The American National Red Cross Relief Committee of New York
The origin of this great volunteer emergency committee has already been explained in these pages. But the story of their wonderful work can never be fully told. With their co-operation much suffering has been prevented or relieved, and many lives have been saved; through the ministrations made possible by their efforts, the humblest private in the ranks now realizes that “the great heart of the nation will not let the soldier die.” No words can express the gratitude of the Red Cross for their powerful assistance. Faithful, earnest and efficient, they have labored incessantly through the campaign, and now at the close they make the following short but eloquent report:
Report of the Relief Committee.
Organized May 3, 1898.
Officers.—Rt. Rev. Henry C. Potter, D.D., chairman; Alexander E. Orr, vice-chairman; William T. Wardwell, vice-chairman; John P. Faure, Secretary; Frederick D. Tappen, treasurer; Samuel Woolverton, assistant treasurer.
Members.—Dr. Felix Adler, Bishop Edward G. Andrews, August Belmont, Joseph H. Choate, William P. Clyde, John D. Crimmins, Chauncey M. Depew, Cleveland H. Dodge, John P. Faure, Edwin Gould, Clement A. Griscom, Jr., John S. Huyler, Morris K. Jesup, Edwin Langdon, Dr. A.M. Lesser, William G. Low, Rev. Sylvester Malone, J. Pierpont Morgan, Levi P. Morton, Alexander E. Orr, Rt. Rev. Henry C. Potter, D.D., LL.D., Percy R. Pyne, Douglas Robinson, John D. Rockefeller, Jacob H. Schiff, Gustav H. Schwab, Charles Stewart Smith, Dr. George F. Shrady, James Speyer, William R. Stewart, A.S. Solomons, Frederick D. Tappen, Howard Townsend, Dr. T. Gaillard Thomas, William T. Wardwell.
Executive Committee.—William T. Wardwell, chairman; John P. Faure, secretary; Levi P. Morton, Frederick D. Tappen, George F. Shrady, M.D., William G. Low, Gustav H. Schwab, Cleveland H. Dodge, A.S. Solomons, Douglas Robinson, Howard Townsend, A. Monae Lesser, M.D.; Rt. Rev. Henry C. Potter, D.D., LL.D., ex-officio; Alexander E. Orr, ex-officio.
Finance Committee.—J. Pierpont Morgan, chairman; Frederick D. Tappen, vice-chairman; August Belmont, James Speyer, Gustav H. Schwab, Edwin Langdon, Levi P. Morton.
Committee on Yacht “Red Cross.”—William T. Wardwell, Gustav H. Schwab, Alexander E. Orr.
Supply Committee.—Cleveland H. Dodge, chairman; Mrs. W.S. Cowles, Mrs. John Lyon Gardiner, John S. Huyler, Percy R. Pyne, George F. Shrady, M.D., A.S. Solomons, Howard Townsend; Miss Helen Fidelia Hoffman, secretary; F.C. Garmany, purchasing agent.
Medical Advisory Board.—Wm. H. Draper, M.D., chairman; Andrew J. McCosh, M.D., secretary; Francis P. Kinnicutt, M.D., Francis Delafield, M.D., John S. Billings, M.D., Edward G. Janeway, M.D., Charles McBurney, M.D., Richard H. Derby, M.D.
Treasurer’s Report and Analysis of Expenditures, May 9 to December 1, 1898
| Total receipts | $305,229 66 | |
| Office supplies | $5,117 89 | |
| Food supplies, groceries, milk, fruit, etc. | 46,067 95 | |
| Cots and equipments | 24,946 09 | |
| Medical supplies, wines, liquors, etc. | 11,357 33 | |
| Clothing and dry goods | 1,413 61 | |
| Miscellaneous supplies | 16,051 14 | |
| Account nurses | 17,718 24 | |
| Ambulances and mules | 7,782 56 | |
| Ice | 27,666 14 | |
| Yacht “Red Cross” and maintenance | 54,057 16 | |
| Cash to General Committee, account of camps | 59,913 02 | |
| Laundry plant | 1,230 10 | |
| Freight, express charges, towing, transportation, etc. | 4,283 05 | 277,604 28 |
| Balance on hand | $27,625 38 |
Woman’s Committee on Auxiliaries.—Mrs. John Lyon Gardiner, chairman; Mrs. Paul Dana, secretary; Miss Martha L. Draper, treasurer; Mrs. Butler Duncan, Mrs. James W. Gerard, Mrs. Bettina Hofker Lesser, Mrs. J. Pierpont Morgan, Dr. Lucy Hall Brown, Mrs. W.S. Cowles, Mrs. Winthrop Cowdin, Mrs. Levi P. Morton, Mrs. Henry C. Potter, Mrs. G.F. Shrady.
