D 629 BKcation No. 8 1919a Copy 1 PORTS OF THE AMERICAN RED CROSS COMMISSIONS "upon their activities in MACEDONIA, THRACE, BULGARIA, THE iEGEAN ISLANDS AND GREECE PUBLISHED BY PERMISSION OF THE AMERICAN RED CROSS FOR TEE AMERICAN-HELLENIC SOCIETY COLUMBIA UNIVEBS3TT, NEW YOBK BY OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS AMERICAN BRANCH as WEST 38ND 8TRBET, NBW YORK 1919 OBJECTS OF THE SOCIETY The American-Hellenic Society is organized for the general purpose of extending and encouraging among the citizens of the United States of America an inter- est in the cultural and political relations between the United States and Greece; and in particular to promote educational relationships, including the establishment of exchange professorships in the Universities of the United States and Greece, as a means to diffuse knowl- edge of the literature and political institutions of the United States throughout Greece, and to encourage in America the study of the ancient and modern Hellenic language and literature; and further to defend the just claims of Greece in particular and of Hellenism in general. 11^ .:(., v,.-l-:,;.-, .' -T?,, A /, REPORTS OF THE AMERICAN RED CROSS COMMISSIONS UPON THEIR ACTIVITIES IN MACEDONIA, THRACE, BULGARIA, THE iEGEAN ISLANDS AND GREECE PUBLISHED BY PERMISSION OF THE AMERICAN RED CROSS FOR THE AMERICAN-HELLENIC SOCIETY COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY, NEW YORK BY OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS AMERICAN BRANCH 35 WEST 32nd STREET, NEW YORK 1919 Gift Society <^CT 25 19J8 ^^t^^l INTERNATIONAL COMMISSION'S REPORT PRAISES RED CROSS (From the Red Cross Bulletin of Paris, May 17, 1919:) Athens^ Sunday. — The International Commission of Inquiry into the excesses committed by the Bulgars in Eastern Macedonia throughout the two years of Bul- garian occupation, after enumerating the various crimes, assassinations, robberies and wholesale deportations, praises the work of the American Red Cross. "The devotion of the American Red Cross is above all eulogies," says the report. "Its work in eastern Macedonia has been magnificent, and not only the Greek nation but all humanity owes it an eternal debt of gi'at- itude." The report of the International Commission shows that of 339 villages with a total population of 305,000, more than 32,000 died of hunger, of assassination and of dis- ease induced by bad treatment, and that 12,000 died in captivity in Bulgaria. Ninety-four villages were totally destroyed. REPATRIATION OF GREEKS Salonika (By Mail) .—Lieut. A. S. Bedell, in charge of the American Red Cross relief stations in Macedonia and Bulgaria, gives some interesting "human interest" details on the life led by the American Red Cross nurses and field workers during the repatriation of Greeks de- ported into Bulgaria during the war. "We came into Bulgaria on a German freight car," says Lieut. Bedell in his report. "This Red Cross car was the first car of the first train that ran from Serres to Salonika after the signing of the armistice and it was with the Red Cross from the time we entered Bulgaria until we returned to Greece. "It was used to distribute the personnel at the stations beyond Xanthi and carried three ladies and four men, part of whom occupied the car for six days. The fur- niture consisted of personal baggage, including blanket rolls, a charcoal burner and one sack of charcoal and ra- tions for the personnel. "On the trip out of Bulgaria greater comfort was sought and secured. The party consisted of one lady and four men. The car left Tyrnovo-Siemen, Bulgaria, and went straight through to Athens. At Tyrnovo the car was fitted up as a 'home,' the walls covered with blankets to insure warmth, and the lady's apartment cur- tained off at one end with a blanket. "We had one iron bed, two camp cots, and one Red Cross man slept on crates of biscuit tins, the bed being demountable to furnish five chairs by day. The Red Cross man turned over frequently in the night, bringing discord from the tins, but despite our protests at his noisy mode of sleeping he declared that he had a 'rattling good bed.' "Firewood was obtainable along the route and we were able to use our wood stove after cutting a hole in the side of the car for the stove pipe. Cupboards were nailed to the side of the car for eating utensils, a packing case of food supplies acted as a kitchen- table which was placed between the beds so that the latter could serve as chairs. "Liquid food proved to be our only difficulty. It was impossible to boil even half an inch of water on the stove when the car was in motion. The continual jolting of the car, hour after hour, certainly sti-ained our tempers when we were thirsty. "Surgical shirts were the only available material for towels, table cloth and cooking apron. We had a real American coffee grinder. The coffee beans were put in a clean sock and one of the men to the tune of 'Yankee Doodle' would crush the beans with a hammer. "When chicken was needed for dinner one of the party would go out with half a cup of sugar in hand, wander about the village until he saw a 'likely' chicken which he would thereupon seize. The native woman who made the greatest outcry was presumed to be the owner and usually was very glad to accept the half cup of sugar in exchange. Our much maligned ration of 'bully beef proved to be most acceptable, as Miss Johnston, one of the unit, discovered fifty-seven varieties of serving it. "Bartering was the order of the day at all stations. A slice of bread would secure three shines, fill a large water jar or secure the carriage of supplies. During our last afternoon in Dedeagatch, on the ^gean Sea, we had a horse and wagon all afternoon, in order to return borrowed furniture, for the payment of one tin of bully beef. "The fame of American Red Cross relief stations spread throughout Bulgaria to such an extent that other American Red Cross workers and British and French officers, including two French generals, sought us out in passing to secure a canteen of hot tea or to replenish their depleted rations." HOSTILE ATTITUDE OF THE BULGARIANS In spite of the hostile attitude of the Bulgars the repa- triation of Greeks forcibly removed from their homes in Eastern Macedonia by the Bulgars has been virtually completed. The world may never know how many men, women and children lost their lives through the deporta- tions, but that tens of thousands died is certain. Reports just received at National Headquarters of the American Red Cross say that the Bulgars claim less than 60,000 Greek civilians were interned in Bulgaria, but the Greeks place the number at more than 100,000, the difference in the figures doubtless representing the deaths of Greeks from starvation, exposure and general bad treatment. The dispatch with which the