American assistance to Reggio Calabria

After the dramatic seism of December, 28, 1908, the American Federal Committee of Assistance to the earthquake victims was headed by Mr. Lloyd C. Griscom, the American Ambassador in Rome. For the operative organization, he availed himself of the naval attaché of the Embassy, lieutenant Reginald Rowan Belknap, as liaison officer with the Italian authorities. The US Navy itself participated with a rush of enthusiasm to the first emergency rescue operations in Calabria, coming from the USA on the steamship Celtic, while the Bayern brought other food and medical stuff. This stuff was distributed in the presence of the two delegates Henry Nelsen Gay and W. Earl Dodge that organized a recognition committee, to which the Ambassador himself wanted to include the Captain of artillery Armando Mola. The delegation left Rome by train and reached Palmi carrying a comfortable car on a special van. In Palmi, they paid a visit to the Royal Commissioner General Tarditi, and the latter wanted that lieutenant Pagliano, in charge of his person, attended the delegation in all the villages.

Starting from Palmi, the delegation had a look around the area. Then it reached Reggio Calabria and penetrated into the interiors in order to realize of the most urgent needs of the population, informing the American Ambassador in Rome every day. Afterwards, the delegation stopped off in Reggio Calabria and in some mountain villages of the ionic side of the city, staying at the shanty New Central Hotel just erected. All the excursions were by train, by car or on a mule.

The contents of the report written by Captain Armando Mola, handed on in his detailed diary written in February, 1909, from 6 to 17, and sent to the Ministry of War, agree with Nelson Gray’s description, published in Rome in 1909. For each village, the delegation estimated the amount of the aids in rebuilding, also specifying the quantity of wood and building material needed to those sheds and cottages that were called “American villages”. Other goods from the United States reached those already stockpiled by the Italian Government in the railway stations and harbours, for a total amount of 3.000.000 Italian liras (comparable to 5.000.000 Italian liras, remembering that wood was much cheaper in the USA and completely free from transportation expenses, as the stuff was carried on US Navy auxiliary ships).

Moreover, the delegation arranged the delivery of the aids to the various villages on a covered freight wagon, and the transport of the car on an open wagon, both provided by the Italian Railways.

100 boxes of sterilized Swiss milk and four medicine cabinets were loaded. The delegation was provided with letters of recommendation and passes by the Ministry of War and Ministry of the Interior, and organized its ten-day stay without relying on the local resources in any way.

As Captain Mola’s report says: “On the common roads, Mr. Dodges putted at our disposal his own car, a 50 hp Charron Girardot et Voigt, with antiderspan tyres. The car had very good results: no accidents, no change of tyre or inner tube, though 700 km of very bad roads often covered with wreckages and rubble. The Embassy also put at the delegation’s disposal a small American auxiliary ship, the Scorpion, in case of transportation of aids or people to some places that were easily accessible from the sea. This event didn’t occurred, so the delegation didn’t make use of the Scorpion. Usually, the early morning was dedicated to the download of the stuff coming from Rome, and then the whole day was spent scouting around; by car, by train or on a mule. In the evening, description of the activities of the day for the Royal Commissioners, and preparation of the consequent telegraphic requests, often late at night.
The delegates’ night shelter was the open wagon for the car during the stop in Palmi, and the New Central Hotel re-built in wood by the Veneto Trentino Committee during the stop in Reggio Calabria. Bad weather always. Usually low temperature: daily rain, snow and hail in the mountains." The US President Theodor Roosevelt didn’t visit Reggio Calabria and the villages on the shore, as he was directed to Africa aboard Admiral Cruiser, but he paid a special three-hour visit to Messina on April, 6, 1909, where he was received by the Italian king and queen and visited the American village under construction. The next day (April, 7, 1909) the American Ambassador Griscom, among the President’s suite, went to Reggio to take Queen Elena to visit the cottages of the American Village, where he spent the night before coming back to Rome.

The humanitarian aids from the American government and philanthropic organizations caused a great deal of comment around the public opinion, and arouse a deep gratefulness in the people hit by the seism.

In Reggio Calabria, on February, 23, 1909, during a business lunch at the shanty Central Hotel, in the presence of several majors of the destroyed villages, Captain H.W.C. Boudoin, representative of the American Red Cross, had been offered the badges of Knight of the Order of St Maurice, for the philanthropic activity of his Association in the occasion of the earthquake and also during WWI. This proposal came from Reggio Calabria Prefect and, in order to remember the American aids, many roads in one of the American village, in an area of Reggio Calabria called Tremulini, were dedicated to American states and cities (via Pensilvania, via Georgia, via Boston, via Filadelfia), or to important American personalities, like President Roosevelt.

Iconographical documents
The recurring memory: chronicles of seismic events Prof. Agazio Trombetta
Edizioni De Franco – Reggio Calabria
One hundred years of oblivion Prof Agazio Trombetta
Edizioni De Marco – Reggio Calabria

Historical documents
Italian Navy Historical Archive, Rome
General Staff Historical Archive, Rome
Corps of Carabinieri GHQ Historical Office, Rome
State Central Archives, Rome
Central Assistance Committee, Rome
Reggio Calabria Historical Archive
Reggio Calabria State Archive
Reggio Calabria Public Library
Reggio Calabria Archiepiscopal Library
Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities: Agazio Trombetta photographic archive