By a resolution of the Executive Committee the above ladies were appointed a Woman’s Committee on Auxiliaries, charged with the duty of organizing auxiliary committees throughout the United States, to assist in Red Cross work. This committee met for the first time on May 12, and it was decided to interest, by personal effort and correspondence, the people of the country in serving the sick and wounded soldiers and sailors during the war without regard to nationality, in accordance with the rules of the Conference of Geneva.
From its inaugural meeting on May 12 until the present date the Woman’s Committee has authorized the organization of ninety-two auxiliaries, many of these with numerous sub-auxiliaries, thus spreading the work throughout the country from Maine to the Rocky Mountains, the western limit of the work of the Relief Committee.
The Following Auxiliaries Were Organized
| No. | Name. | Place. | President. | No. of Sub-Aux. |
| 1 | First N.Y. Ambulance Equip. Society | New York | Mrs. W.S. Cowles | 3 |
| 2 | Women’s Confer. Soc. of Ethical Culture | ″ ″ | Mrs. Henry Ollesheimer. | |
| 3 | Maintenance of Trained Nurses | ″ ″ | Mrs. James Speyer. | 15 |
| 4 | Yonkers, N.Y. | Mrs. William Sharman. | ||
| 5 | Metcalf-Bliss Hospital Cot Equipment | New York | Mrs. William Metcalf-Bliss. | 16 |
| 6 | Columbia University | ″ ″ | Mrs. Seth Low. | |
| 7 | N.Y. City Ch. D.A.R. | ″ ″ | Mrs. Donald McLean. | |
| 8 | Council of Jewish Women | ″ ″ | Mrs. Cyrus L. Sulzberger. | |
| 9 | Hartford Wom. Aux. | Hartford, Conn | Mrs. F.W. Cheney. | 9 |
| 10 | Ice Plant Auxiliary | New York | Miss Julia L. Delafield. | |
| 11 | Norwalk, Conn. | Mrs. Jennings. | ||
| 12 | Soldiers’ Field Hosp. | New York | Miss E.C. Hebert. | |
| 13 | Mohegan Ch. D.A.R. | Sing Sing, N.Y. | Mrs. Annie Van Rensselaer Wells. | 8 |
| 14 | Morristown, N.J. | Miss Louisa E. Keasby. | 7 | |
| 15 | Green Twigs Aux. | Flushing, L.I. | Miss Helen A. Colgate. | |
| 16 | Litchfield, Conn. | Mrs. George M. Woodruff. | ||
| 17 | First Penn. Red Cross Auxiliary | Pittsburg, Pa. | Mr. John B. Jackson. | 74 |
| 18 | Miscellaneous Aux. | New York | Miss Helen Dominick. | |
| 19 | Laundry Plant Aux. | ″ ″ | Miss Alice B. Babcock. | |
| 20 | Westchester Co. Aux. | Mt. Kisco, N.Y. | Mrs. Henry Marquand. | 14 |
| 21 | Hazleton, Pa. | Mrs. W.C. Gailey. | ||
| 22 | Land and Sea Aux. | Pelham Manor | Mrs. Frank K. Hunter. | 5 |
| 23 | Staten Island Aux. | New Brighton | Mrs. George Beers. | |
| 24 | Princeton, N.J. | Mrs. James P. Morgan. | 3 | |
| 25 | Hackensack, N.J. | Mrs. James Romeyn. | ||
| 26 | Sewickley, Pa. | Rev. B.A. Benton. | ||
| 27 | The Farmers’ Aux. | Jennerstown, Pa. | Miss F.E. Coffin. | |
