The Gainesville star. [volume] (Gainesville, Fla.) 1903-19??, 1904-01-05
Settles Over Chicago
in Wake of Great
Holocaust.
ALL is WOE AND MISERY
Weeping and WaIlIns Mourners Crowd
Dead Houses In Search Of Their
Loved ones--Total Of Dead Not
Known, as Many are Missing
and Death Rovers Over
Scores Of Injured.

For the first time since Chicago has
possessed bells to peal, whistles to
shrek and horns to blow, the old year
was allowed silently to take lts place
in history and the new permitted 10
come with no evidence of Joy at lts
birth,
In an official proclamation issued
Thursday afternoon by Mayor Carter
Harrison, he made the suggestion that
the 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 filled them all.
Ordinarily, on New Years eve the
streets Of the city are filled with mer.
ry.makers, but the only throngs to be
found were those around the morgues;
ordinarily, numbers OF fashionable res.
taurants in the heart OF the city are
filed with lighthearted jewellers, who
toast the year that is passing and hail
the year that comes Thursday night
these places were comparatively dc.
serted and some of them closed en-.
tirely with doors locked and curtains
down.
From early Thursday morning until
late at night crowds besiehed the UNI
dertaking rooms and hospitals looking
for the dead and injured. Policemen
were detailed at all places where the
dead and injured had been carried
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 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 In
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 recognized
the features of a dead child or beau
tiful young girl. Scenes that were en-
acted around the bodies OF the little
children were pathetic In the extreme.
While the crowds of anxious seekers
for news besieged the morgues, the
telegraph and long distance telephone
Offices were almost swamped with the
food Of inqulring messages. Messen'
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.
1t 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 chamber OF horrors
indeed There is the deepest woe in
hundreds Of homes, deep sorrow In
thousand others, and a pity beyond
the potency Of words to convey in oil.
The first streak Of daylight on the
snow-covered streets Thursday morn.
ing found the morgues still the sorrow.
haunted centers OF many a searcher.
There were husbands searching for
wives, frenzled 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, CROPPED dis.
tressingly about In search of father
or mother
The total number OF victims involv ID
in the tragedy are estimated at 1,0SS..
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 flfty-seven are in
the city hospitals, II Is estimated that
SO of the injured will die. These lg'
ures are furnished from careful sum
mary made of the tragedy returns from
all sections of the city, including the
temporary morgues and
doctors Offices and private residences.
and homes of the injured. The report
IS based upon information returned by
he police, firemen, doctors and news
papers.