St. Paul daily globe., 1886-04-16
IN THE uORGUE.
Pitifu1 and Awful Scenes Which
Were witnessed I'm N Rude shed.

Were Witnessed I'm N Rude Shed.
Special from STAT Correspondent.
ST. CLOUD, April 15.-"SOmebody's
darling"
A poor little sunny-haired girl, whose
bloodless lips fond mothers kisses were
now powerless to warm into life. A
mother? Ay, the pity Of it. No mother
claims the bruised body of the innocent
child. Lying in darkened corner, crushed
almost beyond the semblance of human
being lies form outlined by the folds of
the winding sheet which some reyerent
hand has cast over 1t.
IT IS THE MOTHER.
Crushed beyond recognition, she who
perhaps but few all too short years ago
was happy bride, now lies stark and ST.
lent with the horror of an awful death upon
her face. Unable to save the child to whom
she gave life, she has Joined her in the sa-
cred community of an heroic death,
And the little one?
In an old shed which a freak Of the
storm has left uninjured, surrounded by the
terrible evidences of dozen tragedies, she
lies upon q rudely-improvised stretcher,
which, oddly enough, has q cradle-like
form. Impressive symbol Of the long
sleep into which the spotiess soul has sunk.
One little white hand, which the fury of
the cyclone has spared all injury, as if in
regard for its fragile beauty, lies upon its
bruised breast. in mute appeal for sympathy
which comes unbidden from all the rever-
emily curious crowd which fill the old sheds
space. The pure white forehead bears a
grieyous wound, marking where the cruel
blow struck which bore away the budding
life.
An old shed for a resting place? No. q
charnel house.
Upon a gentle rise facing the hotel. over
looking the smoothly-howing river and the
green banks beyond covered with verdure
which the storm had spared, stands the
low-roofed shed, perhaps thirty feet in
length, which all day long has been the
Mecca Of the pilgrimage Of hundreds of
anxious survivors.
1t was coal storage depot. 1t is a
morgue.
Lying side by side in the different STALL
like bins, the victims of the disaster await
identification and burial. The horror of the
scene is unspeakable. Strong men come
and look and turn away, their vigorous
frames quivering with the suppressed emo
ton which midst such universal emotion
none are ashamed to show. Weak women,
whom the awful events of a few hours
have unnerved almost to the point of pros
tration, hOllow-eyed and with blanched
faces enter wearily and despairingly in
seach of the loved one whose fate is still
unknown. Within the sound of weep
ing and lamentation comes from
those who have only too surely
found the object of their search. Awful
sights these are, which meet the eye, and
on which the uncovered throng gazes. not
with cold and morbid curiosity but with an
interest and reverence which the awfulneSS
and vital interest of the scene, and the
search for friends and relatives inspire.
Here lies what was once beautiful wo-
man. The fairness of her face at first glance
seems unimpaired.
But stop; a step nearer and the terrible
wreck is revealed. AS though by knife's
keen blade the opposite side of the face is
seen to be cut away and the reddish stain:
color the clinging drapery which at first dis
guised the horrible disclosure. There
in darkened corner lies wife and mother.
BY her side husband. insane with grief, /:
sobbing as though his heart would break.
In the awful misery Of his desolation one
man. Peter Fink by name, stands with a
daZed expression looking down upon the
bodies of his wife and four childred
His grief cannot find the blessed
relief of tears. In silence more terrible
than the loudest expressions of sorrow, ht
stands gazing sbsently upon his dead unit
sympathetic hands lead him tenderly away
All around lie evidences of the deamon
fatal rage:
The ghastliness of the scene impresse.
itself only upon the visitor. Others have
too deep an interest In the shapeless, man
gled and bleeding objects, which bear sucl
little semblance to human beings
to be affected by the horror o.
il now. In one corner lie.
a confused heap of limbs, which the de
mands of the wounded upon the time o.
the brave workers precluded more decent
disposal. Side by side as carefully ATTENDED
as possible i'm the haste which the needs OF
the living make necessary, seventeen bodie:
of men, women and children lie waiting
burial on the morrow.
The solemnity which the awful contents
invest the humble shed Is over all.
The heartrending pitifulness of the griet
which wells up unchecked from the heart,
Of those who have been bereft strikes {
responsive chord, and as each visitor re
turns 10 the CHEEKY sunlight from the op
pressive gloom within, there Is no cheel
but Is wet with tears, no heart but feels Il
its uttermost depths the awfulness of tht
calamity.
And out upon the quiet air of balmy
spring day, the bells Of st. Cloud are ring
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