The Aberdeen Democrat. (Aberdeen, South Dakota) 1???-1909, 1904-01-08

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been identified. OF the remainder the
majority are %disfigured beyond recogni-
ton and there is little doubt that many
will never be identified. OF the number
SO per cent. are bodies of girls from nine
to II years of age. Pitiful sights fol-
lowed at all of the undertaking estab-
where friends are flocking to
seek their dead. The same is true of the
hospitals.
Death March All Night.
There was a death march all night long
in Chicago. From morgue to morgue
distracted fathers, mothers, brothers
and sisters trudged, seeking their dead.
House of merriment at 1915: charnel-
house at $3.50! Perhaps never before in
the history OF the continent has SO much
Of grief, agony and horror been pressed
into so short a space of time.
Never before has Chicago been bowed
with such grief. Not even that other
fearful fre-the great fire of 1S71-left
such sorrow in its wake.
Agony of the Living.
Occasionally is a cry of agony, and the
sound of hysterical, wild weeping, as a
mother recognizes her child among the
dead. Others stop and whisper words OF
sympathy, then move on, silently and
slowly, in a search which can end only
by the side of a charred or trampled
body.
AS the hours pass and the police toll
laboriously over the lists of dead and in
jured the incompleteness of the records
Il 4 L 4a-s ,>~n nn,ol1iro
There are many whose identity will
never be known, the flames having
twisted and distorted body and feature
and charred flesh and bone.
sntinted with Horror.
Even the morbid crowds which al
ways collect near scenes OF disaster were
satiated with horror. AS wagon after
wagon came by and it's load Of dead was
emptied, the b%ystanders shrank back.
The sight of charred hands or feet, dis
torted faces and mangled forms was too
much ever for the stoutest.
All sorts of vehicles were pressed into
service in the removal of the dead. Drays
and delivery wagons carried scores.
Ambulances and cabs, as far as obtaina-
BILE, were needed for the injured. Police
Ipatrol wagons from all over the city
were used in the removal of the bodies,
and even heavy trucks n coal wagons
were pressed into service.
Identification Difficult.
Some of the later identiications have
been based by loved ones IN recognition
of bits of jewelry and shreds of cloth
hanging to the scared bodies. In a num-
Der of instances only the buttons Of
burned clothing remained as clews to
lead the searchers to final recognition
of the dead.
Each Body Numbered.
In the morgues where the larger num-
Der of the dead were lying, each body
was numbered. All jewelry, money and
other marks of Identification were re-
placed in an envelope bearing a similar
numeral, and carried by the police to the
city hall. In this way it was hoped to
facilitate the Identification.
The h~eartrending scenes in and around
the morgues are beyond description.
Frantic mothers, worn with sorrow and
fatigue, sunk down fainting on the icy
~pavements.
Cause of the Fire.
The cause of the tanning of the
asbestos curtain, considered the chief
origin of the disaster, was explained by
an inspector for the underwriters. who
made a tour of the house and found that
the wire on which the queen of the aerial
ballet flew out over the audience in the
second act held the asbestos curtain in
place and prevented it from being low
cred. TWAS shown by the inspector that
the wire on which the most spectacular
feature of the show was made practically
caused the holocaust.
President Sends Message.
Many messages expressing sympathy
and coincidence with citizens of Chicago
and relatives of the victims have been
received. The following message was
received Thursday morning from the
president:
Washington, Dec. 331s-To Hon. Car
ter H. Harrison, Mayor, Chicago: In
common with all our people throughout
this land, / extend to you, to the people
of Chicago. my deepest sympathy in the
terribls catastrophe which has befallen
them.
THEODORE ROOSEVELT"
London sends sympathy.
London, Jan. 1.-THE following mes
sage, which Lord Mayor OF London Sir
James 4. Richie transmits, we'll voices
the CONSERVATION and aympathy which
prevails throughout the British me-
tropoliss over the disaster at Chicago:
Mansion House, London, Dec. Biz
ii Thes riffzanc If Is0nd0n offer their deem