| 28 | Fort Stanwix Aux. | Rome, N.Y. | Mrs. Louise M. Duffy. | |
| 29 | Fairfield, Conn. | Mrs. Henry S. Glover. | ||
| 30 | Norwich, Kan. | Mrs. Sarah A. King. | ||
| 31 | Beaver County Aux. | New Brighton, Pa. | Mrs. Mary C. Kennedy. | |
| 32 | Grace Par. Laun. Aux. | New York | Mrs. Butler Duncan. | |
| 33 | Athens, Pa. | Mrs. L.M. Park. | ||
| 34 | Canandaigua | Mrs. C.C. Wilcox. | ||
| 35 | Eau Claire, Wis. | Mrs. Francis P. Ide. | ||
| 36 | Mount Vernon, N.Y. | Mrs. William Wilson. | 1 | |
| 37 | Elmhurst, N.Y. | Mrs. A.C. Green. | ||
| 38 | Dublin, N.H. | Mrs. Lewis B. Monroe. | ||
| 39 | Larkinsville, Ala. | Miss Anna L. Morris. | ||
| 40 | Western Reserve Ch. D.A.R. | Cleveland, Ohio | Mrs. Andrew Squire. | 163 |
| 41 | New Canaan, Conn. | Mrs. Willard Parker. | ||
| 42 | Flatbush, Brooklyn | Mrs. Cornelius L. Wells. | ||
| 43 | Colorado Springs | Mrs. E.S. Cohen. | ||
| 44 | North Shore, L.I., Au. | Glen Cove, L.I. | Mrs. John E. Leech. | |
| 45 | ″ ″ | Mrs. W. Zabriskie. | ||
| 46 | Far Rockaway. | Mrs. Alexander Stevens. | ||
| 47 | First R.I. Auxiliary. | Providence | Mrs. Charles Mason. | |
| 48 | Nassau Co., L.I., Aux. | Roslyn, L.I. | Mrs. Valentine Mott. | |
| 49 | Kinderhook, N.Y. | Mrs. P.S.V. Pruyn. | ||
| 50 | Tobacco Auxiliary | Newport, R.I. | Mrs. Schuyler Van Rensselaer. | |
| 51 | Central Falls, R.I., Au. | ″ ″ | Mrs. Arthur Rogers. | |
| 52 | Rhode Island Aux. | Providence | Mrs. Mary Frost Evans. | |
| 53 | Westmoreland Co., Pa., Auxiliary | Greensburg, Pa. | Miss Louise Brunot. | 3 |
| 54 | Pottstown, Pa. | Mrs. E.S. Cook. | ||
| 55 | Emporia, Kan. | Miss Sabia E. Whitley. | ||
| 56 | Scott Schley, of | Frederick, Md. | Mrs. Henry Williams. | |
| 57 | Lenox, Mass. | Mrs. John E. Alexandre. | ||
| 58 | Caldwell, N.J. | Mrs. F.H. Wing. | ||
| 59 | Upper Red Hook | Mrs. Theodore Cookingham. | ||
| 60 | Saugerties-on-Hudson | Mrs. George F. Shrady. | ||
| 61 | Hokendauqua, Pa. | Miss Bessie Thomas. | ||
| 62 | Bridgeport, Conn. | Mrs. Charles B. Read. | ||
| 63 | Suffolk Co., N.Y., Aux. | Greenport L.I. | Miss Bessie Clark. | |
| 64 | Staatsburgh, N.Y. | Miss Madeleine Dinsmore. | ||
| 65 | Otsego Co., N.Y., Aux. | Springfield Centre | Mrs. H.W. Wardwell. | |
| 66 | Plymouth Church Au. | Worcester, Mass. | Mr. Arthur Reed Taft. | 1 |
| 67 | Oyster Bay, L.I. | Mrs. Thomas S. Young, Jr. | ||
| 68 | Cranford, N.J. | Mrs. F.R. Bourne. | ||
| 69 | Loyal Friends Aux. | New York | Mrs. F.P.P. Miller. | |
| 70 | London, Ohio | Mrs. George Lincoln. | ||
| 71 | Shortsville, N.Y. | Mrs. O.S. Titus. | ||
| 72 | Richmond Hill | Mrs. Walter P. Long. | ||
| 73 | South Orange, N.J. | Mrs. F. Arnold. | ||
| 74 | Telegraph Signal Corps Auxiliary | Brooklyn, N.Y. | Miss Mary A. Tomlinson. | |
