Following are several illuminating extracts from reports recently received from the fields of Red Cross activity in Turkey. The American Red Cross has been extremely fortunate in the character of its representation in this work. Some of those whose services have been particularly noteworthy are mentioned in the statement below by Mr. G. Bie Ravndal, American Consul General at Constantinople, who is also secretary of the Red Cross Chapter in Constantinople. The composite picture of widely extended and many-sided activity presented by these brief reports conveys an impression of magnitude and importance which must gratify every American who takes pride in the achievements of his fellow countrymen.—Editor Red Cross Magazine.

Fighting the Cholera at San Stefano

By G. Bie Ravndal,
American Consul General, Secretary Red Cross Chapter.

Our Chapter was just withdrawing from the earthquake stricken coast of the sea of Marmora, where, owing to the generosity of charitable Americans, acting through the American National Red Cross, it had been enabled to furnish medical and other timely aid, as described in my report of October, 1912, when the wardogs were let loose in the Balkans, and then began the initial scenes of that terrible drama which, during the winter, has monopolized the attention of the world.

Hardly had the curtain fallen after the first battles, which followed each other in swift, unrelenting succession, before the cholera began its fearful ravages, competing with the shrapnel in deadly work.

Thousands of families, mostly women, children and old men, fled before the onrush of soldiers from the north. Their suffering on the trail baffles all description.

No feature of the catastrophe proved more heartrending than the condition of affairs in the San-Stefano cholera camp, in which masses of sick and wounded soldiers were thrown together after the battles of Louleh Bourgas and Wisa. It is gratifying to be able to report the fact that it was Hoffman Philip, secretary of the American Embassy in Constantinople; Major Clyde Sinclair Ford, of the Medical Corps of the United States Army, and Frederick Moore, of the Associated Press, who taking their lives in their hands, first undertook the heroic work of organizing relief in this place of horror. They were nobly assisted by Reverend Dr. Frew, of the Scotch Mission in Constantinople, by two Swiss ladies, residents of San-Stefano, Miss Alt and Mrs. Schneider, and also by Hon. Maurice Baring, of London. The details of the relief furnished by our Chapter in the San-Stefano cholera camp have been described in letters by Mrs. W. W. Rockhill, wife of the American Ambassador at Constantinople, and I shall not attempt to add to the information submitted by her, as at the time under report I was in the United States. Mrs. Rockhill has taken a leading part in the relief work instituted by the Constantinople Chapter in the present emergencies, and the Chapter is deeply grateful to her. Ultimately the San-Stefano situation was taken in hand by the Red Crescent.

Even before the San-Stefano need had been discovered by Mr. Hoffman Philip, whose action in this relation cannot be too highly praised, the Constantinople Chapter had established two Red Cross wards for wounded soldiers in the barracks at Tash-Kesla in Constantinople, and a fully equipped operating room. This hospital work has been, and is still being, conducted by Major Ford. Major Ford came here while on leave and generously offered his services to the Constantinople Chapter. His professional skill and administrative experience have enabled the Chapter to render invaluable help, which otherwise could not have been furnished by us, in saving lives and alleviating suffering. Major Ford has been ably assisted by D. Alton Davis, secretary of the International Y. M. C. A. in Constantinople; Dr. Walton, surgeon of U. S. S. Scorpion, and Dr. Kazakos, a graduate of Robert College.

Since Christmas the Chapter has been giving special attention to the “refugees.”

Dr. Wilfred Mellvaine Post, of the American Medical Mission in Konia, magnanimously volunteered to superintend the Chapter’s efforts in the field for the relief of refugees. Associated with him is Miss Jeannie Jillson, of the American School for Girls in Broussa.

Next to Broussa, as far as the Chapter’s present activities in behalf of the refugees are concerned, comes Salonica. Our relief work is also being extended into Monastir and Koricha in Albania.

Situation in Salonica

Letter from Mr. E. O. Jacob.

