigned to other Departments. - -The Committee and employees connected with the History Committee. - -Any other employees for general work except those of the other -Departments. - -DEPARTMENT B. BILLS AND DEMANDS - -This Department shall be in charge of Chairman, M. H. de Young. It shall -comprise all matters pertaining to bills and demands against this -Corporation. - -Staff of this Department shall be the employees required for the -examination of all bills and demands to be passed upon by this -Department. - -DEPARTMENT C. CAMPS AND WAREHOUSES - -This department shall be in charge of Chairman Rudolph Spreckels. It -shall comprise all matters pertaining to: - -Camp and camp supplies. - -Sanitary matters connected with camps. - -Outside warehouses and contents of same. - -The staff of this department shall be employees of the office of this -department, the Superintendent, officers and assistants and employees in -charge of or connected with camps; Officers and employees in charge of -or connected with Warehouses. - -DEPARTMENT D. RELIEF AND REHABILITATION - -This Department shall be in charge of Chairman F. W. Dohrmann. It shall -comprise all matters pertaining to the business of the Special -Rehabilitation Committee appointed by this Corporation. - -Of all applications for donations, relief and assistance not regularly -referred to the Special Rehabilitation Committee. - -Of all matters connected with patients placed in hospitals on account of -this Corporation. - -The Staff of this Department shall be: - -The office employees required in addition to the staff of the Special -Rehabilitation Committee. - -DEPARTMENT E. LANDS AND BUILDINGS - -This Department shall be in charge of Chairman Thomas Magee. It shall -comprise all matters pertaining to the erecting of a municipal home for -the indigent and aged. - -The erecting of temporary buildings for housing the refugees. - -The granting of bonus for the building of individual homes. - -The buying of land and erecting buildings on same to be rented or sold -on installments. - -The collection of rent or payments for buildings rented or sold. - -Any other provisions or plans for acquiring land, erection of buildings -and the providing of homes for families. - -The Staff of this Department shall be: - -Employees of the Office of this Department. - -General Business Manager and Assistants. - -Architects, Draftsmen and Builders required. - -Legal advisers necessary for the transaction of the business of this -Department. - - -8 - -APPOINTMENT OF BOARD OF TRUSTEES RELIEF AND RED CROSS FUNDS, FEBRUARY, -1909 - - Results of Conference between Chairman Executive Committee of San - Francisco Relief and Red Cross Funds and Representative - American National Red Cross, - January, 1909 - -All active relief work to cease at once. A reserve fund of $100,000 to -be set aside for the payment of all judgments or other legal claims, for -all refunds due camp tenants, and for meeting the current expense of the -corporation. All other reserve funds to be cancelled and the amounts -reserved transferred to a General Relief Fund. All receipts and any -balance left of the $100,000 reserve mentioned above to be paid into -this general fund. - -Specific appropriations were made out of the new General Relief Fund for -certain philanthropic organizations to the amount of $150,000. The rest -of this fund was to be used as follows: - - The balance of the General Relief Fund, consisting of all the money in - the hands of the San Francisco Relief and Red Cross Funds, a - Corporation, not specifically reserved or appropriated as hereinbefore - described, and all money hereafter received from cancelled reserves - and appropriations and from collections, unexpended balances and - receipts from whatever source as above provided, is hereby - appropriated for the purpose of general relief. It is intended that - this relief shall be of a character that will most speedily and - effectually remove the needs and distress still existing or which may - develop prior to April 18, 1911, as a direct or indirect consequence - of the fire. - - BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF RELIEF AND RED CROSS FUNDS - - To the end that the purposes of the Executive Committee, as above - described, may be carefully and thoroughly executed, there is hereby - created a Board of Trustees of Relief and Red Cross Funds. This Board - shall consist of five members as follows: F. W. Dohrmann, Oscar K. - Cushing, D. O. Crowley, John A. Emery, A. Haas. - - The existence of the Board shall terminate when its duties are - completed, but in any event not later than April 18, 1911. The Board - shall have power to fill vacancies in its membership, subject to the - approval of the Executive Committee and of the National Director of - the American National Red Cross. The officers shall consist of a - Chairman, Vice-Chairman and Treasurer, to be selected by the Board, - and the Board may partition its work into such departments or - subdivisions as will expedite the discharge of its duties and increase - its efficiency. Authority is hereby given the Board to defray from - the fund in its hands, all the expenses necessary to the proper - discharge of its trusts. - - DUTIES OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES - - The entire General Relief Fund remaining after the deduction of the - amounts specifically appropriated as above described, shall be paid to - the Board of Trustees by them to be expended at their discretion in - such a manner and under such conditions as will strengthen the - regular, organized, charitable and philanthropic agencies of the City - of San Francisco. - - In making grants to charitable organizations, the Board of Trustees - may prescribe conditions which will safeguard the fund and assure its - careful and proper expenditure. Every organization to which a grant is - made, shall be required to submit vouchers to the Board of Trustees - for all money expended. - - The Board of Trustees shall fix the conditions under which specific - grants shall be made, as above provided, to St. Luke’s Hospital, The - Children’s Hospital, Roman Catholic Organizations, Jewish - Organizations, German Organizations, such hospitals and kindred - institutions as the Board itself is empowered to select. - - It is expressly provided, however, that all grants to hospitals or - kindred institutions are to be conditioned upon a return, by the - institutions, of free service to the poor, of value equivalent to the - amounts of the grants. Within this requirement, the Board is to have - full discretion. - - All current appropriations for individuals made in trust to the - Associated Charities are hereby made subject to the Board of Trustees - precisely as they were subject to the Rehabilitation Committee prior - to February 1, 1909. - - If the trust herein created is not terminated prior to April 1, 1911 - the Board of Trustees, between April 1 and April 18, 1911, shall - select organizations eligible under the terms of this trust, and allot - to them in such sums and upon such conditions as it may determine, the - entire amount of money remaining unappropriated in its hands. - Provided, that any grant to a hospital or kindred institution shall be - conditioned upon a return by the institution of free service to the - poor of value equivalent to the amount of the grant. - - Upon the termination of the trust, the Board shall make a full report - of its operations and disbursements to the Executive Committee, and to - the American National Red Cross, and the records and papers of the - Board shall be turned over to the American National Red Cross for - preservation in its archives. - -Both executive committees adopted along with this plan the following -agreement: - - The American National Red Cross hereby agrees to forward to the Board - of Trustees of Relief and Red Cross Funds the sum of $100,000 on or - before March 1, 1909. This agreement is supplementary to the - resolution of the Executive Committee of San Francisco Relief and Red - Cross Funds, a Corporation, adopted February 4th, 1909, and will be - without effect if said resolutions are rescinded or modified. - - It is understood that the balance of the unreserved principal of the - Relief Fund, remaining in the hands of the American National Red - Cross, after the payment of the amounts herein specified, shall be - held subject to such final disposition as the circumstances warrant. - - This agreement before becoming effective shall be confirmed by the - Central Committee of the American National Red Cross. - -On February 4, 1909, the Rehabilitation Committee, at that time -consisting of the men who had just been designated members of the Board -of Trustees, met for the last time and listened to the resolution of the -Executive Committee quoted above. After directing the Treasurer to -return to the general funds all unexpended balances then in its hands, -the committee adjourned _sine die_. On the same day they met as the -Board of Trustees of Relief and Red Cross Funds and organized by the -election of - - Chairman, F. W. Dohrmann - Vice Chairman, Oscar K. Cushing - Treasurer, A. Haas - -At the second meeting, February 12, the following committees were -appointed. - - Committee I Care of the Sick, F. W. Dohrmann, Chairman - Rev. D. O. Crowley - Committee II General Relief, Oscar K. Cushing, Chairman - Rev. J. A. Emery - Committee III Housing and Sanitation, Rev. D. O. Crowley - Committee IV Accounts, A. Haas - - -9 - -LIST OF OFFICIAL CAMPS - - ====+=====================+===========+=================+============= - Num-| Location | Opened or | Maximum | Date of - ber| | became | population | closing - | | official | | - ----+---------------------+-----------+-----------------+------------- - 1 |Presidio, nr. Gen. |May 9, ’06 |2053--May 9, ’06 |June 12, ’06 - |Hosp. | | | - 2 |Presidio, Tennessee |May 9, ’06 | 910--May 9, ’06 |June 12, ’06 - |Hollow | | | - 3 |Presidio, Ft. |May 9, ’06 | 186--May 9, ’06 |June 12, ’06 - |Winfield Scott (For | | | - |Chinese) | | | - 4 |Presidio, Golf Links |May 9, ’06 | 329--May 9, ’06 |May 20, ’06 - 5 |Golden Gate Park, |May 19, ’06|3000--June 30 and|Nov. 19, ’06 - |Children’s Playground| | Aug. 25, | - | | | ’06 | - 6 |G. G. Park, Speedway |June 1, ’06| 835--July 14, |Aug. 23, ’07 - |(For Aged and Infirm)| | Sept. 26, | - | | | ’06 | - 7 |G. G. Park, Lodge |May 19, ’06|1606--May 30, ’06|Dec. 17, ’06 - 8 |Harbor View |May 9, ’06 |2840--Aug. 25, |Jan. 11, ’07 - | | | ’06 | - 9 |Lobos Square |May 9, ’06 |4933--June 18 to |June 30, ’08 - | | | 22, ’07 | - 10 |Union Iron Works |May 9, ’06 |2240--Aug. 28 to |Dec. 1, ’07 - | | | 31 & Sept. | - | | | 1 to 8, ’06| - 13 |Franklin Square |May 19, ’06|1116--Nov. 23 to |Nov. 6, ’07 - | | | Dec. 1, ’06| - 15 |Fort Mason |May 19, ’06| 850--May 19, ’06|June 12, ’06 - 16 |Jefferson Square |June 2, ’06|2000--June 2 to |Aug. 23, ’07 - | | | 21, ’06 | - 17 |Lafayette Square |June 2, ’06| 622--June 29 to |Feb. 2, ’07 - | | | July 1, ’06| - 18 |Mission Park (before |June 5, ’06| 295--June 5-6, |June 6, ’06 - |cottages were built) | | ’06 | - 19 |Duboce Park |June 8, ’06| 650--Sept. 1-15,|Feb. 2, ’07 - | | | ’06 | - 20 |Hamilton Square |June 5, ’06| 702--Dec. 3-8, |Aug. 31, ’07 - | | | ’06 | - 21 |Washington Square |June 6, ’06| 593--Feb. 7-July|Sept. 17, ’07 - | | | 12, ’07 | - 22 |Alamo Square |July 9, ’06| 857--Oct. 1, ’06|Mar. 13, ’07 - 23 |Precita Park (Bernal)|July 6, ’06| 520--Feb. 25-May|Oct. 11, ’07 - | | | 8, ’07 | - 24 |Columbia Square |July 11, |1500--Mar. 22 to |Nov. 26, ’07 - | |’06 | July 12, | - | | | ’07 | - 25 |Richmond (Irregular |Nov. 20, |4130--May 20, ’07|Jan. 1, ’08 - |boundary bet. 13th |’06 | | - |and 15th, Lake, and A| | | - |Sts.) | | | - 26 |Ingleside (Ingleside |Oct. 9, ’06| 809--Nov. 22, |Jan. 22, ’08 - |Race Track) | | ’06 | - 28 |South Park |Dec. 3, ’06| 648--Feb. 15 to |Jan. 7, ’08 - | | | May 15, ’07| - 29 |Mission Park (after |Nov. 19, |1600--April 16, |Oct. 22, ’07 - |cottages were built) |’06 | ’07 | - 30 |Portsmouth Square |Dec. 18, | 388--May 27-28, |Oct. 11, ’07 - | |’06 | ’07 | - ----+---------------------+-----------+-----------------+------------- - -11 A small unofficial camp at Bothin, Marin County. - -12, 14 No camps were given these numbers. - -27 Land at 18th and 20th and Potrero Ave., selected as a camp site but -not used. - -31 Garfield Park, selected as a possible site, but not used as an -official camp. - - -10 - -GRANTS TO CHARITABLE ORGANIZATIONS - -A. BY DENOMINATIONS AND NATURE OF WORK - - =================+========================+=========== - Auspices under | GRANTS USED IN |All grants - which grants +-------------+----------+ - were administered|Non-sectarian| Sectarian| - | work | work | - -----------------+-------------+----------+----------- - Catholic | $93,720 | $49,000 | $142,720 - Protestant | 88,598 | 20,500 | 109,098 - Jewish | 5,000 | 34,000 | 39,000 - Non-sectarian | 285,600 | .. | 285,600 - -----------------+-------------+----------+----------- - Total | $472,918 | $103,500 | $576,418 - -----------------+-------------+----------+----------- - -B. BY DENOMINATIONS - - =================+======================================+========== - Organizations | GRANTS ADMINISTERED UNDER | - aided +--------+----------+--------+---------+---------- - | Roman |Protestant| Jewish | Non- |All grants - |Catholic| auspices |auspices|sectarian| - |auspices| | |auspices | - -----------------+--------+----------+--------+---------+---------- - Benevolent | | | | | - organizations | $38,000| $12,600 | $20,000| $66,000| $136,600 - Homes | 28,000| 4,200 | 3,000| 43,500| 78,700 - Orphanages | 22,000| 20,693 | .. | 13,500| 56,193 - Organizations for| | | | | - aiding children| 27,500| 17,700 | .. | 26,550| 71,750 - Kindergartens | 220| .. | 1,000| 10,150| 11,370 - Schools | 7,500| .. | .. | .. | 7,500 - Hospitals | 10,000| 22,905 | 10,000| 70,500| 113,405 - Clinics | .. | .. | .. | 12,800| 12,800 - Settlements | 3,000| 9,000 | 5,000| 29,500| 46,500 - Missions | .. | 1,000 | .. | .. | 1,000 - Miscellaneous | 6,500| 21,000 | .. | 13,100| 40,600 - -----------------+--------+----------+--------+---------+---------- - Total |$142,720| $109,098 | $39,000| $285,600| $576,418 - -----------------+--------+----------+--------+---------+---------- - -In addition to the grants mentioned in the table there was paid from the -New York Chamber of Commerce Fund, to St. Luke’s Hospital $25,000, and -to the Children’s Hospital $25,000. The Massachusetts Association for -the Relief of California sent to the University of California Hospital -$100,000. - - -11 - -REHABILITATION COMMITTEE: DETAILS OF ADMINISTRATION - -I. DIRECTIONS GIVEN BY THE ASSOCIATED CHARITIES. For the use of workers -in the seven civil sections. - - 1. A Section Agent will be appointed at the headquarters of each of - the civil sections, to represent the Associated Charities, and to whom - all the visitors shall report. The Section Agent shall have charge of - the records, and it shall be her duty to see that the work hereinafter - outlined is properly carried out. - - 2. Each application card, as it is brought in by the visitor, must be - catalogued by name in a card index. After being approved by the - Section Agent as to the completeness of the investigation, it should - be passed on by the Section Committee, and should then be sent to the - Rehabilitation Committee. - - 3. The recommendation of the Section Committee should be endorsed on - the back of the card under the heading, “Investigator’s suggestions as - to what should be done.” - - 4. All letters or other papers relating to the case should be fastened - to the card by a wire clip, and should be sent with it wherever it - goes. - - 5. When the card is sent to the Rehabilitation Committee, the index - card prepared by the Section Agent should be sent with it and the - Rehabilitation Committee will place on the index card the number given - by it to the application card on its records. This number will serve - as the receipt of the Rehabilitation Committee, and will also give the - Section Agent a ready reference to the records of the Rehabilitation - Committee. The index card must be returned to the Section Agent by the - messenger who brings it to the Rehabilitation Committee, and the - Section Agent must keep a proper record of the index cards sent in, so - that she will be sure to get them back. - - 6. The Rehabilitation Committee will in due time report through the - same messenger, to the Section Agent, the result of its action in each - case. The receipt of the Section Agent will be taken in each instance. - The character of its action will of course be based upon the merits of - each case. In one instance, a request for transportation may be - granted; in another, a check for a loan or grant of money may be - furnished; in another, a requisition for certain supplies may be - given; and occasionally, an application may be refused. - - 7. When the report of the Rehabilitation Committee is received by the - Section Agent, a brief note thereof must be made on the index card, - and a notice should be sent to the applicant, requesting him to call - at the Section Office. A printed form will be provided for this - notice. Except in cases of refusals, the receipt of the applicant - should be taken on the index card for whatever is given to him. - - 8. In case a check is given by way of loan, it will be accompanied by - a promissory note, which must be signed by the applicant when the - check is given to him, and the Section Agent should sign the - promissory note as a witness. This promissory note should then be - returned to the Rehabilitation Committee by the messenger already - referred to. - - 9. The Rehabilitation Committee, in reporting its actions in each - case, will attach a slip, giving directions to the Section agent as to - what is to be done. (For instance, stating if a promissory note is to - be taken, or giving other directions of a like character.) - - 10. The visitor should notify the applicant in each case that he will - receive a notice from the Section Agent as soon as his application has - been acted upon by the Committee. - - 11. The Section Agent must keep the Chairman of the section advised as - to the result of each application, so that the Chairman may know what - provision has been made for the applicant, and whether or not the - applicant should move from the camp, or be denied further food - supplies or other assistance. - - 12. Visitors should indicate on the upper margin of the card,[287] - just left of the words “National Red Cross,” the Section from which - the card comes. Space should be left in the upper left-hand corner of - the card for the number to be placed thereon by the Rehabilitation - Committee. - - [287] Appendix II, p. 428. - - 13. The name of the visitor and the date of the application should be - written on the upper right hand corner of the card. - - 14. In cases where applicants require Housing and nothing else, the - registration cards should be held at the Section Headquarters, and a - duplicate separate index should be kept on such cards, catalogued by - name. It may be necessary to hold other cards, and these should be - filed and indexed in the same way. - - 15. One visitor in each section will be designated to act as a - messenger between the Section headquarters and the office of the - Rehabilitation Committee, so that she may keep in touch with the work - of the Committee, and so that inquiries by applicants and such other - questions as will naturally arise may be referred to her, to be taken - up with the Committee when she calls. She will also bring back to the - Section headquarters the result of the action of the Rehabilitation - Committee, and should make at least one call a day on the Committee. - - 16. A general agent of the Associated Charities will have supervision - over the work of all the sections. It shall be his duty to see that - the records are properly kept and that the work is correctly and - rapidly performed. All Section Agents and Visitors shall be under his - direction. He shall report to the General Secretary. - - 17. A weekly report must be sent to the Rehabilitation Committee - through the general agent, every Monday, showing for each section - separately: - - 1. The total number of cases investigated. - - 2. The number of cases investigated during the preceding week. - - 3. The number of applications sent to the Rehabilitation Committee. - - 4. The number of applications for Housing, etc., held at the section. - -The plan outlined above was carried out until the closing of the section -offices. - -II. MONTHLY BUDGETS. The monthly budgets of the Rehabilitation -Committee, including those of the Associated Charities, from July, 1906, -to June, 1907,[288] were as follows: - - =========+=========+=========+=========+============= - Month |Number of| Total | Expense | Expense - | employes| expense | for |for supplies, - | | | salaries| etc. - ---------+---------+---------+---------+------------- - 1906 | | | | - July | 134 |$8,600.00|$7,800.00| $800.00 - August | 170 |11,500.00| 9,573.50| 1,926.50 - September| 132 |10,000.00| 8,000.00| 2,000.00 - October | 63 | 5,300.00| 4,130.00| 1,170.00 - November | 80 | 6,300.00| 5,300.00| 1,000.00 - December | 110 | 8,235.00| 6,735.00| 1,500.00 - 1907 | | | | - January | 114 | 8,594.00| 7,094.00| 1,500.00 - February | 110 | 8,000.00| 6,572.00| 1,428.00 - March | ? | 6,000.00| ? | ? - April | 31 | 2,500.00| 2,172.60| 327.40 - May | 22 | 2,000.00| 1,744.40| 255.60 - June | 20 | 1,750.40| 1,615.40| 135.00 - ---------+---------+---------+---------+------------- - - [288] This does not include budgets of other bureaus of the Department - of Relief and Rehabilitation. Some of the figures are only - approximately correct. They include employes: both the Associated - Charities staff and the employes of the Committee. They do not include - volunteers. The question marks indicate that data are not available. - -III. METHOD OF WORK BEGINNING JULY 7, 1906, IN CONNECTION WITH THE -DISTRICT [SECTION] ORGANIZATION. The system of entering applications and -filing records was carefully worked out. - - The applications recorded on the National Red Cross cards were taken - to the Rehabilitation Office and put at once on the registrar’s desk. - Each face card was clasped together with its continuation cards with - an ordinary paper clip. The registrar and most of her assistants were - young women who had had experience in indexing in the public and other - libraries of the city. Duplicate index cards were each marked with the - number of the case, which number was then entered on the National Red - Cross card. The numbers were assigned consecutively. The cases were - then placed in manila folders similar to those used in the index files - of business houses, and were at once placed in boxes on the desks of - the reviewers. At the same time the index card was placed in an - alphabetical file with the number of the case. The surnames and - Christian names of the applicants were entered in a book in - consecutive order as the numbers were assigned. - - Each case was read by a reviewer who made underneath the - recommendation of the section committee his own recommendation, which - might or might not be identical in terms. A paster[289] was used on - which to enter the recommendation made by the section committee or by - the reviewer. After October 1, 1906, the recommendation was entered on - the paster by the sub-committee of the Rehabilitation Committee, and, - when a grant was made, the number of the check drawn was also entered - on the paster. If more than one application were made, or more than - one action taken by the committee, a separate paster was used for each - application and for each decision. - - [289] See paster. Appendix II, p. 433. - - During the periods of district organization, as soon as reviewers had - made their recommendations the cases were put in consecutive order in - large boxes, to be acted on by the members of the Rehabilitation - Committee. After a boxful had been approved or disapproved, they were - taken to the bookkeeper’s department. Expert bookkeepers were found to - be essential. The bookkeeper made entry of grant or refusal of grant, - of cases referred or not found, in consecutive order in a cash - journal. Each grant was recorded in the appropriate column, as, - “Business,” “Household,” etc. On the cash journal page a running - account was kept with the bank in which the funds were deposited. In - the debit column were entered the appropriations as they were - deposited, as well as returns upon loans and canceled checks. In the - credit column was kept the amount of checks issued. Upon each check - was entered the corresponding case number, so that there might be a - double checking. The checks were then attached to the front of the - record cards, and were presented to the treasurer for signing. The - treasurer corrected any mistakes in drawing checks, and observed - whether the rules of the committee had been followed, and if the - approvals were in regular form. - - The signed checks were given to a responsible official, who - reclassified the cases by sections. He then made a double memorandum - receipt, and turned over the checks to the section messengers. The - records were not returned to the sections with the checks. If a case - had been refused, referred, or action taken other than making a grant, - the record itself was sometimes referred back to the section. When the - checks were received at the section office, notice was sent to those - for whom they had been drawn. The banks upon which the drafts were - made accepted the signatures of one or more salaried workers in each - section. - - The records were of necessity handled by a great many people other - than those responsible for the financial management. It was, - therefore, very early deemed advisable not to file receipts of the - applicants with the case records themselves. These receipts were kept - in a separate place, being filed according to case number and being - readily accessible for reference purposes. In not over 10 out of a - total of 27,570 checks, were the checks given to the wrong person. In - all except one of these 10 cases, the person receiving them had the - same name as the endorsee. The instructions were very strict in order - to make identification sure. - - As much exasperation and delay was at first caused by difficulty in - finding case records when needed, a tracing system was introduced. - Whenever a case was transferred from one person to another, or from - one desk to another, a slip was made out, giving the number of the - case and indicating from whom it was going and to whom. The tracing - clerks had charge books with the case numbers in consecutive order. - When each slip was received, the clerk entered against the case number - the last charge, by initials or abbreviation, so that at any moment it - would be possible to find who at that time had the case in charge. The - rigid rule of the office was to note transfers immediately, and though - there were violations of this rule, its importance was so deeply - impressed upon the staff that the number of mistakes was comparatively - small. Two thousand transfers were entered on one day, October 1, - 1906. When a case was ready for filing, the fact was recorded in the - charge or tracing book. Each person was required to keep the cases - with which he was dealing, at all times in consecutive order. Four - hundred cases might be awaiting the review of the committee; another - 400 might be in the hands of the reviewers; and still another 400 in - the hands of the filing clerks. The ability