The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1905-03-24
SIS Bodies Have Been Re.
covered and as are
Still Missing
Ia IDENTIFIED
Most of the Bodies Recovered Without
Their Identity Established--An In
quest win be Held Shortly-Noye-
ment Inaugurated to Raise Funds
for the Stricken Famuies-Anather
Search VIII be Instituted. but il Is
Certain that There Is Slight nance
of Any Additional Bodies Being
Found.

Rrockton. Mass. March 21.-Satis-
fed that there was no chance of re-
covering additional bodies from the
ruins from the p. B.. Grover Com
pany's shoe factory, search was a5an-
doned at IL o'clock tonight by the
small army of volunteers after 81
hours of constant toll.
Although the police and Medical
Examiner Paine feel sure that they
have removed from the debris all re-
mains which were not reduced TO
ashes, a second search shortly will be
instituted to satisfy relatives and
friends of the victims.
The little band of persons who nave
besieged the morgue since the first
body was taken from the ruins, re-
l~uctantly turned their steps home
ward tonight, satisfied that all that
remained of missing ones occupied the
pine boxes inscribed Unknown" at
midnight. For the first time since
ySSSSt a LII. oAiAS hAA 1i5
remained alone with the unidentified
dead.
The revised list as given out by the
police at Il o'clock tonight was as
follows:
Bodies recovered SIS: identified IA:
missing IS, reported as escaped 2S3.
It now seems probable hat but Il
Io1ioc xp;1I ha h.,rial with Thair iIQn-
@tity positively established.
An inquest will be held shortly.
The day saw the first movement on
the part of workmen in trades sim
liar to that pursued by The victims of
the disaster TO raise a relief FUND for
the bereaved families. 1t is expected
that several thousand dollars will pc
subscribed.
Fifty five dead. sixteen identified. IS
| missing, and 255 employees accounted
| for, is i'm brief tonight rt1e situation TO-
lowing yesterdays c~atastrophs.
! For the first time since the fatal ex-
| plosionrazed the shoe factory Of r.
+. o & Co, the city today seemed
/ to fully realize the enorunity of the ca
lamity. This has been brought about
| by the positive identifications by bits
of clothing or otherwise of several
| bodies n the failure to return home
! of those who, had they survived, must
before this, have sought their friends.
! A snow Storm that early today cover
ed the wreckage, tonight turned into
/ rain, but Drawing the elements groups
of men, women and children gathered
| at the morgue, hoping against hope that
the chance discovery of a bit of familiar
! clothing or object Of personal belonging
| would lead to the Identification Of their
| dead.
AT the ruins a hundred men drenched
to the skin toiled increasingly amid the
: half burned tirnbers for fragments OF
!; flesh and bone, which when found, were
hlrried TO the rao~gue to be scanned by
those waiting there.
That the % lead represent h total
number of victims, no n familiar with
h disaster believes. It is extremely
doubtful, however. that more than
| fragmentary pieces of other bodies viii
ever be found. Medical Examiner
Paine said tonight that he believed 9th
! er bodies had cen reduced to ashes
! and that the number of victims might
| never he positi vely known. He did MT
telieve that further f~dentiications OF
the charrel remains at the morgue were
Trob4h HE. Every body which had on IL
any tr6nket or piece of clothing has
teen more or less positively identified.
Remains which have been placed in
boxes ani marked unknown" are III
| such a state that there is no possibility
Of their being recognized
Today the first of the funerals OF the
victims was j. Governor Douglas
beng among those who followed The
body to the grave. The funeral was
that of jerome Mayo, a finisher in the
factory brother III law OF C. L
Fish, a close friend of the governor.
At the request Of Mayor Keith, cier-
gymen of all denominations assembled
i'll the aldermanic chamber at the city
tall this afternoon for the purpose OF
arranging for a public service for the
victims. 1t was decided that the servacc
should be held at 2:30 p. m. Thursday,
i'm the city theatre Two clergymesi,
one a Catholic and the either a Protes-
tant. VIII speak.
A more careful search Of the boiler
Dit today resulted in the finding of a
watch, the rubber heed Of a shoe and q
torn piece OF clothing all OF which when
showed to Mra Rockwell, the wife Of
the engineer. were identified by her as
belonging to her husband. Then the
police found a part OF a Chair with a
pefvIs OF a human frame IN It. from
whfch they inferred that Rockwell was
sitting beside his boiler when the ex-
piosson came, and was killed Instantly.
With reference to the cause of b
blowing up OF b honer. Josiah f.