| 75 | Platteville, Wis. | Mrs. E.G. Buck. | ||
| 76 | Walden, N.Y. | Mrs. Phoebe Saxe. | ||
| 77 | First West Va. Aux. Wheeling, W.Va. | Mrs. William F. Butler. | ||
| 78 | Toledo, Ohio | Mrs. S.S. Knabenshue. | ||
| 79 | Lovington, Ill. | Mr. S.S. Boggs. | ||
| 80 | New Brunswick, N.J. | Mrs. Nicholas G. Rutgers. | ||
| 81 | Colored Women’s Au. | Kansas City, Kan. | Mrs. Katie Minor. | |
| 82 | Sons and Daughters Red Cross Aux. | North Berwick, Me. | Chester A. Hayes. | |
| 83 | Orange, N.J. | Miss Rosamond Howard. | ||
| 84 | Hammond, Ind. | Dr. Mary E. Jackson. | ||
| 85 | Holdredge, Neb. | Mrs. Reeves. | ||
| 86 | Girls’ Towel Aux. | Glen Cove, L.I. | Miss Alice O. Draper. | |
| 87 | Brattleboro, Vt. | Miss Mary E. Cabot. | ||
| 88 | Evanston, Ill. | Mrs. N. Gill Kirk. | ||
| 89 | Montclair, N.J. | Mrs. Benjamin Strong. | ||
| 90 | Lyons, N.Y. | Miss Eudora A. Lewis. | ||
| 91 | Dobbs Ferry, N.Y. | Mrs. Walston Hill Browne. | ||
| 92 | Marshall, Mich. | Mrs. W.H. Porter. |
Supplies Contributed by Auxiliaries Through Supply Committee
| Cots | 3,601 | Under drawers | 6,937 | |
| Sheets | 13,623 | Comfort bags | 1,188 | |
| Draw sheets | 994 | Palm-leaf fans | 6 | cs. |
| Rubber sheets | 226 | Cot pads | 1,006 | cs. |
| Pillowcases | 13,858 | Mosquito netting | 32 | pcs. |
| Blankets | 586 | Nurses’ caps | 271 | |
| Towels | 36,821 | Nurses’ aprons | 100 | |
| Wash cloths | 10,473 | Brassards | 90 | |
| Nightshirts | 12,388 | Old linen | 10 cs. | |
| Pajamas | 14,264 | Napkins | 466 | |
| Wrappers | 53 | Stationery | 2 cs. | |
| Handkerchiefs | 40,268 | Delicacies | 900 cs. | |
| Socks | 8,484 | Tobacco | 20 cs. | |
| Slippers | 2,342 | Pipes | 5,000 | |
| Abdominal bands | 18,557 | Literature | 120 cs. | |
| Negligee shirts | 5,097 | Miscellaneous articles | 3,394 | |
| Undershirts | 6,937 | Red Cross flags | 70 | |
| Estimated value, $80,000. | ||||
Special Work Done by Auxiliaries
Auxiliary No. 1 provided eleven equipped ambulances with forty mules. For Hospital Ship “Missouri”: two hundred electric fans, telephones, six rubber beds, disinfecting plant, carbonating plant, twenty-eight foot steam launch, thirty-seven foot steam launch, sent to Chief Surgeon Havard at Santiago. Supplies of clothing and delicacies sent to Colonel Wood at Santiago.
Auxiliary No. 2 opened a work shop on Madison Avenue and Fifty-ninth Street. There women, members of the families of enlisted men, were employed to make the garments supplied by this auxiliary. Employment was given to these women both at their homes and at the shop. Those who took work home were paid by the piece. In all, 142 women were employed, many having steady work for over five months. Up to December 1, 20,842 articles were made by this Auxiliary.