rapidly to find cases was - materially increased by this simple arrangement. - - A special clerk received the case records from the auxiliary - societies. He kept a book in which to enter the name of each case, of - the society which referred it, and the grant asked for. This clerk - took the cases himself to the registrar, kept a list of them, and saw - that they were transferred from the registrar to the table of the - committee, and from the committee’s table to the bookkeeping - department. After the checks were drawn, he made sure that the records - and the checks were taken to the treasurer. After the checks were - signed, it was his duty to see that they were placed in the hands of - officials of the proper societies. If other action were taken, he was - responsible for seeing that a memorandum was given to the proper - persons. - - The special duty of another clerk was to wait upon the sub-committees - while they were passing upon cases. This clerk arranged the cases in - consecutive order, saw that the committee did not omit any, looked up - cases considered out of their turn, made memoranda of cases returned - for further investigation, etc. - - No applications theoretically were received at the Rehabilitation - Office during the time of district or section organization. As a - matter of fact, it was necessary to have at the central office from - one to four reception agents. As far as possible the applicants who - came to the Rehabilitation Office were referred to the Associated - Charities office, but oftentimes it became necessary to treat a case - as emergent. In addition to the interviewers, therefore, there were - from one to four investigators at work from the center. - - Many of the transportation cases, after being registered, were - referred directly to the secretary of the superintendent, who was - practically the corresponding secretary for the office. It was - necessary closely to watch these cases, to follow up a first inquiry - with a second letter and sometimes with a telegram, and even in some - cases with a third communication. Where these brought no replies, it - was necessary to reconsider the case to see if the transportation - should be ordered, with the insufficient information on file, or - whether some other action should be taken. With the transportation - cases awaiting answers were filed cases which awaited answers from - business references. It was found necessary to check this file - regularly at least twice a week. - - Upon the approval of recommendation for transportation, the cases were - as in other instances sent to the bookkeeper. One of the bookkeepers - entered in the Transportation Book the number of the card, the number - of the order upon the railroad, the name of the applicant, the - destination, the number of individuals, the number of tickets - required, applicant’s contribution, railroad contribution, and - committee’s contribution. - - _Letter of Information No. 2._ - - Regarding transportation. Sent to the Sections July, 1906. - - With regard to applications for transportation it may be well to - instruct you more fully as to what the railroads are doing for us and - what we can be expected to do for applicants favorably recommended. As - you know, the Rehabilitation Committee is receiving no free - transportation from any of the railroads. The Southern Pacific is now - quoting us two rates, the lower one to be used when the transportation - expense is to be charged to this Committee, and the higher in cases - only where the applicant himself is to pay. The best rate we can get - for eastward bound refugees, when the whole expense is to be borne by - this Committee, is that of one cent a mile as far as Chicago, St. - Louis or New Orleans; half fare beyond in the Central Passenger - Association, or Southern Passenger Association, territory to Buffalo, - Pittsburg, and Atlanta, and full fare beyond any of these points to - the seaboard. Where the applicant is himself to pay, he is charged at - the rate of half fare as far as Chicago, which is equal to half fare - as far as Buffalo or Pittsburg, and full fare beyond. - - The California and Northwestern Railway Co., will transport refugees - free for us whenever it is a case of this Committee recommending that - they pay nothing. - - In the matter of steamship transportation, the rates we are getting - are not so favorable; the best seems to be a quotation of second cabin - passage rates for first cabin accommodations, and perhaps a low - steerage figure. We usually give the approved applicant a special - letter to the Gen. Manager or Passenger Agent of the steamship company - authorizing the company to charge us with the amount of fare and to - make it as low as possible for this Committee. Of course, we demand - nothing and only ask and recommend in each specific case. - - With this information you may be better prepared to advise applicants - who are seeking transportation out of the city. - -IV. THE CENTRALIZED SYSTEM. The centralized system caused but little -change to be made in the system of the Rehabilitation Office itself. -With the organization of the sub-committees, a requisition blank was -introduced. Whenever a committee desired a particular case, it was asked -to fill out one of these blanks, and send it to the registration office. -Secretaries of the committees had supervision of the clerical work done -in connection with each of their departments. The bookkeeping and -tracing systems remained practically the same. - -V. CONSIDERATION OF CASES OUT OF TURN. The following letter was issued -by the superintendent in July, 1906. - - _Letter of Information No. 5_ - - Regarding Emergency Cases - - “To all Sections:-- - - “A number of cases have been forwarded with emergency cards, which - should not have had them. The Committee assumes that few emergencies - can possibly arise after a lapse of 3 months, which require immediate - settlement. - - “An excellent illustration of a ‘mistaken’ emergency:--A carpenter, - idle since the fire discovered eight days ago that he must have tools - to go to a job the following date. - - “The emergency card was taken off by direction of the Superintendent - because the natural query arose why had he not been working long - before at something. As he had not, he could very well wait until his - case was reached in regular order. Carpenters are at a premium. - - “Emergency cases delay appreciably the progress of other cases and - should be reduced in number.” - - The letter notes an important point; namely, the delays and - inconveniences that are caused by cases having to be considered out of - turn. - - On July 23, 1906, the Rehabilitation Committee voted that ordinarily - no cases should be considered emergent unless sickness or death were - involved. It goes without question, however, that such a rule could - not be strictly lived up to. Unusual situations arose which had to be - attended to. From time to time cases were sent back when the Committee - refused to handle them as emergent. It is probably true that this - particular question cannot be adequately dealt with by rules. The - necessity is for responsible committees to maintain the closest sort - of supervision and to refuse to consider out of turn cases which - obviously do not demand immediate attention. - - With the establishment of Sub-committee No. 1, which had a revolving - fund, the work was placed on a much better basis. With any letting - down of the bars, the number of requests brought up, not only by paid - workers, but by committee members, constantly increases. In the early - days, the Rehabilitation Office was overrun at times by persons who - were asking for special attention for families they knew. The need of - taking up some cases out of turn is granted; the emphasis should be - laid upon its regulation. It should be borne in mind that there is a - high principle involved; that is, the rendering of strict justice to - those families which have no friends at court, and which have not - pressed their own claims. - -VI. A LESSON LEARNED REGARDING RECORDS. In the review of the -rehabilitation work, it is quite apparent that the theory that a case -can be dealt with completely at one time is impractical. No set of rules -could or should effect the result of a family’s being considered once -only and then as a case be marked “finally closed.” A rehabilitation -committee should recognize that a large number of cases may be -re-opened, and plan its record system so that there will be no confusion -in interpreting the re-openings. - -The second Red Cross card[290] and supplementary blank cards for -extended investigations, were the only general record cards in use. To -the Red Cross card a “paster”[291] was attached by its gummed end, each -time that a case was re-opened. The number of pasters on some record -cards was from five to 10. The charity organization experience is that -nothing can take the place of the chronological record. Owing to the -use of the pasters without the carrying on of the chronological record -the system failed. - - [290] Appendix II, p. 428. - - [291] Appendix II, p. 433. - -Though the supplementary cards used in connection with the Red Cross -cards made a chronological record of the facts possible, there was no -uniformity in the keeping of the records. In connection with records of -rehabilitation work, the important points are to learn the exact date of -each application, the date upon which it was passed or refused by the -committee, and the size of the grant, if any. These important points -should be grouped somewhere for quick reference. In addition, a summary -should state the kind of rehabilitation asked for in each application. -The suggested form of summary to be filled in at the time that each -application is passed upon would be as follows: - - Date of application - Application for - Date of action - Amount of grant - Refusal - Date of payment - -The sub-committees under the centralized system failed to maintain a -uniform standard. The most orderly records were those of Committee VI, -the business committee, and Committee I, the emergency committee. The -housing committee used numerous blanks, but in order to trace a housing -case it is necessary to wade through the entire correspondence, because -the applications were frequently filed within the correspondence. In the -examination of cases from the other committees for this Relief Survey, -it was wellnigh impossible for the tabulators to learn in what manner, -and at what time, and for what reason, the re-openings occurred. The -only fact that was evident was that there had been reopenings, because -there were successive pasters indicating refusals or grants. In some -instances the reason for re-opening, instead of being placed in its -proper order upon the chronological sheets was written on top of the -paster itself in the space allowed for “Recommendation.” Sometimes by an -exhaustive study of all the documents on file, it was possible to guess -approximately the date of re-opening and why there was a re-application. -If the various chairmen of sub-committees had been working in daily -contact, as they were in the second and third periods, a better standard -would have been maintained. - -Two things have been absolutely demonstrated; first, that the records -should approximate in form those used by charity organization societies. -First, dates should be given for everything said or done, these dates -should be arranged chronologically on sheets or cards in sequence, and -the fact of the receipt of letters or documents, or of the sending of -letters or documents, should be entered in their proper chronological -order. Second, there should be a place upon the face of the card or -immediately attached to it for the summary of applications and -decisions. - -VII. LOOSE ENDS. The Rehabilitation Committee made endeavors to gather -together the loose ends that resulted from the fact that small relief -funds were distributed of which no record was given to the -Rehabilitation Committee. Among such funds may be mentioned those in the -hands of the Town and Country Club; the Doctors Daughters’, the -Physicians’, as well as the Portland (Oregon) fund and the various -church funds. In spite of there being special funds, for instance for -relief of doctors, the committee was constantly receiving applications -from physicians. It is hoped that the givers of similar funds in the -future may be gradually educated to the point of insisting upon system -and concentration of authority in their distribution; otherwise there is -bound to be waste. - -VIII. BOOKKEEPING AND REGISTRATION NOTES. The statement is axiomatic -that the most effective workers should be at the places of greatest -congestion. When a large relief problem is to be met these will usually -be the bookkeeping and registration departments. It should be -re-emphasized that in these two departments the very best help should be -searched for. In the registration work the Rehabilitation Committee was -fortunate in securing a number of library clerks for indexing. The -system of filing correspondence was not uniform. Some of the -secretaries, however, as the case records were in folders consecutively -numbered, adopted the satisfactory plan of keeping an index of the -persons written to, together with the number of the cases written about. -In order to make possible a rapid separation of replies to letters there -should be a centralization of correspondence. Under the section system -this was not necessary, owing to the fact that letters were sent out -with the addresses of the section offices, to which replies naturally -went. Possibly the only centralization necessary would have been to keep -a complete index of the names of persons written to, which would have -required the various secretaries to send to some one person a duplicate -card, giving the name of the correspondent and the case number. - -The Rehabilitation Committee’s experience proves that the authority to -give the numbers for the case records should be in one place, so that -confusion through the duplicating of numbers may be avoided. The rigid -standards of the best charity organization societies are none too rigid, -when one realizes that while such a society may deal within a year with -from 2000 to 6000 families, a committee such as the Rehabilitation -Committee might have to deal with over 25,000. Another most important -consideration is the need of impressing workers with an appreciation of -the value of records and of the call for absolute accuracy. It should be -realized that care with records does not mean red tape or loss of time, -but added efficiency. It means not only less worry for the workers -themselves, but quicker meeting of the needs of individual families. -Every minute spent in hunting for a lost record or endeavoring to supply -an omitted entry, means a minute more of delay to a number of other -families. These minutes grow astonishingly large in number, so that by -and by they may be computed in days. Not only were there such delays at -times, but it became occasionally necessary to reprove workers who had -on their own responsibility made changes in the records. In some cases, -for instance, the names of members of particular families were changed, -without the knowledge of anyone except the worker involved. As a worker -close to the Relief Survey has well said, “There is constant need of -impressing the sacredness of a record upon those who use it.” - - -12 - -GENERAL PLAN OF HOUSING COMMITTEE - -The following plan for handling applications for cottages to be built by -contractors was followed in the main by Committee V: - -1. Original requests were to be received by mail only and references -were to be consulted by mail; but in reality many persons came to the -office to file their applications. - -2. When this work was finished and the case indexed the application was -placed before the Housing Committee for: - - a. Such further investigation as it deemed necessary. - - b. Action by Committee. - -3. When the Committee decided to make a grant, directions showing the -kind of house to be built, the amount to be paid to the contractor, and -the amount of the instalments to be paid by the applicant, were written -on a slip and attached to the application. - -4. The applicant was then notified of the action of the Committee and -was told that he must execute the proper contracts with the bank -selected by the Committee, as follows: - - a. If the applicant were the owner of the land, a note and mortgage - binding him to repay the agreed instalments were drawn up and - deposited with the bank, or - - b. If the applicant were a lessee or had a contract to purchase the - land, a conditional contract of purchase providing that the title to - the cottage was to remain with the bank till paid for, together with a - consent and waiver from the owner of the land, so that the owner of - the land would not get a title to the house until all of the payments - were completed. - - c. The applicant was required to produce a receipt showing that he had - paid to the Board of Public Works the necessary deposit for opening - the street and making proper sewer connections. - -5. When the above papers had been executed and presented to the bank the -Committee was notified at once. - -6. Orders were then given to the contractor to proceed with the building -of the house. - -7. Arrangements were made with the auditing department for drawing and -forwarding the checks to be paid when so ordered and signed by a -representative of the Committee. - -8. The contractor was required to send notice by mail to the Housing -Committee when each building was completed. - -9. Thereupon an inspector was sent to examine the house and report back -to the Committee in writing within 24 hours. - -10. When a satisfactory report was received from the Committee’s -inspector the contractor was paid and the house turned over to the -applicant. - -The above outline of the method of procedure followed by the Committee, -while perhaps not adhered to strictly in every case, was, in general, -the usual plan adopted and served to expedite matters to a considerable -degree. - -In order to clarify the matter of the kind of houses the Committee would -erect, they provided drawings for four or five different styles of -buildings. These plans, with the price of each attached, were displayed -by the Committee to all applicants, who selected the one desired in -accordance with the price they were able to pay. However, the buildings -actually erected were changed in minor features by the applicant or -contractor with the consent of the Committee. The Committee engaged -various contractors in no way connected with those retained by the Land -and Building Department for the erection of camp cottages. - - -13 - -STATISTICS FROM ASSOCIATED CHARITIES[292] - - [292] Compiled from a statement supplied by the Associated Charities, - December 31, 1912. - -A. RECEIPTS OF SAN FRANCISCO ASSOCIATED CHARITIES FROM ALL SOURCES, BY -MONTHS FROM JUNE, 1907, TO SEPTEMBER, 1912, INCLUSIVE - - =========+==========+===========+===========+ - Month | 1907 | 1908 | 1909 | - ---------+----------+-----------+-----------+ - | | | | - January | .. | $13,696.38| $8,373.16| - February | .. | 8,971.17| 5,481.74| - March | .. | 10,007.52| 35,261.67| - April | .. | 17,455.98| 10,934.18| - May | .. | 14,073.68| 6,947.41| - June | $318.31| 18,318.59| 10,732.56| - July | 1,240.76| 10,303.64| 7,655.22| - August | 5,577.91| 6,704.84| 10,513.91| - September| 511.69| 9,745.11| 6,621.73| - October | 26,054.15| 8,370.00| 8,518.84| - November | 8,733.61| 4,794.58| 10,916.96| - December | 13,027.63| 7,143.04| 9,637.70| - ---------+----------+-----------+-----------+ - Total |$55,464.06|$129,584.53|$131,595.08| - ---------+----------+-----------+-----------+ - Monthly | | | | - average| $7,923.44| $10,798.71| $10,966.26| - | [293] | | | - ---------+----------+-----------+-----------+ - - =========+===========+===========+========== - Month | 1910 | 1911 | 1912 - ---------+-----------+-----------+---------- - | | | - January | $33,330.79| $1,345.48| $7,411.68 - February | 8,941.58| 7,395.55| 8,773.40 - March | 11,250.79| 5,773.97| 5,217.50 - April | 11,381.90| 5,851.66| 14,972.31 - May | 8,005.59| 10,145.33| 9,876.84 - June | 11,743.57| 14,083.40| 16,221.65 - July | 7,066.97| 1,426.34| 10,536.56 - August | 5,370.14| 16,576.94| 2,057.50 - September| 6,989.75| 4,881.17| 8,056.67 - October | 11,364.10| 11,354.83| .. - November | 6,607.95| 14,252.44| .. - December | 10,294.14| 17,850.90| .. - ---------+-----------+-----------+---------- - Total |$132,347.27|$110,938.01|$83,124.11 - ---------+-----------+-----------+---------- - Monthly | | | - average| $11,028.94| $9,244.90| $9,236.01 - | | | [294] - ---------+-----------+-----------+---------- - - [293] For seven months only. - - [294] For nine months only. - -B. DISBURSEMENTS OF SAN FRANCISCO ASSOCIATED CHARITIES FOR RELIEF AND -FOR ADMINISTRATION, BY MONTHS, FROM JUNE, 1907, TO SEPTEMBER, 1912, -INCLUSIVE[295] - - ====================+============+============+============= - Year and month | Direct | Salaries | Total - |expenditures| and other |expenditures - | for relief |expenditures| - | | for | - | | administra-| - | | tion[296] | - --------------------+------------+------------+------------- - 1907 June | $4,239.74| $1,916.60| $6,156.34 - July | 3,619.35| 2,333.34| 5,952.69 - August | 3,204.02| 1,932.65| 5,136.67 - September | 4,306.32| 2,031.74| 6,338.06 - October | 12,829.13| 1,588.15| 14,417.28 - November | 7,009.65| 699.73| 7,709.38 - December | 5,911.58| 1,815.48| 7,727.06 - --------------------+------------+------------+------------- - Total | $41,119.79| $12,317.69| $53,437.48 - --------------------+------------+------------+------------- - Monthly average| $5,874.26| $1,759.67| $7,633.93 - | [297] | [297] | [297] - --------------------+------------+------------+------------- - 1908 January | $6,622.00| $2,253.80| $8,875.80 - February | 13,714.34| 2,463.79| 16,178.13 - March | 11,011.52| 2,738.34| 13,749.86 - April | 9,611.49| 3,423.24| 13,034.73 - May | 13,846.07| 2,407.35| 16,253.42 - June | 9,322.52| 4,560.45| 13,822.97 - July | 10,852.82| 3,099.19| 13,952.01 - August | 6,314.71| 828.04| 7,142.75 - September | 7,716.84| 3,795.43| 11,512.27 - October | 7,115.43| 2,429.44| 9,544.87 - November | 4,852.45| 1,932.49| 6,784.94 - December | 4,376.88| 2,036.40| 6,413.28 - --------------------+------------+------------+------------- - Total | $105,357.07| $31,967.96| $137,325.03 - --------------------+------------+------------+------------- - Monthly average| $8,779.76| $2,664.00| $11,443.75 - --------------------+------------+-------------------------- - 1909 January | $4,921.96| $2,129.55| $7,051.51 - February | 8,245.75| 2,150.02| 10,395.77 - March | 7,394.84| 3,004.12| 10,398.96 - April | 7,417.48| 2,074.63| 9,492.11 - May | 6,120.89| 2,081.97| 8,202.86 - June | 6,872.41| 1,878.56| 8,750.97 - July | 6,210.19| 2,156.40| 8,366.59 - August | 6,816.13| 2,447.93| 9,264.06 - September | 6,332.06| 2,066.15| 8,398.21 - October | 4,931.47| 2,027.76| 6,959.23 - November | 6,291.56| 1,968.69| 8,260.25 - December | 7,919.00| 2,473.45| 10,392.45 - --------------------+------------+------------+------------- - Total | $79,473.74| $26,459.23| $105,932.97 - --------------------+------------+------------+------------- - Monthly average| $6,622.81 | $2,204.94| $8,827.75 - --------------------+------------+------------+------------- - 1910 January | $6,672.87| $2,596.15| $9,269.02 - February | 8,910.76| 2,102.22| 11,012.98 - March | 12,762.54| 2,156.48| 14,919.02 - April | 7,603.22| 2,375.26| 9,978.48 - May | 7,696.27| 2,317.41| 10,013.68 - June | 8,118.11| 2,691.02| 10,809.13 - July | 6,465.31| 2,565.34| 9,030.65 - August | 7,019.96| 2,295.84| 9,315.80 - September | 6,349.54| 2,119.41| 8,468.95 - October | 6,801.31| 1,729.99| 8,531.30 - November | 6,479.83| 2,091.95| 8,571.78 - December | 6,648.04| 2,001.97| 8,650.01 - --------------------+------------+------------+------------- - Total | $91,527.76| $27,043.04| $118,570.80 - --------------------+------------+------------+------------- - Monthly average| $7,627.31| $2,253.59| $9,880.90 - --------------------+------------+------------+------------- - 1911 January | $6,232.45| $2,415.48| $8,647.93 - February | 6,557.76| 1,845.99| 8,403.75 - March | 6,694.31| 1,997.20| 8,691.51 - April | 7,440.59| 2,253.58| 9,694.17 - May | 6,963.05| 3,030.28| 9,993.33 - June | 7,104.07| 2,152.68| 9,256.75 - July | 6,061.51| 2,088.62| 8,150.53 - August | 8,378.50| 2,138.88| 10,517.38 - September | 5,295.61| 2,285.35| 7,580.96 - October | 5,352.32| 2,456.61| 7,808.93 - November | 7,004.82| 2,632.77| 9,637.59 - December | 7,072.07| 2,213.52| 9,285.59 - --------------------+------------+------------+------------- - Total | $80,157.06| $27,510.96| $107,668.02 - --------------------+------------+------------+------------- - Monthly average| $6,679.76| $2,292.58| $8,972.33 - --------------------+------------+------------+------------- - 1912 January | $8,057.74| $2,732.89| $10,790.63 - February | 9,869.41| 2,383.10| 12,252.51 - March | 9,162.64| 2,545.83| 11,708.47 - April | 7,209.24| 2,356.18| 9,565.42 - May | 7,746.63| 3,402.04| 11,148.67 - June | 13,484.32| 2,815.99| 16,300.31 - July | 9,824.77| 2,587.55| 12,412.32 - August | 9,824.77| 2,587.55| 12,412.32 - September | 7,465.69| 2,741.52| 10,207.21 - --------------------+------------+------------+------------- - Total | $82,645.21| $24,152.65| $106,797.86 - --------------------+------------+------------+------------- - Monthly average| $9,182.80| $2,683.63| $11,866.43 - | [298] | [298] | [298] - --------------------+-------------------------+------------- - - [295] Compiled from a statement supplied by the Associated Charities, - December 31, 1912. - - [296] Includes nursing service and child care. - - [297] For seven months only. - - [298] For nine months only. - -C. TOTAL DISBURSEMENTS AND AVERAGE MONTHLY DISBURSEMENTS OF SAN -FRANCISCO ASSOCIATED CHARITIES FOR RELIEF AND ADMINISTRATION, BY YEARS. -1907 TO 1912[299] - - ===============================+============+============+============ - Year | | Salaries | Total - | Direct | and other |expenditures - |expenditures|expenditures| - | for relief | for | - | | administra-| - | | tion | - -------------------------------+------------+------------+------------ - Total yearly expenditures in | | | - 1907[300] | $41,119.79 | $12,317.69 | $53,437.48 - 1908 | 105,357.07 | 31,967.96 | 137,325.03 - 1909 | 79,473.74 | 26,459.23 | 105,932.97 - 1910 | 91,527.76 | 27,043.04 | 118,570.80 - 1911 | 80,157.06 | 27,510.96 | 107,668.02 - 1912[301] | 82,645.21 | 24,152.65 | 106,797.86 - -------------------------------+------------+------------+------------ - Average monthly expenditures in| | | - 1907[300] | 5,874.26 | 1,759.67 | 7,633.93 - 1908 | 8,779.76 | 2,664.00 | 11,443.75 - 1909 | 6,622.81 | 2,204.94 | 8,827.75 - 1910 | 7,627.31 | 2,253.59 | 9,880.90 - 1911 | 6,679.76 | 2,292.58 | 8,972.33 - 1912[301] | 9,182.80 | 2,683.63 | 11,866.43 - -------------------------------+------------+------------+------------ - - [299] Compiled from a statement supplied by the Associated Charities, - December 31, 1912. - - [300] For seven months only. - - [301] For five months only. - - - - - APPENDIX II - - FORMS AND CIRCULARS - - -APPENDIX II - -FORMS AND CIRCULARS - - - PAGE - First registration card (Face) 425 - First registration card (Reverse) 426 - Food card (Face and Reverse) 427 - Second registration card (Face) 428 - Second registration card (Reverse) 429 - Tent record sheet 430 - Camp commander’s report sheet 431 - Rehabilitation Committee - Report form 432 - Paster 433 - Circular 434 - Application Blank 435 - Circular letter of inquiry 436 - Bureau of Special Relief - Recommendation form 437 - Report form 438 - Medical service form 439 - Order form A 440 - Order form B 441 - Bureau of Hospitals - Hospital report sheet 442 - Application forms for business rehabilitation 443 - Application for bonus 447 - Land and Building Department. Notice 448 - Application for housing grant 449 - - -FIRST REGISTRATION CARD (FACE) - - +--------------------------------------------------------------------+ - | NATIONAL RED CROSS | - | General Register of Applicants for Relief, San Francisco, 1906. | - | Food Station No....... | - |+======================+==================+=========================+ - |Surname and given names|Total number of |Food|Date of this | - |of head of family. |persons for whom |Card|registration. | - | |rations are asked:|No. | | - | |..................