Evening Republican, Volume 22, Number 267, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 5 November 1919 — LOOKING INTO THE FUTURE [ARTICLE]

LOOKING INTO THE FUTURE

What Might Happen to Jasper County Ten Years Hence. Oct. 28, 1930. —Early yesterday morning one of the worst cyclones known in many years swept over northern, Indiana and completely destroyed the towns of Rensselaer, W heatiield and Remington. Damage yras also done ip ' several nearby towns and counties, -More than 100 lives were lost In the city of Rensselaer alone. In a few hours Red Cross workers with full equipment from the Chicago ’base hospital were on the job. By their scientific methods of first aid, which they immediately administered to those seriously wounded whom they could reach, they saved the lives of many who would have surely perished had relief came a little later. But sad to say the little band of noble workers was wholly unable to cope with the task of covering the entire devastated area in time to get to all the sufferers and many passed away before help came. Doctors from all the nearly towns were rushed to the storan swept country and 'also did great work in relieving the suffering (but they too were handicapped by way of having no trained assistants to aid them. It is estimated that in Rensselaer alone 25 people perished who could have been saved had sufficient numbers of relief workers been available and in position to answer the call with the promptness of the-Red Cross workers. Is it not high time for us to awake to the situation and see to it that our American Red Cross gets the needed funds to support Sufficient numbers of trained workers to be available upon short notice in every locality of our country? Just why our citizens allowed, that wonderful war organization ] of the Red Cross, the greatest and most efficient relief society ever known in the world, to dwindle in numbers after the war just for, the lack‘of a few dollars in funds is completely beyond our understanding. At that time It would have been easy to continue their work on a large scale if proper support had been given and in the various calamities that have happened since that time in different localities of our country, thousands of lives could have been saved had there been more Red Cross bases scattered °ver the country with more trained workers to answer all emergency calls. Let us now resolve, having witnessed this terrible calamity that

has befallen out neighbors, that no longer will we, through our neglect, allow -our countrymen to die from want of having timely relief brought to them in their times of suffering. This we can easily do, the opportunity is presented by the American Red Cross. They will gladly do the work, all they ask is our support, our membership in sufficient numbers to make it possible for them to have available more trained Workers; Answer the next roll call. Become a member of the Red Cross and always be a booster for it. —The Lafayette News. Supposing you could have saved the life of just one of the above mentioned victims- or that of yourself had you been one of the unfortunates —would you not gladly have given all that jrou possessed? You certainly would have. The Red Cross does not ask that however. All that it asks is that you continue your membership by answering the third roll call. Help to <meet such emergencies as that above will be supplied by them. While we hope and pray that the mentioned catastrophe will never befall us we must bear in mind that we have no guarantee of immunity from disaster, that something unforseen may happen at any time. But if we are fortunate enough to escape in our community we well know that at various times and places calamities will befall the people of our state and country elsewhere, so with the thought in mind: “Do I unto others as you would have them do unto you,’’ let us willingly I answer the third roll call Of the American Red Cross. **