The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-02-24
BODIES CLAIMED
 EXCEPTING THREE Bessemer Relief Fund Has Reached $3,125.90 MUCH DISTRESS IS FOUND Scenes About the Moreue Are Still Pathetic-Body of Jack Vance Is
 Finally Identified By
 Relatives.
MUCH DISTRESS IS FOUND


 Bessemer. Februaray -t9pecial)-At late hour tonight all the bodies recoy- cred from Virginia mines and brought to the morgue in this city have been claim ed by their relatives except three. These are negroes and one has not yet been identified. At meeting of the commit tees appointed to raise funds for the re- lief of the widows and orphans of the dead miners at the city hall tonight the reports showed that s312590 had been raised and was in hand.
 The relief committee, J. J. Sullivan, Jerry Fountain, U. Schwabacler, Will liam Jackson and W. H. Dennis, ap- pointed to distribute the funds among the needy at Virginia City. reported that they had been at the mines all day and relieved the needs of fifty families and distributed a total of s2400
 Relief Committee Reports.
 The committee reported that it had worked in unison with the relief com mittee from Birmingham and that they had found considerable want and suf- fering among the families of the dead miners.
 In the entire canvass they found only one woman who was not in state of Restitution and who declined any aid. In some instances the committee reports that the people were in dire distress and unless relief had reached them there would have been much suffering. In several families there are as many as eight children who have been left alone In the world without a bread winner. The committee also stated that money was distributed among both the white and eolored.
 The committees who have charge of raising the fund are still at worl- and it | Is probable that the amount will go over | s5000 in the next day or two. Recovering Delayed, | Jerry Fountain. a member Of the eom- mittee, who has been at the scene since short time after the explosion occurred, stated that the work of removing the bodies has been delayed until after the water, which has risen to eonsiderable extent, could be pumped from the mine, | The relief committee will return to the mines in the morning and resume the work of distributing the funds. | At the morgue on Second avenue and | around the various undertaking estab= | lishments the pathetic scenes of the past | two days were re-enacted. The streets are still thronged with people and ev- cry hearse and dead wagon in the city has been pressed into service. The sor rowing relatives and friends have come | from other places to carry away their 1 dead. Every car coming into Bessemer brings additional mourners and every out going car carries away the mourning rel l ativfs of the dead. and the weeping of the wives and mothers, who today are wearing crape for their loved ones quits | the noise of the passengers. | n,a ont raf fn- | day there were ten women who were mourning the loss of some relative. The fearful grief was ptiful to behold.
 The controversy which had arisen over | the body of Jack Vance was adjusted today by Mir Vance's relatives identify ing the body which was turned over to l them for burial The doubts as to MT. Vanee's identity were caused by the tags on his body and | that of a eolored miner getting mixed. MT Vances body was the twelfth that was taken from the mine. but in some way the corpse was tagged No. ?. The body of the unknown negro. the only one that has not vet been identified was also | numbered 2.
 The body of Mir, Vance was to have | been sent directly from the slope to his home, hut for some reason it was placed on the special train and brought to Bes- | semer. His family on failing to receive
 
 1 but as no No. 12 appeared among the dead, they thought that 1t was still at | the mine. On returning to the slope and finding that it had disappeared their grief | already running over knew no bounds l This morning the search for the hody was renewed and resulted in F. L. Mitchell who Is assisting in embalming the dead | discovering that the numbers had been | mixed. The body was then given Into the care of the sorrowng relatives. | The following are the bodies that have been sent out from the morgue today | and their destinations:
 White.
 John coheley, unknown. Fred Morgan. Adger. | Tom Grissby.
 l Jerry Keel, Pratt City
 Tom Caldwell Pratt City
 w. H. Donaldson, Valley Creek. | Luke Bailey.
 Robert Pierson, Johns. | Jesse Weaver Walker Shumaker. l J. E, Jordan, Gentry's Gap.
 Ed Bryant, MoDonough. Ga. | Will Dickson, Dolomite. | Will Green, Sumter (Masonic) | J. M. Lawrence, Ribbville (Masonic). | Steve Hawkins. Blossburg 1 Sam Sloggett, Adger 1 Bert Sloggett. Adger.
 N. R. Pool. Valley Creek | J. H. Danner, Adger. | John Pendley. Jr., Adger. | George Pendley, sr Adger (Masonic). ! Olin Pool. Valley Creek. l W. Alonzo Meeks, Blocton. | Will Meeks, Bocton. | Fred SmedleY. Whtwell. Tenn | B. M. Chastine. Adger (Masonic) l A. Lancy, Blocton. | Roland Bennett, Blocton. Thomas Cody, Adger. | Charles Moreland Adear