| | | - | |Men.......... | | | - | |Children..... | | | - |Women........ | | | - | |Aged, etc.... | | | - +------------------------------------------+----+--------------------+ - |Present location. |Former home or address on | - | |April 17th. | - +----------------------+----+-------+----+-------------+-------------+ - |Trade or occupation of|Age.|Nationality.| Union. |Former | - |head of family. | | | |employer. | - | | | | | | - +----------------------+----+------------+-------------+-------------+ - |References, or other memoranda relating to employment: | - | | - +--------------------------------------------------------------------+ - |Membership in: (1) fraternal orders; (2) churches; (3) clubs: | - | | - +--------------------------------------------------------------------+ - |Address of friends to be communicated with: | - | | - +---------------------------+-------------+--------------------------+ - |Present employment: |Is it steady?|Is applicant owner of real| - | | |estate? If so, where? | - | | | | - +---------------------------+-------------+--------------------------+ - |Plans for future: | - | | - +--------------------------------------------------------------------+ - |Relief supplied (other than rations, including transportation): | - | | - +--------------------------------------------------------------------+ - |Remarks: | - | | - +--------------------------------------------------------------------+ - - -FIRST REGISTRATION CARD (REVERSE) - - +-+-+----------------------------------------------------------------+ - |F| | | - |o| | | - |o| | | - |d|D| | - | |a| | - |C|t| | - |a|e| | - |r|.| | - |d| | | - | | | | - |I| | | - |s+-+----------------------------------------------------------------+ - |s| | | - |u|N| | - |e|o| | - |d|.| | - |.| | | - +-+-+----------------------------------------------------------------+ - |Data as to adult bread winners in family or party (not the applicant| - | named on face of card). | - +--------------------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+ - | | _m.f._| _m.f._| _m.f._| _m.f._| - | Name and sex |...........|...........|...........|...........| - | Age and nationality|...........|...........|...........|...........| - | Trade or occupation|...........|...........|...........|...........| - | Union |...........|...........|...........|...........| - | Former employer |...........|...........|...........|...........| - | References |...........|...........|...........|...........| - | Present employment |...........|...........|...........|...........| - | Future plans |...........|...........|...........|...........| - +--------------------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+ - | Remarks:-- | - | | - +--------------------------------------------------------------------+ - - -FOOD CARD (FACE AND REVERSE) - - +---+-----------------------------------------------------------+---+ - | 1| NATIONAL RED CROSS. | S | - +---+ FOOD CARD. | e | - | 2| | e | - +---+ +-----------------+ | | - | 3| | | | o | - +---+ | | | t | - | 4| C. No........... | | R. S. No........... | h | - +---+ | | | e | - | 5| | | | r | - +---+ +-----------------+ | | - | 6| | s | - +---+ This card is issued on .................................. | i | - | 7| (date) | d | - +---+ | e | - | 8| | . | - +---+ It will be good for 10 days ending ...................... +---+ - | 9| (date) | 31| - +---+ +---+ - | 10| | 30| - +--+ ..................................... +---+ - | 11| (Signature of Issuing Officer.) | 29| - +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ - | 12| 13| 14| 15| 16| 17| 18| 19| 20| 21| 22| 23| 24| 25| 26| 27| 28| - +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ - - +--------------------------------------------------------------------+ - | TAKE NOTICE. | - | | - | This card must be presented whenever rations are drawn. When | - | drawing rations keep it always in plain sight. | - | | - | This card is =not transferable=, and will be honored only when | - | presented by the person to whom it is issued, or by some member of | - | his family or party. | - | | - | Good only for 10 days. | - | | - | Renewable after 10 days at the discretion of the registration | - | officer. | - | | - | Good only at the Relief Station of issue. | - | | - | If any fraudulent use of this card is attempted it will be taken up| - | and no rations will be issued to the offenders. | - +--------------------------------------------------------------------+ - - -SECOND REGISTRATION CARD (FACE) - - +--------------------------------------------------------------------+ - | NATIONAL RED CROSS SAN FRANCISCO | - |NO. SECOND REGISTRATION (DATE) 1906 | - +-------+------------------------------------------------+------+----+ - |SURNAME|.....................ADDRESS....................|No. of|Rent| - | |At present. (Give exactly)......................|Rooms |....| - | |April 17...............How long at this address?|......|....| - +-------+------------------------------------------------+------+----+ - | First Age Trade or Earnings per Physical Birth Years| - | name usual wk. ordi- condi- place in | - | occupation narily tion and race S. F.| - |Man ........ ... ........... ............ ........ ........ .....| - |Woman ........ ... ........... ............ ........ ........ .....| - +--------------------------------------------------------------------+ - |Children LOSSES Description Estimated value| - |...............House (owned)........................................| - |...............Business: plant?........position?....................| - |...............Furniture and clothing...............................| - |...............Injury to health.....................................| - |....................................................................| - +--------------------------------------------------------------------+ - |Others in household RESOURCES | - |..............................Insurance: amount?....................| - |.............................. In what companies?..................| - |..............................Savings: amount?........Which bank?...| - |..............................Real estate: value?...................| - |.............................. Location?...........................| - |..............................Anything else?........................| - +--------------------------------------------------------------------+ - - -SECOND REGISTRATION CARD (REVERSE) - - +--------------------------------------------------------------------+ - |From which relief station has family received help? | - +-------------------------------------+------------------------------+ - |What are bread-winners doing?........| PLANS FOR FUTURE | - |Name of employers....................|Family’s estimate on what it | - |Present addresses....................|needs and its plans:..........| - |Is work permanent?...................|..............................| - +-------------------------------------+------------------------------| - |Employers before the fire....of......|..............................| - |Present address......................|..............................| - |.....................................|How long does family expect to| - |.....................................|need help | - |.....................................|in in in other | - |.....................................|food? shelter? ways? | - |.....................................|..............................| - +-------------------------------------+------------------------------+ - |Other references Present address|Investigator’s suggestion as | - |.....................................|to what should be done: | - +-------------------------------------+..............................| - |Name of Church, Union, or other or- |..............................| - |ganization to which any member of |..............................| - |family belongs |..............................| - |.....................................|..............................| - +-------------------------------------+..............................| - |Relatives: name, address, ability to |..............................| - |help.................................|..............................| - |.....................................|..............................| - |.....................................| (Signature of investigator) | - +-------------------------------------+------------------------------+ - |Action taken:.......................................................| - |....................................................................| - +--------------------------------------------------------------------+ - - -TENT RECORD SHEET - - Camp Number TENT RECORD[302] Tent Number - OCCUPANTS - ===+=========+===+========+=========+======+=====+=======+=====+ - NO.|NAME AND |Age|Employed|Relatives|Unable|Would| Will |Could| - |RESIDENCE|Sex| at | Earning | to | Work|Support| Pay | - | BEFORE | | Earning| | work | at |Self if| Rent| - | FIRE | | | | Cause| | Given | | - ---+---------+---+--------+---------+------+-----+-------+-----+ - 1 | | | | | | | | | - 2 | | | | | | | | | - 3 | | | | | | | | | - 4 | | | | | | | | | - 5 | | | | | | | | | - 6 | | | | | | | | | - ---+---------+---+--------+---------+------+-----+-------+-----+ - - OCCUPANTS INVENTORY - ===+========+====+=====+=====+====+====+======+======+====+======+ - NO.| Need | |Mat- |Blan-|Bed-|Pil-| Wash-|Crock-|Tow-| | - |Clothing|Cots|tres-|kets |ding|lows|basins| ery | els|Brooms| - | | |ses | | | | | | | | - | | | | | | | | | | | - ---+--------+----+-----+-----+----+----+------+------+----+------+ - 1 | | | | | | | | | | | - 2 | | | | | | | | | | | - 3 | | | | | | | | | | | - 4 | | | | | | | | | | | - 5 | | | | | | | | | | | - 6 | | | | | | | | | | | - ---+--------+----+-----+-----+----+----+------+------+----+------+ - - INVENTORY - ===+=====+====+====+====+ - NO.|Pails|Tubs|Can-|Soap| - | | |dles| | - | | | | | - | | | | | - ---+-----+----+----+----+ - 1 | | | | | - 2 | | | | | - 3 | | | | | - 4 | | | | | - 5 | | | | | - 6 | | | | | - ---+-----+----+----+----+ - - MEAL TICKET RECORD DIET HEALTH - -+------+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ - |MEAL | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - |TICKET| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - 1|NO. | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - |Date | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - |Diet | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - |Health| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - |MEAL | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - |TICKET| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - 2|NO. | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - |Date | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - |Diet | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - |Health| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - |MEAL | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - |TICKET| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - 3|NO. | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - |Date | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - |Diet | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - |Health| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - |MEAL | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - |TICKET| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - 4|NO. | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - |Date | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - |Diet | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - |Health| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - |MEAL | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - |TICKET| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - 5|NO. | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - |Date | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - |Diet | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - |Health| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - |MEAL | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - |TICKET| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - 6|NO. | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - |Date | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - |Diet | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - |Health| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - -+------+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ - - [302] Actual size of sheet 16 x 20 inches. - - +--------------------------------------------------------------------+ - | CAMP COMMANDER’S REPORT[303] | - |For Week Ending 1906 CAMP NO. | - +=====================================+===+====+=====+=====+=====+===+ - | |MEN|BOYS|WOMEN|GIRLS|TOTAL| | - +-------------------------------------+---+----+-----+-----+-----+---+ - | OCCUPANTS | | | | | | | - +-------------------------------------+---+----+-----+-----+-----+---+ - |As per LAST REPORT | | | | | | | - +-------------------------------------+---+----+-----+-----+-----+---+ - |ARRIVALS THIS WEEK { Add to | | | | | | | - | { Above | | | | | | | - +-------------------------------------+---+----+-----+-----+-----+---+ - | TOTAL | | | | | | | - +-------------------------------------+---+----+-----+-----+-----+---+ - | DEPARTURES | | | | | | | - +-------------------------------------+---+----+-----+-----+-----+---+ - |Ejectments | | | | | | | - +-------------------------------------+---+----+-----+-----+-----+---+ - |Left Camp | | | | | | | - +-------------------------------------+---+----+-----+-----+-----+---+ - |Sent to Hospital | | | | | | | - +-------------------------------------+---+----+-----+-----+-----+---+ - | Deduct this } | | | | | | | - | from Above } Total | | | | | | | - +-------------------------------------+---+----+-----+-----+-----+---+ - |TOTAL OCCUPANTS { Remaining | | | | | | | - | { in Camp | | | | | | | - +-------------------------------------+---+----+-----+-----+-----+---+ - | Regular MEAL TICKETS | | | | | | | - +-------------------------------------+---+----+-----+-----+-----+---+ - | Full Books } Equals Tickets | | | | | | | - | Issued } | | | | | | | - +-------------------------------------+---+----+-----+-----+-----+---+ - | Part Books } Equals Tickets | | | | | | | - | Issued } | | | | | | | - +-------------------------------------+---+----+-----+-----+-----+---+ - | TOTAL ISSUED | | | | | | | - +-------------------------------------+---+----+-----+-----+-----+---+ - | TOTAL TICKETS REDEEMED | | | | | | | - +-------------------------------------+---+----+-----+-----+-----+---+ - |Special DIET TICKETS Issued | | | | | | | - +-------------------------------------+---+----+-----+-----+-----+---+ - | Returned | | | | | | | - | Cancelled | | | | | | | - +-------------------------------------+---+----+-----+-----+-----+---+ - |Special RAW FOOD TICKETS Issued | | | | | | | - +-------------------------------------+---+----+-----+-----+-----+---+ - | Returned | | | | | | | - | Cancelled | | | | | | | - +=====================================+===+====+=====+=====+=====+===+ - | HEALTH | | | | | | | - +-------------------------------------+---+----+-----+-----+-----+---+ - |On SICK LIST as per LAST REPORT | | | | | | | - +-------------------------------------+---+----+-----+-----+-----+---+ - |Since Reported as Well { Deduct | | | | | | | - | { from Above | | | | | | | - +-------------------------------------+---+----+-----+-----+-----+---+ - | | | | | | | | - +-------------------------------------+---+----+-----+-----+-----+---+ - |Addition to Sick List this Week | | | | | | | - +-------------------------------------+---+----+-----+-----+-----+---+ - | TOTAL SICK IN CAMP | | | | | | | - +-------------------------------------+---+----+-----+-----+-----+---+ - |Cases Treated by Doctor { as per | | | | | | | - | { Last Report| | | | | | | - +-------------------------------------+---+----+-----+-----+-----+---+ - | “ “ “ “ This Week | | | | | | | - +-------------------------------------+---+----+-----+-----+-----+---+ - |TOTAL CASES TREATED BY DOCTOR | | | | | | | - +-------------------------------------+---+----+-----+-----+-----+---+ - | EMPLOYED | | | | | | | - +-------------------------------------+---+----+-----+-----+-----+---+ - |Found Employment This Week | | | | | | | - +-------------------------------------+---+----+-----+-----+-----+---+ - |TOTAL EMPLOYED Living in Camp | | | | | | | - +-------------------------------------+---+----+-----+-----+-----+---+ - |Unable to Work | | | | | | | - +-------------------------------------+---+----+-----+-----+-----+---+ - |Sick List | | | | | | | - +-------------------------------------+---+----+-----+-----+-----+---+ - |Desire to Work | | | | | | | - +-------------------------------------+---+----+-----+-----+-----+---+ - | TOTAL IN CAMP AS SHOWN ABOVE | | | | | | | - +=====================================+===+====+=====+=====+=====+===+ - | | | | | | | | - +-------------------------------------+---+----+-----+-----+-----+---+ - | | | | CAMP COMMANDER. | - +-------------------------------------+---+----+---------------------+ - - [303] Actual size of sheet 10 x 18 inches. - - -REPORT FORM - - +--------------------------------------------------------------------+ - | REHABILITATION COMMITTEE | - | Daily Report for_______________________1906 | - +============+====+====+====+==================+=====================+ - | RECEIPTS |PRE-| TO-| TO-| TRANSPORTATION | LOAN ACCOUNT | - | | VI-| DAY| TAL| DETAILS | | - | | OUS| | +--------+----+----+-------------+---+---+ - +------------+----+----+----+Comm. |....|....|Total loans |...|...| - |Appropria- |....|....|....|contri- |....|....|to date |...|...| - |tions |....|....|....|bution |....|....| |...|...| - | |....|....|....|esti- |....|....| |...|...| - | |....|....|....|mated |....|....|Total |...|...| - |Loans |....|....|....| |....|....|repaid |...|...| - |Repaid |....|....|....|Paid by |....|....| +---+---+ - | |....|....|....|commit- |....|....| |...|...| - | |....|....|....|tee |....|....|Balance |...|...| - |Miscella- |....|....|....| +----+----+outstanding |...|...| - |neous |....|....|....|Esti- |....|....| +---+---+ - | |....|....|....|mated |....|....| |...|...| - +------------+----+----+----+bal. |....|....| |...|...| - | |....|....|....|due |....|....| |...|...| - | TOTAL |....|....|....|rail- |....|....| |...|...| - | |....|....|....|roads |....|....| |...|...| - +============+====+====+====+========+====+===++=============+===+===+ - | DISBURSE- | | | | TODAY’S| TOTAL | APPROPRIATION ACCOUNT| - | MENTS | | | | AVERAGE| AVERAGE+--------------+---+---+ - +------------+----+----+----+ PAYMENT| PAYMENT|Appropriations|...|...| - |Tools |....|....|....|FOR EACH|FOR EACH|Other sources |...|...| - |Household |....|....|....| CASE | CASE | +---+---+ - |Business |....|....|....+----+---+----+---+Total |...|...| - |Special |....|....|....|....|...|....|...|Disbursements |...|...| - |Relief |....|....|....|....|...|....|...| +---+---+ - |Transporta- |....|....|....|....|...|....|...|Balance avail-|...|...| - |tion |....|....|....|....|...|....|...|able |...|...| - |Miscella- |....|....|....|....|...|....|...+--------------+---+---+ - |neous |....|....|....|....|...|....|...|......................| - +------------+----+----+----+....|...|....|...|......................| - | TOTAL |....|....|....|....|...|....|...|......................| - +------------+----+----+----+....|...|....|...|......................| - |Balance on |....|....|....|....|...|....|...|......................| - |hand |....|....|....|....|...|....|...|......................| - +============+====+====+====+----+---+----+---+----------------------+ - | STATEMENT OF APPLICATIONS | DAILY STATEMENT OF | - | FINALLY DISPOSED OF | APPLICATIONS PENDING | - +------------+----+----+----+-----------------------------------+----+ - | KIND |PRE-| TO-| TO-|Waiting Registration |....| - | | VI-| DAY| TAL|Waiting answers to correspondence |....| - | | OUS| | |Action deferred-housing, business, |....| - +------------+----+----+----+etc. |....| - |Tools |....|....|....|Waiting recommendation |....| - |Household |....|....|....|Waiting approval by sub-committee |....| - |Business |....|....|....|Waiting approval by whole commit- |....| - |Special |....|....|....|tee |....| - |Relief |....|....|....|Approved but checks not drawn |....| - |Transporta- |....|....|....|Total cases pending in office |....| - |tion |....|....|....|Total cases pending in field |....| - |Miscella- |....|....|....|Total cases already disposed of |....| - |neous |....|....|....|Total cases to date |....| - |TOTAL |....|....|....+===================================+====+ - +============+====+====+====+ MISCELLANEOUS | - |ACTION TAKEN|....|....|....| INFORMATION | - +------------+ | | +-----------------------------------+----+ - |Referred to |....|....|....|No. of cases received yesterday |....| - |others |....|....|....|from sections and Investigating |....| - |Refused |....|....|....+Bureau |....| - |Not found |....|....|....|Number of cases received yesterday |....| - |Withdrawn |....|....|....|from societies |....| - |Assisted |....|....|....|Cases with checks drawn but not |....| - | +----+----+----+signed |....| - | TOTAL |....|....|....|Cases with checks signed but not |....| - | +----+----+----+delivered, and cases refused |....| - |NO. OF INDIVIDUALS | |....| - +---------------------------+-----------------------------------+----+ - - -PASTER[304] - - +--------------------------------------------------------------------+ - | REHABILITATION COMMITTEE | - | | - | Household | - |Date________Recommended Loan $_________for Special Relief__________| - | Grant Transportation | - | Housing | - |____________________________________________________________________| - | | - |Date________Approved Loan $_________for____________________________| - | Grant | - |____________________________________________________________________| - | | - |Any conditions?_____________________________________________________| - |____________________________________________________________________| - | | - |Check No.________________ Signed__________________________________| - | | - |Transportation Request___ __________________________________| - +--------------------------------------------------------------------+ - - - [304] See Appendix I, p. 409. - - - CIRCULAR - - ------------------------- - F. W. DOHRMANN, CH. REHABILITATION COMMITTEE - D. O. CROWLEY - O. K. CUSHING SAN FRANCISCO RELIEF AND RED CROSS FUNDS - JOHN A. EMERY - JOHN GALLWEY (A CORPORATION) - C. F. LEEGE - ABRAHAM HAAS GOUGH AND GEARY STREETS - - KATHARINE C. FELTON, SUP. - ------------------------- - -The Rehabilitation Committee, from this time on, will separate its work -under two distinct divisions; one established for a limited period and -designed to meet the needs of self-supporting families, who cannot, -within the means at their command, obtain necessary household furniture -or secure homes suitable to live in; the other established on a relief -basis, and designed to meet the needs of families who, on account of -illness or other misfortune, are for the time being incapable of -self-support. - -Under Division One, applications for housing and household furniture -will be considered. - -(a) HOUSING: The Committee has arranged with several contractors to -build four and five roomed cottages, with plumbing installed, at prices -ranging from $300 to $800. Any self-supporting man or woman, who is the -head of a household, and who, as the result of the disaster, is unable -to obtain suitable housing accommodations at rent within his means, can -arrange to buy one of these cottages. If he is unable to pay the entire -cost, the Committee will make part payment, and when necessary can -arrange that the other part may be paid by the purchaser in monthly -installments. Not more than $50 in ready money is therefore needed in -order to enable any family to take advantage of this offer, and the -monthly payment on both house and lot will not exceed the ordinary rent. -The Committee is also ready to help those who are building cottages -according to their own plans, provided the total cost does not exceed -$750. The Committee believes that many families would do well to avail -themselves of this offer to obtain a house of their own at small cost. -Applications will be received by mail only and should be directed to the -“Housing Committee.” - -(b) HOUSEHOLD FURNITURE. Applications will be received from families who -are self-supporting and have suffered material loss from the disaster. -The income and present resources must be insufficient to enable the -family to get necessary household furniture within a reasonable time, -without incurring burdensome debt. No application under this head will -be received from anyone to whom the Committee has already made a grant. -Applications will be received by mail only. Write for a blank to Gough -and Geary streets. Mark envelope “Furniture Application.” No such -applications will be received after January 31st, 1907. - -Division Two is organized on the basis of relief. Applications will be -received only from families who, through circumstances beyond their -control, are incapable of self-support, and whose applications, even -under normal conditions, would be received by any regularly organized -relief society. No grants will be made to single persons capable of -self-support, to families where the husband is earning practically the -same wages as he did before the fire and is capable of supporting those -dependent upon him, or to those who have made no plans for the future -and who ask for money simply to meet the ordinary every-day expenses. - -Anyone in need of relief should call at the offices between nine and ten -any morning except Saturday. Applications for relief are not received by -mail. - -=N. B.--After January 31st [1907], no application will be received under -division one except for Housing, and no grant will be made to -self-supporting families. This rule will be strictly adhered to.= - - KATHARINE C. FELTON - Superintendent - - -APPLICATION BLANK[305] - - +--------------------------------------------------------------------+ - |No......... | - | REHABILITATION COMMITTEE | - | San Francisco Relief and Red Cross Funds, Inc. | - | | - | Dated.................................1907| - +============+==========+===============================+======+=====+ - | Surname | Date | Address | Rooms| Rent| - +------------+----------+-------------------------------+------+-----+ - |............|..........|...............................|......|.....| - | |..........|...............................|......|.....| - | |..........|...............................|......|.....| - | | April 17th................How long?......|......|.....