Salonica, Jan. 3, 1913.

I trust you will forgive me for not writing you earlier. My trip unfortunately lasted 13 days. I had 5 days’ quarantine in Pireus and then had to wait 5 days for a steamer, so that I did not reach here till December 30. I found, as I had feared, that the most urgent need was over, and the work of relief in Salonica itself was already pretty well organized. It seems, however, that my services will meet a real need at least for some weeks. Some one is urgently needed to visit the towns and villages of the provinces and Mr. Haskell is certainly the best man for that.

I am writing this letter also as a sort of report, any material of which you are at liberty to use. You have already received, I understand, a copy of the “Independent,” describing the work of the “Societe de Secours aux Refugies.” This is a quite modest and impersonal description of the work of Mr. Haskell, Mme. Christo Hajji Lazaro and the association whom they have gathered, namely, Pastor Brunau, Mme. Yenny, the wife of a Swiss merchant; Sister Augustine of the Catholic Mission, and lately Mr. van Bommel. They began at once the collection of funds, the investigation of the condition of the refugees and the giving of bread. It must have been a terrible task to locate 50,000 refugees, scattered as they were all over the city, and still more so to inaugurate a system of distribution, for the imams of mosques and the former Mouhtars of different districts tried in every way to turn the funds into their own pockets. But by frequent and tiresome inspections a fair degree of efficiency is now maintained. The committee has now the aid of three native pastors, who are proving very effective in tracing irregularities, removals and other changes.

This group of people has thus far had to confine its activities to the giving of bread, the most immediate necessity of the unfortunate “muhajjirs.” For a long time they gave at the rate of 9 ounces per person per day, surely a minimum ration. Since this week it has fortunately been possible to raise the rate to 12 ounces a day. Four distribution centers are operated, the people coming to these places for their allowances. At the one where I am working we are now distributing 2,700 loaves a day. The total daily distribution is 8,000 loaves and costs a little over 100 Lt. a day.

In certain directions the financial support has been very encouraging. The largest giver, unofficial, of course, is the Greek government, which has put into the hands of this society about 180,000 francs. Queen Olga has in addition given the good sum of 40,000 francs out of her own purse. From Holland came, as the result of an unsolicited appeal from the Dutch Red Cross Mission here, 25,000 francs. The American Red Cross is credited with about Lt. 350 and about 7,300 francs have come to Mr. Haskell from friends in Switzerland. So up to the present the work has been maintained without a deficit.

It seems clear, however, that as the harder part of the winter comes, aid will, in many instances, have to be given in other ways than the one I have mentioned, as 12 ounces of bread a day will not indefinitely keep the body and soul together. Thus far, in fact, most of those who have received aid have enough money for a little salt and a few olives, for a few candles and a bit of charcoal. But lately we get the complaint more and more frequently that these resources are exhausted and that the bread ration no longer suffices alone. Once in two weeks, in fact, each person gets a half bowl of soup. This is made possible by a very efficient little soup kitchen which the Catholic sisters have opened. But this, too, is certainly only a trifle. Again, as wintry weather comes, we get calls for clothing, bed quilts, etc. Practically nothing has yet been given in this line.

I have thus far been speaking exclusively of the people under the care of the “Societe de Secours.” There is also in the city an “International Committee,” which has been taking up other sides of the same work. It has, for example, in operation an observation camp for those who have been exposed to smallpox. It also charters steamers to convey to Asia Minor free of charge those who wish to seek employment there. I had a long interview with Mr. Forbes in Smyrna and brought to the committee details about his offer to employ several thousand men in licorice digging. They are therefore now sending him a first load of 1,100 persons by the steamship Assouan. It strikes us all that to give them like this an opportunity for steady work is about the best service that can be rendered. The largest enterprise of this committee is the maintenance of a concentration camp, which houses 6,000 refugees. Though they have to live in tents they are otherwise under the best of care. The government is military, the sanitary conditions are excellent and everyone directly under the eye of the workers. Unfortunately the operating cost of this camp (about Lt. 80 a day) is so great that the scheme cannot be extended to the others. This committee, moreover, finds itself in a less encouraging financial condition than the “Societe,” and with a deficit already on hand, is not venturing beyond its present range of work.

