Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1871-08-17
The New York Disaster. Scenes aud
Incidents.
SCENES AT THE MoRGUE.


element reached its elimination. Scarce
ly had the first ambulance wagon with
its sad freight of mutilated humanity,
reached the hospital gates when the
quickly increasing crowd made rush
for the Morguo, pushing and crowdlng
for front place to view the horrifying
spectacle But there were those there
who were drawn thither by the dread
necessity of looking for those dear mis-
sing ones for whom they had searched
eagerly elsewhere before daring to think
of the Morgue. That was possibility
they would not allow themselves to con
template.
One poor fellow appealingly informed
the Warden that they were a party Of
seven on the boat, all his own family ;
that his wife was dying at home, one
child dead at home, and he was search
ing for the others. In a moment Mr..
Brennan took his arm and led him around
to inspect the terrible array, now amount
ing to thirty corpses. "My Cod" ex-
claimed the poor fellow, "there's my
little lilly" pointing to child about
eighteen months old. For while Mr..
Brennan stood holding his hand, and
after " ticketing" the poor little thing
silently drew him away to look for his
other lost ones. Another poor fellow
was almost maddened as he searched
among the bodies for his sister, whose
husband had only been dead three
months. She had been seated in the
ladies cabin, with her only child, a boy
five years old, on her lap. They were
both blown into the river by the eXplo-
sion, and the child, on being rescued,
ran home to his uncle, and exclaimed,
"Mother's killed !" 1t was too true !;
the child escaped unframed; the mother,
in whose lap he was sitting, was wounded
MORALLY.
There on the slabs of the Morgue,
with lights around them, and the jets Of
pure water sprinklmg their mangled
and scalded bodies, lay thirteen corpses.
There was no room for more. Nearest
the entrance was highly respectable
young woman, % OF 90 years of age,
with clear cut, handsome features, dress
ed in black, who had been drowned.
But for the pallor on her face, she might
have been thought asleep. A woman
lay next to her. This poor woman was
so near her confinement that, when her
body was brought in, her child was half
born. Lying half way between and half
upon these two women was little child
about eighteen months old, fearfully
scalded, and with her body distended
with sea- water. In the dead-house adj
joining and in the courtyard were rows
and rows of rough pine collins some
containing those drowned or killed on
the spot, others those who had died in
the hospitals and who, when stripped Of
their clothes, presented a sickcning
spectacle. In this courtyard man APP
peared with a small bundle in his arms,
and said, "Here's another poor little
baby" A man sprang forward, crying,
Let me look at )" he groaned as
though his heart would burst, and turn
ing to the hospital man, said "May |
take her away when did she die ?"
Il" about five minutes ago" replied the
man "Pm very sorry, but you can't
take her away tonight" The poor fell
low turned away, saying, "Perhaps I'd
better not. 1t might kill her mother i'll
her present state" The mother, too,
was terribly scalded.
AwHoLE FAMILY SHATTERED.
George Elsacsscr, his wife and four
children, three boys aged respectively 16
years, II years, 9 years, and little girl
aged D years, occupy apartments IN a
tenement-house at "a First avenue. They
all started for Staten Island Sunday, and
were unfortunate in catching the fatal
boat. But one out of this whole family
escaped uniniured; that is the second
eldest boy. The eldest boy was killed
and is now at the Morgue, the youngest
boy is lost, and as no tidings have been
received is no doubt drowned the little
girl, whom the neighbors all speak OF in
the highest terms, is placed beside her
brother while the father and mother are
both in the hospital scaldcd in fright
full manner.
THE BOY WHO SAVED HIS MOTHER.
Close by lay another coffin containing
the body OF little girl, one of the Elsas-
ser family. The lid was removed in
order that her grandfather and her little
brother might identify her before remov-
ing her. The head Of the corpse was so
terribly scalded that the least touch
would have caused the whole scalp to
drop off. On Sunday the whole family,
consisting of the mother and five chill
dren started for Staten Island. In the
explosion four of the children were killed
outright and the mother was blown into
the water. The only child left alive, II
little boy twelve years old, had the re-
markable courage and presence of mind
to seize a plank and run it into the water
where his mother was struggling She
caught hold of it, the boy drew her in,
and she was saved. The old grandfather
could not suppress his grief, and the
tears ran in streams down on the cover
of the rude little coffin. Then he would
clasp his little grandson to his breast,
crying, ooh, my dear boy, my good
little boy, he saved his mothers life.
What would have become of me if he
and his mother had gone too"
OPINION OF AN ENGINEER.
We give below the opinion of an old
engineer of thirty years experience. He
has thoroughly examined the exploded
boiler. He finds the iron to be in very
good condition, free from scale, and
capable of sustaining double the amount
of pressure stated by the engineer at the
time of the explosion. He would ask,
"Was the engineer hurt Were any Of
the firemen killed or wounded ?" The
engineer says he was in the boiler room
a few minutes before the explosion, tried
the water, and found three cocks. He
also says he asked the fireman how the
water was. He replied, "All right. "
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