| - +============+====+===+=========+==========+============+======+=====+ - | | | | | | | - |First Name |Age| Occupa- | Earnings | Physical |Name Address| - | | | tion | Per Week | condition | of Employer | - +-----------------+---+---------+----------+-----------+-------------+ - |Man..............|...|.........|..........|...........|.............| - |Woman............|...|.........|..........|...........|.............| - |Children.........|...|.........|..........|...........|.............| - | .........|...|.........|..........|...........|.............| - | .........|...|.........|..........|...........|.............| - | .........|...|.........|..........+-----------+-------------+ - |Others in Family |...|.........|..........| Other References | - | .........|...|.........|..........+-----------+-------------+ - | .........|...|.........|..........|...........|.............| - | .........|...|.........|..........|...........|.............| - | .........|...|.........|..........|...........|.............| - +=================+===+=========+==+=======+===========+=============+ - |Insurance: Amount?................|Savings: Amount?.................| - |What companies?...................|Real Estate: Value?..............| - |..................................|Other Property?..................| - +----------------------------------+---------------------------------+ - |Attach two letters of reference. If possible one should be from a | - |former landlord to whom you have paid rent for some time. If you are| - |living in a permanent camp, one letter must be from the Camp | - |Commander. | - | (OVER) | - +--------------------------------------------------------------------+ - - [305] On the reverse side space was provided for answers to the - following: - - What sum do you ask from the Rehabilitation Committee?................ - State clearly the use to which you wish to put this money............. - State clearly what have been the circumstances that make this - application necessary................................................. - - - CIRCULAR LETTER OF INQUIRY - - F. W. DOHRMANN, REHABILITATION COMMITTEE SPECIAL COMMITTEE - Chairman ON HOUSING AND - D. O. CROWLEY SAN FRANCISCO RELIEF AND SHELTER - O. K. CUSHING RED CROSS FUNDS REV. D. O. CROWLEY, - JOHN A. EMERY Chairman - JOHN GALLWEY A CORPORATION MISS A. GRIFFITH - ABRAHAM HAAS DR. A. A. D’ANCONA - C. F. LEEGE GOUGH AND GEARY STS. MR. JOSEPH C. QUEEN - KATHERINE C. FELTON MR. O. ALBERT BERNARD - Superintendent - - San Francisco, - - Dear - - has made application to avail himself of the offer of this - Committee to assist in the refurnishing of homes, an offer which you - have probably seen in the daily papers, and has given your name to us - as his principal reference. - - In sending you this letter, the Rehabilitation Committee urges you to - consider that the great majority of those who apply for relief are - strangers to the Committee, and that it cannot deal with their - applications either justly or quickly unless those who do know them - are willing to consider themselves as in a sense trustees of this - fund, and to share with the Committee some of the responsibility of - its administration. - - In this present investigation, the Rehabilitation Committee expects to - rely largely upon the information it receives from the references of - applicants, and therefore deems it especially important to emphasize - at this time its need for accurate and full information. Anything that - is written is regarded as entirely confidential. - - O. K. CUSHING, - Acting Chairman. - - QUESTIONS - - How long has Mr................. been in your employ?......... - Wages per week at present?.................................... - Is the work likely to be permanent?........................... - Are you in a position to state whether this applicant - is temperate, honest, and of good character?.................. - Can you freely recommend the granting of this - application?.................................................. - - N. B.--Send reply in enclosed directed envelope. - - - RECOMMENDATION FORM - - +--------------------------------------------------------------------+ - | FORM FOR SPECIAL RELIEF | - +====================================================================+ - | In duplicate, both copies to be forwarded to the Executive | - |Officer. Issues to be made only to women and children in need; men | - |only when sick and destitute. Following questions must be answered | - |in every case. | - +====================================================================+ - | CAMP...............................| - | DATE...........................1907| - | | - |SUPERINTENDENT OF SPECIAL RELIEF, | - | SIR: | - | I HAVE RECOMMENDED THAT THE FOLLOWING BE SUPPLIED: | - +===================================+================================+ - |Name of Applicant in full and Age | Wages | - | | | - +-----------------------------------+--------------------------------+ - | Full Name of Parents or Husband | If not Working, why? | - | or Wife | | - | | | - +-----------------------------------+--------------------------------+ - | Present Address | Means of Support | - | | | - +-----------------------------------+--------------------------------+ - |Address Prior to April 18th, 1906 | Number in Family | - | | | - +-----------------------------------+--------------------------------+ - | Occupation |Relief Already Received from the| - | | Rehabilitation Committee | - +===================================+================================+ - | ARTICLES | - | | - | | - | | - | | - | | - +====================================================================+ - |Approved: Approved: | - | | - |------------------------------ -----------------------------| - | Executive Officer Camp Commander| - +--------------------------------------------------------------------+ - - - REPORT FORM - - +--------------------------------------------------------------------+ - |BUREAU OF SPECIAL RELIEF HERBERT GUNN, M. D. | - | Supt. Bureau Special Relief| - |Department of Relief and Rehabilitation | - |San Francisco Relief and Red Cross Funds | - |GEARY AND GOUGH STREETS | - | | - | Week Ending.......................190 | - | | - |REPORT OF SECTION.................... | - | | - |NO. ORDERS ISSUED......NEW........... | - | | - |NO. ORDERS ISSUED......REPEAT...........TOTAL.......................| - | | - |NO. ORDERS DISCONTINUED.............................................| - | | - |Are orders filled promptly and are articles of good quality?........| - | | - | | - | (SIGNED)......................| - +--------------------------------------------------------------------+ - - - MEDICAL SERVICE FORM[306] - - +--------------------------------------------------------------------+ - |Nº. 1102 HERBERT GUNN, M. D. | - | Supt. Bureau Special Relief| - | | - | BUREAU OF SPECIAL RELIEF | - | Geary and Gough Streets | - | | - | SAN FRANCISCO,.................1906 | - | | - |....................................... | - | | - | Section........ | - | | - |Please call on......................................................| - | | - | Address......................................................| - | | - |Relief required.....................................................| - |....................................................................| - |Remarks.............................................................| - |....................................................................| - | | - |Kindly return this paper with your report. | - | ...................................| - | | - |Reported by letter or in person...................... | - | | - |Refer to............................. | - +--------------------------------------------------------------------+ - - [306] Printed with duplicate on yellow paper beneath for carbon copy. - - -ORDER FORM--A[307] - - +--------------------------------------------------------------------+ - | DATE_______________| - | | - |ORIGINAL BUREAU OF SPECIAL RELIEF ORIGINAL | - | REPEAT ORDER | - | | - |No............ Date............................| - |Surname.............................................................| - |First Name: Man’s...................Woman’s.........................| - |Address.............................................................| - |Address April 18, 1906?.............................................| - |Number in family?......................Ages.........................| - |Adult Males?...........................Ages.........................| - |Adult Females?.........................Ages.........................| - | Name Occupation Where Employed Amount per Week| - |................. ............... ................ ...............| - |................. ............... ................ ...............| - |Amt. Recd. from Rehab. Com. $..............Date.....................| - |How expended?.......................................................| - |Insurance?.................Companies?...............................| - |Savings Amount?..........................Bank:......................| - |Real Estate:...............Value:...................................| - |Location:...........................................................| - |Other resources:....................................................| - |Residence Continuous in S. F. since April 18th?.....................| - |Will require relief for:............................................| - |Reason for requiring relief:........................................| - |....................................................................| - |....................................................................| - |....................................................................| - |Physician attending?..........................Paid?.....+----------+| - |Articles required:......................................| || - |........................................................| || - |........................................................| || - |........................................................+----------+| - |....................................................................| - |....................................................................| - |....................................................................| - |....................................................................| - |....................................................................| - |....................................................................| - |....................................................................| - |....................................................................| - |....................................................................| - |....................................................................| - |Meat Order..........................................................| - | Approved.........................................| - +--------------------------------------------------------------------+ - - [307] Printed with duplicates on yellow paper for carbon copies. - - -ORDER FORM--B - - +--------------------------------------------------------------------+ - | BUREAU OF SPECIAL RELIEF | - | Department of Relief and Rehabilitation | - | San Francisco Relief and Red Cross Funds | - | GEARY AND GOUGH STREETS | - | | - | San Francisco,.................190 | - |Name................................... | - |Address................................ | - | | - | Dear Sirs: | - |Please deliver to...................................................| - |..............................................the following articles| - |and charge to Bureau of Special Relief. | - +======================+==========+=======================+==========+ - | | Cost | | Cost | - +----------------------+------+---+-----------------------+------+---+ - |Apples (dry), |......|...|Potatoes, |......|...| - |Beans, |......|...|Prunes, |......|...| - |Bread, |......|...|Rice, |......|...| - |Butter, |......|...|Salt, |......|...| - |Cocoa, |......|...|Soap, |......|...| - |Coffee, |......|...|Sago, |......|...| - |Condensed Milk, |......|...|Sugar, |......|...| - |Eggs, |......|...|Tea, |......|...| - |Flour, |......|...|Pepper, |......|...| - |Macaroni, |......|...|Candles, |......|...| - |Mush, |......|...|.......................|......|...| - |......................|......|...|.......................|......|...| - |......................|......|...|.......................|......|...| - |......................|......|...|.......................|......|...| - | Total |......|...| Total |......|...| - +----------------------+------+---+-----------------------+------+---+ - |Received above articles | - |................................ .................................| - | Superintendent.| - | IF UNABLE TO DELIVER, NOTIFY THIS OFFICE AT ONCE | - +--------------------------------------------------------------------+ - - -HOSPITAL REPORT SHEET - - SAN FRANCISCO RELIEF AND RED CROSS FUNDS - INCORPORATED - HOSPITAL DEPARTMENT - - _Hospital Report for week ending_ ___________190_ - _Name of Hospital_ _______________________ - _Superintendent_ ___________________ - - +===+=======+===+======+========+============+============+========+ - |No.|Name of|Age|Single| Married| Occupation | Address |Society,| - | |Patient| | | No. of | | | if | - | | | | |Children+------+-----+------+-----+ any | - | | | | | |Before|After|Before|After| | - | | | | | | | | | | | - | | | | | | | | | | | - | | | | | | | | | | | - +---+-------+---+------+--------+------+-----+------+-----+--------+ - | | | | | | | | | | | - | | | | | | | | | | | - | | | | | | | | | | | - | | | | | | | | | | | - | | | | | | | | | | | - | | | | | | | | | | | - | | | | | | | | | | | - | | | | | | | | | | | - | | | | | | | | | | | - | | | | | | | | | | | - | | | | | | | | | | | - | | | | | | | | | | | - | | | | | | | | | | | - | | | | | | | | | | | - +---+-------+---+------+--------+------+-----+------+-----+--------+ - - +========+===============+=================+========+=======+======= - | Ad- | Diagnosis | Condition when | Dis- |Cost of|Remarks - | mitted | | Admitted | charged| Main- | - |---+----+--------+------+-----+-----+-----+---+----+tenance| - |Day|Hour| Pro- | Con- |Pulse|Temp.|Resp.|Day|Hour| at | - | | |visional|firmed| | | | | | $2.00 | - | | | when |(date | | | | | | per | - | | | adm’t’d| of) | | | | | | day | - +---+----+--------+------+-----+-----+-----+---+----+-------+------- - | | | | | | | | | | | - | | | | | | | | | | | - | | | | | | | | | | | - | | | | | | | | | | | - | | | | | | | | | | | - | | | | | | | | | | | - | | | | | | | | | | | - | | | | | | | | | | | - | | | | | | | | | | | - | | | | | | | | | | | - | | | | | | | | | | | - | | | | | | | | | | | - | | | | | | | | | | | - | | | | | | | | | | | - +---+----+--------+------+-----+-----+-----+---+----+-------+------- - -_I certify that the above is correct in every detail_: - -(_Signed_) ______________________________ - -Actual size of sheet 16 x 21 inches. - - -APPLICATION FORMS FOR BUSINESS REHABILITATION - - +-------------------------------------------------------------------+ - | [FORM A--GENERAL STATEMENT. FACE] Ap. No. ...| - | | - | APPLICATION FOR BUSINESS REHABILITATION | - | | - | 1. Full name..............................Age.....................| - | 2. Present residence..............................................| - | 3. Residence prior to April 18, 1906..............................| - | 4. Present occupation and place of employment.....................| - | 5. Physical condition.............................................| - | 6. Nature of business to be re-established........................| - | 7. How long in this business?.....................................| - | 8. Location of business on April 18, 1906.........................| - | 9. How long at above address?.....................................| - |10. Prior address..................................................| - |11. Has location for re-establishment of the business been secured?| - | ...............................................................| - |12. If so, where, and under what conditions?.......................| - |13. If no location has been secured, what is the outlook for a | - |definite and permanent location?...................................| - |14. Statement of losses: Amount. Where? Amount. Where?| - | a. Store.............................f. Houses...................| - | b. Office............................g. Furniture................| - | c. Fixtures..........................h. Clothing.................| - | d. Stock.............................i. Misc. (household)........| - | e. Misc. (business)..............................................| - |15. On which of above has insurance been collected, and how much? | - |...................................................................| - |16. Statement of resources: | - |Insurance uncollected, $............In what companies?.............| - |...................................................................| - |Savings, $..........................Which bank, or where?..........| - |Real estate, $......................Location.......................| - |Stock, etc., on hand at present.....Where?.........................| - |...................................................................| - +-------------------------------------------------------------------+ - - +--------------------------------------------------------------------+ - | [FORM A--GENERAL STATEMENT. REVERSE] | - | | - |17. How much owing on real estate, and to whom?.....................| - |18. Is indebtedness covered by mortgage?............................| - |19. When is mortgage due, and has interest been paid to date?.......| - |20. Has applicant any other income, from any source whatever, such | - |as pensions, stock dividends, annuities, interests, etc.?...........| - |21. Statement of assets at time of fire (including debits upon | - |applicant’s books, and stating how much of the amount is now | - |collectible)........................................................| - |22. Statement of liabilities (including all unpaid invoices at time | - |of fire)............................................................| - |23. Names and present addresses of firms from whom goods were | - |purchased...........................................................| - |24. Names of others, firms or individuals, well acquainted with | - |applicant in a business way. (Secure from two or more of these firms| - |letters addressed to the Rehabilitation Committee, certifying to | - |applicant’s business standing. Send these in with your application) | - |....................................................................| - |....................................................................| - |25. Personal references, names and present addresses. (Send in | - |letters from two or more of these)..................................| - |....................................................................| - |....................................................................| - |26. Others in family: | - +=======+===+============+=======+==========+================+=======+ - | NAME |Age|Relationship|Present| Present |Name and Address|Av. Mo.| - | | |to Applicant|Address|Occupation|Present Employer| Inc. | - +-------+---+------------+-------+----------+----------------+-------+ - | | | | | | | | - +-------+---+------------+-------+----------+----------------+-------+ - | | | | | | | | - +-------+---+------------+-------+----------+----------------+-------+ - | | | | | | | | - +-------+---+------------+-------+----------+----------------+-------+ - | | | | | | | | - +-------+---+------------+-------+----------+----------------+-------+ - | | | | | | | | - +-------+---+------------+-------+----------+----------------+-------+ - | | | | | | | | - +-------+---+------------+-------+----------+----------------+-------+ - | | - |27. Were any members besides the applicant interested in the | - |business before the fire, and, if so, in what capacity?.............| - +--------------------------------------------------------------------+ - - - +--------------------------------------------------------------------+ - | [FORM B--BUSINESS] Ap. No......| - | | - | 1. Nature of business to be re-established.........................| - | 2. Location April 18, 1906: Proposed location: | - | ............................... ............................ | - | 3. Number and size of rooms for | - | _a._ Store..................... _a._ .......................| - | _b._ Shop...................... _b._ .......................| - | _c._ Other use................. _c._ .......................| - | 4. Number of employees.............................................| - | | - | Schedule of Schedule of| - | prior proposed | - | location location | - | | - | 5. Fixtures, total value $.......... $..........| - | (Submit itemized list of same on separate sheet attached. In | - | listing proposed expenditures, include only those articles | - | absolutely necessary to a start.) | - | 6. Stock...........................................................| - | _a._ Cost, wholesale $.......... $..........| - | _b._ Sale price, retail $.......... $..........| - | (Submit itemized list on separate sheet attached. In listing | - | proposed stock, include only those articles absolutely necessary| - | to a start.) | - | 7. Rent, per month $.......... $..........| - | (or) lease, for....year....; per month $.......... $..........| - | 8. Labor, per month $.......... $..........| - | 9. Miscellaneous, not included above $.......... $..........| - |10. Total monthly expense of business $.......... $..........| - |11. Net monthly income of business $.......... $..........| - |12. Average monthly income of family aside | - | from business $.......... $..........| - |13. Total income, all sources $.......... $..........| - |14. Total monthly living expense of family $.......... $..........| - |15. Margin of profit $.......... $..........| - |16. Can repay to Relief and Red Cross Fund, monthly $..........| - +--------------------------------------------------------------------+ - - +--------------------------------------------------------------------+ - | [FORM C--LODGING HOUSE] Ap. No...... | - | | - | 1. Location: | - | | - | _a._ April 18, 1906.............................................| - | | - | _b._ Proposed location..........................................| - | | - | Schedule of Schedule of | - | prior proposed | - | location location | - | per month per month | - | | - | 2. Number of rooms.................................................| - | | - | Number available for subletting.................................| - | | - | 3. Rent $.......... $......... | - | (or) lease for...year...; monthly payment$.......... $......... | - | | - | 4. Water $.......... $......... | - | | - | 5. Light $.......... $......... | - | | - | 6. Labor $.......... $......... | - | | - | 7. Laundry $.......... $......... | - | | - | 8. Insurance $.......... $......... | - | | - | 9. Instalments on additional furniture $.......... $......... | - | | - |10. Miscellaneous, not included above $.......... $......... | - | | - |11. Total monthly expense of house $.......... $......... | - | | - |12. Total monthly income of house $.......... $......... | - | | - |13. Net monthly income of house $.......... $......... | - | | - |14. Average monthly income of family from | - | other sources $.......... $......... | - | | - |15. Total income of family from all sources $.......... $......... | - | | - |16. Total monthly living expenses of family, | - | aside from expenses of house $.......... $......... | - | | - |17. Margin of profit $.......... $......... | - | | - |18. Can repay to Relief and Red Cross Fund, monthly $......... | - +--------------------------------------------------------------------+ - - -APPLICATION FOR BONUS - - +--------------------------------------------------------------------+ - |CIRCULAR 2-B. FILE NO. .......| - | | - | APPLICATION FOR BONUS | - | | - |THOMAS MAGEE, CHAIRMAN LAND AND BUILDING DEPARTMENT, | - | SAN FRANCISCO RELIEF AND RED CROSS FUNDS, | - | UNION SQUARE, SAN FRANCISCO. | - | | - |DEAR SIR:-- | - |Having been burned out of my home, situated on the land described in| - |the diagram below, by the fire which commenced April 18, 1906, I | - |hereby apply for a bonus from Relief and Red Cross Funds at your | - |disposal to assist in rebuilding. | - | | | | | | - | --+ +------------+ +-- | - | | - | --+ +------------+ +-- | - |(Mark on plat description by streets, | | | | | - |location in block, and size of lot.) | | | | | - | --+ +------------+ +-- | - | | - | --+ +------------+ +-- | - | | | | | | - | | - |I am a citizen of San Francisco and was a resident thereof at the | - |time of the fire. | - |At the time of the fire I was in possession of said property, and | - |was and am now the holder of the record title, free of any incum- | - |brance except as follows:...........................................| - |....................................................................| - |....................................................................| - |....................................................................| - |My family consists of...............................................| - |The kind and size of house I intend to build is as follows:.........| - |....................................................................| - |....................................................................| - |....................................................................| - |I intend to build by (State whether you will do your own work or | - |whether you will employ labor.).....................................| - |....................................................................| - |Estimated cost of house,............................................| - |Estimated number of rooms,..........................................| - |Burned residence address,...........................................| - |Present address,....................................................| - |Present occupation,.................................................| - | | - | NAME, ADDRESS, | - |REFERENCES: {........................ .........................| - | {........................ .........................| - |(Please attach letters of reference from all persons whose names you| - |use.) | - | | - |Dated, (Signed) | - | SAN FRANCISCO, CAL., | - |..........................., 1906. ................................