repatriation was handled was due in large part to the strong representations made to the Allied. Control, which brought pressure to bear on the Bulgarian authorities, while the co-operation of the British, French and Greek missions that went to Sofia after the armistice was signed was also enlisted. The hostility of the Bulgars led them into refusing to per- mit the Red Cross workers to enter Bulgaria, despite authority from Gen. D'Esperey, the Allied Commander- in-Chief, but this was overcome as were Bulgar efforts to prevent the establishment of canteens for the return- ing Greeks. One of the first problems in the repatriation work was locating the imprisoned Greeks in the remote parts of Bulgaria. The Greek Red Cross rendered invaluable aid in this phase of the work, the American Red Cross Mis- sion to Greece attending to the evacuation. At Kara- gatch the Bulgars denied there were any Greek refugees, but more than 1,200 were found within a two-hour walk from the railroad station. About 10,000 Greeks were taken out of the Dobrudja and from the Varna and Plevna concentration camps. The condition of the rescued Greeks was such that in spite of all that could be done for them many died before reaching their native land. At all of the food and clothing stations established by the Red Cross one of the many tasks the American men and women had to perform was to dig graves for Greeks who died of star- vation and disease. All the while nurses bathed and fed the children of the refugees and cared for the sick, while other Red Cross workers, by pure American bluff, se- cured the release of Greeks unjustly imprisoned, de- manded permits for the transport of cattle owned by the refugees and clothed the unfortunates, all during the limited time that the refugees' trains stopped for fuel or more passengers. An idea of the extent of the work undertaken by the Red Cross mission may be gained from the fact that on one day 126 carloads of refugees containing 7,150 persons were provided with 12,500 ra- tions. On another occasion, at Tyrnovo-Siemen, 1,500 refugees were given rations, the sick given emergency attention, 385 were clothed, 1,637 garments were dis- tributed, five refugees buried and the train started for Dedeagatch, all within five hours. Although the repatriation work is considered about finished it is claimed by the Greeks that thousands of their people are still held by the Bulgars. They assert that the Bulgars have added an "off" to the names of thousands of Greek children to deceive Greek investi- gators and prevent the return of these children to their homes. It is also claimed by the Greeks that of 32,000 Greek soldiers imprisoned in Bulgaria, nearly 20,000 died, while the Bulgarian Minister of War, Liaptchew, makes the amazing assertion that only 11,345 armed Greeks were taken and that exactly that number were returned to their own country. Although the repatriation problem is disappearing there still remains a vast amount of work for the Mis- sion to Greece. In common with the rest of the Near 6 East, Greece is very short of medical supplies and equip- ment of all kinds. Hospital patients lie on boards upon which the only bedding is a thin blanket and because of the neglect of native authorities to recognize the menace of flies as germ-carriers, there is a dangerous plague of flies. It is these conditions that the Mission is now seek- ing to overcome. With a large amount of relief already administered and the whole task thoroughly organized the American Red Cross Commission to Greece is playing an impor- tant part in lifting that ancient land to its feet, according to a report from Lieut. Col. Edward Capps, head of the commission, which has just reached national headquar- ters. The activities of the conmiission have been many and varied and while the problems have been difficult, particularly through obstructive tactics by the Bulga- rians, the workers have been greatly aided by the Greek Government officials and the Allied military authorities. Up to January 21st, the commission spent $68,860 and estimated that $1,305,000 would be needed to carry on the work through the first six months of this year. The first steps taken by the commission after its ar- rival embraced investigation of conditions in Eastern Macedonia, the ^gean Islands and Southern Epirus. This led to the inauguration of relief work in two dis- tricts before the first of the year, in Eastern Macedonia and in Mitylene, the largest of the ^gean group. In Eastern Macedonia stations for the distribution of cloth- ing and food to the deported Greeks who were returning to their homes were established at Kavalla, Pangseon, Xanthi, Dedeagatch, Tyrnovo-Siemen and Serres, and at Drama a warehouse was located. Daily rations is- sued in this district totaled over 411,000; 32,600 refugees were assisted and 11,400 garments were distributed. In the Islands, 52,000 rations provided by the Greek Gov- ernment were distributed, 26,000 refugees were assisted and over 64,000 garments were given out. The work spread into Bulgaria and there nearly 60,000 rations were distributed, 35,000 refugees assisted and 68,800 garments given out. Problems of transportation were among the first with which the commission had to grapple and before they were solved many means of locomotion, from ox-carts to submarine chasers of the American Navy, were em- ployed, through the co-operation of official agencies. Up to January 1st all transportation, by land or by sea, and supplies for the commission personnel were provided by the Greek Government or by the British Army. In Athens camions were furnished by the Greek Govern- ment. In Eastern Macedonia the British Army per- formed a like service on the mountain road between Kavalla and Drama. Transportation into the mountain district of Panggeon was at first by ox-teams, requi- sitioned by the Governor of Thessalonica, which were later replaced by mule transport provided by the Greek Army. All supplies shipped by sea from Italy to Greece, from Piraeus to Salonika, and from Salonika or Stavros to Kavalla, have been carried on ships requisitioned by the Greek Government. Sea transportation at Mitylene was provided at first by steam and gasoline launches fur- nished by the Governor of Lesbos, and later by six sub- marine chasers of the American Navy which carry per- sonnel and relief supplies to the various portions of the Island that must be reached by sea. The establishment of ouvroirs, or centers, for the man- ufacture of clothing for the needy, was early undertaken by the commission and on December 12th the first was opened in an Athens schoolhouse. By January 1st, this shop turned out 3,750 garments but has since increased its capacity to a weekly average of about 7,000 garments and now employs 350 sewers. Additional ouvroirs have been established on the Islands of Chios, Samos and Mitylene, and at Kavalla and Serres, in Macedonia, while plans are being made for still another at Drama. 