SANITARY COMMISSION. 



431 



The city has an area of 42 square miles. The gas- ! 

 works, which belong to private companies, are val- ' 

 ued at $0,025,000, and have a capacity for 4,000,000 

 cubic feet daily. The lire department comprises 15 

 engines, 1 lire boat, 8 hose carts, 5 hook and ladder 

 trucks, and ;i25 men. The city has, however, suf- 

 fered severely from fire. The fire of May 4, 1851, 

 when the buildings of the city were chiefly of wood, 

 caused a loss of several millions of dollars. On Aug. 

 21, 1880, there was a conflagration, the loss in which 

 was estimated at 81,000,000. The street railroads 

 have about 35 miles used by horse cars and an al- 

 most equal amount on which cable cars are used. 

 For education the city appropriates nearly $900,000 

 annually. The total revenue is about ^3,750,000, 

 and the yearly expenditure 83,555,000. The city 

 debt is 81,457,000, and the rate of taxation 1.57 per 

 cent. 



The population in 1880 waa 233,859, including 20,- 

 COO Chinese. It is now estimated to exceed 320,- j 

 000, and the Chinese number about 25,000. The 

 latter have six large Joss housrs and many smaller 

 ones. Besides the large and enterprising journals 

 and periodicals in English, there are daily and 

 weekly papers in French, Italian, German, Spanish, 

 and Chini 1 -*". 



SANITARY COMMISSIOX.theTJxiTEDSTATEs, 

 was created June '.), 1801, by an order of the secretary 

 of war; its board, appointed by that officer and the 

 United States Mrdical Bureau, consisted of 11. W. 

 Bellows, D.D., Professors A. 1) Baclie and Wolcott i 

 Gibl>-, Drs. Jeltrics Wyman, W. 11. VanBuren, S. 

 G. Howe, and R. C. Wood, U. S. A., with two army 

 officers, G. W. Cullum and A. E. Sliiras. This or- 

 ganization had been preceded by several of local and 

 unofficial character, called forth by the intense inte- 

 rest felt by the people of the loyal .States in the welfare 

 of those who had gone forth to represent them in the 

 field and to ti^ht for the Union and human freedom. 

 April 15, ISiil, I're-ident Lincoln issued his call for 

 75,000 men ; on that very day societies were formed 

 by the women of Bridgeport, Conn., and Char'es- 

 town. M:is<., to furnish aid and relief t the volun- 

 teer troops. Within a few days similar action was 

 taken at Lowell, Mass , and Cleveland, O. The ' 

 Women's Central Relief Associations of New York, 

 organized at the. Cooper Union, April 211, at a meet- 

 ing called by ninety-one prominent ladies of 

 the city, became the chief source whence the 

 Sanitary Commission sprang. It presently sent 

 to Washington a committee, consisting of Drs. 

 Bellows, Van Buren, llarsen, and Harris, to 

 consult with the War Department and the Medi- 

 cal Bureau, and secure, if possible, the appointment 

 of a commission such as had rendered eminent ser- 

 vices to the British army in the Crimean war. The 

 government, fearful of lay intermeddling and collis- 

 ion with its officers, refused to grant similar powers 

 without the consent of the Medical Bureau, which 

 could not bo obtained, and the commission when 

 created had but a semi-official character, no author- 

 ity, and the privileges merely of visiting the troops, 

 consulting with the Bureau, and recommending san- 

 itary regulations and reforms to the War Depart- 

 ment. Hot the active support of the government 

 and its officers, but the warm sympathy of the people 

 at home, enabled it to grow rapidly from feeble in- 

 fancy to vigorous life, and to render those noble 

 services which made its name blessed throughout 

 the land. 



It had many difficulties to contend with and over- 

 come. The natural jealousy and suspicion of the 

 surgeons and other officers proved beneficial, as af- 

 fording the stimulus of criticism, and holding the 

 employes of the Commission to a strict account, j 

 The lack of any general appreciation of the dangers 

 of camp diseases, and the inability of the public mind 

 to cuter iii to the main object of the Commission, 



which was prevention rather than cure, were embar- 

 rassing. The lirst volunteers were very young, more 

 than half under twenty-four, and many mere boys. 