| - | [OVER] | - +--------------------------------------------------------------------+ - - -LAND AND BUILDING DEPARTMENT. NOTICE[308] - - CIRCULAR 1-B. - -THE SAN FRANCISCO RELIEF AND RED CROSS FUNDS (a corporation) is prepared -to receive applications for assistance from its Land and Building -Department under any of the three plans following: - - (1) BONUS: To any lot owner in the burned district a bonus of - one-third the cost of a new house, bonus not to exceed $500, will be - given to aid him in erecting a home. This bonus will be paid to the - contractor as his last payment, and after the building is finished. If - lot owner chooses to erect his home with his own hands, the value of - the house will be estimated when it is finished and one-third its - value will be given to the lot owner. The sum of $500,000 has been set - aside for this purpose. This offer to remain open until October 1, - 1906, unless fund is exhausted before that date. No more than one - bonus to be paid to one person. - - (2) PURCHASE (Cash or Installment): Cottages, two-story dwellings and - flats will be built by the corporation and sold for cash or on the - installment plan, and no interest will be charged on deferred - payments. A small cash payment down and a percentage of total cost to - be paid monthly. To illustrate: A home-seeker wishing to buy a $300 - lot with a $600 house on it (containing four rooms and bath) can - purchase it from the corporation at cost as follows: Monthly payments - of $15 to be made for sixty months; 5 per cent of the total cost ($45) - to be paid down, when a receipt will be given for the payments - covering the first three months; then a payment of $15 a month to be - made for the remaining fifty-seven months. Taxes will be paid by the - corporation and charged to the purchaser. When the $900 and taxes have - been fully paid, a deed will be given. The contract of purchase will - be non-assignable. A sum not exceeding $2,500,000 will be set aside - for this purpose. Any head of family who resided in San Francisco - before April 18, 1906, and now engaged in some business or employment - is eligible to apply, preference being given to those now living in - tents. - - (3) LOANS: Not exceeding $500,000 will be used in making loans to - those--whether owners or tenants--whose places of residence in San - Francisco were burned in the fire, such loans to be used in building - new dwellings anywhere in San Francisco on a lot owned by the person - to whom such loan is made, such loan to equal one-third of the cost of - the building, not, however, to exceed in any case $1,000, and no more - than one loan is to be made to any one person or family. Security for - such loan is to be taken by way of first or second mortgage upon - the building and lot if necessary, the borrower to pay 3 per cent net - interest. This offer to remain open until the first day of October, - 1906, unless this appropriation of $500,000 is sooner exhausted. - -Applicants are required to use the blank provided for the particular -kind of assistance desired in each case. - -=No applications will be received except by mail.= - -Applications will be investigated and acted upon as rapidly as possible, -and in the order of their receipt. - - THOMAS MAGEE, - Chairman Land and Building Department, - UNION SQUARE, San Francisco. - - [308] Printed on reverse of Application for Bonus. - - -APPLICATION FOR HOUSING GRANT - - +--------------------------------------------------------------------+ - | =SUB-COMMITTEE ON HOUSING= | - | =APPLICATION= | - |No.......................... Date...................1907| - +--------------------------+--------------------------+-------+------+ - | Surname | Address | Rooms | Rent | - +--------------------------+--------------------------+-------+------+ - | | At present | | | - | |..........................|.......|......| - | | April 17th How long? | | | - +--------------------------+-----+------------+-------+--+----+------+ - | First Name | Age | Occupation | Earnings | Physical | - | | | | Per Week | Condition | - +--------------------------+-----+------------+----------+-----------+ - |Man.......................|.....|............|..........|...........| - |Woman.....................|.....|............|..........|...........| - |Children..................|.....|............|..........|...........| - |..........................|.....|............|..........|...........| - |..........................|.....|............|..........|...........| - |..........................|.....|............|..........|...........| - |....................................................................| - |Others in family....................................................| - +--------------------------------------------------------------------+ - | Name and address of present employer...............................| - | How long working for present employer..............................| - | Name and address of former employer................................| - | How long working for former employer...............................| - +--------------------------------------------------------------------+ - |Attach two letters of reference. If possible, one should be from a | - |former landlord to whom you have paid rent for some time. If you are| - |living in a permanent camp, one letter must be from the Camp | - |Commander. | - |Description of lot..................................................| - |....................................................................| - |....................................................................| - |What evidence of ownership can you give? Have you a deed?...........| - | Tax receipt?...........................Contract for purchase?.....| - |Date when you bought lot............................................| - | How much paid?........................How much unpaid?...........| - | What monthly installments do you pay?............................| - |Attach plan of contemplated house. (A drawing prepared by applicant,| - |showing floor plan and dimensions will answer) | - |Estimated cost of house................. Of lumber..................| - |Of hardware............................. Of labor...................| - |Cost of plumbing and sanitary fittings.. Water connections..........| - |Sewer connections....................... | - |What amount of the total cost of the house are you able to meet?....| - |What amount do you ask from the Relief Funds?.......................| - | (Sign your name here)......................| - |It is absolutely necessary for you to have a contractor’s or | - |builder’s estimate of the entire cost of the house, specifying in | - |detail the cost of building material and plumbing. | - | | - |N. B.--Be sure to return this blank after it is filled out, and use | - |the enclosed addressed envelope. | - +--------------------------------------------------------------------+ - - - - - INDEX - - -INDEX - - - ACCOUNTING: for relief in cash and in kind, 369; relief, use of word - “claim” in, 96; system of Relief and Red Cross Funds, criticisms of, - answered, 98, 99 - - ADMINISTRATION: amount expended by Bureau of Special Relief for, 148; - amount required for, by Department of Relief and Rehabilitation, - estimated, 121; expenses of American National Red Cross, 35; of - emergency relief, essential features of, 369 - - ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON CHARITABLE INSTITUTIONS: formed, 142; - recommendations of, 143, 144, 145 - - AFTER-CARE: lessons regarding, learned from study of San Francisco - relief work, 372 - - AGE: of possible rehabilitation, 365 - - AGED: applications of, have precedence, 123; clothing issued for, 57; - expenditures for Ingleside Camp and permanent home for, 220; lessons - regarding care of, learned from Relief Survey, 372, 373; number of, in - Camp 6 and Ingleside Camp, 322-324; presence of, in Relief Home, - special causes for, 356, 357; problem faced in dealing with, 359-362; - recommendations regarding, by Dr. Devine, 16; shelter for, provision - of, 23, 321-324; special diet for, 48; use of pensions and direct - grants for, 364-365 - - AGES: of applicants aided by grants for business rehabilitation, 176; - of applicants aided under bonus plan, 243; of applicants aided under - cottage plan, 225; of applicants aided under grant and loan plan, 261; - of applicants for rehabilitation, 154; of inmates of Ingleside Camp, - compared with ages of almshouse inmates, 330; of principal - breadwinners in families applying to Associated Charities, 1907-1909, - 289, 290, 291 - - ALAMEDA: location of, 3 - - ALASKA: destinations included in Pacific States, 66 - - ALCATRAZ ISLAND: location of, 7 - - ALMSHOUSE, SAN FRANCISCO: and camps, movement of inmates between, 325; - ages of inmates at, 330; applicants for relief who had been at, 354, - 355; capacity, condition, and situation of, 321; movement in and out - of, compared with that of Relief Home, 356; nativity of inmates of, - 331; occupations of inmates of, 333; proportion of inmates and - admissions to population of San Francisco, 356; records of, before - fire, 363; transfer of inmates of, to Ingleside Camp, 323 - - ALMSHOUSES OF UNITED STATES: ages of inmates, 330; conjugal condition - of inmates, 329; occupations of inmates, 333 - - ALTERATIONS: in contract houses erected under grant and loan plan, - terms on which made, 269 - - AMERICANS: among refugees, 75. See also _Nationalities_; _United - States_. - - ANGEL ISLAND: Fort McDowell on, 7 - - APPLICANTS AND FAMILIES OF APPLICANTS. See _Relief_; _Rehabilitation_; - _Business rehabilitation_; _Bonus_; _Cottage plan_; _Grant and loan - plan_; _Associated Charities_; _Ingleside Camp_ - - APPLICATION BUREAU: work of, put on relief basis, 130 - - APPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATION: action on, in August, 1906, 120-124; - and grants, time elapsing between, 163-165, 370; by Chinese, 95; - conditions on which received at different periods, 129, 130, 131; - disposal of, 152, 153, 154; in business, number and disposal of, 173, - 174; investigation of, 116, 117, 118; most numerous at time of - uncertainty as to funds, 121; nature of, 153; number received from - United Irish Societies, 140; numbers received in different periods, - 164; passed upon by sub-committees and by single members of - Rehabilitation Committee, 160; places at which received, 118; reasons - for refusal of, by nature of application, 166; receipt of, suspended, - except when for medical aid or food, 122 - - APPLICATIONS TO ASSOCIATED CHARITIES: in years before and after - disaster, 283, 284 - - APPROPRIATIONS: to departments of Corporation based on budgets, 99 - - ARCHITECTS AND BUILDERS, BOARD OF: as expert counsel on plans for - dwellings, 22 - - AREA: burned, 4, 5 - - ARIZONA: persons sent from San Francisco to, 66 - - ARMY IN THE SAN FRANCISCO DISASTER: and Citizens’ Committee carried - emergency work, 14; and Red Cross, co-operation between, in reducing - rations, etc., 44; called on to guard supplies by sub-committee on - relief of hungry, 36; called on to take control of relief work, 38, - 39; camps brought under control of, 78; clothing and household - distribution in charge of, 56; confiscation of supplies by, 39; - donations of clothing and blankets by, 56; expenditures for housing - by, 220; expenditures for subsistence stores by, 52; extracts from - article on, 383; headquarters of Pacific Division in San Francisco, 7; - hospitals and medical supplies under, 92; Ingleside Camp administered - by officer of, 324; realization by, of need of permanent shelter, 221; - relief stations opened by, 41; relief stations reported by, 42; report - of medical department of, 91; sanitary work of, 90; shelter furnished - by, on public land, 84; shoes and clothing from stores of, 55; - supplies purchased by, 30; tents provided by, 69, 70; value of aid to - Japanese by, 95; value of shelter furnished by, 87 - - ARMY, UNITED STATES: importance of utilizing services of, in - disasters, 369 - - ASHE, MISS: use of home of, suggested by Miss Felton, 134 - - ASSOCIATED CHARITIES OF SAN FRANCISCO: action by, in family cases - received at Ingleside Camp, 338-343; age of principal breadwinner in - families applying to, in 1907-1909, 289, 290, 291; applicants to, - among inmates of Ingleside Camp, 336; applicants to whom aid was - refused by, 310-314; applications for rehabilitation received at, 118; - applications to, in years before and after fire, 283, 284; arrangement - with Relief Corporation regarding destitute patients, 93; asked to - invite conference of charitable agencies, 132; building occupied by, - escaped fire, 283; case records of, before fire, 363; cases classified - as having lived or not having lived in burned area, and as aided or - refused, 285; cases of single and widowed inmates of Ingleside Camp - who applied to, 352-354; cases of, used in study of Ingleside Camp - inmates, 327; causes of disability among applicants to, before and - after fire, 293; caution in giving justified, 312; emergency and - temporary relief given by, 300; emergency funds supplied to district - offices by, 145; expenditure for care of sick by, 301; expenditure for - housing by, 310; family types among applicants for relief, 288, 290; - friction with Rehabilitation Committee soon overcome, 14; grants by - Rehabilitation Committee to applicants who later applied to, 299; - grants to, 132, 133, 134; investigation of applicants for - rehabilitation by, 113; methods and results of work discussed, - 316-318; moving and repairing of cottages by, 85, 86, 222, 223, 232, - 237; nativity of applicants for relief, 287, 291; nature of relief - problem taken up by, in 1907, 281, 282; need of work of, following - disaster, 372; number dependent on, when last camp closed, 87, 88; - number of children in families applying to, 292; occupations of - applicants to, 294, 295, 296; pensions and grants given by, 306-309; - receipts and disbursements of, for two years following June 1, 1907, - 309; period of taking over rehabilitation work by, 112; position as a - charitable agency before and after fire, 282, 283; reasons for - refusals of aid by, 312, 313; receipts and disbursements of, 419-421; - Rehabilitation Committee notified of withdrawal of staff of, 132, 133; - rehabilitation records of burned-out families applying to, 291; - relations with Finance Committee and Rehabilitation Bureau, 14; relief - given by, types of, 299, 300; return of extra rations demanded by - worker of, 44; secretary made superintendent of district work, 113; - share in rehabilitation work, 14, 15, 120; study of work of, 298; work - enlarged when Bureau of Hospitals closed, 134; work in years following - disaster, 315-318; work for unemployed provided by, 304, 305; work of - Employment Bureau of, 302, 303 - - AUDIT: of all relief in cash possible, 369. See also _Accounting_ - - AUDITING COMMITTEE OF FINANCE COMMITTEE: membership of, 276 - - AUDITORS OF ACCOUNTS OF CORPORATION: judgment of, 99 - - AUSTRALIA: cash contributions for relief of San Francisco made in, 34; - natives of, among refugees, 74, 76; natives of, in San Francisco in - 1900, 74 - - AUSTRIA: cash contributions for relief of San Francisco made in, 34; - natives of, among refugees, 74, 75, 76, 77; natives of, in San - Francisco in 1900, 74 - - AUXILIARY SOCIETIES: relations of Rehabilitation Committee with, - 137-141. - - - BAKERIES: arrangements with and supplies furnished by, 36, 37, 38 - - BARRACKS: built by sub-committee on housing the homeless, 69; defects - of, 70; described, 70, 71; estimates of persons living in, 77; - supervision of, in recommendations of Dr. Devine, 17. See also _Camps_ - - BATHS: in houses of applicants aided under bonus plan, 248; in houses - of applicants aided under cottage plan, 231; in houses of applicants - aided under grant and loan plan, 267 - - BELGIUM: cash contributions for relief of San Francisco made in, 34 - - BENICIA BARRACKS: at head of bay, 7 - - BERKELEY: location of, 3; witness who lived in, reported lack of - panic, 6 - - BICKNELL, ERNEST P.: made national director of American National Red - Cross, 29; organizations represented by, 9, 101; plan submitted by, as - secretary of Executive Commission, 20; quotation from article in - _Charities and the Commons_ by, 6-7; secretary and member of - Rehabilitation Committee of Finance Committee, 21; share in forming - Board of Trustees of Relief and Red Cross Funds 29; Special Relief - Bureau organized on plan of, 111, 146; succeeded Dr. Devine as - representative of Red Cross, 27 - - BILLS AND DEMANDS, DEPARTMENT OF: chairman and duties of, 399; - created, 26; disposal of claims by, 97; payment on claims, 98; work - of, completed, 28 - - BLOCKS: number of, burned after earthquake, 4 - - BOARD OF ARCHITECTS AND BUILDERS: as expert counsel on plans for - dwellings, 22 - - BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF RELIEF AND RED CROSS FUNDS. See _Trustees_ - - BONUS: additional grants to recipients of, 248; ages of applicants - aided by, 243; conjugal condition of families aided by, 242; cost of - houses built by applicants aided by, 249; form of application for, - 447-448; indebtedness carried by families aided by, 247; nationality - of applicants receiving aid by, 241; occupations in families aided by, - 244; prosperity of applicants aided by, 277; rooms in houses of - applicants aided by, 249; rooms occupied by families aided by, 250; - value of lots owned by applicants aided by, 246 - - BONUS PLAN: by whom proposed and recommended, 22; expenditures for - houses erected under, 220; nature of opportunity offered by, 237; - number of houses erected under, 219; outline and history of, 239, 240; - policy pursued under, discussed, 251, 252 - - BOSTON ASSOCIATED CHARITIES: secretary of, appointed secretary to Dr. - Devine, 14 - - BRADLEY, CAPTAIN: quoted on quality of clothing distributed, 55 - - BREAD: arrangements regarding payments for, 38; supplies of, 37 - - BREAD LINES: formation and composition of, 36; increase and decrease - in, 43, 44; recommendation of Dr. Devine regarding, 17; reduction of, - followed by introduction of kitchen system, 50 - - BRITISH COLUMBIA: destinations included in Pacific States, 66 - - BUBONIC PLAGUE: in camp and city, 29 - - BUDGETS: appropriations to departments of Corporation based on, 99; - for departments of Relief Corporation, prepared by chairmen, 27 - - BUDGETS, FAMILY: of cases under care of Associated Charities, study - of, 316 - - BUENA VISTA SCHOOL: headquarters of Civil Section V, 42 - - BUILDING FUND: proposed, account of, in _Charities and the Commons_, - 216 - - BUILDING, SUBSIDIZED: differences of opinion regarding, 22 - - BUILDINGS: facing burned area, 5; number and classes of, destroyed by - fire, 4, 5. See also _Houses_; _Housing_ - - BUREAUS. See _Employment Bureau_; _Hospitals, Bureau of_; _Red Cross - Special Relief and Rehabilitation Bureau_; _Registration Bureau_; - _Relief Stations, Bureau of Consolidated_; _Transportation Bureau_ - - BUSINESS OWNERSHIP: status regarding, in families aided under bonus - plan, 244 - - BUSINESS REHABILITATION: announcement concerning, in newspapers, - 172-173; application forms for, 441-444; applications for, granted and - refused, 153, 154; applications for, passed on by sub-committees and - by members of Rehabilitation Committee, 160; applications for, set - aside temporarily, 123; business status of applicants receiving aid - for, by occupations, 196-211; changes in composition of families - receiving aid for, 177; conjugal condition of family groups receiving - aid for, 175, 176; grants for, average amount of, 184; grants for, by - what bodies made, 174; grants for, confined chiefly to families - experienced in special lines, 184, 185; grants for, number and amounts - expended, 157, 158; grants for, size of, 165, 166; in different - periods, 171, 172; nationality of heads of families receiving aid for, - 175, 176; need of supervision in, chief lesson of study, 371; number - of rooms in residences occupied by families receiving aid for, 180; - policy of, 171-173, 211; premises occupied and rentals paid by - families receiving aid for, 178; proposed occupations of applicants - receiving aid for, 184; reasons for refusal of applications for, 166; - reasons for success and failure of those receiving aid for, 187-195; - refusals to grant aid for, study of, 208-210; rentals paid by families - receiving aid for, 179, 181-183; re-opening of cases where principal - grant was for, 161; results of, 186-187, 210-211; resumed after - suspension, 128; self-supporting individuals in families receiving aid - for, 176; single and widowed inmates of Ingleside Camp applying for, - 344-346; status of applicants receiving, for trade, 207 - - BUSINESS REHABILITATION COMMITTEE (Sub-committee VI): applications to, - number and action on, 173, 174; appointment, activities and aims of, - 172, 173; chairman of, 125; extreme caution displayed by, in granting - aid, 211; grants by, in cases investigated, 174 - - BUSINESS STATUS: of applicants receiving aid for business - rehabilitation, 186, 187, 193 - - - CALIFORNIA: length of residence in, of inmates of Ingleside Camp, 334; - persons sent from San Francisco to places in, 66, 67, 68; population - of, conjugal condition compared with that of Ingleside Camp inmates, - 329. See _Governor of California_ - - CALIFORNIA, DEPARTMENT OF: headquarters at San Francisco, 7; rations - purchased by army from, 39 - - CALIFORNIA JOCKEY CLUB: offer of race track stables for camp by, 322 - - CAMP COMMANDERS: and staff at headquarters, emergency cases always - handled rapidly by, 165; form of report by, 429 - - CAMP COTTAGES, 221-238; a necessity to meet needs of poorest class of - refugees, 237; and housing grants, 158; assignment of, to different - classes of population, 82, 83; construction of, under Corporation, 82; - cost of building, 87, 220, 221; cost of moving and of repairs and - improvements, 232; families occupying, on re-visit, 223; general - comments on, 278, 371; number and capacity of, 219, 220; number - assigned to Chinese, 95; other aid given by Rehabilitation Committee - to those receiving, 229; plan regarding lease of, 83; removal of, from - camps, 83, 83, 222; visits to, after removal, 222. See also _Cottage - Plan_ - - CAMP FOR CHINESE: location and population of, 95 - - CAMP IN SOUTH PARK: described, 84 - - CAMP LOBOS: closing of, 87. See also _Lobos Square_ - - CAMPS: clothing supplied to residents of, 57; congestion in, 230, 231; - cost of shelter given by, 86, 87; effort to concentrate refugees - needing continued help in, 44; ejectments from, 79, 80; increase in - population of, due to return of refugees, 77; in different civil - sections, 12; official and “permanent,” 78-84; official list of, 404; - of early barrack type, described, 70, 71; plans for, formulated by - committee on housing the homeless, 70; population of, by months and by - composition, 81; recommendations regarding, by Dr. Devine, 17; records - of distribution furnished by, 42; rehabilitation policy regarding - families in, 109, 110; removal from, 29, 85; three essentials for - tenants laid down by General Greely, 79; under army control, 78; - unofficial, 79; work of building cottages in, 221, 222; work of Bureau - of Special Relief for residents of, 149 - - CAMPS AND WAREHOUSES, DEPARTMENT OF: care of camps passed to, from - army, 82; chairman, duties of, 399; civil sections used by, 12; - clothing supplied to residents of camps by, 57; cost of maintenance of - camps by, 87; creation of, 26, 129; not responsible for typhoid fever, - 91; Special Relief Bureau called on for aid by, 149; status of work - one year and two years after earthquake, 28, 29; work of, defined, - 110; work of Executive Commission taken over by, 110 - - CANADA: cash contributions for relief of San Francisco made in, 34; - eastern, destinations in, included with “East,” 66; natives of, among - refugees, 74, 76; natives of, in San Francisco, in 1900, 74 - - CAPE COLONY: cash contributions for relief of San Francisco made in, - by Americans, 34 - - CAPITAL: available for applicants receiving aid for business - rehabilitation, 193-195; possessed by applicants receiving grants for - rehabilitation in personal and domestic service, 201-205; possessed by - applicants receiving grants for rehabilitation in trade, 207, 208; - relation to success in cases where manufacturing and mechanical lines - were undertaken with rehabilitation funds, 199; relation to success in - cases where professional work was taken up with rehabilitation funds, - 198 - - CARDS: for use of applicants at food station, 37 - - CARDS, REGISTRATION. See _Registration Cards_ - - CARLOADS OF STORES: number delivered at San Francisco, 30 - - CASES: family, at Ingleside Camp, 337-343; of applicants to Associated - Charities, social character of, 286-294; rehabilitation, re-opening - of, 160-165 - - CASH: contributions received to June 1, 1909, 33, 34; possibility of - audit of all relief in, 369; received by American National Red Cross, - disposition of, 35 - - CENSUS, UNTIED STATES: figures on almshouse population of United - States cited, 333; population figures for San Francisco cited, 75. See - also _Almshouse, San Francisco_ - - CENTRALIZED SYSTEM of rehabilitation work, 124-133, 135, 370 - - CERTIFICATE OF INCORPORATION: issued, 26 - - CEYLON: cash contributions for relief of San Francisco made in, 34 - - CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, AMERICAN, IN PARIS: cash contributions made by, - 34 - - CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, NEW YORK: authority of Finance Committee - recognized by, 10; business rehabilitation resumed after transfer of - funds by, 128; incorporation urged by, 25; restriction on funds - transferred to Corporation by, 100; use of funds for permanent relief - urged by, 15 - - CHARITABLE ORGANIZATIONS: grants to, by denominations, and nature of - work, 405 - - CHARITIES. See _Associated Charities_ - - CHARITIES AND THE COMMONS: account of proposed building fund in, 216; - accounts of conditions in San Francisco, quoted from, 6, 77, 78 - - CHARITIES ENDORSEMENT COMMITTEE, 145 (table and note) - - CHARITY ORGANIZATION SOCIETIES: district expenditures under, 120; - provided trained workers, 14; transportation agreement, 65 - - CHICAGO COMMERCIAL ASSOCIATION: represented by Ernest P. Bicknell, 101 - - CHICAGO FIRE COMMISSION: limitation of grants by, 109 - - CHICAGO MAYOR’S COMMITTEE: funds of, represented by Ernest P. - Bicknell, 101 - - CHICAGO SPECIAL RELIEF COMMITTEE: experience with certificates from - pastors and benevolent associations, 117, 137 - - CHILDREN: in families aided under the cottage plan, 224; in families - applying to Associated Charities before and after fire, 292; in - families of applicants for rehabilitation, 156, 157 - - CHILDREN’S AGENCY: work of, 317 - - CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL: use of, suggested by Miss Felton, 134 - - CHILDREN’S INSTITUTIONS: co-operation between, following fire, 317 - - CHINA: cash contributions for relief of San Francisco made in, 34, 95; - natives of, among refugees, 74, 76; natives of, in San Francisco in - 1900, 74. See also _Chinese_ - - CHINATOWN: burned out, 4 - - CHINESE: among refugees, 74-76; camp and cottages for, 95; deterred - from asking aid by feeling against them, 95; relief of, 94, 95 - - CIRCULAR: on requirements for satisfactory investigations for the - Rehabilitation Committee, 139, 140; stating change to purely relief - basis for applications, 130 - - CITIZENS’ COMMITTEE: and army, carried emergency work, 14; appointment - of, 8; barracks built and tents provided by sub-committee of, 69; cash - contributions received by, 34; dissolution of, 10; interesting items - in minutes of, 10; meeting places, 9; sub-committees, 9, 36; - transportation committee organized by railroads recognized as - authoritative by, 59; transportation sub-committee had little to do, - 58 - - CITY OF SAN FRANCISCO. See _San Francisco_ - - CIVIC RELIEF BUREAU: opened by Associated Charities after fire, 317 - - CIVIL CHAIRMEN OF SECTIONS: functions of, 42, 56 - - CIVIL SECTIONS: and military districts identical, 12, 40; camps in, - 12; closure of, 124; committees, agents and workers in, 113; families - and individuals registered in, 45; housing of registered families in - different, 72, 73-75; nationality of heads of families of refugees in, - 77; organizations using, 12; relief stations in, 41, 42 - - CLAIMS: character of, 96, 97; disposal of, 97; payments upon, 98 - - CLEARING HOUSE OF INFORMATION: needed, 92 - - CLERGY: stereotyped forms of recommendation used by some of, 115. See - also _Ministers_; _Pastors_ - - CLIMATIC CONDITIONS: of San Francisco favorable, 7 - - CLOTHING: and bedding, relief in, second in order of urgency, 12, 13; - and bedding, carloads of, received at San Francisco, 30; distribution - of, 