8 The most immediate need for the relief of soldiers* families in Athens and vicinity was found to be the feeding and care of babies. There has been plenty of work for the wives of soldiers and for refugee women but it has been difficult to find food for the children and some one to care for the infants when their mothers are working. The commission established a baby clinic and is arranging lecture courses on the care of children throughout the country. The commission has been conducting through its soil experts investigations looking to increased agricultural production. It has opened an artificial limb factory and is cariying on extensive Home Service AVork, which is very effective in taking care of the Greek dependents of American soldiers. The personnel of the Commission to Greece at the beginning of the year totaled fifty-seven and there were twenty-two Greeks associated with the work. The sign- ing of the armistice necessitated a change in the organi- zation of the commission and through this the work was divided into districts. Major Horace S. Oakley was placed in charge of Macedonia, and Major A. Winsor Weld in charge of the ^gean Islands. CHILD WELFARE IN GREECE Athens (By Mail). — Courses in child welfare have been instituted in Greece by the American Red Cross Mission to the Balkans. These are under the direction of Dr. Samuel J. Walker, Superintendent of St. Luke's Hospital, Chicago, and Major Clifford W. Barnes of New York. The courses include a series of lectures in Greek on infant care by Dr. Doxiades of Athens. These lectures are attended by Greek school teachers from all parts of the country. These young women are now be- 9 ginning to instruct others in their districts in infant hygiene and welfare. By a systematic campaign it is hoped to counteract the tremendous loss of life due to the war by conserving the lives of the babies, the future bread-winners of the nation. The question of repopulation is a vital one to Greece and both the saving of the hves of her infants and the reclamation of orphans hidden away by the Bulgars in the occupied territories are being given the closest atten- tion by the Greek Government. The American Red Cross has also established a num- ber of infant welfare clinics. At these clinics young Greek women, many of them of the highest class of so- ciety, are instructed in infant welfare, trained as nurses' aides and given clinical demonstration as to how children should be treated and how to distinguish the various types of children's diseases. The course of the Red Cross clinic requires about three weeks and those who undertake it are expected to begin work upon its completion among the poor of Athens and elsewhere in Greece and to instruct mothers how to care properly for their children. The American Red Cross is now preparing an extensive advertising campaign with "literature" in Greek to be distributed throughout the country among mothers. WRETCHED CONDITION OF REFUGEES Athens, Greece, April. — Five months after the sign- ing of the armistice the condition of refugees through- out the Near East remains frightful in spite of all that has been done in their behalf. Thousands are swaddled in filthy rags, without shoes, and all are exhausted from lack of food, exposure, overwork and abuse. They ar- rive in droves at the American Red Cross relief stations. 10 having been without food of any kind for days. Women walk into the stations with dead babies in their arms. Young girls, driven insane by the treatment they have received, are common sights, while the children are but living skeletons. Greek refugees, who were victims of the Bulgarian occupation and deportations, arrive at Red Cross sta- tions in every conceivable conveyance. On the trains they find room, when the box-cars can hold no more, on the roofs, the trucks and on and under the artillery and field kitchens on the flat cars. In the box-cars they stand shoulder to shoulder, unable to sit or lie down, sur- rounded by filth and misery. The sick and starving die in the cars and are unceremoniously removed whenever opportunity offers. Arriving at distribution points the refugees make their way on foot or in army camions to their old homes, only to find the habitations they were forced to leave leveled to the ground. And here is seen one of the most pa- thetic features of the condition of returning Greek vic- tims of Bulgar barbarity, their utterly broken spirit. They evince absolutely no interest in life and apparently have little ambition for the future. They accept what- ever is done for them in an apathetic, listless way and their demeanor of hopeless dejection scarcely ever varies. It will be many months before their crops of tobacco and wheat are ready to market and in the meantime the Greek Government and the American Red Cross must take care of them. The Red Cross expedition into Bulgaria everywhere found the worst possible conditions in the Greek deten- tion camps. The Greeks called the trains "railway hearses," a name that fitted them closely. Although the terms of the armistice stipulated that Bulgaria transport all Allied subjects out of the country free of charge, Sofia issued orders that full fares be obtained from the almost penniless refugees for their journey home. In ad- 11 dition to this, the refugees were jammed into box-cars at the point of Bulgarian bayonets, until absolutely no more could be squeezed in. At one point Red Cross workers counted 110 helpless men, women and children standing upright in a freight car intended for only forty persons or eight horses. At Narli-Kiu 486 persons were found herded miserably in six box-cars. They had been with- out food for three whole days when the American Red Cross men found them. They threw themselves upon the loaves of bread like animals and then knelt down in the mud and invoked God's blessing on America. During the Bulgar occupation of Macedonia more than 100,000 Greeks, men, women and children, were carried into Bulgaria and compelled to do the hardest manual labor without proper food, shelter or clothing. This resulted in general physical breakdowns and enor- mous loss of life. An example of the terrible effect of the outrage perpetrated by the Bulgars was found at Tyrnovo-Siemen station when 1,475 Greek refugees, nearly all clothed in but a single garment made of bur- lap bags, arrived after surviving two years of captivity in Bulgaria. Originally there were 6,000 men, women and children in this group but more than 4,500 had died through the treatment they received. Concrete examples of how the Greek population of Macedonia has been decimated by the Bulgars are now coming to light. Here are