Auxiliary No. 3 has perhaps brought more comfort to the sick and wounded soldiers than any of the others. It was organized for the special work of providing funds for the maintenance of trained nurses, and as will be seen by the following list of nurses sent out by this auxiliary, no opportunity to relieve the suffering of the sick was ever passed by.
Railway transportation was furnished for nearly four hundred nurses sent out from the New York office.
The number of nurses employed may be divided approximately into four classes: (1) Those employed, maintained and paid by the auxiliary. (2) Those whose salaries and maintenance were borne partly by the government, and partly by the auxiliary. (3) Those who signed the government contract and were paid and supplied with army rations by the government, but received additional supplies from the auxiliary. (4) Those who were paid by the auxiliary and maintained by local aid.
| Class I. | ||
| At Fort Wadsworth | 41 | Nurses. |
| ″ Charleston | 20 | ″ |
| ″ Leiter Hospital | 10 | ″ |
| ″ Governor’s Island | 6 | ″ |
| ″ Tampa | 5 | ″ |
| ″ Atlantic Highlands | 5 | Nurses, 1 Surgeon. |
| ″ Convalescent Home for Nurses | 1 | Nurse. |
| ″ Hospital Cars | 4 | Nurses. |
| Class II. | ||
| At Camp Black | 42 | Nurses. |
| ″ Fort Hamilton | 23 | ″ |
| ″ Fortress Monroe | 43 | ″ |
| On Hospital Ship “Missouri” | 14 | Nurses (Men). |
| At Bedloe’s Island | 1 | Nurse. |
| ″ Portsmouth | 6 | Nurses (Men). |
| Class III. | ||
| General Hospital, Montauk | 125 | Nurses. |
| Sternberg Hospital, Chickamauga | 64 | ″ |
| Class IV. | ||
| L.I. City Relief Station | 29 | Nurses, 2 Surgeons. |
| Relief Tents, Montauk Station | 1 | ″ |
| Nassau Hospital, Hempstead | 20 | ″ |
| Home for Convalescent Soldiers at Sag Harbor | 6 | ″ |
| Convalescent Home of 8th Reg’t, Hunter’s Island | 2 | ″ |
| U.S. Transport “Lampasas” | 29 | Nurses(of these many were Volunteers). |
The salaries of some and maintenance of all were borne by the auxiliary. Nurses were also supplied on emergency calls to the Eighth and Ninth Regiment Armories.
Auxiliary No. 5 sent equipped cots to the different camps in the United States, Cuba and Porto Rico, supplying in all 3766.
Auxiliary No. 10 undertook to send ice to Cuba and Porto Rico, the blockading fleet, and the different camps. This auxiliary also furnished the ice plant on the Hospital Ship “Missouri,” and expended in all for ice $27,802.20.
The work of this auxiliary appealed especially to every one during the hot weather, and donations poured in upon it, not the least of which was a steady income from the “Nathalie Schenck Ice Chain,” which produced a revenue of $24,000 in three months.
Auxiliary No. 17, enrolled seventy-four sub-auxiliaries, with a total membership of 6173.
To the Supply Committee this auxiliary sent in the largest quantity of supplies.
Auxiliary No. 19 raised funds for a laundry plant, and put same on Hospital Ship “Missouri.”
Auxiliary No. 22 had five sub-auxiliaries, with a total membership of 1018. 14,144 garments, 850 cases and packages of food, and 12,583 books and magazines were sent to the Supply Depot. In September the auxiliary took as its particular work the supplying of clothing to destitute soldiers applying for same, with properly signed orders, at 554 Broadway. Nearly 800 men were given underwear, blue flannel shirts, socks, handkerchiefs, night shirts, etc., etc.
