The Hawaiian gazette., 1905-08-01

he said. "We've only got few hours
to live. Why not be decentf'
The other man cursed no more.
81 know it 8 awful to curse,' went
on the man muffed in the wrappings;
"awful to curse. Shipmate, ] wish that
could just see mother and the girls
once before / die. But / guess it won It
be long now. Please God, it won IT,.
it, shipmate. 1t won t be long now.'
And he was right. Two hours later
/ found them side by side in the
Morgue.
Uptown crowds were standing on the
corners, talking over the tragedy in
hushed voices. Across the street from
the little park a big crowd stood in
front of curtained windows. Every
minute an ambulance would drive up
and a still figure on a stretcher would
disappear indoors. 1t was the Morgue
"That makes twenty-one right in
this one place." said bystander in a
low voice. "Twenty-one dead in the
San Diego Morgue."
| went into that house of death.
Sheeted figures were everywhere, thir-
teen lying in one room. There were
no more trestles, so the late-comers
were carried into the back room and
laid out on the cement floor. In side
room man Just brought in from the
hospital was being stripped of his band
ages and prepared for the shroud.
The man who worked cut away nerv-
ously with small knife; there was
no time to unwind bandages. Another
tcfa oly l., h.
man with the knife snarled irritably:
"For Gods sake, don't bother me.
Can't you see am busyi"
CROWDS ABOUT THE MoRauE.
Three blocks further up town there
was another crowd about the side door
of an undertaking establishment. Two
ambulances stood at the door. A crowd
Of young women were lowering about,
afraid to enter, unwilling to go away
and striving hard to be content with
the glimpses of the dead as they were
carried in. One of them, very pretty
young girl of probably nineteen years
of age, sobbed Historically as the am
bulance doors were opened, and gazed
at the stretcher, but she did not offer
to 60 away Inside, the same scene
was repeated. Twelve sheeted figures
lay in long row; many of them were
unidentified and the faces were expos
ed. Nine of the men looked as if death
found them in their sleep. Their faces
were peaceful and free from the traces
of pain.
All had been scalded save one, and
there was an ugly wound on top of
his head. For him there had been nc
pain and no lingering agony.
Men and women passed up and down
this grizzly hne, bending over and look
ing longingly at the dead faces.
I've got Ensign Perry in here
said man in white apron.
"Want to see him'"
Six newspaper men trooped into the
little stone-foored room. There was q
sickening odor of disinfectants in the
| place. that sweetish smell which ling
ers long on the memory. The man in
| the apron slowly unwound a towel and
lifted the last covering.
A grizzled old veteran of the pres,
was tffst TO speak. There was that
hard to speak of the way this brav,
man died.
He died like a hero,' said the vet
eran, slowly. "God rest his soul to
night"
At s o'clock there were thirty-nin
dead men in the various undertaken,
establishments, and seven mon ar
known TO be in one of the close,
compartments. This brings the know
total up TO forty-six dead and doe
not include the missing men. The hos
pitfalls are full of sufferers, many o
whom will surely die before morning
The first report that the deck of tn
Bennington had been blown out of tn
ship was in error. 1t is only betwee
decks that the ship is ruin. Com
mander Lucien Young has given it ou
that in his opinion the vessel is
wreck, and wrecking and diving oui
fits will be necessary.
BOILER WAS DIRECTIVE.
, 1t is an assured fact that boiler I
, the one which expleled first, has bee
in bad condition for long time. /
: fact, so serious was it considered b
the tiremen that many of them wer
: afraid TO sail on the ship. 1t was
o'clock on Thursday night that Con
mander Young received his orders