Distributing Relief Supplies

Distributing Relief Supplies. Site No. 8. A total of 4,615 people were affected by the fire, including 150 families who were completely burned out and another 80 partially burned out. Another 700 families experienced small losses. , A massive relief effort was mounted to provide the survivors with the necessities of life. Railcars loaded with goods donated from throughout Michigan's urban areas were delivered to Metz at no charge by the D&M Railway. In this photo, survivors are lined up to receive relief supplies. Many appear to be wearing clothes they received in a prior distribution. Among the clothing distributed were stylish dresses and hats donated by the ladies in the upscale Detroit suburb of Grosse Pointe. , In addition to clothing, the relief trains brought in donations of farm equipment, lumber, furniture, hay and other livestock feed, seed to allow the farmers to plant crops in the spring, medicines, bedding, carpets, and livestock. So much was sent to Metz, in fact, that whole boxcar loads of goods were eventually diverted to other communities in the area that had been burned over.