Then, finally, the needs of the towns in the provinces are begging to be brought to our attention. In many respects they are more sadly in want than Salonica itself. Naturally the armies have absorbed all the available foodstuffs. Moreover, dozens of villages have been burned to the ground and many towns have been quite thoroughly looted. The same sort of story comes from all the surrounding regions, Monastir, Uskub, Strumitza, Brama, etc.

The British Balkan Committee has begun to help in several places. Mrs. Lazaro has gone with a member of the Macedonian Relief Committee to Gumendje, and Mr. Haskell expects to start next week on a two weeks’ tour in the region of Strumitza. Those trips should make clear just what the most urgent needs are.

Red Cross Work for Refugees in Western Asia Minor

Part of a letter from Dr. Wilfred M. Post.

The number of refugees who have passed over from European Turkey into Western Asia Minor since the commencement of the Balkan War is probably in the neighborhood of 56,000; the large majority of these have settled in the Broussa vilayet, a smaller number having found their way to the Konia and Angora vilayets. Most of the refugees have traveled by rail, their carts and oxen having been carried with them at the expense of the government, but a fair proportion have “trekked” into the interior all the way from European Turkey, spending several weeks on the journey. The main distribution is along the line of the Anatolian railway, the usual plan having been for a definite number to be allotted to each city or large town along the line, and then sent off as fast as possible to the villages—a few families to each village—the government hoping by this arrangement to cause the refugees to amalgamate with the Anatolian population, and also by allotting a few families to each village, to throw the burden of maintenance on the people and avoid the problems arising from concentration in large camps and settlements. This policy has been carried out most thoroughly and the many hundreds of villages from one or two hours to two or three days distance from the railway have almost all received their quota of unfortunates to care for, an exception having been made for the Christian villages, few, if any, of the latter having been thus called upon.

About a quarter or a third of the refugees have come with some personal clothing and bedding, and with some property in the shape of carts and oxen, cooking utensils and money. These have been allowed to shift for themselves, but the remainder have arrived in the interior in more or less wretched condition, having little or nothing but the clothes they wear, and in many cases only half-clad and in very poor condition to meet the rigors of the cold Anatolian winter. As long as this class of refugees remains in cities the government makes regular distributions of bread to them, about 50 paras’ worth to each adult, and 25 paras to each child per day, in some cases giving the money instead of the food, but as soon as the refugees have been shipped off to the villages the government ceases to distribute help.

Those refugees remaining in the cities have also been scattered as extensively as possible, a notable instance being Konia, where 2,500 people have been scattered all over the city and surrounding gardens, a few dozen having been put into each “mahle” or quarter of the city, so that it took a week of careful search and inquiry to obtain statistics that were anywhere near accurate. This extensive scattering makes the work of relief very difficult; nevertheless much has been accomplished already and by systematic canvassing by American missionaries and native agents it is hoped that much of the suffering and need of the refugees will be discovered and relieved. Relief of over-crowding, supply of adequate clothing and bedding, opening of soup kitchens and supply of food other than the dry bread given by the government, distribution of fuel and medical aid, indicate the principal lines along which the Red Cross must work for the next two or three months. The officials everywhere express the hope that they will be able to send the refugees back to Europe for the spring, but, of course, nothing definite can be planned as yet. Whatever may be the political outcome of the Balkan war, a large number of the refugees will undoubtedly remain in Anatolia, and the Red Cross may then consider the advisability of providing employment for these people, supplying them with farm implements, etc. The large majority of the refugees are women and children, many of these having been rendered widows and orphans by the war; the few able-bodied men who have come have for the most part, been drafted into the Turkish army and sent to Chatalja, so that the question of employment will have to be considered later on. A few of the refugees are able to earn money by carting wood and grain, using their primitive oxcarts for the purpose, but most of them are idle, and on account of the great scattering throughout the country they must, unfortunately, remain so for some time to come. It is most fortunate that the general health of the refugees is good, and from the hygienic standpoint the policy of scattering has no doubt been a good one. There are, of course, many cases of sickness among them, and in the process of investigation we have found many people at the point of death from exposure and cold, the most pathetic cases being among the children. Here again the scattering makes it impossible to do much visiting, and though the communities may be saved from epidemic, many individuals, sad to say, will perish from cold, hunger and disease this winter.