Auxiliary No. 40.—The War Emergency Relief Board of Cleveland became an auxiliary to the Red Cross in June, with 163 sub-auxiliaries. Ten thousand dollars in money, and between thirty and forty thousand dollars worth of supplies, were sent to the front. Two thousand dollars were spent in fitting up unfurnished wards in Cleveland hospitals, where 533 soldiers were cared for. The wives and families of soldiers and sailors were also cared for. Five thousand four hundred and fifty hot breakfasts and dinners were served at the Union Depot to soldiers passing through Cleveland. Four hundred cases of clothing and delicacies were shipped by this auxiliary.
Requisitions Filled by Supply Committee
June 22 to December 1.
Total Number, 427.
| To Santiago | Shipments, | 26 |
| ″ Porto Rico | ″ | 10 |
| ″ Camp Wikoff | ″ | 53 |
| ″ ″ Thomas | ″ | 34 |
| ″ ″ Alger | ″ | 7 |
| ″ ″ Black | ″ | 5 |
| ″ ″ Townsend | ″ | 1 |
| ″ ″ Hobson | ″ | 1 |
| ″ Jacksonville | ″ | 17 |
| ″ Tampa | ″ | 9 |
| ″ Miami | ″ | 2 |
| ″ Governor’s Island | ″ | 14 |
| ″ Bedloe’s Island | ″ | 3 |
| ″ Seavey’s Island | ″ | 3 |
| ″ Fort Wadsworth | ″ | 20 |
| ″ Fortress Monroe | ″ | 5 |
| ″ Fort Riley | ″ | 1 |
| ″ Fort Hamilton | ″ | 18 |
| ″ Fort McPherson | ″ | 4 |
| ″ Quarantine | ″ | 5 |
| ″ Bellevue Hospital | ″ | 6 |
| ″ Roosevelt Hospital | ″ | 2 |
| ″ Brooklyn Hospital | ″ | 3 |
| ″ St. Peter’s Hospital | ″ | 6 |
| ″ St. Francis’ Hospital | ″ | 2 |
| ″ St. Catherine’s Hospital | ″ | 2 |
| ″ St. Joseph’s Hospital | ″ | 4 |
| ″ Yonkers Hospital | ″ | 4 |
| ″ Mount Vernon Hospital | ″ | 4 |
| ″ New Rochelle Hospital | ″ | 4 |
| ″ Jamaica Hospital | ″ | 1 |
| ″ Nassau Hospital | ″ | 4 |
| ″ Long Island College Hospital | ″ | 6 |
| ″ Long Island Red Cross Emergency Hospital | ″ | 22 |
| ″ Stapleton Marine Hospital | ″ | 1 |
| ″ U.S.S. “St Paul” | ″ | 1 |
| ″ ″ “New Hampshire” | ″ | 1 |
| ″ ″ “Nahant” | ″ | 1 |
| ″ ″ “Harvard” | ″ | 1 |
| ″ ″ “Kanawha” | ″ | 1 |
| ″ ″ “Elfrida” | ″ | 1 |
| ″ ″ “Vigilancia” | ″ | 1 |
| ″ ″ “Supply” | ″ | 1 |
| ″ ″ Hospital Ship “Missouri” | ″ | 4 |
| ″ ″ ″ ″ “Relief” | ″ | 2 |
| ″ “Red Cross” Yacht | ″ | 2 |
| ″ 9th Regiment Armory | ″ | 7 |
| ″ 8th ″ ″ | ″ | 4 |
| ″ 71st ″ ″ | ″ | 1 |
| ″ 13th ″ ″ | ″ | 2 |
| ″ Convalescent Homes | ″ | 43 |
| ″ Soldiers’ Comfort Committees | ″ | 25 |
| ″ Distribution to Soldiers at Supply Depot | ″ | 13 |
| ″ Stephen E. Barton | ″ | 2 |
| ″ Dr. B.B. Lanier, U.S.A. | ″ | 1 |
| ″ Major Henry Page, U.S.V. | ″ | 1 |
| ″ Mrs. L. Hutton, Athens, Ga. | ″ | 1 |
| ″ Mrs. G.M. Moulton, Savannah | ″ | 1 |
| ″ Mrs. F.M. Armstrong, Hampton, Va. | ″ | 1 |
| Total | 427 |