55-58; donated, condition of, 55; recommendations of Dr. Devine - regarding, 17 - - CLUBS, IMPROVEMENT: in camps, 89 - - COLOMBIA, UNITED STATES OF: cash contributions for relief of San - Francisco made by Americans in, 34 - - COLORADO: persons sent from San Francisco to, 66 - - COLUMBIA, DEPARTMENT OF THE: rations purchased of army from, 39 - - COLUMBIA PARK BOYS’ CLUB: work of residents after destruction of, 88 - - COMPLAINTS: against hot meal kitchens, 52 - - CONFERENCE AT FORT MASON, April 24th, 11 - - CONGESTION: during camp life, 230, 231; on lots to which camp cottages - were removed, 233 - - CONGRESS, UNITED STATES: visited by San Francisco citizens with regard - to building fund, 216 - - CONGRESSIONAL APPROPRIATION: amount and distribution of, 30, 34; - claims paid out of, 98; expenditure from, for housing, 220; supplied - funds for sanitary work, 90 - - CONJUGAL CONDITION: of families aided under bonus plan, 242; of - families aided under cottage plan, 224; of families aided under grant - and loan plan, 260; of family groups receiving business - rehabilitation, 175, 176; of Ingleside population, 328. See also - _Family types_ - - CONSTRUCTION, HOUSING: expense and difficulties of, 217 - - CONTRACT HOUSES: built under grant and loan plan, defects of, 268 - - CONTRACTORS: difficulty of securing reliable, 217; who built cottages, - arrangements with, 221, 222 - - CONTRACTS: grant and loan, regulations covering, 253, 254 - - CONTRIBUTIONS: by Japan and China, 94, 95; cash, received to June 1, - 1909, 33, 34; desirability of sending, without restrictions, 369; - sources of, 30-35 - - “CONVALESCENTS” at Ingleside Camp, 365 - - COOKING: in streets, 40 - - CORPORATION: See _San Francisco Relief and Red Cross Funds, a - Corporation_ - - CORPORATION AND BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF RELIEF AND RED CROSS FUNDS: - contributions to Associated Charities by, 283, 309. See also _San - Francisco Relief and Red Cross Funds, a Corporation_; _Trustees of - Relief and Red Cross Funds, Board of_ - - COST: incurred by or in behalf of applicants for cottages occupied - under cottage plan, 232; of aid under grant and loan plan, 257-259; of - camp cottages and tenements, 87, 221; of houses built under bonus - plan, 248, 249; of houses erected by housing committee contractors - under grant and loan plan, 270; of Ingleside Camp, 327; of moving - cottages from camps, and of repairs and improvements, 232; of shelter - given by camps, 86, 87. See also _Expenditures_ - - COST OF LIVING: in San Francisco, investigation of, 316 - - COTTAGE PLAN: ages, sexes, health, and responsibilities of applicants - receiving aid under, 225; conjugal condition of and children in - families aided under, 224; costs incurred by or in behalf of - applicants for cottages under, 232; financial status of families aided - under, 229; housing before and after fire of families aided by, - 229-234; incomes of families aided under, 228; nationality of - applicants receiving aid under, 223; occupations of men in families - aided under, 226; wages of men in families aided under, 227. See also - _Camp cottages_; _Cottage settlements_ - - COTTAGE SETTLEMENTS: conditions in two, described, 234-237 - - CRITICISMS: of work of Associated Charities commonly made, 311 - - CRITICS: on distribution of funds answered, 237 - - CROCKER SCHOOL: used as clothing warehouse, 56 - - CROWLEY, REV. D. O.: adviser to Industrial Bureau, 88; chairman of - Sub-committee V, 125; position of Archbishop Riordan on Rehabilitation - Committee delegated to, 21 - - CUBA: cash contributions for relief of San Francisco made in, 34 - - CUSHING, OSCAR K.: chairman of Red Cross Special Relief and - Rehabilitation Committee, 14; chairman of Sub-committee I, 125; member - and treasurer of Rehabilitation Committee, 21; secretary of committee - on transportation and executive head of transportation work, 59 - - - DAY NURSERIES: in camps, 89 - - DEATHS: as causes of disability among applicants to Associated - Charities, 293; at Ingleside Camp, 327; by violence, number of, - following disaster, 5; in families of applicants aided under bonus - plan, 242; in families of applicants aided under cottage plan, 225; in - families of applicants aided under grant and loan plan, 260, 261 - - DELAYS: between applications and grants or loans for housing, 255. See - also _Time_ - - DENMARK: natives of, among refugees, 74, 76, 77; natives of, in San - Francisco in 1900, 74 - - DEPARTMENTS OF CALIFORNIA AND COLUMBIA. See _California_; _Columbia_ - - DEPARTMENTS OF CORPORATION: names, duties, and chairmen of, 399, 400. - See also names of departments - - DEPENDENCY: applicants to Associated Charities grouped according to - causes of, 297; situation in San Francisco after fire, compared with - that before fire, 281-286, 315-318 - - DESMOND, MR.: sent by Los Angeles relief committee to establish hot - meal kitchens, 49 - - DESMOND CONSTRUCTION COMPANY: hot meal kitchens run by, 50 - - DESTINATIONS: of free passengers carried by Southern Pacific Railroad - (first period), 58; of persons sent from San Francisco in second, - third, and fourth periods, 66, 67, 68 - - DESTITUTION: city canvassed for cases of, 40 - - DETURBEVILLE, MISS: use of home of, suggestion by Miss Felton, 134 - - DEVINE, EDWARD T.: chairman of Finance Committee’s Rehabilitation - Committee, 21; civil chairmen appointed by, 42; consultation with army - on clothing distribution, 56; drew on special fund for rehabilitation - expenditures till May 9, 14; General Greely’s agreement with, 18; - letter of June 4 to chairman of Finance Committee of Relief and Red - Cross Funds, 16, 17; Miss Higgins appointed secretary to, 14; plan - submitted by, as chairman of Executive Commission, 20; recommendations - made by, 15; rehabilitation of camp families considered at lunch given - by, 109; rehabilitation work continued in charge of, 20; report on - housing submitted by, as chairman, 22; representative of American - National Red Cross, 9, 11; succeeded as representative of Red Cross by - Ernest P. Bicknell, 27 - - DEVOL, BRIGADIER GENERAL C. A.: account by, of part played by army in - San Francisco disaster, 383-386; work in unloading and transporting - supplies, 30, 39 - - DE YOUNG, M. H.: at conference April 24, 11; chairman of Department of - Bills and Demands, 399; member of Executive Committee of Relief - Corporation, 26; suggestion on housing by, 22 - - DIET, SPECIAL: for special classes, 48, 49; issued by sub-committee on - relief of the hungry, 38 - - DISABILITIES: among applicants to Associated Charities before and - after fire, 293; of single and widowed inmates of Ingleside Camp who - did not apply for rehabilitation, 352, 353 - - DISBURSEMENTS: of American National Red Cross, 35; of Associated - Charities, 419-422; of Rehabilitation Committee to August 18 and - September 20, 1906, 124 - - DISCIPLINE: of inmates at Ingleside Camp, 325, 326 - - DISPENSARIES, FREE: established by Finance Committee of Relief and Red - Cross Funds, 93; supplied with drugs, etc., by army, 93 - - DISTRICT SYSTEM: conclusions regarding, reached after Relief Survey, - 370; methods of work under, 113-124; reasons for adopting and - abandoning, 126, 135 - - DOHRMANN, F. W.: chairman of Department of Relief and Rehabilitation, - 400; chairman of Rehabilitation Committee of Finance Committee, 21; - need of reserve to establish camp families emphasized by, 110; - question of rehabilitation of institutions considered on request of, - 141; recommendations in report of advisory committee to, 143, 144; - representative of American National Red Cross, 27; share of, in - forming Board of Trustees of Relief and Red Cross Funds, 29; - suggestions regarding rehabilitation of institutions offered by, 142; - vice-president of Relief Corporation, 62 - - DONATIONS: cash, to June 1, 1909, 33, 34; control of, 99-103; made - through American National Red Cross, disposition and balance, 35. See - also _Contributions_ - - DUPLICATION: of applications in auxiliary societies, 139; of inquiries - and grants, 116 - - DWELLINGS. See _Housing and Shelter_ - - - EAGLES, LOCAL ORDER OF: relief station opened by, 41 - - EARNING POWER, ESTIMATED: of applicants to Associated Charities, 296 - - EARTHQUAKE: time, duration and effects of, 3 - - “EAST”: persons sent from San Francisco to, 66, 67, 68 - - EAVES, LUCILE: director of Industrial Bureau, 88; formerly head worker - of South Park Settlement, 88; sewing circle at Ingleside Camp - organized by, 326 - - EJECTMENTS FROM OFFICIAL CAMPS: by months, 80; reasons for, 79, 80 - - EMERGENCY: and temporary relief, number and amount of grants for, 300; - cases, always handled with rapidity, 165; cases, notice to employes - regarding, 131; period, lessons learned from survey of, 369-370; work - carried by army and Citizens’ Committee, 14 - - EMERGENT RELIEF: investigation in cases of, 118 - - EMERY, ARCHDEACON J. A.: chairman of sub-committees III and IV, 125; - position of Bishop Nichols on Rehabilitation Committee delegated to, - 21 - - EMPLOYMENT: given men out of work, 304, 305; of inmates at Ingleside - Camp, 326; recommendation regarding, by Dr. Devine, 16 - - EMPLOYMENT BUREAU: Associated Charities, 302, 303; under State Labor - Commissioner, 47 - - EMPLOYMENT STATUS: of grantees under business rehabilitation, 186 - - ENGLAND: cash contributions for relief of San Francisco made in, 43; - natives of, among refugees, 74, 75, 76, 77; natives of, in San - Francisco in 1900, 74 - - ENUMERATORS: inexperience of, 48. See also _Registration Bureau_ - - ESTIMATES: for relief and rehabilitation work, basis for, 122 - - EUROPEAN POINTS: included with “East” in tabulation of destinations, - 66 - - EVERETT GRAMMAR SCHOOL: used as warehouse for second hand clothing, 56 - - EXECUTIVE COMMISSION: appointment of, 19; final act of, 24; health - corps appointed by, 90; housing recommendations of, 22, 24; membership - of, 19, 378; plan submitted by chairman and secretary of, 20; plans - of, July, 1906, 391-393; powers of, and relation to army, 21; rates of - payment to hospitals established by, 93; use of civil sections by, 12; - weakness of, 19, 20; work taken over by Department of Camps and - Warehouses, 110 - - EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE OF CORPORATION: bonus plan of, 239, 240; decision - as to grants to charitable organizations reached by, 132; estimates - for rehabilitation and relief presented by, 121; manager of Department - of Lands and Buildings made superintendent of Housing Committee at - request of, 256; request made to, by Housing Committee, regarding - Department of Lands and Buildings, 257 - - EXPENDITURES: for housing, 220; of San Francisco Relief and Red Cross - Funds for purchase and distribution of food, 53; under grant and loan - plan, 257, 258. See also _Cost_; _Disbursements_; _Restrictions_ - - - FAIRMONT HOTEL: meeting place of mayor and Committee, 9 - - FAMILIES: and individuals given aid for business rehabilitation, - 174-177; and individuals registered in civil sections in May, 45; - making use of grants and loans, 259-262; occupying camp cottages, - 223-225; registered, housing of, in May, 72, 73. See also sub-topics - under _Bonus_; _Cottage plan_; _Grant and loan plan_ - - FAMILY CASES: at Ingleside Camp, 337-343 - - FAMILY COMPOSITION: changes in, among families receiving aid for - business rehabilitation, 177 - - FAMILY RELATIONS: of inmates of Ingleside Camp, 335. See also - _Conjugal condition_; _Social status_ - - FAMILY TYPES: among applicants for relief to Associated Charities - before and after fire, 288, 290. See also _Conjugal condition_ - - FEBIGER, COLONEL: report to War Department on conditions found on - taking charge of relief stations, 40; quoted on effect of hot food - camps, 50; quoted on rations and repeaters, 42, 43 - - FELTON, MISS: appropriation for Associated Charities suggested by, - 135; plan for care of sick offered by, 134 - - FINANCE: questions of, 96-103 - - FINANCE AND PUBLICITY, DEPARTMENT OF: created, 26; duties of, 399; - status of work one year and two years after fire, 28, 29 - - FINANCE COMMITTEE OF CITIZENS’ COMMITTEE (later Finance Committee of - Relief and Red Cross Funds): appointed at first meeting of Citizens’ - Committee, 9; called on army to assume charge of relief work, 39; - consolidated with Red Cross, 11; independent action of its - sub-committee on housing the homeless, 70; realization by, of need of - permanent shelter, 221; recognition as official agent of relief, 10; - shelter furnished by, on public lands, 84; supplies purchased by, 30; - value of shelter furnished by, 87 - - FINANCE COMMITTEE OF RELIEF AND RED CROSS FUNDS (formerly Finance - Committee of Citizens’ Committee): and Corporation, cash receipts of, - 33; appointed its own Rehabilitation Committee, 15; appointment of - committee on hospitals by, 93; appropriation made by, to Associated - Charities, 14; arrangements with hospitals by, 93; asked to supply - tools and make loans, 13; attitude of members on recommendations of - outside bodies, 138; attitude toward and action on plan proposed by - Executive Commission, 20; cash contributions received by, 34, 35; - claims made upon, 96; control of relief work by, 10; date of beginning - rehabilitation work under, 111; decision of, to pay no liquor claims, - 98; expenditures for housing by, 220; first appropriation for special - relief by, amount and date, 14; free dispensaries established by, 93; - grants made directly to charitable institutions by, 142; health corps - paid by, 90, 91; independent camp not recognized as official by, 79; - Japanese aided by, number and value of relief given, 94, 95; members - and committees of, 377; organization of, 11; park commissioners - requested by, to give permission for building cottages, 84; plan - submitted to, by General Greely, 18; question of incorporation - considered by, 25; recommendations made to, by Dr. Devine, 15, 16, 17; - representative of, on Executive Commission, 19; requested to state - plans, 15; sale of donated flour by, 102; shelter furnished by, on - public land, 84; sub-committees of, 378; suggestion of representation - of relief funds on, 101; value of shelter furnished by, 87 - - FIRES AND LIGHTS: orders regarding, in days following disaster, 40 - - FIRES FOLLOWING EARTHQUAKE: area burned over by, 4; starting point and - direction, 3 - - FLOUR: efforts made to secure, 36; sent in excess of need, disposal - of, 101, 102 - - FOOD: and its distribution, expenditure for, from Relief and Red Cross - Funds, 52, 53; carloads of supplies received at San Francisco, 30; - depots for storage of supplies, 40; distributed, value cannot be - determined, 52; distribution of, 36-40; donated in excess of need, - 101, 102; early stations established, 37; first need to be supplied, - 12, 13; given to hospitals, value of, 94; issued by army, 39; no - instances of extreme suffering for want of, found by army, 40; - recommendations of Dr. Devine regarding, 17; registration to furnish - basis for system of distribution of, 46 - - FOOD CARD: face and reverse reproduced, 427; use of, 47 - - FOREIGN POINTS: persons sent from San Francisco to, 67, 68 - - FORMS used in relief and rehabilitation work, 425-449 - - FORT BAKER: location of, 7 - - FORT MCDOWELL: location of, 7 - - FORT MASON: conference at, 11; food from, distributed, 39; location - of, 10; one of three garrison posts in San Francisco, 7; sick cared - for in hospital at, 92 - - FORT MILEY: food from, distributed, 39; one of three garrison posts in - San Francisco, 7 - - FRANCE: cash contributions for relief of San Francisco made in, 34; - natives of, among refugees, 74, 76, 77; natives of, in San Francisco - in 1900, 74 - - FRANKEL, LEE K.: became chairman of tentative bureau of special relief - of American National Red Cross, 14 - - FRANKLIN HALL: meeting place of mayor and Committee, 9 - - FREE PASSENGERS: number of, carried by Southern Pacific Railroad - (first period), 58 - - FRESNO: committee from, announced bringing of supplies, 37 - - FUNDS, RELIEF: criticism as to distribution of, answered, 237, 238; - incorporation of, 25, 398; need of careful accounting for, 99; remedy - for embarrassment caused by withholding of, 100, 101; restrictions on - use of, imposed by donors, 100-103. See also _Red Cross_; _Finance - Committee of Relief and Red Cross Funds_; _San Francisco Relief and - Red Cross Funds_; _Contributions_; _Disbursements_ - - FUNSTON, GENERAL: attended conferences on April 21 and 24, 11; in - temporary command of Pacific Division, 8 - - FURNITURE GRANTS, COMMITTEE ON (Sub-committee VII): chairman of, 125 - - FURNITURE, HOUSEHOLD: applications for, granted and refused, 153, 154; - applications for, passed on by sub-committees and by members of - Rehabilitation Committee, 160; applications for, to be on printed - forms, 117; grants of different amounts for, 165, 166; large - proportion of early grants for, 298; policy regarding grants of, 129, - 130, 131; principal and subsidiary grants for, number and amount of, - 157, 158; reasons for refusal of applications for, 166; re-opened - cases where principal grant was for, 161, 162 - - FURTH, JACOB: representative of Massachusetts Association for the - Relief of California, 15 - - - GALLWEY, DR. JOHN: chairman of Sub-committee II, 125; member of - Rehabilitation Committee of Finance Committee, 21 - - GARRISON POSTS: in and near San Francisco, 7 - - GASTON, MAJOR A. J.: positions held by, 21 - - GENERAL ORDERS NO. 18, 379-382 - - GERMAN GENERAL BENEVOLENT SOCIETY: asked to confer on plan for - administration of relief work, 132; privilege of having - recommendations accepted extended to, 138; represented on committee to - pass on applications for housing, 133 - - GERMANY: cash contributions for relief of San Francisco made in, 34; - natives of, among refugees, 74, 75, 76, 77; natives of, in San - Francisco 1900, 74 - - GIFTS: received by applicants aided under grant and loan plan, 265; - received by families aided under cottage plan, 229 - - GOLDEN GATE: location of, 3 - - GOLDEN GATE PARK: barracks in, described, 70, 71; field hospital - established at, 92; line of refugees at lodge of, 36; placing of - refugees in, recommended by committee on housing the homeless, 70; - population in, not included in registration, 73; refugees in, - hindered from becoming independent by remoteness from centers, 84; - vacation school in, proposed, 78 - - GOVERNOR OF CALIFORNIA: ex-officio director of Relief Corporation, 26; - member of special committee, 15 - - GRANT AND LOAN PLAN: additional aid to families aided under, 273; ages - of applicants aided under, 261; applications and expenditures under, - 257-258; cases of grantees under, 273-276; comments on results of, - 276, 278; conclusions regarding houses built under, 371; conjugal - condition of families aided under, 260; contracts and regulations - covering, 253, 254; nationality of applicants receiving aid under, - 259; nature of opportunity offered by, 237; number of buildings - erected under, 219; number of rooms occupied by families aided under, - 267; occupations and incomes of applicants aided under, 262, 263; - payments on houses erected under, 220; rentals paid before fire by - families aided under, 270; status of loans to families aided under, - 271, 272; typical cases of families aided under, 273-276; value of - houses owned by applicants aided under, 269, 270; value of lots - purchased by applicants aided under, 266 - - GRANTS: amount and nature of, 165-167; and applications, time elapsing - between, 163-165, 370; and pensions, for aged and infirm, 364-365; and - pensions, given by Associated Charities, 306-309; by Associated - Charities for emergency and temporary relief, 300; by Chicago Fire - Commission, limitation of, 109; by members of Rehabilitation - Committee, 174; by Rehabilitation Committee to applicants who later - applied to Associated Charities, 298, 299; by Sub-committee on - Occupations for Women and Confidential Cases, 158; cases reopened by - nature of principal, 161; classification of, used by Red Cross special - bureau, 108; duplication of, 116; for different kinds of - rehabilitation, 153, 159; given and refused to inmates of Ingleside - Camp, 337-352; lessons regarding, learned from study of rehabilitation - work, 370, 371; limitation of, 108, 370; made directly to charitable - institutions by Finance Committee of Relief and Red Cross Funds, 142; - notice regarding, 131; number of, to a case, 160; of different - amounts, rules regarding, 128, 129; on applications of United Irish - Societies, 140; “principal” and “subsidiary” defined, 152; principal - and subsidiary, for different kinds of rehabilitation, 157-160; - reasons for refusal of, to certain societies, 145; responsibility for, - 128, 129; spent in drink, 360; suspension of, due to withholding of - funds, 99, 100; to applicants who possessed resources, by amount of - resources, 167, 168; to Associated Charities, 133, 134; to bonus - recipients, additional, 248; to bonus recipients, Corporation’s policy - regarding, discussed, 251, 252; to charitable institutions, - recommendations of advisory committee regarding, 144; to charitable - organizations, by denominations and nature of work, 405; to grant and - loan recipients, additional, 273; to Ingleside Camp inmates, 362. See - _Grants for business rehabilitation_; _Bonus_; _Cottage plan_; _Grant - and loan plan_ - - GRANTS FOR BUSINESS REHABILITATION: average size of, in families - revisited, 174; classified by amount of grant, 194; confined generally - to those experienced in special lines, 184, 185; delayed, result in - failure and hardship, 189, 190; inadequacy of, as cause of failure, - 190-192; in personal and domestic service, 201-202; in relation to - capital, 201-205, 207-208; in trade, 207, 208; manner in which made, - as a reason for failure, 188, 189; summary of situation regarding, 211 - - GREELY, GENERAL: acceptance of suggestion regarding Executive - Commission made by, 19; activities of, in June, 18, 19; appreciated - need of a second registration, 49; attended conference on April 24, - 11; estimate of fraudulent repeating by, 43; estimate of number of - persons who received clothing, 55; had city canvassed for cases of - destitution, 40; lack of data on which to base housing recommendations - reported by, 71; letter from, to James D. Phelan, 387; number of - rations distributed reported by, 52; persons in shacks and barracks - according to census by, 77; quoted on second hand clothing, 55; report - of loss of life by, 5; temporary absence of, at time of earthquake, 8; - three essentials for camp tenants laid down by, 79; took charge of - food issues, 39; tried to induce removal of refugees to official - camps, 79; value of shelter furnished by army as reported by, 87 - - - HAGUE, JAMES D.: representative of New York Chamber of Commerce, 15, - 25 - - HALL OF JUSTICE: meetings in, on day of earthquake, 8, 9 - - HAMILTON SCHOOL: headquarters of Civil Section IV, 42; meeting place - of Rehabilitation Committee, 21, 26 - - HAMILTON SQUARE: first cottages completed in, 82 - - HARRIMAN, E. H.: at conference April 24, 11; member of special - committee, 15 - - HARVEY, J. DOWNEY: secretary of Relief Corporation, 26 - - HEADQUARTERS: of seven civil sections, 42 - - HEALTH: in San Francisco following disaster, 91, 92; of applicants and - families receiving aid for business rehabilitation, 192, 193; of - families receiving aid under bonus plan, 243; of families receiving - aid under grant and loan plan, 261, 262; of inmates at Ingleside Camp, - 326, 327; of refugees, improved by outdoor life, 7; safeguarding of, - 89-94 - - HEALTH, BOARD OF: health corps appointed by, 90; responsible for - typhoid, 91 - - HEALTH CORPS: of camps, personnel of, 90, 91 - - HEARST SCHOOL: free employment bureau at, 47; sewing center at, 88 - - HEBREW BOARD OF RELIEF: asked to confer on plan for administration of - relief work, 132; efficiency of work of, 141; represented on committee - to pass on applications for housing, 133 - - HEBREWS: receiving business rehabilitation, 175 - - HERRIN, W. F.: second vice-president of Relief Corporation, 26 - - HIBERNIANS, ANCIENT ORDER OF: relief stations opened by, 41 - - HIGGINS, ALICE L.: secretary of Boston Associated Charities, appointed - secretary to Dr. Devine, 14 - - HOMES, PERMANENT: assistance in construction of, expenditure for, 220. - See also _Houses_; _Housing_, etc. - - HOSPITAL CARE: single and widowed inmates of Ingleside Camp who - applied for, 351-352 - - HOSPITAL, CITY AND COUNTY: condemnation of, 323, 357; enlargement of - Ingleside Camp hospital to accommodate patients from, 326; records of - cases of, filed with Associated Charities records, 284 - - HOSPITAL, FREE: Medical Society urged erection of, 28 - - HOSPITAL, UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA: donation to, 35 - - HOSPITALS, BUREAU OF: cases under care of, 93; closing of 93, 134; - physicians serving, also visited for Bureau of Special Relief, 146; - report sheet used by, 442; status of work one year after fire, 28 - - HOSPITALS, COMMITTEE ON: appointment of, 93; date of appointment and - membership of, 378 - - HOSPITALS OF SAN FRANCISCO: arrangements of, with Finance Committee, - 93; estimate of amount required for, 121; facilities offered by, - following disaster, 92; mostly outside limited area, 91; - recommendations regarding, by Dr. Devine, 15; results of overcrowding - of, after fire, 365; sums received from Corporation by, 94 - - HOT MEAL KITCHENS: history and work of, 49-55 - - HOUSEHOLD FURNITURE. See _Furniture_ - - HOUSEHOLD GOODS: storing and distribution of, 56 - - HOUSEHOLD REHABILITATION: single and widowed inmates of Ingleside Camp - applying for, 346 - - HOUSES: built by Housing Committee under grant and loan plan, style of - and number of rooms, 258; erected by San Francisco Relief and Red - Cross Funds, by style of house or plan under which relief given, 219, - 220; erected under bonus plan, character and cost of, 248-251; owned - by applicants aided under grant and loan plan, value of, 269; - registered families living in, May, 1906, 72, 73; types and sizes of, - occupied before fire by families aided under cottage plan, 230; - vacant, refugees housed in, 69 - - HOUSING: applications for, passed upon by sub-committees and by - members of Rehabilitation Committee, 160; before and after fire, of - applicants aided under grant and loan plan, 266-271; before and after - fire, of families aided by cottage plan, 229-233; before and after - fire, of families aided under bonus plan, 248-251; conditions in - different civil sections contrasted, 73-75; early discussion of - problem of, 13; expenditure for, by Associated Charities, 310; - expenditures for, by various organizations, 220; form of application - for, 449; four classes for whom provision necessary in plan of, 218, - 219; grants for, number of, 153, 154; grants for, principal and - subsidiary, 157; grants for, size of, 158, 159; grants of different - amounts for, 165, 167; lessons learned from study of San Francisco - work in, 371; of registered families in May, 72, 73; offer made under - bonus plan, 239; plan of study of, 215; problem in San Francisco - compared with that in Eastern cities, 277; problem in San Francisco - complicated, 21, 22; reasons for refusal of applications for, 166; - recommendations regarding, 17, 22, 23, 24; re-opening of cases where - principal grant was for, 161 - - HOUSING ACCOUNT: status of loans to families at close of, 272 - - HOUSING AND SHELTER, COMMITTEE ON (Sub-committee V): chairman of, 125 - - HOUSING COMMITTEE: and Department of Lands and Buildings, relation - between, 256-257; applications for building grants and loans referred - to, 253; cost of houses erected by, 270; dissatisfaction with houses - erected by, 268; general plan of, 417-418; importance of - rehabilitation work of, 276, 277, 278; investigation of families who - were aided by grants and loans from, 259; purpose and work of, 254, - 255; status of work one year after fire, 28; style of houses built by, - under grant and loan plan, 258 - - HOUSING PLAN, ORIGINAL: recommendations submitted to Finance Committee - July, 1906, 394-397 - - HOUSING REHABILITATION: Associated Charities to nominate committee to - pass on applications for, 133; most highly specialized branch, 128 - - HOUSING THE HOMELESS, SUB-COMMITTEE ON: suggestion regarding single - camp, 70, 84; work of, 69, 70 - - - IDAHO: persons sent from San Francisco to, 66 - - ILLNESS, ACCIDENT, ETC.: as causes of disability among applicants to - Associated Charities, 293. See also _Health_ - - INCOME: loss of, in disaster, cannot be estimated, 5 - - INCOMES: estimated, of families receiving aid under cottage plan, 228; - in families aided under bonus plan, contributors to, 245; in families - aided under grant and loan plan, contributors to, 264; of applicants - aided under bonus plan, 244, 245; of applicants and families aided - under grant and loan plan, 262, 263, 264; of applicants to Associated - Charities, lack of data on, 296; of families receiving business - rehabilitation, lack of data on, 179; of women in families aided under - grant and loan plan, 264 - - INCORPORATION: necessity of, for relief organization in large - disaster, 369 - - INCORPORATION OF SAN FRANCISCO FUNDS: certificate of, issued, 26; - membership of Corporation, departments, etc., 398-400; proposals - regarding, 25; recommended by Dr. Devine, 17; suggested, 24 - - INDEBTEDNESS: of families aided by bonuses, 247, 248; of families - aided under cottage plan, 229 - - INDUSTRIAL BUREAU: of Corporation, work of, 88 - - INDUSTRIAL CENTERS: estimate of amount required for, 121 - - INFIRM. See _Aged and infirm_ - - INGLESIDE MODEL CAMP: administration of, 324-327; admission cards used - at, 327; aged, infirm and sick at, 57; ages of inmates at, compared - with ages of inmates at almshouses, 330; applicants and non-applicants - for relief and rehabilitation among inmates of, 336-343; applicants - who had never been at, 354, 355; cases needing help for indefinite - period sent to, 147; cases sent to, who did not belong there, 324; - characteristics of population of, 358, 359, 360, 361, 362; conjugal - condition and sex of inmates at, 328, 329; “convalescents” and - hospital cases at, 365; discipline at, 325, 326; discontentment at, - 324; employment of inmates at, 326; expenditures for construction of, - 220; family relations of inmates at, 335; health of inmates at, 326, - 327; history of establishment of, 321-324; inmates at, classified, - 336; length of residence in California of inmates at, 334; money value - of relief given to family cases received at, 343; nativity of inmates - at, 331; number at, same as number at Lobos Square, by coincidence, - 29; number at, total and average, 323, 324; occupations of inmates at, - 332, 333; purpose of study of statistics of, 327; single and widowed - inmates at, applying for relief and rehabilitation, 343-352; single - and widowed inmates at, who did not apply for rehabilitation, 352-354; - sources of information regarding inmates at, 327; total cost of, 327 - - INGLESIDE RACE TRACK STABLES: transformed into camp for aged and - infirm, 322 - - INSTITUTIONS: advisory committee on, formed, 142; reasons for refusal - of grants to, 145; rehabilitation of, 141-145 - - INSTRUCTIONS: for rehabilitation force proposed by superintendent of - Committee, 123. See also _Circular_ - - INSURANCE: delay in collecting, 22; difficulties in collecting, 217; - estimated total collected after disaster, 5; received by applicants - aided by bonus, 247; received by applicants aided under grant and loan - plan, 265; to be received by families aided under cottage plan, 229 - - INVESTIGATING FORCE OF REHABILITATION COMMITTEE: number of, 115; - personnel of, 114 - - INVESTIGATION: by auxiliary societies unsatisfactory, 139; methods in - different classes of cases, 117, 118; of families receiving cottages, - 222; possibility of, even under conditions such as existed in San - Francisco, 370 - - INVESTIGATORS: trained, value of, as shown in handling of Ingleside - cases, 364. See also _Investigating force_ - - IRELAND: natives of, among refugees, 74, 76, 77; natives of, in San - Francisco in 1900, 74 - - IRISH: section inhabited by, burnt out, 4. See also _Ireland_ - - ITALIAN RELIEF COMMITTEE: privilege of having recommendations accepted - extended to, 138 - - ITALIANS: among refugees, 75; in improvised shelters on Telegraph - Hill, 74. See also _Italy_ - - ITALY: cash sent to, for Messina earthquake sufferers by American - National Red Cross, 35; natives of, among refugees, 74, 76, 77; - natives of, in San Francisco in 1900, 74 - - - JAPAN: cash contributions for relief of San Francisco made in, 34, 94; - natives of, among refugees, 74, 76; natives of, in San Francisco in - 1900, 74. See also _Japanese_ - - JAPANESE: deterred from asking aid by anti-Japanese feeling, 94; - relief of, 94, 95. See also _Japan_ - - JAPANESE RELIEF ASSOCIATION: formation of and relief given by, 94, 95 - - JESSUP, MORRIS K.: urges incorporation of funds, 25 - - JEWISH CHARITIES: formation of special relief fund in San Francisco - considered by, 141 - - JEWISH COMMITTEE: merged in Hebrew Board of Relief, 141. See also - _Hebrew Board of Relief_ - - JOCKEY CLUB, CALIFORNIA. See _California Jockey Club_ - - JUVENILE COURT: records of, for 1907-1909, 317; situation of, after - fire, described, 89 - - - KILIAN, CAPTAIN JULIUS N.: Ingleside Camp organized by, 324, 325, 326 - - KINDERGARTENS: in camps, 89 - - KITCHENS, HOT MEAL: history and work of, 49-55 - - KOSTER, GENERAL: at conference on policing city, 11 - - KRAUTHOFF, MAJOR C. R.: work in handling and issuing supplies, 39 - - - LABOR: abnormal prices asked for, following disaster, 217. See also - _Wage workers_ - - LABOR COMMISSIONER: free employment bureau in charge of, 47; hope that - registration would be of service to, 46 - - LABOR, UNSKILLED: applicants to Associated Charities who were engaged - in, 294, 295, 296 - - LAND: appropriation of funds to acquire, part of plan for shelter, 24; - decision of Corporation not to acquire, 218 - - LANDS AND BUILDINGS, DEPARTMENT OF: alterations in Ingleside stables - made under, 322; and Housing Committee, relation between, 256-257; - applications for small building loans transferred from, to - Rehabilitation Committee, 253; bonus plan, its history and workings, - 239-240; businesslike work of, 237; chairman and duties of, 400; cost - of inspection and clerical work in connection with building of camp - cottages, 221, 222; creation of, 26; decision by, not to purchase, - lease, or rent land, 218; difficulties encountered by, 216, 217; - erection of camp cottages and tenements by, 82, 221; expenditure for - bonuses made through, 220; experiment in purchasing ready-made houses, - why abandoned, 218; houses constructed through its own contractors and - otherwise, 220; planing mills erected by, 217; plans considered and - abandoned by, 217, 218; propositions by real estate firms to, 217; - sanitary conveniences, etc., installed in public squares by, 71; - status of work one year and two years after fire, 28; work of, divided - into three parts, 219 - - “LATIN QUARTER”: burnt out, 4, 287 - - LEASE: of cottages to refugees, plan concerning, 83. See also - _Rentals_ - - LEEGE, CHARLES F.: chairman of committee VI of Rehabilitation - Committee, 172 - - LETTER: presented by members of advisory committee investigating - institutions, 143 - - LETTERS: regarding transportation of refugees, 60, 64, 65 - - LICENSE, SPECIAL: policy regarding grants to those starting in - business that required, 124 - - LIFE, LOSS OF: in disaster, 5 - - LIGHTS: orders regarding, following earthquake, 40 - - LIQUOR: no claims, for, paid, 98; places that sold, closed, 8 - - LOANS: appropriation of money for, 24; early requests for, 13; - negotiated by applicants aided under bonus plan, 246; negotiated by - applicants aided under grant and loan plan, 265; recommendations - regarding, by Dr. Devine, 17; special provision for granting, by - Rehabilitation Committee, 129; study by Rehabilitation Committee to - determine probable number of, 22; to families aided under cottage - plan, 229; to families aided under grant and loan plan, status of, - 271, 272. See _Grant and loan plan_ - - LOBOS SQUARE: camp at, last to be retained, 29, 85; hot meal kitchen - opened in, 49. See also _Camp Lobos_ - - LOCATION: effect of, upon success of families receiving aid for - business rehabilitation, 192 - - LOOTERS: troops ordered to shoot, 8 - - LOOTING: reports of men shot for, 5 - - LOS ANGELES: citizens of, came to aid of San Francisco, 8 - - LOS ANGELES RELIEF COMMITTEE: equipment for hot meal kitchens sent by, - 49; relief station opened by, 41 - - LOS ANGELES TOOL FUND: kits of tools distributed by, 158 - - LOTS: owned before fire by applicants aided by bonus, 245, 246; plan - of purchasing or leasing, withdrawn by Corporation, 218; purchase, - lease, and rental of, by families removing cottages from camps, 233, - 234; purchased after fire by applicants aided under grant and loan - plan, 266; to which camp cottages were removed, congestion on, 233. - See also _Land_ - - LYING-IN HOSPITAL: use of, suggested by Miss Felton, 134 - - - MAGEE, THOMAS: chairman of Department of Lands and Buildings, 400; - member of Executive Committee of Relief Corporation, 26 - - MANUFACTURING AND MECHANICAL INDUSTRIES: applicants to Associated - Charities who were engaged in, 294, 295, 296; business status of - applicants receiving aid for rehabilitation in, 196, 197, 198, 199; - men and women in families aided under bonus plan who had been engaged - in, 244; men and women in families aided under cottage plan who had - been engaged in, 226, 227; men and women in families aided under grant - and loan plan who were engaged in, 262, 263 - - MARE ISLAND NAVY YARD: location of, 7 - - MARITAL CONDITION. See _Conjugal condition_ - - MASSACHUSETTS ASSOCIATION FOR RELIEF OF CALIFORNIA: authority of - Finance Committee recognized by, 10; donation to University of - California Hospital by, 35; funds transferred after being withheld, - 100; investigator sent by, endorsed Relief Corporation’s work, 100; - use of funds for permanent relief urged by, 15 - - MAYOR SCHMITZ OF SAN FRANCISCO: activities on day of disaster, 8; at - conferences April 21 and 24, 11; attitude and actions of, during June, - 18, 19; called on army to assume charge of relief work, 39; ex-officio - director of Relief Corporation, 26; representative of, on Executive - Commission, 19 - - MEALS: number furnished by hot meal kitchens, May to October, 51; - number served in hot meal kitchens on specified dates, 52; prices paid - for, at hot meal kitchens, 51 - - MEAL TICKETS: issued by Red Cross, 51 - - MEDICAL CO-OPERATION: in cases of “general relief,” 117 - - MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OF ARMY: report of, 91 - - MEDICAL SOCIETY, COUNTY: urged use of balance of fund for free - hospital, 27-28 - - MEDICAL SUPPLIES: furnished by army, 92, 93; given to hospitals, value - of, 94 - - MENU: of hot meal kitchens, 50, 51 - - MEXICO: cash contributions for relief of San Francisco made in, 34; - natives of, among refugees, 74, 76; natives of, in San Francisco in - 1900, 74 - - MILITARY AND NAVAL CENTER: in San Francisco, 7 - - MILITARY AUTHORITIES: given entire charge of relief stations and - shelters, 11. See also _Army_ - - MILITARY CONTROL and districting of city for policing, 11, 12, 40 - - MILITARY OFFICERS: of districts, and civil chairmen of sections, 42 - - MILK, CONDENSED: donated in excess of need, 101 - - MILK DEALERS’ ASSOCIATION: arrangements with, made by sub-committee on - relief of the hungry, 38 - - MINISTERS: recommendations by, generally valueless, 117. See also - _Clergy_; _Pastors_ - - MINNEAPOLIS COMMITTEE: objection by, to sale of donated flour, 102 - - MISSION: no hot meal kitchen in, 50 - - MISSION RELIEF COMMITTEE: relief station opened by, 41 - - MONTANA: persons sent from San Francisco to, 66 - - MORAN, EDWARD F.: empowered to make alterations in Ingleside stables, - 322 - - MORROW, JUDGE W. W.: at conference April 24, 11 - - MOTHERS WITH INFANTS: special diet for, 48 - - - NATIONAL AGENT IN DISASTER: Red Cross should become recognized as, 101 - - NATIONAL GUARD: commanded by General Koster, 11 - - NATIONALITY: of applicants aided under bonus plan, 241; of applicants - aided under cottage plan, 223; of applicants aided under grant and - loan plan, 259; of heads of families receiving business - rehabilitation, 175, 176; of population in 1900, and of refugees - compared, 74, 75; of refugees by civil sections, 76, 77. See also - _Nativity_ - - NATIVE DAUGHTERS, SOCIETY OF: relief station opened by, 41 - - NATIVITY: of applicants for relief from Associated Charities, before - and after fire, 287, 291; of inmates of Ingleside Camp, 331, 332; of - inmates of San Francisco almshouse, 331. See also _Nationality_ - - NAVAL TRAINING STATION: Yerba Buena Island, 7 - - NAVY DEPARTMENT: Navy yard on San Francisco Bay, 7 - - NEVADA: persons sent from San Francisco to, 66 - - NEW MEXICO: persons sent from San Francisco to, 66 - - NEW YORK CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. See _Chamber of Commerce, New York_ - - NORTH END POLICE STATION: meeting place of Mayor and Committee, 9 - - NORWAY: natives of, among refugees, 74, 76, 77; natives of, in San - Francisco in 1900, 74 - - NOTRE DAME COLLEGE: aid under bonus plan received by, 241; failure of, - to supply information as to income, 245; high cost of, 248 - - NURSES: from outside San Francisco not needed, 92 - - NURSES’ SETTLEMENT: work of residents after destruction of, 88 - - - OAKLAND: difficulty in transporting supplies from, 37; location of, 3; - return of refugees from, 77 - - OCCUPATION: lack of, a reason for leaving city among certain - professions, 62 - - OCCUPATIONS: of applicants to Associated Charities variously - classified, 294, 295; of inmates of Ingleside Camp, 332, 333; of men - and women in families aided under bonus plan, 244; of men and women in - families aided under cottage plan, 226, 227; of men and women in - families aided under grant and loan plan, 262, 263; proposed, of - applicants receiving business rehabilitation, 184; represented by - families receiving business rehabilitation, 183; success or failure in - cases aided by business rehabilitation, according to nature of, - 196-208 - - OCCUPATIONS FOR WOMEN AND CONFIDENTIAL CASES, Committee on - (Sub-committee IV): chairman of, 125; grants by, 158 - - OREGON: persons sent from San Francisco to, 66 - - - PACIFIC DIVISION OF ARMY: appropriation of Congress to be distributed - under direction of officers of, 30; headquarters at San Francisco, 7. - See also _Army_ - - PACIFIC STATES: persons sent from San Francisco to, 67, 68; states - included under heading, 66 - - PANIC: absence of, following earthquake, 6 - - PARIS, AMERICAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE: cash contributions made by, 34 - - PARK COMMISSIONERS: agreement to ignore occupation of parks by - cottages for one year, 84; co-operation of, with Relief Corporation, - 84; request to Relief Corporation to clear squares, 85 - - PARKS AND SQUARES: wisdom of using, for camps, 84 - - PASTORS: certificates of, found unreliable in Chicago and San - Francisco, 137. See also _Clergy_; _Ministers_ - - PATIENTS: recommendations regarding, by Dr. Devine, 15, 16 - - PAVILION, COTTAGE: proposed for housing aged and infirm, 23, 24. See - also _Aged and Infirm_; _Relief Home_ - - PAYMENTS: upon claims, 98 - - PENSIONS: for aged and infirm, 364-365; given by Associated Charities, - 306-309; lessons regarding, learned from study of relief work, 372 - - PER CAPITA COST: for shelter, 86, 87. See also _Cost_; _Expenditure_ - - PERSONAL AND DOMESTIC SERVICE: applicants to Associated Charities who - were engaged in, 294, 295, 296; business status of applicants - receiving aid for rehabilitation in, 196, 197, 200-206; men and women - in families aided under bonus plan who were engaged in, 244; men and - women in families aided under cottage plan who had been engaged in, - 226, 227; men and women in families aided under grant and loan plan - who were engaged in, 262, 263 - - PHELAN, JAMES D.: as head of Finance Committee of Citizens’ Committee, - 9; at conference April 24, 11; directed to make financial statement to - Committee on Reconstruction, 10; mayor’s suggestions to, 18; new - Rehabilitation Committee appointed by, 21; president of Relief - Corporation, 26 - - PHILANTHROPIC AGENCIES: results of co-operation between, under Relief - Corporation, 317 - - PHYSICIANS AND NURSES: from outside San Francisco not needed, 92 - - PHYSICIANS’ FUND: applications referred to, 153 - - PLAGUE. See _Bubonic plague_ - - PLAN OF WORK: by army officers, submitted by General Greely to Finance - Committee, 18; submitted by Dr. Devine and Mr. Bicknell for Executive - Commission, 20 - - PLEHN, CARL C.: registration bureau organised by, 44, 45 - - POLICE, CHIEF OF: at conference April 21 on policing of city, 11; - provisions seized and distributed by order of, 32 - - POLICE PROTECTION: furnished to hot meal kitchens, 50 - - POLICING OF CITY: as arranged for on April 21, 11, 12, 40 - - POLITICAL APPOINTMENTS: to Executive Commission, 19 - - POPULATION: made homeless by disaster, 4; of California, fifteen years - of age and over, in 1900, 329; of city and county of San Francisco, in - 1900, 331, 356; of official camps, by months and by composition, 81; - of San Francisco in 1900, nationality of, 74; of unofficial camps, 79 - - PORTLAND, Oregon: citizens of, come to aid of San Francisco, 8 - - PORTSMOUTH SQUARE: cottages for Chinese in, 95; meeting of Citizens’ - Committee in, 9 - - POTATOES: donated in excess of need, 101 - - POTRERO: acquiescence in hardships by families of, 36 - - PREMISES: occupied before and after fire by families receiving aid for - business rehabilitation, 178 - - PRESIDIO: army post, 7; camp for Chinese in, 95; entrance to, as - headquarters of civil section I, 42; food issued from depot at, 39; - meals furnished at kitchens in, 51; sick cared for in hospital at, 92 - - PROBATION WORK: situation of, after disaster described, 89 - - PROFESSIONAL OCCUPATIONS: applicants to Associated Charities who were - engaged in, 294, 295, 296; business status of applicants receiving aid - for rehabilitation in, 196, 197, 198; men and women in families aided - under bonus plan who were engaged in, 244; men and women in families - aided under cottage plan who had been engaged in, 226, 227; men and - women in families aided under grant and loan plan who were engaged in, - 262-263 - - PROPERTY: estimated loss of, in disaster, 5; possessed by applicants - aided under bonus plan, 246; possessed by applicants aided under grant - and loan plan, 265 - - PROPRIETORS IN BUSINESS: among applicants aided under grant and loan - plan, 262; among men in families aided under bonus plan, 244; among - men in families aided under cottage plan, 226 - - PUBLIC LAND: shelter furnished by army and Finance Committee on, 84 - - PUBLIC SERVICE: applicants to Associated Charities who were engaged - in, 294, 295, 296 - - PURCHASING COMMITTEE of Finance Committee: membership of, 276 - - - RAILROADS: activities of, following disaster, 58, 59; estimated - contribution of, 68; number of persons carried free by (second and - third periods), 68. See also _Southern Pacific Railroad_; - _Transportation_ - - RATIONS: adopted by sub-committee on relief of the hungry, 38; issued - by army, 39; issuing of, discontinued, 110; number reported by General - Greely as distributed, 52; persons estimated to be receiving, during - April and May, 43; persons to whom issued in May and June, 53, 54, 55; - reduced, 44; reductions in number receiving, explained, 48; stolen, 32 - - READING ROOMS: in camps, 89 - - REAL PROPERTY. See _Property_ - - RE-APPLICATIONS: to Associated Charities by those aided by - Rehabilitation Committee, 298-299 - - RECEIPTS: cash, of Finance Committee of Relief and Red Cross Funds, - and Corporation, to June 1, 1909, 33, 34; of Associated Charities, 419 - - RECOMMENDATIONS: made by Dr. Devine, 15, 16, 17; of section committees - reviewed before submission to Rehabilitation Committee, 118; regarding - housing, 22, 23, 24 - - RECONSTRUCTION OF SAN FRANCISCO, COMMITTEE ON: Finance Committee to - make financial statement to, 10 - - RECORD CARD: used in rehabilitation work, information on, 115, 116 - - RECORDS: charity, value of, cannot be over-emphasized, 363; of - distribution furnished by official camps, 42; of relief distribution - incomplete, 42; rehabilitation, value of study of, 151 - - RED CROSS, AMERICAN NATIONAL: and army, co-operation between, 44; and - Finance Committee, relations between, during week following disaster, - 10; appointment of permanent director of, 101; cash contributions - received by, 34; consolidation with Finance Committee approved by, 11; - contribution of Japan to, 94; dates for formative period of - rehabilitation work under, 111; determined those entitled to clothing - and household goods, 56; disposition of cash received by, 35; - endeavored to deliver boxes to persons for whom intended, 32; meal - tickets issued by, 51; realization by, of need of permanent shelter, - 221; recognition as national agency in disaster desirable, 101, 370; - registration of refugees begun by, 44; registration, second, made by - workers of, 49, 115; relation to hot meal kitchens, 50; report to Mr. - Taft as president, 30; representatives of, at different times, 27; - representatives of, free to consider rehabilitation, 14; represented - by Dr. Devine, 9, 11, 19; sewing center established by, 88; staff of - rehabilitation workers of, 14; tents provided by, 69, 70; use of civil - divisions by, 12. See also _San Francisco Relief and Red Cross Funds_; - _Red Cross Special Relief and Rehabilitation Bureau_; and other - bureaus - - RED CROSS, CALIFORNIA BRANCH OF: recognized Finance Committee as - official agent of relief, 10; represented at conference, 11; work of, - 92 - - RED CROSS SPECIAL RELIEF AND REHABILITATION BUREAU: chairmen of - temporary and permanent organizations, 14; classifications of grants - in use by, 108; expenditures by, 21; got under way, 14; - recommendations not accepted by, in place of investigations, 137-138; - superseded by Rehabilitation Committee of Finance Committee, 21; - transportation work merged with that of, 59 - - REFUGEES: attempts to secure removal of, from unofficial to official - camps, 79; free tents and shacks for, 82, 83; in unofficial camps, 79; - nationality of heads of family among, 74-77; registration of, 44, 45, - 46; return of, from Oakland and other places, 77; terms of agreement - for lease of cottages by, 83, 84. See _Population_; and other topics - - REFUSALS OF AID: by Associated Charities, reasons for, 312, 313; for - business rehabilitation, study of, 208-210 - - REGISTRATION, FIRST: begun by Red Cross, 44; character of records on - card, 46, 47; families and individuals registered in seven civil - sections by, 45, 46; form of card used in, 425, 426; housing of - registered families as shown by, 71, 72, 73; method and results of, - 47; overcrowding and bad sanitary conditions not shown on card used - in, 73; population in Golden Gate Park not included in, 73; primary - object of, 46; reasons why defective, 48 - - REGISTRATION, SECOND: conduct and results of, 115, 116; face and - reverse of card used in, 428, 429; when and why made, 49; use of card - in civil sections, 115 - - REGISTRATION BUREAU: formulation of plans for, by Red Cross, 14; - organization and force of, 45. See also _Enumerators_ - - REHABILITATION: age of possible, 365; amount of principal and - subsidiary grants for, 158; applicants for, among Ingleside Camp - inmates, 336; applicants for, by age, by nature and disposal of - application, and by domestic status, 154; applicants for, classified - by specified handicaps, 155; applicants for, number of persons and of - children in families of, 156; applicants for, who possessed resources, - grants and refusals to, 167, 168; applied for by Ingleside Camp - inmates, nature of, 344; beginning of work of, 13-19; centralized - system of work, 124-133; district and centralized systems of work - discussed and accounted for, 135, 136, 370; estimate of money required - for, 121; general policy of, 107-111; grants for, by amount and nature - of relief given, 165-167; nature of principal and subsidiary grants - for, 157, 158; of institutions, 141-145; of old people at Ingleside - Camp, 361, 362; periods of work of, 111, 112, 129; reasons for refusal - of, by nature of application, 166; recommendations regarding, by Dr. - Devine, 16, 17; record card used in work of, 115, 116; record of - burned-out families applying to Associated Charities, 291; refugees - with and without record of, who applied to Associated Charities, 294; - re-opening of cases, 160; single and widowed inmates of Ingleside Camp - applying for, 343-352; single and widowed inmates of Ingleside Camp - who did not apply for, 353, 354; study of, lessons learned from, 370, - 371; suspension of grants arrested work of, 99, 100; time elapsing - between application and grant in different periods of, 164, 165; - workers, staff of, formed, 14. See also _Rehabilitation Committee_; - _Relief and Rehabilitation, Department of_; _Applications for - Rehabilitation_ - - REHABILITATION BUREAU. See _Red Cross Special Relief and - Rehabilitation Bureau_ - - REHABILITATION COMMITTEE: additional aid granted to families receiving - grants and loans for building by, 272, 273; additional aid granted to - receivers of bonuses by, 248; administrative details of, 406-416; aim - as to single grants, how far attained, 160; applicants referred to - Associated Charities by, 134; applications for small building loans - taken up by housing sub-committee of, 253, 254; applications on forms - to, when required, 117; applications passed on by single members of, - 160; appointed by Finance Committee to supersede earlier bureau, 15, - 21; attempt to gather up loose ends by, 415; cases of single and - widowed inmates of Ingleside Camp who applied for aid to, 343-352; - cases of, used in study of Ingleside Camp inmates, 327; caution in - giving justified, 312; centralized system of, 412; closing of civil - sections, and inauguration of centralized system, 124; clothing - distribution by, 57; compelled to accept recommendations from outside - organizations, 138; conditions of grant to Associated Charities by, - 133; consideration of cases out of turn by, 412; consolidation of - families fostered by, 177; delegation of powers to section committees - by, 119; directions given by the Associated Charities for use of - workers of, 406-407; disbursements of, 124; expenditure through, for - housing construction, 220; experience with recommendations by - ministers, 117; extracts from circular on “Requirements for - Satisfactory Investigations” prepared for, 140; fourth period of work - marked by pressure, 129; fifth period of work marked by discharge of - sub-committees, 131; forms used by, 432-436; funds entrusted to, for - allotment to charitable organizations, 132; grant and loan plan - formulated by, 253, 254; grants by members of, 174; grants for - business rehabilitation and number of different occupations - represented, 183; grants for