 Their parents, sisters, and friends had a vague but 

 strong feeling that they ought to be supplied with 

 comforts in the way of food and clothing, beyond 

 what the government provided ; and this, with min- 

 istration to the sick and wounded, was popularly 

 supposed, throughout the war, to be the main work 

 of the Commission ; but its leaders held far wider 

 views. Few things in modern history are more 

 creditable than their management of the vast inte- 

 rests doubtfully and grudgingly committed to their 

 care, combining as it does statesmanlike foresight, 

 careful prudence, and rigid integrity, with humane 

 and patriotic zeal. Its officers deserve an honorable 

 place in American remembrance. Dr. H. W. Bel- 

 lows, of New York, was president and the soul of the 

 organization ; A. D. Bache, LL.D., of Washing- 

 ton, vice-president ; G. T. Strong, of New York, 

 treasurer ; Drs. Van Buren, Agnew, and Gibhs the 

 medical committee. The general secretaryship at 

 Washington was held most efficiently by F. L. Olm- 

 sted, 1801-3, Dr. J. F. Jenkins, 1803-5, and J. S. 

 Blatchford, 1805. Prof. J. S. Newberry, as Western 

 secretary at Louisville, was equally energetic ; these 

 gentlemen, in charge of the twogreat depots of sup- 

 plies and distribution, ably discharged a heavy re- 

 sponsibility. To the original board were soon added, 

 besides those just named, Dr. Eiisha Harris, Bishop 

 T. M. Clark,ot Rhode Island, Horace Binney, of Phil- 

 adelphia, and several others. The board held twenty- 

 three lengthened sessions. -it Washington, and during 

 the intervals a standing committee, composed of Drs. 

 Bellows, Van Buren, Gibbs, and Agnew, with Mr. 

 Strong, and afterward C. J. Stille, met almost every 

 day in New York. None of these officers received 

 pay, except those who gave their whole time to the 

 won ; hut it was soon found better and cheaper to 

 employ salaried persons in the field, thus establish- 

 ing a system of accountability, discipline, And pro- 

 motion ; volunteer help was then accepted only as 

 .supplemental in special cases. Method and subordi- 

 nation were necessary to success, and won the tardy 

 respect of the medical and military officers of the 

 government. 



The finance* of the Commission were for over a 

 year very limited, money coming in much less freely 

 than goods. June 21, 1801, aid was asked from the 

 people and from the life insurance companies. By 

 Sept. 1 only $13,030 had been received, and by 

 Mar. 28, 1802, but 853,720. Under these dis- 

 couraging circumstances, only the faith and zeal 

 of its leaders prevented its dissolution. By Sept. 

 10, 1862, the amount had reached $158,501, chiefly 

 from New York, Philadelphia, and Boston, and the 

 embarrassments were great. But within the next 

 twenty-three days California had sent two contribu- 

 tions of $100,000 each. This was the beginning of 

 a new era ; the services of the Commission began to 

 be appreciated, and money to flow in more freely. 

 Considerable sums came from Buenos Ayres, the 

 Sandwich Islands, and branches in London and 

 Paris. The famous " Sanitary Fairs," held early in 

 18(54, reached the popular purse ; that of New York 

 yielded $1,184,487; Philadelphia, $1,035,398; Brook- 

 lyn, $305.513, while smaller amounts came from 

 Albany, Boston, and other cities. Of all the con- 

 tributions to Jan. 1, 1806, that of California was the 

 greatest, $1,233,977 ; New York followed with 

 $229,328 ; Massachusetts with nearly $122,000 ; Ne- 

 vada with $107,642, and Oregon with $79,406. The 

 total of cash receipts was $4,924,480; and at least 

 $2,000,000 more was raised and expended by 

 the branches. The estimated value of goods was 

 $15,000,000. 



These gifts provisions, drinkables, dry goods of 

 all sort* came from every part of the laud ; from 



