Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1873-05-08
Recognizing Relatives Among tho
Saved of the Atlantic.

NO SOONER was breakfast over than the
inquiries for friends were begun. There
is a department especially devoted to
these inquiries at Castle Garden, where
persons who expect friends or relatives are
required to apply for information The
room is in a low, long shed, just outside Of
the Castle, and is fitted up with a rallied
III desk and numerous benches This
room was crowded with men and women,
the latter being in the proportion of about
two to one, all of whom were restless and
uneasy. The pOst-oftice rule-tirst come
first served-was in full force, and men
and women We're admitted to the desk one
at a time to inquire for expected relatives
or friends.
Heinrich Funk asked for his brother
Jacob, who was soon ushered into the
room, As he appeared Heinrich EMBODIED
him in his arms and kissed him many
times. Finally they went out, hand in
hand, and within the hour were speeding
on their way to Philadelphia, the home OF
Heinrich.
The next to be claimed was Thomas
Booth a bright and intelligent young fel-
low, who was taken away by his brother,
a business man of Pittsburgh, and closely
following him was William Kelley, whose
father, mother sister and aunt were eagerly
awaiting him. Young Kelley is a slight
lad of seventeen, and looked wan and
weared by his journey. AS he was passed
out into the reception room his father-a
man of stalwart fOrm-raised him from
the floor, exclaiming, as he kissed the lad,
II have him! | have him. Then the
mother, the sister, and the aunt, crazed
with delight, threw themselves upon the
father and the son, and the happy quin-
tette moved out of the room to the music
of hysterical sobs from the mother, eXult-
ant shouts from the father, and p9ans Of
praise from the other relatives. Young
Kelley appeared to be totally overwhelmed
by this too demonstrative affection.
This group, exulting in their joy, had
barely left the room when poorly-clad
young woman ran up to the desk, and in
broken tones asked, "For Gods sake tell
me, is John Mahoney Gomez" II will see
Madame" was the reply of the polite
whence her halfsuppressed sobbing was
heard all over the room. Il told him not
to go!n was her constant cry, and she
seemed possessed with the notion that her
husband was lost The other women,
many of them vainly looking for dear
ones, endeavOred to comfort her, but she
would not be cOmforted. Later in the day
her grief was turned to joy, for the miss
sing man was found.
owen Flannigan's appearance was the
signal for demonstrations of unbOunded
JOY on the part of his father, mother, and
brother, all of whom struggled for the
first embrace. 90, dear Owen, YOU dar-
lint!' said the mother; "sure I'd given
you up"
There were two John Daltons in the At
lantic, only one of whom was saved.
When this name was called in the recep-
ton room, five persons stepped forward to
welcome the shipwrecked man, but he
was unknown to them all.
That's not my ~ said an aged wo-
man, and then followed the hard task of
destroying the hope to which she had so
fondly chung since the news Of the wreck
The information that the other John Dial
ton had gone down with the vessel, or been
| dashed to death against the pitiless rocks
of Nova Scotia, was impaired to her
kindly and as delicately as possible by on
of the officers, and the poor woman turned
away with look on her face which will
long haunt the memory Of those who
saw it.
These are only few out of the MANY
of the scenes witnessed in the reception
room yesterday. The strong excitement
| under which both men and women labor
ed was evinced by the warmth of theil
| greetings.
| 1t is nothing unsual for Frenchmen
Italians and Germans to kiss each other
but when one sees sturdy, undemonstra
tive Englishmen and stalwart Irishmen
whose emotions seldom carry them such a
length, hugging and kissing each other as
women hug and kiss children, he may con
ceive the intensity of their excitement
Such scenes were witnessed more than
once yesterday. Two burly Englishmen
who had probably met for the first time in