The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1873-05-24

Mary Merritt. The bodies OF Mr.. Merritt and his
wreck, but the remains OF Mrs. Merritt i and MISS
Annie Scrymser (her sister, have not yet been and
probably never will be. found. portion OF their
York by Mr.. Scrymser some days since.
A NARROWING SCENE.
Percy Dickinson, who was here in search OF the
remains o! Miss Brody. was standing on the half
sunken wreck when her trunk was brought up out
Oh the stateroom. The sight of 1t affected him most
visibly. The diver whs ionnd II returned imme
diateiy, hoping and confidently expecting TO ind
her remains. Els absence OF fifteen or twenty
minutes was as SO many years to Mr.. Dickinson.
submarine explorer slowly came to the surface.
The excitement OF Mr.. Dickinson was now most
painful to witness The horrible spectacles he had
almost created a hope that the body OF his dear
friend had not been found, and as the Divers line
was pulled up he turned hvountarily from the
scene which he 0nged for, but dreaded to gaze
upon. The painful suspense was but momeniary,
however, Tor the diver soon announced that there
were no bodies In any OF the staterooms which he
had entered. Later In the day the same diver
brought up peculiar napkin ring, which the
used by Mr. John Price, one OF the lost and a
friend OF Mr.. DickinsOn's This as well as trunk
OF MI. Prices was turned over to Mr.. Dickinson.
The latter contained large number OF costly
presents which Mr.. Price had purchased in Europe
Tor friends in New York. Among the other articles
OF baggage which the divers brought out OF the
staterOOms were one trunk and three valises be-
longing to Mr.. Merritt one trunk belonging to Miss
Agnes NJ. Barker OF Orange, N. j., another belong
belonging to Mr.. Fisher, OF Vermont.
THE RELATIVES AND FRIENDS OF THE LOST STEER
AGE PASSENGERS
who have come here TO look for their friends are
comparatively small In numbers. In act, very few
OF the emigrants had more than acquaintance in
the United States. They had generally emigrated
to q land which they hal fOndly believed abOunded
In streams OF milk AM honey They had heard of
the thrifty North the sunny South and the plenty
institutions and by lbor and industry gain an
honest livelihood and have an Inheritance for the
children who should come after them. Whole fam
lilies were numbered aAong these anxious and ven
turesome steerage victims, and in multitude OF
cases all were lost. The little hey John Hindley,
whose piercing screams Ter help finally brought
rescue, is probably, the only one saved who formed
the part OF a family among the steerage passen-
gers The trunk belonging to his lost father was
~ L Charge Ss
the New York Wrecking Company and will be for
warded to the orphan n New Jersey. Among the
very lew relatives and lends OF the steerage vic
tins who are here awaiting tldlngs OF the bodies OF
their lost kindred Is
ONE YOUNG HAN FROM BOSTON.
He Is In search OF the remains OF his mother anC
sister, and as he has eazed upon the wrecking
operations day alter Jay he has wept bitterly as
death, the features d those whom he loved.
Another man, an elderly person, named Clark, Is
still now lingering around the wreck, waiting
patiently and anxiousy iOr the divers to bring up
the body OF his wife, who was one OF the steerage
passengers OF the ill-iated ship. The poor fellow
seems overwhelmed, almost insane with grief
over a hundred and fifty collins have been opened
for his Inspections but still he has tailed to find the
remains OF his loved companion among the bodies
stances having been made known some of the
Of HALIFAX made up generous
purse in his behalf
'sTnE HILL OF DEATH"
IL is an appropriate name-"The Hill OF Deathn-
which the rude fishermen have given the locality
where the greater portion Of the victims OF this
bly, in the history OF the world, has cemetery
received SO many interments in such space OF
opposing armies slaughtered each other by tens OF
there never was q time when SO many
dead were recovered and buried together. 1t IS o
startling iact and one which has been before
stated that the dead lying beneath the sod in the
dismal town or Prospect number more than the
Living in inhabitants Iss. The manner Of burial,
all the terrible and heartrending incidents
have been described time and again, and
nave Ssen enacted mac 'ae
most daily ever since the Inflated ship went down.
The bodies recovered to-day are brought up on the
hi, their valuables taken IN charge by Deputy Col
ector Kerr, OF the Custom House Pieces OF can
vas are thrown over their faces, and they are lett
n the open air until the next morning. Then, II
boxes prepared, the p0sr victims are placed In
them, the cover nailed down, and, with a brief
burial service, they are consigned forever to the
trenches. The Protestants and the Catholics, as
lar as possible have been buried In cemeteries of
churches OF their own faith, Rev. Mr.. Ancient off,
cating at the obseqmcs of the Professionals and the
Catholic priest OF the town attending to the inter-
ment of the victims OF the Romish faith.
THE CoRPsEs ONLY HALF BURIED.
The work OF interment. as may be supposed, has
been done most imperlectly. The graves or
trenches IN many cases are scarcely deep enough
below the earth's surface. Heavy rains have
washed away what little earth covering there was
and to-day there are hundreds OF the collins ex-
posed TO view. A little rivuet gathered SO much
orce from rain and melting snow the other day
that 1t broke away from It's natural course and
lowed down the line Of one OF these trenches and 1t
n
collins to prevent them from being washed down
to the fost OF the hill. In many Instances two
cases even three, and In order to ecOn0miZe the
matter OF space they are often placed in the
trenches two and three deep. The weather
nature that there have been no unpleasant results
from the shabby and shameful manner in which
the bodies have been inferred, but with the advent
Of Summer it is almost sckening to even anticipate
what the consequences VIII be. To walk once over
this terrible mountain OF the dead creates feeling
ghosts OF the victims, loom up everywhere, and
the breakers OF the sea dashing against them seem
TO chant requiem to the souls OF the departed.
Here there are no intricatey carved canopIes, no
lofty monuments or costly tombs, but right at the
very feet OF the SHABBY graves and the rude collins
are the modest tablets which record the painful
suferngs and heroic deaths OF hundreds OF brave
men, cOnfding women and innocent children. The
pale sun sends down pensive afterglow upon
them, and The wild ocean continues, and will ever
its ceaseess music over the city Of the
dead.
NUMBER OF BODIES RECOVERED AND MISSING
Up to this time the total number OF bodies re-
covered OF the $40 lost is 42s which leaves 11s now
missing. As near az can be ascertained about
dozen of those missing are cabin passengers and
the rest are steerage. or the latter probably many
more will be recovered, but, as before stated 1t is
very doubtful II any OF the corpses OF the missing
cabin passengers will ever be found.
BLOWING UP OF THE WRECK.
So far as the White Star line is concerned, what
was once the fine steamer Atlantic Is now virtually
abandoned In TACT, the vessel herself Is given up
~ every one as total wreck and complete loss.
What is lett OF ner is at the mercy OF the waves
and the New York Coast Wrecking Company,
and the latter, under the direction or
Captain William Merritt and hts corps Of divers,
Is making an energetic, and, thus far, very sue
cessful, effort towards the recovery OF the most
valuable portion OF the cargo. The wrecking Com.
pany, II should be understood Is the direct repre-
sentative OF the underwriters and insurance COM
panies, and all their operations are confined ex-
clusively to the recovery OF the goods which were
on board the Inflated steamer. Besides large
steamer-tne Lackawanna-Captan Merritt has
here couple OF scho0ners, q steam hosting ap-
paratus and all the paraphernalia used in the
hazardous and uncertain business OF wrecking.
The weather Tor the past two weeks has been ex-
ceedingly unfav0rable, the heavy sea not permit
ting oil more than one or two uays' work a week.