Our investigations have been confined chiefly to the cities, where several hundreds or thousands of refugees are gathered, but we have also looked into the condition of a dozen or more villages and have found that in general the villagers have been kind to the refugees and have given them food and shelter, and have lent them clothing and bedding; but in some places the villagers have thrust the refugees into stables and broken-down hovels, with little or no clothing and bedding, and just enough food to keep body and soul together. In some instances the unfortunate, defenceless women and girls have been forced into prostitution.

The Constantinople Chapter of the American Red Cross has established relief work in Konia and Broussa along the lines indicated above. In Konia a systematic canvass of the city and surrounding villages has been made, and bedding and clothing distributed according to need; in many cases eight or ten people were found sharing one quilt, and women and children walking about the frozen streets with bare feet. For people in the city we distributed tickets having the articles they were to receive indicated on them, and the distribution was made on the mission premises. The government, however, forbade us to carry on independent work and insisted that all articles for distribution must be handed over to them; we were unwilling to accept this condition, so work was stopped for the time being. In Broussa an effort has been made to get the people into more sanitary quarters than they now occupy; we found many places where eight, ten and even twelve people were packed into a tiny mud-floored room about ten feet square, damp and dismal, and with one or two of the family sick—in one case three people, one with ulcers and two with dysentery, reposing under one small and filthy quilt. Not only must these people be gotten speedily into more healthy surroundings, but some sort of sanitary supervision must be established over the quarters to which they are to be removed. It is our expectation to open one or more soup kitchens and inaugurate some medical work.

We have turned over the city of Eski-Shehir to the Germans, who promise to attend to its needs and to those of the surrounding region. We hope through the above arrangements to get into direct touch with more than half the refugees in Asia Minor, and trust that where our work is unable to reach them other helpers may come forward to tide them over this first difficult winter.

Activities of the Red Crescent Society

The Turkish Red Crescent Society has come forward so nobly during the present war that it has delighted observers by the depth and force of its vitality. A national institution of humanitarian aims, it had been recognized as such in the Geneva Conference of 1864—but though it had worked efficiently in the Russian and Turco-Greek wars of the last century, it is only lately, through the impulsion given to it some years ago by Mrs. Rifaat Pasha, wife of the present Turkish Ambassador in Paris, that its more modern organization and increased capital have brought it to the front, able to compete in usefulness and resource with the Red Cross Societies in other countries.

The society is managed by a Central Committee, composed of 30 members, subject to the approval of a president and to the occasional control of the government. At present His Excellency Hussein Hilmi Pasha, Ottoman Ambassador in Vienna, is president of the Red Crescent.

At the beginning of the Turco-Balkan war the Red Crescent Committee founded three hospitals for the wounded—one numbering over 600 beds—in the capital of the Empire, and several in the provinces, notably at Salonica, Adrianople, Uskub, Loule-Bourgas, etc., appointing well-equipped staffs of nurses and doctors. The necessary surgical instruments and medical supplies were procured from abroad, and recently ambulances were ordered from South Bend, Indiana. Four transportable hospitals of 100 beds each were received from England, and following the example set by European nations in such cases, the Red Crescent established field kitchens in the principal camps, which supplied the harrassed soldiers with soup and bread.

