Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1876-12-08
AROUND THE MORGUE

Z
When the theater was erected particular at
tention was paid to gas jets and border lights
There was even a larger crowd
AROUND THE MoRGUE
this evening than yesterday. A Asurging Iuas,
of people occupied the sidewalk In front Of
the deadhouse and stretched into the middle
of the street, and men and boys ClaiDbered
up on fences and wagons in the neighbOrhO0d,
| Yesterday the people who cOngregated N the
neighborhoOd of this building were quiet and
orderly, but to-day there was a spirit Of levlty
perceptible, as the fire was an event two days
| old. No permits for admission were de-
manded of those persons who could satisfy
| the officers that they had lost friends or req
! tions by the fire. They were allowed to enter
/ from time to time, passing in the front door
and through the room on the right hand.
/ which contained about thirty bodies lying on
| the floor, none of which were identified, and
| so on through theImaller room. At the fur
| ther end of the building, back to the left
| hand room In which some of the COrpSes were
| lying upon marble slabs and tables in thecen-
| ter, upon such bits of clothing as remain upon
| the bodies numbers were written hastily,
| with lead pencils on bits ofpaper which have
been pinned on the bodies, and when a body
is recognized the name and address are added
to the number, and then upon the receipt of
the coroner permission, the corpse Is placed
into plain board coffin and driven to the ad-
dress given by the persons who have claimed
it. There are
VERY FEW 1DENTIFICATGONs
however, and it is impossible that there can
be. Many features are for the most part I'm
recognizable. Trinkets and such things were
mostly lost in the crowd, and the clothing
has been either all lost or burned into mere
rags. At the Adams street morgue, formerly
known as the old Fulton market, the scene
was horrible in the extreme. On the floor lay
large number of charred bodies, but in
many instances it was impossible to tell
whether they had formerly been male or fe-
male, human or animal. In some cases the
mass was only about handful of charTed
bones and flesh, without femnant of clothing
or other property that could possibly lead to
identification. In other cases the clothing
was either torn from or burned off the bodies,
leaving but charred and blackened remains
bodies they cannot be called. My God,
said one poor woman, as she gazed on a
but who can prove it. Among the bodies
not so badly burned, was one Of a man who
had evidently leaped from the gallery, as his
leg was broken short off above the ankle.
THE REMAINS OF DIR. FRANK1stT,
a dentist who resided at Portland avenue
and Fulton street. was recognized by the
initials on his shirt-collar. It was the only
article of wearing apparel which could be
distinguished. A report of most distress
ing case has been made by Captain Crafts, of
the second precinct. Mrs P. Smith, widow
lady, and her daughter, Mrs Simpson, left
81, low
evening, to attend the theater. The only
other occupants of the house were Il servant
girl and an orphan child whom Mrs. Simp-
son had adopted. Neither of the ladies have
returned to their home, and, having no
friends In the city, no effort has been made
to identify their remains. The husband of
Mrs. Simpson was expected home from long
voyage at the close of the week. The under
takers were constantly driving up to the
morgue all the morning with wagons and
permits Of removal Of identified remains,
and the police had great difficulty in making
passage-way for them through the solidly
packed crowd which filed up the street in
front of the hHilAins. Hundreds Of people
have been to the statlonhOuse to-day lnqulr
ing after absent friends. and the pitiful
scenes of yesterday were re-enacted with ten
fold force. Two hundred and ninety-seven
the temporary one on Adams street A wagon
load, containing ten bodies was on the way
as the reporter left, making three hundred
and nine in all. The mortality will
PROBABLY REACH THREE HUNDRED AND
FIFTY PERSONS.
The aldermanic committee on burials re-
port that at eleven o'clock to-day one hun
dred and tifty-eight bodies were at the Adj
II
the city morgue. Mr.. Sheridan Shook was
at the police station to-day. He had little to
say, and was intensely affected by the terri
ble affair. A. NJ. Palmer is i'll from constant
attendance IN Brooklyn since the disastsr, but
Mr.. Lovaine Rogers, acting stage-man-
ager of the theater, and representing Messrs.
Shook and Palmer, the lessees, Is en-
powered and anxious to relieve any case of
Immediate suffering consequent upon the
conhagration. The late treasurer, Mr. GOuge,
expressed the same sentiment of commisera-
ton, and
WILLINGNESS TO ASSIST TTE. UNFORTUNATE
in any matter possible. Mr.. Shook has or
,lered the Union Square theater, New York,
closed until after the funeral of the victims
of this awful calamity. There was a report
IN circulation this morning which reflected
seriously upon the police of the first precinct.
1t is said that number of persons got down
into the basement of the theater at the time
of the fire and were making their way out
through the grating, when the police shut
down the grating and ordered them to go out
the other way A meeting was held to-day
of the Joint board of aldermen and super
visOrs to make
ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE PUBLIC BURIAL
of the bodies of the victims OF the calamity
who have not been identified 1t was reported
by a special commission that a plot for the
burial of one hundred or more bodies had been
offered by the directors of Greenwood ceme-
terry, and the offer was accepted, The pro-
prietors of the Park theater and Hooley's
operahouse offered their services on behalf of
the sufferers. The Academy of Music will be
used for memorial services on Sunday and
ministers from the different churches will be
present. Among them Bishop Littleiohn,
Bishop Loughlin, Rev. DIR. Cuyler Rev. DR..
Scudder Rev. Dr. 4. P. Putnam, Rev A. S.
Walsh, Rev. DIR. Steimle, Rev. H. X. Nye,
Rabbi Brandestein and many Others The
members of the Thirteenth regiment have
taken the places of the police at the morgue,
theater and other places, the latter being ex-
hausted.