The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-05-06
Especial to The Herald from a STAFF Cor
resoOndent)

FeSDOndent(
Scofeld. Nav. 5.-A volume of ago
nizing scenes and incidents attended
the burial of the 109 men and boys to-
day The last act in the tragedy is
over, and now for the relief of hun
dreds of breaking hearts left in its
shadow. Such sights as these that
multitude witnessed here have never
been conjured in rhe most hideous of
Nightmares. Such scenes of pathos and
despair are unparalleled in the nations
history, but now the bodies have gone
back to mother earth, and the worst is
over, but that could not be said if it
We're not known that thousands of dol
lars are waiting to supply the needs of
the 500 women and children who have
lost their only means of support
through the heavy hand of death.
This wholesale burial has gone on all
day Dawn had no sooner arrived than
the trains were being loaded with dead
at the doors Of the charnaI houses up
the canyon, and as quickly as they
could be taken from the cars and
transferred to wagons waiting down
here at the switch. the trains were sent
back for more. 1t has been d string
of funeral wagons, apparently without
an end, climbing the hill all day, and
as they wound their way up to the
burial srounds, armies of men, women
and ehildren-mostly women and chill
dren-followed.
Checking OF the Dead.
A man stood at the gates and checked
from a long list the names of those
whose remains were in the caskets that
passed in Then ne turned them over
to another man. who found the number
of that bodys grave as indicated by his
list. and the driver was instructed
where to find ii. on each grave board
this number was stenciled, so there
might be no mistake, and in years TO
come these graves may be located
through the! numbers ON their head
boards. People were searching among
the graves all day for particular num-
bers, knowing from the cOmpany's list
that some loved one was represented
by it.
A majority of the collins We're in their
receptacles by noon, but the graves
were kept open until after services had
been performed. over them, and the ac-
tual work of covering them UP was not
started until after o'clock. The
weather was clear up to this time.
when a downpour Of rain threatened. It
did rain some, but not long enough to
cause any great inconvenience. The
shovels were used by the same volun-
teers Who made the graves
People fingered about the grounds all
day. A box of crackers sufficed for
dinner. and after night there were
heart-brolzen women sitting on the
graves of husbands. fathers and sons,
10th to leave the spot where their
hearts lay buried
superintendent Sharp's Sympathy.
Superintendent Sharp, leaving the
canyon for the first time since the ca
tastrophe, was in the cemetery all day.
He visited first one section of the yard,
and then another, sympathizing with
the sorrow stricken and extending
words Of comfort IL a choking voice
The ministers on the ground likewise
did much to comfort the bereaved, but
their efforts could not check the tor
rents of tears or heal the lacerated
hearts.
With IL now in the ground, there are
still fifty to be buried tomorrow. Eighty
have been or viii be shipped away.
These estimates would bring the num-
Der taken from the mine up to 247. and
there are some still not rescued. How
many. it is difficult to determine The
probabilities are that single burials VIII
occur through this catastrophe az in
tervaIs for the next six weeks.
The cost Of this big funeral viii be
not less than $25,O00. and the company
stands this expense. The collins are
said to have cost $50 each.
Odd Fellows and Pythians.
The Knights Of Pythias and the odd
Fellows administered their rites in the
forenoon over a few members buried in
different parts Of the cemetery. But
not until after noon were the main ser
vices held. The caskets had been lying
in the graves Az Gay N the plot reserv-
ed for lodge members and upon the ar
rival Of the regular train from salt
Lake at . o'clock bringing the I. o. Q.
F. grand lodge officers, procession was
formed at ne depot
: The Odd Fellows led, fifty. or seventy
five strong, and as the cemetery. gates
were entered, they divided into two
lines, allowing the Knigts to pass be
tween and perform their. ceremonies
first. In the center Of She group of thir-
ty-five graves stood Grand Prelate
George r. stoney and Rev W. Daunt
Scott, the latter in ministerial robes.
while the great crowd Of mourners en-
circled the acre OF graves.
In the space between the line of hui
manity and the officiating officers, the
widows and orphans hocked in. As
many as five stood on the brink of some
graves. tottering under the weight Of
grief
The impressive prayer. concluded, the