When the cholera broke out among the hapless troops, and they were sent back to Constantinople for treatment, the society organized three more new hospitals in the choleraic centers of Hademkeny, San-Stefano, etc., and as the sick soon filled to overflowing the epidemic wards hastily founded in the capital, the Red Crescent had the mosques of the city opened to the sufferers and supplied them with food, linen and medical care. It is computed that about 3,000 soldiers were supported in these improvised hospitals between the beginning of October and the end of November, 1912, and in this heavy task the Red Crescent was assisted by its branch missions of Hindoustan, Egypt and England, who took their full share of the heavy nursing and relief work. Besides the hospitals thus run, the Red Crescent sent Lt. 7500 in cash to the military sanitary authorities of Constantinople, as well as very numerous suits of clothing, articles of bedding and medicinal supplies.

The arrival of the refugees in Constantinople created a new and tremendous demand for aid. The Red Crescent immediately forwarded another Lt. 7500 to the prefecture of the town, and housed thousands of the unfortunate emigrants in old Konaks (palaces) and in temporary sheds. Committees of investigation and distribution were organized in the chief provincial centers to which the government sent the refugees and bread or money doled out.

The Ladies’ Section of the Red Crescent Society has proved most active on behalf of the patients and refugees. Societies were formed for the cutting and sewing of linen, of which the hospitals were continually in need, and the garments made reached the total of 70,000.

The foregoing facts (culled from the columns of the Jeune Turc), brief and incomplete as they are, suffice to show, however, that the energies of the Red Crescent Society have been severely taxed during the present terrible happenings, and it is an act of justice as well as one of keen satisfaction to say that these energies have been not drained but richly developed by the call made upon them.

In the present emergency the Red Crescent has been generously supported by the Red Cross Societies of different countries. Sisters of the Red Cross and the Red Crescent have worked shoulder to shoulder in alleviating suffering, as shown by the photograph herewith inclosed of the Imperial Hospital in Nichantache, Constantinople, kindly furnished by the Phebus Atelier.

Savages Four Hundred Years Ago

Writing from Konia, January 15, Dr. Dodd sends in the following about an old Moslem priest:

“An old Turkish hodja named Saduk Effendi called today and said he came for the special purpose of asking me to give his thanks to the people in America who are sending help to the poor here. I report his words as near as I can do so. ‘May the Lord of the Universe, the God of all men, who are all of one family on this earth, look graciously upon those who have shown such love and kindness. The servants of God here will always remember and rejoice in these good deeds. How wonderful that a people that were only savages four hundred years ago should have awakened to such noble deeds! When shall we have such an awakening?’”

Faik Pasha Della-Sudda

One of the prominent Constantinople personalities, Faik Pasha Della-Sudda, died on Jan. 11, 1913. He was the founder and honorary president of the Red Crescent Society, which during many difficult years owed its subsistence to his devoted management, and the American Red Cross Magazine is indebted to his courtesy for the interesting article on the Red Crescent, published in Vol. 5, No. 3. of 1910.

Born in 1835, Faik Pasha Della-Sudda was sent when scarcely sixteen to France, where he studied under the famous chemist, Ganot. He completed his training at the Superior School of Pharmacy, Paris, and at the laboratory of Wurtz & Gerhard, and on his return to Constantinople was immediately appointed to the post of professor of chemistry at the Imperial University of Medicine in that city. For nearly half a century he personally conducted most of the pharmaceutics and chemistry classes in the capital of the Ottoman Empire, with a range and depth of knowledge that has been universally recognized and appreciated.

His important treatises on ammonium, phosphoric acid, opium and the falsification of pharmaceutical products in Turkey, his contributions to European and American exhibitions, made his name well-known abroad, and in 1910 he was unanimously elected honorary president of the newly-organized “Society of Pharmacists in Turkey,” in proof of the grateful affection of colleagues and pupils, and of his own superior scholarship and value. He leaves behind him the record of a long life admirably spent.