a few cases: The town of Kioumkioy before the war had a popula- tion of 2,690. More than 500 of these men and women died in Bulgaria from starvation and disease. Of 850 men and boys carried off by the Bulgarians from Rodolivos, 150 are known to have died in exile. Of 660 houses in the town 210 were wantonly destroyed by the Bulgars. Of 30,000 sheep formerly pastured near the town none are left and of 1,500 cattle only 50 are left. From the town of Semalto 180 men were deported and 12 seventy of these are known to have died. Only four houses out of 270 in the town remain standing. More than 180 inhabitants of Vitasta died of starva- tion during the Bulgar occupation. In the Pangaion district more than thirty villages were destroyed by the Bulgars. Kavalla, Senses and other towns lost more than half of their populations. Red Cross workers report from Macedonia that hun- dreds of returning Greek refugees have infected eyes and many have become blind. Thousands have various forms of rash, and puffed and swollen bodies, due to inanition, are common, the health of many of the children being undermined for life. Wherever possible, the American Red Cross workers have taken the sick and injured refugees to Allied hos- pitals. Pneumonia and consumption are common among those forced, to work in the Bulgarian mines, sometimes for hours at a time, waist-deep in freezing water, and the legs of many have had to be amputated because of frozen feet. Food and clothing stations have now been established by the Red Cross at Serres, Kavalla, Thasos, Demir- Hissar (assisted by the British Red Cross), Drama, Oxilar, Xanthi and in the Panggeon district. Soup and food kitchens have also been set up at all these points. Hospitals have been located at Serres, Drama and Ka- valla, and at Serres a workshop is in operation. Public buildings damaged by the Bulgars have been repaired sufficiently to acconmiodate many refugees. KING ALEXANDER OF GREECE THANKS AMERICAN RED CROSS Athens, Greece, April. (By Cable). — King Alex- ander today received the members of the American Red Cross Commission to the Balkans and thanked them for 13 what the American people, through their Red Cross, have done for the needy thousands in his country. He praised the work of the American rehef organization in feeding, clothing and providing medical treatment for tens of thousands of refugees in Macedonia. The arti- ficial limb factory established in this city by the Red Cross for the benefit of disabled Greek soldiers came in for special praise from the King. He had just returned from a visit to the factory, which is under the super- vision of Captain Claude Marble Sherrill of New York and Lieutenant Harry Longacre of Brooklyn. The ma- terials used in the factory come from America. The Red Cross Mission is headed by Lieut. Col. Henry F. Anderson of Richmond, Va. Lieut. Col. Ed- ward Capps of Princeton, N. J., who has been engaged in Red Cross work in Greece since October, was thanked by King Alexander for the assistance rendered by the doctors and nurses under his direction in checking the spread of typhus. The agricultural survey of Greece now being made by experts engaged by the Red Cross was also referred to by King Alexander. He expressed the hope that the adoption of American methods would increase the productivity of the soil. Evidence of the terrible experiences of Greeks who have returned from captivity in Bulgaria continues to pile up in advices reaching the American Red Cross from its workers in Greece. Typical of these is a report of one day's work by Lieut. Abner Cobb of Denver, Colo., at his Red Cross relief station at Xanthi. With the assistance of two Greek boys, Lieut. Cobb was able to feed nearly a thousand people on rations of bread, soup and rice, that day being able to add "bully beef" to the dole. He also administered to the sick. There were forty-eight cars jammed with humanity, forty to sixty persons to a car, not to speak of livestock. On the car a baby was born amid indescribable con- 14 ditions. There was much sickness due to under-feeding, colds, malaria, dysentery, bad teeth, sore eyes, plain star- vation and a shocking need of disinfectants, baths and clean clothes. In one car a girl who had been mistreated lost her mind and power of speech. Thin to emaciation and piteously frightened she hid in the corner of the car, whimpering like a lost animal. There were similar cases. ***** Dozens of children were suffering from sore eyes and several were already blind. All were bare- footed and, like their elders, in rags. On this train also was the Governor of Zechni and his wife, both pitifully wasted. They had been deported to Shumla, Bulgaria, eighteen months before with ninety- seven others from their town. Thirty-seven of this party died of ill-treatment by the Bulgarians. Further on, at Buk, was a train of ten cars that had been rationed by the Red Cross the day before at Xanthi, from which two women were taken dead from exhaus- tion due to their previously weakened condition. U. S. NAVY CO-OPEBATES AVITH AMERI- CAN RED CROSS IN GREECE Athens (By Mail). — In its already extensive and growing work in the Greek Islands, the American Red Cross has the co-operation of the United States Navy. Six submarine chasers have been placed at the disposal of the Red Cross and personnel and supplies are thus transported to the various islands where refugees are concentrated. In the Island of Mitylene, the condition of the Greek refugees who fled there from Asia Minor five years ago has become desperate. Red Ci-oss workers are regularly visiting all the towns of the Island and gifts of clothing 15 have been made to about 25,000 of the 52,000 refugees. At the outbreak of the war in 1914 the Greeks were driven out of Asia Minor. There were about 3,000,000 of them there before the war. More than 500,000 es- caped to the islands in the ^gean, thousands were mas- sacred and the remainder were driven out of their homes by the Turks and sent inland. The latter are now re- turning to their homes to find them destroyed or occu- pied by Turks who refuse to move. Before the Allied occupation armed bands of Turks roamed the country- side, plundering and murdering Greeks wherever found. The refugees in the ^gean Islands intend to return to Asia Minor as soon as conditions permit. At present the Greek Government gives each refugee six cents a day in addition to the help extended by the American Red Cross. The American Red Cross is devoting much attention to the prevention of further epidemics such as the typhus epidemic at Mitylene which took such a heavy toll. Ef- forts are being made to relieve the overcrowded unsani- tary conditions which enable epidemics to gain headway. Food is scanty and costly in the Islands and most of the refugees are underfed, even in the