The loss of property has been very heavy. Stocks of provisions, and fuel accumulated for the winter have been washed away and homes rendered uninhabitable for the present at least. That can be replaced in time; but the lives lost cannot be recalled. We can only mourn and give our deep sympathy to friends and relatives who have been bereaved.
The Government has been ready in action and the rapid dispatch of the relief ship was well engineered and carried out. The Daily Newshas nothing but approval for the prompt response made to the urgent necessities of the unfortunate sufferers in the dispatch of the Meiglelast night.
APPENDIX TWO
Sympathy from the Bishop of London
Bishop’s Court, St. John’s
13 December, 1929
The Editor Evening Telegram
Dear Sir,—The note of sympathy from the Right Hon. And Right Rev. The Lord Bishop of London, a copy of which I enclose, will be read not only with great interest but with deep appreciation by residents in the stricken parts of the Burin District and by our citizens generally.
Fulham Palace,
St. Andrew’s Day, 1929
Dear Bishop,—I want to send you my deep sympathy and that of my Diocese with you all in the great misfortune which has occurred in Newfoundland in consequence of the great tidal wave.
I fear that it has worked great havoc among some of the finest of your people and I would like them to know how deeply we sympathize with them in London.
If any Fund is being raised to help them I am sure we shall support it to the best of our power.
APPENDIX THREE
On Board Relief Ship “Meigle”,
November 23, 1929.
Mr. C.C. Pittman, J.P.,
Chairman Relief Committee,
For Earthquake Sufferers.
Dear Sir:
Having been given full powers by His Majesty’s Government to deal with such relief measures as are required in connection with the recent disaster to various settlements through earthquake shock and tidal wave destruction, we hereby delegate to you the authority to deal with conditions in your district as circumstances may show to be necessary.
You are to act as chairman of the committee which will arrange and supervise the necessary relief measures in the section from Lord’s Cove to High Beach, inclusive. Your committee consists of: C.C. Pittman, J.P., Chairman, John Foote, J.P., Rev. Fr. Sullivan, Rev. Mr. Spurrell, Messrs Lewis Crews, John W. Hillier, Edward Cake and John Haley.
Relief supplies for your section are at your disposal to be distributed as you and your committee see fit. You are, further, to take care of clothing supplies, of housing conditions, of fuel and other conditions and to handle these matters as you see fit under all the circumstances, being hereby invested with whatever powers are necessary to enforce your decisions in connection with the various undertakings concerned.
It is not possible to give your duties or to state your powers in detail, but you are generally to undertake and do such things as may from time to time appear to be necessary from the standpoint of relief or to facilitate such relief measures, until you are further advised by the Government of Newfoundland.
The Government are particularly concerned to ascertain the full extent of the damage in your section. You will, therefore, arrange to have a thorough survey made as expeditiously as possible, employing whatever means or agencies are necessary for this purpose and using forms supplied you by us.
APPENDIX FOUR
Earthquake Relief Committee
Of the Government of Newfoundland
Hon. President: Hon. Sir R.A. Squires, K.C.M.G., M.H.A., Prime Minister
Hon. Chairman: H.B.C. Lake, Esq., M.H.A., Minister of Marine and Fisheries
Hon. Corresponding Secretary: Hon. H.M. Mosdell, M.B., M.H.A., Chairman Nfld. Board of Health
Hon. Members: Hon. A. Barnes, Paed. D., B.Sc., Colonial Secretary
Hon. Alex Campbell, M.D., F.R.C.S. (E), M.H.A.
Malcolm Hollett, Esq.,, B.A. (Oxon), S.M.
Sudbury Building
St. John’s, Newfoundland
Burin North
June 14, 1930
Captain Davis
Schooner Ianthe
Burin.
Dear Capt. Davis:
I am in receipt of a telegram from Mr. Horwood, Chairman of the South Coast Disaster Fund Committee, asking me to instruct you to return to St. John’s on completion on this trip. You will therefore act accordingly.
I must take this opportunity of thanking you for the very able manner in which you have discharged your duties in taking around to the various harbours and coves the large amounts of materials which the Committee has placed in your charge. You have brought us one load of lumber from St. John’s and seven trips of round timber and various quantities of lumber and dories on these eight trips and I consider that you have done wonderful work. For example: On this last trip of the IantheI have asked you to unload material at eight different places, to wit; High Beach, Lamaline, Point au Gaul, Taylor’s Bay, Lord’s Cove, Lawn, Corbin and Burin and I have received word from Mr. Foote to state that you have called at each place and discharged the requisite amount of lumber and timber and it has been done very expeditiously.
We all quite realize the difficulty and danger to your ship in discharging at places up the Coast which are situated on a wild shore.
Please accept my thanks and the thanks of the Committee for the energy which you have put into this work.
With kindest regards,
APPENDIX FIVE
Earthquake Relief Committee
Of the Government of Newfoundland
Hon. President: Hon. Sir R.A. Squires, K.C.M.G.,
M.H.A., Prime Minister
Hon. Chairman: H.B.C. Lake, Esq., M.H.A., Minister of Marine and Fisheries
Hon. Corresponding Secretary: Hon. H.M. Mosdell, M.B., M.H.A., Chairman Nfld. Board of Health
Hon. Members: Hon. A. Barnes, Paed. D., B.Sc.,
Colonial Secretary