In the week following the flood about 800 applications were received at the office. Friends of the society, in cluding some of those who had had experience in the former relief work, gave the agent their cordial support and assistance. The statements of the applicants were taken, and each application was investigated before aid was granted other than that which they might secure at the armory. As there were no trained investigators it was attempted to do this work with the assistance of a number of collectors in the service of the Gas Company, who were idle on account of the flood and whose services the company kindly offered. Although these men showed every disposition to give the best assistance in their power their chief service was to demonstrate the need of trained investigators. When the committee attempted to decide from their reports what relief should be granted, they were really unable to do so, the collectors having been unable to see the essential facts or properly to record them. Three trained visitors were then secured from the organized charities and with their assistance the relief was im mediately placed upon a better basis.
A large Hebrew population was affected by the flood, and the Hebrews appointed a special committee to assist in raising funds, and also placed at the disposal of the society an intelligent man to assist in investigating among their own people. The work of raising funds was intrusted to a special finance committee composed of representative business men. The newspapers opened subscription lists. No general outside appeal was made, although this was discussed. Instead of this business men of the city were requested to send to other business firms outside, with whom they had dealings and who might be expected to have special interest in the welfare of Paterson, a request for a contribution. In this way a considerable sum of
money was realized, the final amount from all sources being $22,894.26. The president of the society, James W. Cooke, gave all his time for two weeks to the direc tion of the relief work. At first the plan followed the year before — of giving orders for specified articles of fur niture, clothing, etc. — was tried, but it was soon discov ered that some of the people affected by the flood would be able to make the same amount of money go farther than the representatives of the society. They could, for exam ple, buy a second-hand stove for one-third of what the society would have to pay for a new one, and with a sec ond-hand stove they were as well off as before the flood. The ordering of specified articles was, accordingly, given up, except where it was thought that money would not be spent properly, and $15,000, out of a total of $19,000 disbursed in relief, was given in cash. The following is a complete statement of disbursements. The balance of $2500 was deposited in a Trust Company for use in future emergency relief work.
Aside from the temporary shelter of homeless persons, the total number of applications received was 859, of which 716 were from families, eighty-seven from single men, and fifty-six from women living alone. Relief in the form of cash was given to 640 families ; clothing and groceries only to thirty-six families. Loans were made in five in stances, cash relief having also been supplied in two of these. One hundred and eighty applications were rejected.