large towns where conditions are better than in the outlying villages. The clothing situation is the worst, for after they have bought food the purchase of clothes is out of the question for the refugees. Nearly all of them are in rags. The hos- pitals on the Islands are short of medicine and other sup- plies and have been badly crowded on account of the prevalence of influenza. Clothing, blankets and medicine are needed on all the Islands. Canned meat for broth is wanted in the hos- pitals. The American Red Cross is supplying clothing to the refugees. American women run the workshops where clothing is made up into garments on the three islands of Mity- lene, Chios and Samos. American Red Cross men field- 16 workers often travel on donkeyback up into the villages in the mountains distributing food and clothing. Ameri- can doctors and nurses distribute medicine and attend to the sick. Mitylene is 45 miles long and 30 miles broad. Its chief industries are olive and tobacco growing. Of the 52,000 refugees on the island 22,000 are in the town of Mitylene and its suburbs, the rest are scattered about in 62 villages. Chios is about half the size of Mitylene. Olives and wild shrubs are the chief products of the island. Of the 20,000 refugees part are sheltered in old houses and the rest in wooden barracks 150 feet long and 20 feet wide, each barrack being divided down the middle with bag- ging and old carpets and subdivided into rooms, each accommodating a family of from five to ten persons. All the families in each barrack use a common clay hearth at which they do their cooking. A delicious sweet wine is made on the Island of Samos, which has an area of 280 square miles. Tobacco is also grown. The Islands of Lemnos, Imbros, Tenedos and Samothrace are now being served with Red Cross sup- plies from Mitylene, Oinousa from Chios and Ikaria from Samos. When the American Red Cross officers arrived at Mitylene with their cargo of supplies, scenes of the great- est enthusiasm took place. The party was escorted to a carriage, the horses were unhitched and the carriage drawn by a cheering crowd to the residence of the Gov- ernor General. Demonstrations were continuous in front of the hotel occupied by the Red Cross officers. A band of four pieces did its best, and local orators succeeded each other with speeches of welcome. The Governor General com- mandeered a private home and placed it at the. disposal of the American Red Cross. All living expenses were paid by the Greek Government. 17 The Greek refugees on Mitylene Island were found housed in an old Venetian fortress and in abandoned Turkish houses vacated by the Tui'ks in 1913 when the Island passed from Turkish to Greek rule. The houses are on the point of collapse. There is no furniture in them and no fuel to heat them. There are no beds or bedding in the houses. Such bedding as there is in a few hovels is a patchwork of rags. Sanitary conditions in and around the houses are particularly bad. Families of eight or ten persons were often found crowded into a single room. In the city of Mitylene each family, irrespective of its size, was limited to a sin- gle room. At present the refugees are made up of old or infirm men, women and children. Most of the able- bodied men have left either to enter the Greek Army or to work at Salonika and other army centers. Infant mortality was very high before the arrival of the American Red Cross. Starving babies were fre- quently found. Owing to inadequate clothing, lack of nutrition and care, many died soon after birth. Illness among children and adults from malnutrition was com- mon and tuberculosis was gaining headway everywhere. Typhus took a heavy toll and the conditions under which the refugees live made a recurrence of the disease to be feared at any time. Medical attention was almost wholly lacking and as a result the disease spread rapidly. Isolated cases still exist. In many towns there are no doctors or medical sup- plies and the American Red Cross is now working hard to remedy these deficiencies. TYPHUS IN HERZEGOVINA MosTAR^ Herzegovina, March 25. — All the hospitals of Herzegovina and Bosnia are full of sick and 18 wounded soldiers, returned from Austria, and many civilians, suffering from typhus and other diseases, are receiving aid from the American Red Cross, which has sent several doctors and nurses here and a large quantity of medicines and clothing. This assistance proved most timely, as a large number of patients were dying daily of septic wounds and poor medical attendance. In some cases, paper surgical dressings were being used. In others, old dressings, unwashed and unsterilized, were employed. The Red Cross Mission, which is in charge of Captain F. C. Thwaits of Milwaukee, Wis., has relief stations at Ragusa, Spalato, Sarajevo, Mostar and other points. It is turning its attention to clothing the destitute, caring for the sick, and improving sanitary methods with a view to the prevention of typhus. It is co-operating with the United States Food Famine Commission, which is dis- tributing flour and fats to the poor. GOVERNOR GENERAL OF MACEDONIA THANKS RED CROSS Washington, D. C, May. — Gratitude to the American people for the assistance given to Greece by the Ameri- can Red Cross is contained in the following message received at Red Cross Headquarters from M. Adossides, Governor General of Macedonia: "I desire to express to the American people the pro- found sentiments and unfailing gratitude of Greece and especially of the Eastern Macedonian population for the magnificent work which the American Red Cross has done for our nation. Into Macedonia, which a trai- tor King had delivered to the Bulgarians, who in three years' occupation starved, sacked and robbed the in- habitants and left the country in ruins and desolation. 