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Show i and tiila govornraont is anxlru3 to do anything It can to relieve distress. The navy department has asked the commanding com-manding officer of the Cnlgoa an to tho condition of his stores, but after careful care-ful examination, the officials are inclined in-clined to think there are no more aboard than are necessary to aupplv the leaders of the 1G battleships. Congress will be in session on Monday Mon-day and If there should exist any doubt aa to the authority to use naval stores for relief Durposes. this can be removed by a joint resolution directing siich use. Baron Des Planches, the Italian am- trlhutlon to the earjthquake fund t night acgreatoc ?n!n.noo. Of thl'. f-mount $12.nfM) was - collated toti'i Kmory S. Walkr-r, m attornpy. ht .npht telcrnjhol to lJerh'-rt E. V at San FranciscTiTJ requesting Mm L report, on the 6tafii9 of the fund v $397,267 which was left over from L1' San FranciBCo earthquake fund, a:: placing it where it would be visablo to use that fund for the pro ent sufferers. BATIONS TO SUFFERERS U. S. SUPPLY SHIP CARRIES The Celtic Sails With Cargo Intended for Battleship Fleet, Xmas Treo and All, For Relief of Italians. New York, Doc. 31. The United States supply ship Celtic which was to havo met the returning battleship fleet with holiday cheer, sailed out of New York harbor this afternoon on an entirely different mission, but without changing a single Item of her cargo. She will go direct to Messina to give a million and a half of navy rations to the earthquake sufferers. The lda of changing the Celtic Into a relief ship, came to her commander, Harry McP. L. Huso, last night. It met with the immediate, approval of Rear Admiral Casper F. Goodrich, commandant com-mandant of the navy yard, who promptly communicated with the department de-partment at Washington. Red tape was quickly cut and necossary preparations prepar-ations were hurried and the Celtic Balled with Christmas trees still lashed lash-ed to the mastheads.; It had been designed de-signed to make the Celtic the Christmas Christ-mas ship for the fleet. In the face of tho overwhelming need of the Italians, the department Is considering its own men second; how they will he provided with -food Is something that will be considered later. Tho navy department taJ.es full responsibility for this sudden gift of government supplies to the Italians and the expectation is that congress will be only too well pleased at this evidence of American pluck aud "get-there" "get-there" qualities of tbe American navy. Just as Its s'nlps were the first to rench Kingston after the West Indian earthquake, so thc American naval flag on the Celtic may be first to bring actual food supplies to Messina 'from any county The ship was dispatched les9 than 18 hours after her capialn eoncelred hl9 humane Idea. Wahlugton, Dec. 31 A memorandum memoran-dum showing the location and proposed disposition of the Atlantic fleet Is uovr before thc state department when the declslou is announced to offer the Italian Ital-ian government the assistance of tln?se vessels and their crews In caring fur tho sick and wounded. The matter has not yet been taken up with the Italian government. President Rcosievelt has for himself and for tho American people, expressed his sympathy for tho people of Italy In the calamity that has hefallen them bassador, called on Secretary Root and Assistant Secretary Bacon today and expressed the gratitude of his government govern-ment and people over tho sympathy of the United States with Italy in his misfortune. The baron Is profoundly gratified for the aid being rendered through the American Rrd Cross. The Scorpion, which is ordered to render all service possible, will be particularly par-ticularly valuable, perhaps to tho American diplomatic and consular officers offi-cers who may feel the necessity of using her in going from plnce to place in the strir-ken district and In assisting any American tourists who were victims vic-tims of tho disaster. Active work on the part of the American Rod Cross characterized the day. Approximately 100,000 already has been made available by it from previous funds or has been promised, cabled to the American ombasey at Rrm to be turned over to tho Italian Red Cross society. That society, the Italian embassy as Washington reports, re-ports, Is tho organization through which all relief will be administered. Among the contributions Is one of $25,-000 $25,-000 from thc Anhcuser-Rusch Brewing j association of St. Louis. The gover- j nors of Illinois, Mississippi, New York. I Virginia. New Hampshire ami Califor- I nia havo issued appeals or contributions. contribu-tions. President Roosevelt personally wlll subscribe $500 toward the relief fund. Stored In the holds of the supply ship Celtic when she sailed today, was a large supply of fonl stuffs for the earthquake sufferers, Including more than 40O.OO0 pounds of meat aud great stores of canned goods and cereals of every description. Soap, tobacco and naval stores also were sent, but not very largo amounts of medical supplies. sup-plies. Because of the immensity of the disaster, dis-aster, the Italian government will greatly appreciate aid from foreign countries. Ambassador Griscom mado this statement to the state department depart-ment today, having been notified to this effect by the Italian foreign office, the officials of which think that the estimate of 100,000 dead is not exag gerated. Ambassador Criscom will go to Messina tomorrow in order to avail himself of the opportunities of getting transportation for two or three consular con-sular officers and to profit by the special spe-cial opportunities there for obtalnlng news. He will take with him Vice Consul Cutting from Milan,' who will be placed temporarily In charge of the consulate at Messina, He also will take with him the Interpreter of the ombassy at Rome, and one of the staff of tho consulate at Naples .also Wln-ttirop Wln-ttirop Chandler, private citizen, to do special work searching for and reliving reliv-ing Americans. Mr. Orlscorn says in his dispatch that he would bo glad to have a few thousands of "dollars fir the po?t?nlo Tellef ol Americans. i Mr. Griscom'B dispatch says a local ' newspaper haa a telegram this morning morn-ing from Messina, which says that Stuart K Lupton, the American vice, consul there, is dead, aa well a3 Consul Con-sul Arthur F. Cheney and his family, whose deaths havo been heretofore reported. re-ported. Some doubt is expressed at the state department az to the correct-ncst. correct-ncst. of this report.because only recently recent-ly a dispatch presumed to have been sent by Lupton came to the department depart-ment from Malta. The newspaper nls patches also recite the death of Vice Consul Pierce and family. Thi3 presumably pre-sumably refers to the predecessor of Mr. Lupton, who has been relieved by the latter recently. Mr. Pierce, or Peirce. as his name Is spelled In the state department rogister, was an Italian Ital-ian by birth. Further confirmation of the death of Consul Cheney and family fam-ily has reached the ambassador from the nephew of the German consnl at Messina, who has Just arrived at Naples Mrs. Daniel McLean, president of the Daughters of the American Revolution, issued a call to mombera of that organization organi-zation throughout the country to contribute con-tribute to a fund for the Italian sufferers suffer-ers through the National Red Cross society. Chicago, Dec. 31. Chicago's con- |