housing made by, 257; grants made by, to - applicants who afterwards applied to Associated Charities, 298, 299; - hope of, in granting sums for business rehabilitation insufficient for - establishing a business, 203; housing recommendations of, 22, 24; - help toward refurnishing of homes given by, 130; instances where - refusals to grant aid for business rehabilitation were not justified, - 209; instructions for force prepared by superintendent of, 123; - investigating force of, 115; Jewish societies agreed to work through, - 141; kept outside province of Executive Commission, 25; lesson - regarding records learned from study of work of, 413; limitation of - applications received by, 126; limitation of size of grants by, 108; - means which might have obviated re-opening of cases by, 163; meetings - of, 127; membership of, 378; method of work in district organization, - 408-412; monthly budgets of, 408; notes on bookkeeping and - registration under, 415-416; notified by camp commander of inability - of tenants to pay rent, 84; notified of withdrawal of staff of - Associated Charities, 132; periods of work of, defined and - characterized, 111, 112; plan of August, 1906, 124; policy in regard - to grants, 108, 109; principle underlying work of, 107; problem of - care for aged and infirm, 359-362; provisions regarding grants and - loans by, 128, 129; receipts of applications suspended by, 122; - relation to Department of Relief and Rehabilitation, 109; - responsibility of, defined, 110; satisfactory co-operation with Hebrew - Board of Relief, 141; situation at beginning of work of, 107; Special - Relief Bureau called on for aid by, 149; standards established by, - 118; sub-committees, work and chairmen of, 125; transportation bureau - merged with, 60; unsatisfactory history of co-operation with auxiliary - societies, 138, 139, 140; work of, distinguished from that of Bureau - of Special Relief, 111; work of, in second period, 120, 121; - withdrawal of office staff of Associated Charities from, 132, 133. See - also _Red Cross Special Relief and Rehabilitation Bureau_; - _Rehabilitation_ - - RE-INVESTIGATION: of cases refused aid, reasons why not attempted, 314 - - RELIEF: accounting, use of word “claim” in, 96; applications for, how - passed upon, 160; basis, work of application bureau put on, 130, 131; - by free and reduced rate tickets, 59; classes of, and order of demand, - 12, 13; distribution, records of incomplete, 42; emergent, given by - Associated Charities, 299-305; estimate of amount required for, by - Department of Relief and Rehabilitation, 121; in cash, possibility of - strict audit of, 369; in kind, impossibility of strict accounting for, - 369; in kind, need of bureau to supply, 145, 146; speculative - character of, in cases of aged and infirm, 363; permanent, given by - Associated Charities, 305-310; principles of, two conceptions in - conflict, 13; refused by Associated Charities, 310-314; to Chinese and - Japanese, value of, 94, 95. See also topics which follow; and - _Applications_; _Rehabilitation_ - - RELIEF AND REHABILITATION BUREAU. See _Red Cross Special Relief and - Rehabilitation Bureau_ - - RELIEF AND REHABILITATION, DEPARTMENT OF: chairman and duties of, 400; - chairman’s action in regard to grants to institutions, 141-145; - creation of, 26; date when Bureau of Hospitals closed, 93; erection of - grant and loan houses by, 220; expenditure through, for assistance in - constructing permanent homes, 220; funds required to carry on work of, - 121; relation to Department of Camps and Warehouses defined, 110; - responsibility for relief outside camps, 111; sewing work under, 88; - status of work one year and two years after fire, 28, 29; use of civil - sections by, 12 - - RELIEF, BUREAU OF SPECIAL. See _Special Relief, Bureau of_ - - RELIEF COMMITTEES: independent, confusion caused by, 37 - - RELIEF CORPORATION: all responsibility in a disaster should rest upon - a single, 100, 101. See _San Francisco Relief and Red Cross Funds, a - Corporation_ - - RELIEF FUNDS. See _Funds_ - - RELIEF, GENERAL: applications for, granted and refused, 153, 154; - applications for, passed on by sub-committees and by members of - Rehabilitation Committee, 160; cases of single and widowed inmates of - Ingleside Camp who applied for, 352; grants for, classified by - amounts, 165, 167; grants for, size of, 158, 159; principal and - subsidiary grants for, number and amount, 157, 158; reasons for - refusal of applications for, 166; re-opening of cases where principal - grant was for, 161, 162; use of term, instead of Special Relief, to - cover miscellaneous grants, 108 - - RELIEF HOME: building of, determined on by Corporation, 321; - characteristics of population of, 358-362; completion of, 28; - conditions influencing population of, 357; population, admissions and - movement to and from, 356; sick and convalescent inmates at, 365, 366 - - RELIEF IN DEFERRED AND NEGLECTED CASES, Committee on (Sub-committee - VIII): chairman of, 125 - - RELIEF OF AGED AND INFIRM, UNSUPPORTED CHILDREN AND FRIENDLESS GIRLS, - COMMITTEE ON (Sub-committee II): chairman of, 125 - - RELIEF OF THE HUNGRY, SUB-COMMITTEE ON: difficulties contended with - by, 39; relief stations reported by, 42; status of work at final - report to Finance Committee, 37; sub-committee on housing the homeless - worked independently of, 70 - - RELIEF OF UNSUPPORTED OR PARTIALLY SUPPORTED FAMILIES, COMMITTEE ON - (Sub-committee III); chairman of, 125 - - RELIEF SECTIONS. See _Civil Sections_ - - RELIEF, SPECIAL: estimate (August) of amount required for, 121; - general relief used as equivalent term to cover miscellaneous grants, - 108; recommendations regarding, by Dr. Devine, 16; single and widowed - inmates of Ingleside Camp who applied for, 349-351 - - RELIEF STATIONS: and registration, 40-49; in charge of army, 11, 40; - in civil section VI, list of, 41; in seven civil sections, number, 42; - private, 44; recommendation of Dr. Devine regarding, 17; taken charge - of by Colonel Febiger, 40 - - RELIEF STATIONS, BUREAU OF CONSOLIDATED: establishment of, 40; hot - meal kitchen contracts under, 50; requisitions on, 42 - - RELIEF SURVEY: estimate by, of value of relief to Japanese by army and - Finance Committee, 95; estimate of persons in shacks and barracks made - for, 77; findings of, regarding frauds, 117; findings of, regarding - results of business rehabilitation, 187, 188; housing study a part of, - 215; no attempt by, to ascertain what references investigated, 116; - re-visit to 1,000 cases of applicants for business rehabilitation made - for, 174; some lessons of, 369-373; weaknesses in centralized system - revealed by, 135 - - RELIEF WORK: of Associated Charities, disbursements for, 309; plan - for, drawn up by army officers, 18; reasons for limiting scope of, in - February, 1907, 130; what an account of, should include, 298 - - RENTALS: business and residence, paid by families receiving aid for - business rehabilitation, 177-183; for camp cottages, amount collected - and refunded, 222; for camp cottages, plan to charge, 83; for camp - cottages, plan to charge blocked by ordinance, 222; paid before fire - by families aided under grant and loan plan, 270; paid for lots by - those removing cottages from camps, 234; paid for lots in cottage - settlements, 235, 236 - - REPEATING: allowance for, in army reports, 43; registration to - prevent, 46 - - REPORTS OF TRAGIC DEATHS following disaster, 5 - - RESIDENCES: occupied by families receiving business rehabilitation, - number of rooms in, 180. See also _Houses_ - - RESOURCES: of families aided under bonus plan, 244-248; grants and - refusals to applicants for rehabilitation possessing, 167, 168 - - RESTAURANTS: opening of, recommended by Dr. Devine, 15. See also _Hot - meal kitchens_ - - RESTRICTIONS: desirability of having contributions sent without, 369; - on expenditures of funds, 100-103 - - RIORDAN, ARCHBISHOP: member of Rehabilitation Committee of Finance - Committee, 21; on special committee, 15; prediction of, quoted, 78 - - ROOFING THE HOMELESS, Sub-committee on: work of, 70 - - ROOMS: letting of, by applicants aided under grant and loan plan, 267; - letting of, by families aided under bonus plan, 250, 251; number of, - in houses owned and occupied before and rebuilt after fire under bonus - plan, 249, 250; number of, occupied before fire by families aided - under cottage plan, 230; number of, occupied by families aided under - grant and loan plan, 267 - - RUSSIA: cash contributions for relief of San Francisco made in, 34; - natives of, among refugees, 74, 76; natives of, in San Francisco in - 1900, 74 - - - ST. FRANCIS TECHNICAL SCHOOL: as headquarters for Relief Corporation, - 26 - - ST. MARY’S CATHEDRAL: refugees in line at, 36 - - ST. VINCENT DE PAUL SOCIETY: conference of, privilege of having - recommendations accepted extended to, 138; invited to confer on plan - for administration of relief work, 132; represented on committee to - pass on applications for housing, 133 - - SALARIES AND ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES: disbursements of Associated - Charities for, 309 - - SALOONS: policy regarding grants to, 128. See also _Liquor_ - - SAN FRANCISCO: a military and naval center, 7; cash contributions for - relief made in, 34; cash remitted to, by American National Red Cross, - 35; citizens of, visited Congress to discuss building fund plan, 216; - districted for policing and redistricted to bring under military - control, 11, 12; housing problems in, compared with those in eastern - cities, 277; location of, 3; nativity of population of, in 1900, 74, - 331; payment by, for almshouse patients at Ingleside Camp, 327; - persons sent from, to various destinations, 66, 67, 68; population of, - in different years, 356; proportion of almshouse admissions and - inmates to population of, 356; study of dependency problems in second - and third year following disaster in, 281, 282; terms of - transportation of persons sent from, 68; wage-earners in, more highly - paid than in any other part of United States, 296 - - SAN FRANCISCO RELIEF AND RED CROSS FUNDS, A CORPORATION: aided by park - commissioners, 84; announcement regarding business rehabilitation by, - 172-173; applicants to, among inmates of Ingleside Camp, 336; - applicants who first applied for rehabilitation after Corporation’s - rehabilitation work was done, 286; appointment of Board of Trustees - of, 401; appropriations for work for unemployed made by, 305, 306; - balance sheet showing of August 11, 1906, 121; bonus plan, outline and - history of, 239, 240; bonus policy discussed, 251, 252; building of - Relief Home determined by, 321; cash receipts of, 33, 35; clearing of - squares by, 85; conditions which could not be anticipated by, 362; - construction of cottages under, 82, 221; contribution from China to, - 95; cost for care of sick by, 93, 94; could get no information of - claims paid by War Department and state, 98; criticisms of accounting - system answered, 98, 99; decision regarding grants to charitable - organizations reached by Executive Committee of, 132; departments and - personnel of, 26, 398-400; embarrassed by withholding of funds, 99, - 100; expenditure for food and its distribution by, 52, 53; expenditure - for sewing work by, 88; expenditures for housing by, 220; family cases - at Ingleside Camp applying to and aided by, 337-342; houses erected - by, according to style of house or plan under which relief given, 219; - incorporation and departments of, 26; lessor of cottages, 83; - membership and departments of, 396-398; plan of purchasing or leasing - lots considered by, 218; plan to build cottages and let contracts made - public by, 82; refusal by, to sell cottages to vacant lot owners, 233; - reimbursement of hospitals by, 93; relations of, with hospitals and - Associated Charities, 93; resignation of Associated Charities as - investigating agent of, 281; result of union of official and private - efforts, 27; single and widowed inmates of Ingleside Camp applying to, - 344; suggestion of, 24; suits against, 98; temporary barracks for aged - and infirm equipped by, 321, 322; unanimous in dissatisfaction with - work of auxiliary societies, 138; work of, indorsed by investigator of - Massachusetts committee, 100 - - SANITARY ARRANGEMENTS: in houses built under bonus plan, 248; in - houses occupied by applicants aided under cottage plan, 231, 232 - - SANITARY CONDITIONS: in cottage settlements, 235, 236 - - SANITATION: measures of, applied after disaster, 89-91; of camps and - city, cost of, 87 - - SAN JOSÉ: location of, 3 - - SANTA CLARA VALLEY: arrangements for baking bread in, 37 - - SAUSALITO: location of, 3 - - SAVINGS: of applicants aided under grant and loan plan, 265; of - families aided under cottage plan, 229; possessed by applicants aided - by bonus, 247 - - SCANDINAVIANS: among refugees, 75. See also _Denmark_; _Norway_; - _Sweden_ - - SCHMITZ, EUGENE E. See _Mayor Schmitz_ - - “SCHOLARSHIP” GRANTS: instance of, 307, 308 - - SCOTCH: among refugees, 75. See also _Scotland_ - - SCOTLAND: cash contributions for relief of San Francisco made in, 34; - natives of, among refugees, 74, 76, 77; natives of, in San Francisco - in 1900, 74 - - SECTIONS, CIVIL. See _Civil Sections_ - - SECTION VII. See _Mission_ - - SEIZURE OF GOODS: claims for, 97 - - SETTLEMENTS: destruction of, 88; residents of, and their activities, - 88 - - SETTLEMENTS, COTTAGE: conditions in two, described, 234-237 - - SEWING CIRCLES AND CLASSES: in camps, etc., 88, 89 - - SEWING DEPARTMENT: organized at Ingleside Camp, 326 - - SEX AND CONJUGAL CONDITION: of inmates at Ingleside Camp, 328, 354 - - SHACKS: and barracks, estimates of persons living in, 77; and tents, - registered families living in, May, 1906, 72, 73; improvised during - first days, 69 - - SHELTER: among relief demands, relative importance of, 12, 13; - emergency, expenditure for, 220; for aged, infirm, etc., - recommendation regarding by Rehabilitation Committee and Executive - Commission, 23, 24; given by camps, cost of, 86, 87; permanent, need - of realized by relief organizations, 221; providing, 69-89 - - SHELTERS: in charge of army, 11; temporary, proposed appropriation of - money for construction and repair of, 24. See also _Barracks_; - _Camps_; _Shacks_ - - SICK: and disabled, applications of, to have precedence, 123; care of, - a minor problem of relief work, 91, 92; carried from fire zone, 5; - expenditures for care of, by Associated Charities, 301; special diet - for, 48 - - SICKNESS: as a reason for transporting refugees, 62. See also _Health_ - - SINGLE AND WIDOWED MEN AND WOMEN: at Ingleside Camp, 343-354 - - SMALLPOX: cases in San Francisco following disaster, 91 - - SMITH (Coolidge), MARY ROBERTS: quotation from article in _Charities - and the Commons_ by, 77 - - SOCIAL CHARACTER: of cases cared for by Associated Charities, 286-294 - - SOCIAL HALLS: built at expense of Corporation, 89 - - SOCIAL STATUS. See _Conjugal condition_ - - SOUTHERN PACIFIC RAILROAD: estimate of persons in shacks and barracks - by, 77; free passengers carried from San Francisco by, 58; relief - supplies brought into city by, 30 - - SOUTH PARK: camp in, described, 84 - - SOUTH PARK SETTLEMENT: work of residents after destruction of, 88 - - SPECIAL RELIEF. See _Relief, Special_; _Relief, General_; _Special - Relief, Bureau of_ - - SPECIAL RELIEF, BUREAU OF, 145-150; applications for emergency relief - referred to, 120; applications of specified kinds referred to, 123; - creation of, made possible prompt action, 126; emergency cases always - handled rapidly by, 165; emergency relief cases referred to, 120; - expenditures by, 148, 149; forms used by, 435-439; need of, from - beginning of rehabilitation work, 370; reasons why earlier opening of, - desirable, 163; requisitions for clothing to, 57; staff and - administration of, 147, 148; status of work one year after fire, 28; - work distinguished from that of Rehabilitation Bureau, 111; work first - done by, 146; work for residents of camps, 149; work of, closed, 133, - 150. See also _Red Cross Special Relief and Rehabilitation Bureau_ - - SPEEDWAY CAMP (Camp No. 6): aged and infirm first sent to, 321; last - kitchen closed at, 52; location and description of, 70, 71 - - SPRECKELS, RUDOLPH: chairman of Department of Camps and Warehouses, - 399; estimate by, of number to be placed at Ingleside Camp, 323; in - conference with Rehabilitation Committee, 110; member of Executive - Committee of Relief Corporation, 26 - - SPROULE, WILLIAM: chairman of committee on transportation, 59 - - STAFF: of rehabilitation workers formed, 14 - - STAFFORD, STATE LABOR COMMISSIONER: free employment bureau under, work - of, 47 - - STANDARD OF LIVING: of families with reduced incomes after fire, - 228-229 - - STANDARDS: established by Rehabilitation Committee, 118 - - STANFORD UNIVERSITY: students of, as investigators, 114 - - STATISTICS: of Ingleside Camp population, 327-334; of receipts and - disbursements from Associated Charities, 419-422 - - STEVENSON, ROBERT LOUIS: memorial fountain to, untouched by - earthquake, 9 - - STOCKTON: blankets and provisions donated brought by steamer from, 39 - - STORES: quantity received, 30; subsistence, report by army of - expenditures for, 52 - - SUB-COMMITTEE I. See _Temporary Aid and Transportation, Committee on_ - - SUB-COMMITTEE VI. See _Business Rehabilitation, Committee on_ - - SUB-COMMITTEES OF REHABILITATION COMMITTEE: chairmen and fields of - work of, 125; discharge of, 131 - - SUPERINTENDENT OF DISTRICT WORK: appointed, 113 - - SUPERVISING, COMMITTEE ON: membership of, 378 - - SUPERVISION: need of, in certain cases receiving aid for business - rehabilitation, 163, 188, 189, 199, 203, 204, 206, 208, 371; of - expenditure by poorest class, desirable, 238 - - SUPERVISOR OF ACCREDITED HOSPITALS: work of, 93 - - SUPPLIES: amount expended by Bureau of Special Relief for, 148; - confiscation of, by army, 39; in army warehouses burned, value of, 39; - lost and stolen, 32; purchased by American National Red Cross, 35; - transportation of, under sub-committee on relief of the hungry, 38 - - SURVEY. See _Relief Survey_ - - SUSPENSION: of receipt of applications for rehabilitation, 122 - - SWEDEN: natives of, among refugees, 74, 76, 77; natives of, in San - Francisco in 1900, 74 - - SWITZERLAND: natives of, among refugees, 74, 76; natives of, in San - Francisco in 1900, 74 - - - TAFT, WILLIAM H.: report to, as president of American National Red - Cross, 30 - - TELEGRAPH HILL NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION: destruction of house and - after-work of residents, 88; represented on committee to pass on - applications for housing, 133 - - TEMPORARY AID AND TRANSPORTATION, COMMITTEE ON (Sub-committee I): - chairman of, 125; grants of money by, 120 - - TENEMENT HOUSES: erected by San Francisco Relief and Red Cross Funds, - 219, 220; expenditure for construction of, total and average, 220, 221 - - TENT RECORD SHEET: reproduced, 430 - - TENTS: not barracks, needed, 70; provision of, in first days, 69; - registered families living in, May, 1906, 72, 73; supplied refugees - free of charge, 82, 83 - - THEFT OF RELIEF SUPPLIES, 32 - - TIBURON: location of, 3 - - TIME: elapsing between application and grant, 126, 163-165, 370 - - TOILETS: in cottages removed from camps, 231, 232; in houses built - under bonus plan, 248; in houses of applicants aided under grant and - loan plan, 267 - - TOOLS: applications for, granted and refused, 153, 154; applications - for, passed upon by sub-committees and by members of Rehabilitation - Committee, 160; early requests for, 13; grants of different amounts - for, 165; investigations of applications for, 117; principal and - subsidiary grants for, number and amount, 157, 158; reasons for - refusal of applications for, 166; re-opening of cases where principal - grant was for, 161, 162; sewing machines and furniture, - recommendations regarding, by Dr. Devine, 16, 17; supplied by Red - Cross, 14; supplying of, by Bureau of Special Relief and - Rehabilitation Committee, 149, 150 - - TORNEY, COL. G. H.: establishment of free dispensaries by advice of, - 93; in charge of sanitary work, 90 - - TRADE: applicants and others in families aided under grant and loan - plan who were engaged in, 262, 263; applicants to Associated Charities - who were engaged in, 294, 295, 296; business status of applicants - receiving aid for rehabilitation in, 196, 197, 206-208; men and women - in families aided under bonus plan who were engaged in, 244; men and - women in families aided under cottage plan who had been engaged in, - 226, 227; nature of investment required by person starting in, 206 - - TRANSPORTATION: applicants to Associated Charities who were engaged - in, 294, 295, 296; business, status of applicants receiving aid for - rehabilitation in 196, 199, 200. See also _Transportation of - Refugees_. - - TRANSPORTATION BUREAU: merged with permanent Rehabilitation Committee, - 60; work of Mr. Cushing at, 59. See also _Transportation Committee_; - _Transportation of Refugees_ - - TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE: organized by railroad officials, 59; persons - sent to specified destinations by (second period), 66. See also - _Transportation Bureau_; _Transportation of Refugees_ - - TRANSPORTATION COMPANIES: free passage given by, 58. See also - _Railroads_ - - TRANSPORTATION OF REFUGEES: applications for, granted and refused, - 153, 154; applications for, passed upon by sub-committees and by - single members of Rehabilitation Committee, 160; by American National - Red Cross, 35; cases, investigation of, 117; characteristics of - refugees given, 65; destinations of those sent from San Francisco, 66, - 67; estimate (August) of amount required for, 121; grants of different - amounts for, 165; justified as rehabilitation measure, 65; letters - offering hospitality to applicants for, 64, 65; periods of work - defined and characterized, 58, 59, 60; principal and subsidiary grants - for, number and amount, 157, 158; reasons for asking, granting, and - refusing, 61, 62, 63, 166; re-opening of cases where principal grant - was for, 161; requests for, types of, 61, 62, 63; single and widowed - inmates of Ingleside Camp who applied for, 347; supplied by Red Cross, - 14; terms of, 68; value at reduced rates of, 68 - - TRANSPORTATION OF REFUGEES, COMMITTEE ON: a sub-committee of Citizens’ - Committee, 58 - - TRANSPORTATION OF SUPPLIES: arrangements regarding, made by committee - on relief of the hungry, 38 - - TROOPS, FEDERAL: policing of northern part of city assigned to, 11; - prompt arrival of and patrol by, 5. See also _Army_ - - TRUCKS AND TRUCKING: arrangements regarding, made by sub-committee on - relief of the hungry, 38 - - TRUSTEES OF RELIEF AND RED CROSS FUNDS, BOARD OF: appointment of, 29, - 401; contributions to Associated Charities by, 309; grants given by, - to applicants refused aid by Rehabilitation Committee, 210 - - TYPHOID FEVER: cases in San Francisco following disaster, 91 - - - UNEMPLOYED: special work provided for, by Associated Charities, 304, - 305 - - UNITED IRISH SOCIETIES: case of duplication through, 159; grants on - recommendations of, compared with other grants, 140; recommendations - of, acceptance by Rehabilitation Committee, 138; recommendations - specially marked by paucity of facts and high scale of expenditure, - 139 - - UNITED STATES: cash contributions for relief of San Francisco made in - cities and town of, 34; natives of, among refugees, 74, 76, 77; - natives of, in San Francisco in 1900, 74; recognition of Finance - Committee by President of, 10 - - UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA HOSPITAL: donation to, 35 - - UTAH: persons sent from San Francisco to, 66 - - - VACATION SCHOOL: proposed, in Golden Gate Park, 78 - - VALLEJO: difficulty in transporting flour from, 37 - - VIENNA: contribution made by secretary of American Embassy at, 34 - - VOLUNTARY SERVICE: importance of, in relief work, 27 - - VOORSANGER, RABBI: chairman of sub-committee on relief of the hungry, - 36; member of Rehabilitation Committee of Finance Committee, 21; - member of special committee, 15 - - - WAGES: received by men and women working, in families aided under the - cottage plan, 227, 228 - - WAGE WORKERS: in San Francisco, more highly paid than in any other - part of United States, 296 - - WAR DEPARTMENT: claims paid by, 98; judgment of auditor of, on - accounts of Corporation, 99; report to, by Colonel Febiger, cited, - 39-40 - - WAR SHIPS IN HARBOR: rendered aid, 7 - - WAREHOUSE, CENTRAL: recommendation of Dr. Devine regarding, 17 - - WAREHOUSES: army, burned, 39; established by sub-committee on relief - of the hungry, 37; for clothing and household furnishings, departments - in, 56 - - WASHINGTON (State): persons sent from San Francisco to, 66 - - WILLIAMS, THOMAS H.: offer of race track buildings at Ingleside by, - 322 - - WOLLENBERG, C. M.: command of Ingleside Camp assumed by, 324; - employment and discipline of inmates at Ingleside Camp under, 326 - - WOMAN’S ALLIANCE: recreation provided by, at Ingleside Camp, 326 - - WORK: lack of, a reason for leaving city among certain classes of - workers, 62. See also _Employment_; _Occupations_ - - WYOMING: persons sent from San Francisco to, 66 - - - YERBA BUENA ISLAND: Naval Training Station on, 7 - - YOUNG MEN’S HEBREW ASSOCIATION: refugees in line at, 36; use of, by - committee on relief of the hungry, 37 - - - - - Transcriber’s Notes - - Inconsistent (e.g. canceled/cancelled, employe/employee) and unusual - (e.g. wellnigh, wellknown) spelling and hyphenation have been - retained, except as mentioned below. - Inconsistencies between different parts of the text and the appendices - have been retained. The forms in Appendix 2 are intended to provide - approximations of the printed forms only; they contain all text and - information, but not always fully in the lay-out of the printed source - document. - - page 10, ... had on April 25 come into effective co-operation ...: - other parts of the report give April 24 as the date. - page 79, The dashes which appear ...: the original shows periods - rather than dashes. - page 201, ... grants that were $200: as printed; should probably be - ... grants that were $200 or more. - page 372, the work of an associated charities: as printed; not - changed. - page 453 ff.: there is no entry “Aged and Infirm”. - - - Changes made - - Footnotes have been moved to under the paragraph, table etc. they - refer to. - Illustrations have been moved outside paragraphs. - Some obvious minor punctuation and typographical errors and formatting - inconsistencies have been corrected silently. - page xvi: cosy changed to cozy as in caption - page 53, Table 10, grand total: $1,226,367.16 changed to $1,226,567.16 - page 250: ... to have occupied more room before the fire ... changed - to to have occupied more rooms before the fire - page 262, table header Table 87: footnote anchor [213] added - page 288, table 99, row Total detached persons: 3.59 changed to 35.9 - page 386: San Jose changed to San José as elsewhere - page 401: “ removed from before To the end ... - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of San Francisco Relief Survey; the -organization and methods of reli, by Charles James O'Connor - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SAN FRANCISCO RELIEF SURVEY *** - -***** This file should be named 56217-0.txt or 56217-0.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/6/2/1/56217/ - -Produced by MWS, Bryan Ness, Harry Lamé and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive) - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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