19 the American Red Cross came as soon as Greece was de- livered to bestow upon her kindness, secm-ity and a new life. "Under the leadership of Col. Edward Capps, pro- fessor of Princeton University, who has placed all energy, all his heart, all his intelligence in the cause which he is serving, the following men have done splen- did work: "Major Horace S. Oakley, Chicago. "Major Carl E. Black, Jacksonville, 111. "Major C. W. Barnes, Lake Forest, 111. "B. H. Hill, Bristol, Vermont, Director American Arch^ological School, Athens. "Major Alfred F. James, Milwaukee, Wis. " "Major A. W. Wells, Chestnut Hill, Mass. "Major Samuel J. Walker, Chicago. "C. W. Blegen, Minneapolis, Secretary American School, Athens. "Major Henry B. Dewing, Princeton, N. J. "Captain Redden W. Adams, Boston, Ga. "A veritable little army of philanthropists came over- seas through the initiative of George Horton, Consul General of the United States at Salonika, and gave us an example of mutual help and humanitarian solidarity which could come only from the heart of a great nation. "All these able men, doctors, lawyers, journalists, bankers, who have left their homes, their families, their interests, who have come from such a distance volun- tarily to help a people yesterday still unknown to them in its effort to rise, have braved fatigue, climate and epi- demics to go in all directions into devastated hamlets, villages and cities to feed, clothe, comfort, console mul- titudes of sick, starving and unfortunate ones whom the Bulgarians had not time to exterminate. They even went as far as Bulgaria to organize, help to feed and repatriate deported Greeks, men, women and children who had survived. All these men, not to mention ad- 20 mirable women, performed their task without ostenta- tion, with a gravity as unpretending as the duty they had undertaken, with a courage rivaled by their stoicism, with charity, and a bright and cheery generosity. "There is also one victim, young Lieut. Edward Walker, of Blacksburg, Va., whom the soil of grateful Greece has reverently received in its folds. "I do not wish to forget to mention the valuable aid rendered Greek people by another section of the Ameri- can Red Cross, the commission already three years in operation for the aid of our Serbian brothers, which is now under the management of Major John P. Carey, aided by Messrs. Farnum and Barden and many others. No matter where there is misery or misfortune to be relieved they have always been ready and have worked with infinite devotion. "American Red Cross workers have combined their humanitarian task with a mission of civilization. They have proved themselves worthy representatives of the moral grandeur of the Nation to which they have the honor to belong. In short, they have been a living ex- pression of the soul of America. Without the help of the American Red Cross, the people in mountainous Pangseon region would have starved to death. Greece never will forget what the American Red Cross has done." U. S. ARMS AND LEGS FOR GREEK SOLDIERS In a small, hastily improvised workshop in Athens, American artisans are making light-weight artificial limbs for the Greek soldiers who have suffered amputa- tion and are at present making their way on crutches or stumping about on crude "peg legs" or a cumbersome twenty-pound limb of another type. 21 These workmen were brought to Athens by the Amer- ican Red Cross in behalf of the Department of Recon- struction and Re-education, which has been successfully organized through the friendly co-operation of M. Con- stantine Medas, president of the city council, who has long been interested in the problems of the war's maimed. The Americans have taken temporary charge of the school for the maimed until a Greek superintendent and a staff of Greek workmen can be trained to take over the establishment. These prospective instructors are study- ing under the Americans now. The Greek Government plans to supply all soldiers needing them with Ameri- can artificial limbs, which are considered superior to other types, being light in weight, easily manipulated, easily fitted, easily repaired, and comfortable. Men al- ready equipped are overjoyed at being able to get about easily once more. Complete equipment, in the way of modern American machinery, apparatus and tools for establishing a thor- oughly modern factory, has been shipped to the Greek capital. The first large shipment of raw material sent by the American Red Cross in Paris has been exhausted. The American Red Cross in Greece is also interested in a school for the re-education of the maimed, patterned after the school of the United States and France, and adapted of course to the needs of the Greeks. The Red Cross is planning to supply the school with typewriters with Greek characters. Washington, D. C, May. — The food famine and ty- phus epidemic which threatened Serbia have been averted through the prompt co-operation of the United States Food Administration and the American Red Cross forces at work in that country. Word to this effect was re- ceived today at Red Cross headquarters from Salonika, where American Red Cross commissioners to several of the Balkan States met recently to discuss the progress 22 of relief work in that part of Europe. Fourteen army medical officers, seven Red Cross doctors, six women physicians from the American Woman's Hospital, New York, and forty-eight nurses, working with the Serbian sanitary authorities, have stopped the spread of the dread typhus. The American medical forces are working under the direction of Colonel Edgar Erskine Hume of Frank- fort, Ky., and Major Roger C. Perkins of Cleveland, Ohio. In addition to assisting all the Serbian hospitals the Red Cross in the last few months has distributed about 1,500,000 pounds of supplies in the southern part of the country, thousands of persons being saved from starvation by this action. Orphanages, sewing schools, soup kitchens, disinfecting plants and general relief stations are being operated by the Red Cross in all the important cities. American dentists are fixing the teeth of the poor, and farming implements and seeds from the United States are being distributed among the peasants. Colonel Edward Capps of Princeton, N. J., American Red Cross Commissioner for Greece, reported that 50,- 000 Greek and Serbian refugees have received assist- ance from the Red Cross since the armistice. Red Cross doctors and nurses assisted in stamping out typhus in Macedonia and hundreds of disabled Greek soldiers have received artificial limbs from the plant established at Athens by the American Relief Organization. Food, clothing and medical care have been provided for the destitute populations of Mitylene and other islands and Greek farmers have been instructed in American meth- ods of farming. 