The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1904-01-07
Settles Over Chicago
in Wakezo Great
Holocaust. -
ALL IS WOE and MISERY

known, as Many are Missing
and Death Hovers oyer
Scores Of Injured:
For the first time since Chicago has
possessed bells to peal, whistles to
shrek and horns to blow, the cid year
was allowed silently to take its place
in history and the new permitted to
come with no evidence of joy at its
birth.
In an Official proclamation issued
Thursday afternoon by Mayor Carter
harrison, he made the suggestion that
tia usual New Years celebration be
for; this time omitted. The idea found
a ready response in the hearts OF the
people, and the mayors words in fact
only gave utterance to the suppressed
thoughts that had filed them all.
Ordinarily, on New Years eve t the se
streets OF the city are filled"with mer'
ry-makers, but the eplys throngs TO- oe
found were those around the morgues;
ordinarily, numbers. Of fashionable res
taurants I'm, the heart Of the city are
filed with light:hearteas jewellers, who
toast the year that IS passing and q hal; hail
thesyear that comes. :, Thursday night
these places were comparatively de.
serted and some Of them closed en-
tirely with doors locked and curtains
down. .......
From early Thursday morning unit!
late at night crowds ,hesiefed the un-
dertaking rooms and hospitals looking
torzthe dead and injured: Policemen
were detailed at all places where the
dead and injured had been carrie1,
to restrain the anxious men and Wo-
men who pressed in at the doorways
and inquired for their lost friends and
relatives. -...
In all the undertaking rooms the
bodies were placed, as far as possible,
upon cots, and when these were ex-
hausted stretched in, long lines upon
the floors and; a. constant succession
Of pale-faced men and fearful women
proceeded slowly between the lines
lifting the covers from the charred
and bruised faces and searching il
the clothing of the dead for something
by which their lost ones could be rec
ognized. In many instances women
tainted when lifting the sheet from
some face in which, they
the features Of. dead child OF beau
tiful young girl. Scenes that were en-
acted around the bodies of the little
children were pathetic in the extreme.
While the eroWds,of a4x,ous ;seekens
for news besieged the morgues, the
telegraph and long distance telephone
offices were almost swarnped with the
food Of inquiring messages. Messe1-
ger boys from the telegraph Office OF
the Postal and Western Union carried
bundles Of messages, and the terrific
rush Of business was still on. Private
wires of stock exchanges and board
of trade houses were likewise loaded
down with inquiries and answers.
Woe is on Every Side.
It Is no extravaganza of language to
say that the city is stunned by the
overwhelming tragedy enacted when
the theatre which housed "Mr. Blue
beard" became a chamber Of horrors
inceed. There is the deepest woe IN
hundreds of homes. deep sorrow IN
thousand others, and pity beyond
the potency of words to convey in all.
The first streak of daylight on the
snow-covered streets Thursday morn
ics found the morgues still the sorrow
haunted centers of many searcher.
Taere were husbands searching for
wives, frenzied parents seeking their
children, so many Of whom lost their
lives and in some instances, wild
eyed children, still dazed from the hor-
ror of their experience, groped dis
tressingly about in search Of father
or mother.
The total number of victims involv ed
in the tragedy are estimated at 1,OSS.-
the dead are estimated at 564; the
missing are 314. This includes the
vast number of people who are either
dead, injured or unidentified which
have not as yet been accounted for.
One hundred and ffty-seven are in
the city hospitals, 1t is estimated that
So of the injured will die. These fig
ures are furnished from careful sum-
mary made of the tragedy returns from
all sections of the city, including the
hospitals, temporary morgues and
doctors Offices and private residences
and homes of the injured. The report
Is based upon information returned BY
the police, firemen, doctors and news
papers. '