23 AMERICAN FOOD IN NEAR EAST TiGHANi^ Isle of Samos, Mgean Sea. (By Mail) May 1. — No matter at what tiny port in the Near East one touches, he finds that American flour and foodstuffs have been unloaded. Here in the ancient home of Pyth- agoras and the tyrant Polycrates, in the town which once rivaled ancient Athens, there are thousands of refugees driven from Asia Minor during the war by the Turks, with American flour and fish from the Turkish coast their principal ineans of existence. Duck-like Turkish caiques rush out to the American food ships which anchor here at intervals and unload flour which is distributed on donkeyback to the interior of the Island. Both Tighani and Vathy, the latter the principal port of the Island of Samos, are now well sup- plied with American staple foods. American Red Cross representatives, working under the direction of Lieut. Col. Henry W. Anderson of Richmond, Virginia, see that the food is equitably dis- tributed throughout the Island. Other Red Cross field- workers perform a like service on the Island of Ikaria. In this work Mr. Gregoire Louis-Maro, the American vice-consul, is co-operating. The inhabitants of Patmos, Leros and Lipso, Greek islands, seized a few years ago by the Italians, hope soon to be reunited to Greece. Leros boasts that its inhabi- tants are direct descendants of the ancient Greeks. The Island has changed little from ancient times and the na- tives are famous for their classic beauty. Although Patmos is only twenty miles from Samos, commerce be- tween the two islands is not great, the Greeks alleging that the Italians discourage intercourse with the Greek islands. American food ships make no distinction between the Greek and Italian islands, however. Samos receives 24 special consideration, for about 10,000 Greek refugees from Smyrna and Asia Minor, driven out by the Turks, have been living in distress on the Island during the war. There are no railroads, no automobiles and only a single carriage in Samos, but the lateen-sailed caiques carry the American flour and food staples about the shore line to points from which donkeys transport them into the interior. With their native mastique wine, olives, oranges, nuts, figs, fresh fish and American food the natives of Samos are now faring not so badly. The British cruisers and minesweepers which made their base at Port Vathy on Samos are now leaving for work on the "Bolshevik-front" in the Black Sea. Dur- ing the war the Samos shore was ably defended by Brit- ish men-of-war, and daring raids were made across the Samsoun Dhag. The British ships also assisted hun- dreds of Asia Minor Greeks to cross to Samos and join the Greek Army. Many American soldiers of Greek parentage are now visiting the Greek islands after having fought in France. Red Cross girls recently distributing food to refugees sitting about on the pink and white marble columns of what once was the palace of Polycrates were greeted by a group of American soldiers. "What are you Americans doing on this far-off is- land?" the girls inquired in astonishment. "Oh, we've finished up our work along the Rhine," one American Greek replied, "and now we've come back to the home of our fathers. Right out there in the Straits of Mycale was fought the naval battle, second only to Salamis, which P^eonios commemorated with his famous 'Winged Victory.' "That was 2,000 years ago. So you see we Greeks who fought at Chateau-Thierry and in the Argonne have a long military past too." 25 ANGLO-AMERICAN INFLUENCE IN NEAR EAST Island of Crete^ (By Mail) May 1. — The English language promises soon to displace French as the lan- guage of business and diplomacy. All through the Near East the Anglo-American influence has resulted in thou- sands of elementary schools instituting English as a compulsory language. Even in this Mediterrrean isle, the home of Premier Venizelos, instruction in the Eng- lish language has been arranged for. American scientific agriculturists are now completing a survey of the soil possibilities of Crete in the same thorough fashion in which they surveyed the Greek main- land. Cretan soil is somewhat exhausted by centuries of cultivation without replacement of soil food, but with an abundant source of water supply in the mountains and available fertilizer it is believed much of it will respond to proper treatment. American farming machinery and up-to-date meth- ods are needed and arrangements have been made to systematically educate the farmers of Greece and its largest island so that they can increase their yield of crops. Major G. G. Hopkins of the Illinois Agricul- tural Department and Lieutenant C. J. Bouyoucos, a native Greek educated in America and a former instruc- tor at Michigan Agricultural College, are in charge of the American Red Cross Agricultural Survey of Greece and Crete. About 5,000 refugees from Asia Minor are sheltered and fed on the Island of Crete. These are distributed in the large towns of Candia, Rethymo and Canea and in the small towns of the interior, American Red Cross representatives have visited these refugees as well as the civilian and military hospitals on the Island of Crete, in addition to investigating the conditions of 26 the Greek soldiery returned from German prison camps, and the townspeople of the island. The greatest needs of the inhabitants of the island are institutions for the treatment of tuberculosis, medicines and medical supplies, blankets and staple foods. The Cretans deserve special consideration from America be- cause of their proportionately large contribution to the fighting strength of the Greek Army in the late war and their immediate response to the leadership of Venizelos. 27 APPENDIX— REPORT OF A. CHALKIO- POULOS, SUBPREFECT AT CAVALLA Cavalla, Dec. 22, 1918. To the Government Representatives in Drama: In reply to your telegram, Number 5317, I have the honor to report in detail upon the activities and general operations of the American Red Cross in this place, and I take advantage of this opportunity to give you infor- mation as to the indescribably wretched condition of the Greeks returning from Bulgaria, information which I have derived from members of the above mentioned Red Cross, whose sphere of philanthropic activity extends into Bulgaria, even as far as Adrianople itself, and who, consequently, in their travels throughout that country have, with their own eyes, beheld the dreadful treatment that the Greeks have been subjected to before reaching their own country. The general activity of the American Red Cross, which has Cavalla as its base, (whither are brought for distri- bution all goods and food supplies), centers particularly in the region of Pangseon and in Bulgaria itself. All along the railroad line from Dedeagatch to Tyrnovo, Red Cross divisions have been established which, with the livest interest, assume the task of caring for the half- dead refugees and affording them first aid. As I have been informed by Captain Johnson, in charge of the American Red Cross at Cavalla, who has recently re- turned from Bulgaria, they have within a month dis- tributed 154,000 pounds of bread. The main work of the Red Cross, he went on to say, is by timely assistance to save from a certain death those who are now returning from Bulgaria. 28 If we had not provided them with food in time and had not cared for their sick, most of them would indubit- ably have perished on the road, from inability to endure the tortures to which the Bulgarians subjected them with the very object of preventing their safe arrival in Greece. The American representative recited a number of characteristic details: Thus, just a few days ago, the train which was bearing these refugees stopped and left 900 of them six kilometers from Dedeagatch, where, abandoned in the open air, they suffered terribly from exposure, and many of them died. After the lapse of some time the American Red Cross at Dedeagatch was informed of what had happened, and compelled the Bulgarian authorities to send a special train to pick them up and bring them to Dedeagatch, where they arrived Monday morning. Food and medi- cine were at once given them, and many were thus res- cued from death. At Dedeagatch, certain refugees left the train to get a drink and were thrown into prison, but the Americans hurried up and set them free. The women and girls were placed in a separate car. While en route Bulgarian officers and soldiers entered the car and outraged them. Intervention by Americans caused French soldiers to be put as guards in these cars. The Americans, taking the above into account, or- ganized, even at the smaller way stations, service groups to save these victims. The general condition of those thus transported Cap- tain Johnson described in the following words : "We did not receive men but skeletons. This is no mere figure of speech but an actual fact. At Dedeagatch we cared for men whose legs and arms and whole bodies were nothing but skin and bones. The feet of many little children were numb and paralyzed. From the weakness of starvation they were unable even to stand. Depri- vations in Adrianople were indescribable. A loaf of 29 bread is worth ten eggs and an egg is valued at thirty cents. Sugar in Adrianople is worth fifteen dollars a pound. In order to show you the terrible situation of these martyrs, let me give you one more illustration. Six English nurses died at Dedeagatch and were buried. The grave-diggers had no sooner disappeared than the utterly naked and starving refugees rushed to disinter them and seize their clothes. Such was their need to cover their nakedness! Bulgarian hatred of everything Greek is unrestrained. In the American Mission was a Greek soldier who, while getting coal, was attacked from be- hind. I was myself compelled," said Mr. Johnson, show- ing wounds on his arms, "to jump in and rescue him from the Bulgarians' hands. At all of our posts we buried every day five or six people. Latterly, thanks to the measures taken, the number of deaths has lessened. We strive at every cost to save the dying. Captain Machi- nich has now gone there to take my place and he will bring us fresh news. There are in Bulgaria today at least 7,000 of these exiles." Such was the account of this official representative of the Red Cross m Bulgaria, an account which is all the more significant as confirming our own information. He did not fail to declare to me that as long as there are Bulgarians in Thrace, there will be no end to their beastly atrocities against the Greeks. In particular, as to the activity of the Red Cross in Cavalla, there will be distributed every day, beginning with Christmas, one-third of a pound of bread to all those supplied by the kitchen (i. e. 5,000 persons), and rice, beans and peas once a week. On Christmas Day there will, exceptionally, be dis- tributed milk and fruit. Yesterday there arrived on the Adriatic for the American Red Cross 300 boxes of canned milk, 300 bags of beans, 100 bags of sugar, 40 bales of blankets, 10 bales of clothing, 30 cases of sewing machines and 5 boxes of stockings. Most of these will be 30 sent to Bulgaria. Captain Johnson is the representative of the Red Cross here, replacing Colonel Wolher, who is today leaving for Athens. Such, in a few words, are the facts about the Ameri- can Red Cross here. The local administration is fostering the best of rela- tions with the members of the Red Cross and is provid- ing every possible assistance in order to facilitate its mission; especially is it endeavoring to obtain means of transportation, which are now so difficult to find, in order to distribute the different goods and supplies. It will take all possible steps to induce them to adopt the right point of view toward Hellenic rights and through posi- tive evidence to inform them about the vandalism per- petrated at the time of the Bulgarian invasion, van- dalism which only Bulgarian brutality could commit. Your obedient servant, A. Chalkiopoulos> Assistant Governor. mw£Mfmm:fmm^'^f^j '^ w THE AMERICAN-HELLENIC SOCIETY, INCORPORATED President Nicholas Murray Butler, Ph.D., LL.D. Vice-Presidents Charles W. Eliot, Ph.D., LL.D. Jacob G. Schurman, D.Sc, LL.D. Elihu Eoot, LL.D., D.C.L. Chairman Executive Committee Frederick Cunliflfe-Owen Treasurer L. J. Calvocoressi James M. Beck Carroll N". Brown Nicholas Murray Butler L. J. Calvocoressi Frederick E. Coudert Frederick Cunlifife-Owen Charles W. Eliot A. Barton Hepburn DiEECTOES Theodore P. Ion Thomas W. Lament Charles R. Miller W. Fellowes. Morgan Henry Morgenthau E. H. Outerbridge Alton B. Parker Edward D. Perry Secretary Carroll N. Brown, Ph.D. Elihu Eoot Petros Tatanis Henry W. Sackett Jacob G. Schurman Oscar S. Straus Constantine Voicly George M. Whicher Regular Members Edward W. Forbes Austen G. Fox P. A. S. Franklin A. S. Frissell Albert E. Gallatin James W. Grerard Thos. Dwight Goodell RoUin P. Grant Charles B. Gulick William D. Guthrie John Henry Hammond William F. Harris George Harvey Bert Hodge Hill Alex. G. Humphreys Phoenix Ingraham C. N. Jackson Walter Jennings Willard V. King Maurice W. Kosminski Benjamin B. Lawrence C. W. Littlefield Clarence H. Mackay Alfred E. Marling George Maxwell Emerson McMillin Walter H. Merrall John G. Milbum George Higgins Moses Stephen M. Newman Herbert Noble Stephen H. Olin James C. Parrish Charles Peabody P. G. Peabody Edward D. Adams C. A. Ahlstrom LeEoy W. Baldwin Peter T. Barlow Philip G. Bartlett William N. Bates Edmund L. Baylies Anthony Benachi George Blumenthal Albert Breton Franklin Q. Brown Thomas A, Buckner Wm. Allen Butler D. Callimachos Mitchell Carroll L. D. Caskey George H. Chase William A. Clark C. A. Coffin Howard E. Cole John Constas N. C. Culolias R. Fulton Cutting Eobert W. DeForest William C. Demorest Raphael Demos Cleveland H. Dodge William H. Dunbar Coleman Dupont Abram I. Elkus Guy Emerson Richard E. Enright Samuel W. Fairchild Frederick E. Farnsworth William S. Ferguson C. H. Fiske All commttnicatiokts to be addressed to the Secretary, The American- Hellenic Society, Columbia University, New York George Foster Peabody Francis K. Pendleton David H. G. Penny Mrs. R. B. Perry A. E. Phoutrides C. R. Post Wm. Kelly Prentice Walter W. Price Fleming H. Revell James S. Roberts John D. Rockefeller, Jr. George Roussos Herbert L. Satterlee Mortimer Schiff Walter Scott Alex. Sedgwick Miran Sevasly Finley J. Shepard Charles H. Sherrill John A. Sleicher Kendall K. Smith R. A. C. Smith Herbert W. Smyth Lispenard Stewart Wm. Rhinelander Stewart Joseph R. Taylor E. C. Travlos William J. Tully W. H. Van Allen Frank A, Vanderlip Andrew F. West Mrs. C. E. Whitmore Louis Wiley George T. Wilson P. J. Zachs