The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-02-23
SIckenIng Sights are Witnessed as Relatives Claim Bodies
 at the MOrgue EVERY CORPSE SAVE ONE
 BRUISED ANO LIBERATED Relatives Claim the Bodies and Many Sad Funeral Processions Wend
 Their Way From Sre Bessemer. %5 @&

Fs
 Q Q ssemer, February 22.--(Special.)- 1.-The O o srmath of the Virginia mines disaster. g. claiming and disposition of the dead, @ by far the saddest feature of this 9 hooking tragedy. The scenes around the mprovised morgue on Second avenue, the
 seething throng of people and the un-
 speakable grief of the bereaved relatives and friends of the victims of the fright full catastrophe. have converted Bessemer into city of the dead.
 Up until 9 o'clock tonight slxty-seven
 bodies have been brought into Bessemer. The last train reaching here at 7:30 to-
 night brought twenty bodies and another
 train before midnight is expected. Out of the entire sixty-seven number
 have been taken In hand by relatives
 and carried to their homes. As far as can be learned no funerals have been held today.
 Many Funeral Proeesslons. As rapidly as the bodies are received on the train from Virginia mines they are
 washed, embalmed nd placed into
  lives for burial Many times today has a funeral procession, followed by friends and relatives wended its way out of the l city and over the hills and mountains | back to Virginia, to some funeral pile. i where the stricken ones are left alone | in their sorrow to mourn over the bruised anu. bleeding clay, all that Is human of what three days ago were manly and | joyous. husbands. brothers. sons and | sweethearts.
 | People in every walk of life have left their businesses and several duties and I are lending thelp help and sympathy to 1 the heart-broken and suffering, in paying | their last sad tribute to the dead. Every undertaken In Bessemer and several from surrounding cities are assisting ], Kennedy Bros, in preparing the bodies for burial Lester Kennedy, a member of the firm has been at the mines since last Monday. experimenting the con yeyance of the dead from the mines to Bessemer.
 Baskets Arrive. Every passenger train coming into | Bessemer today has brought shipment of caskets which were ordered by wire from other cities last night On both sides of the morgue these caskets have been piled several feet high.
 The street is lined with hearses and dead wagons to bear away the dead as soon they are laid into the caskets. I The firm which has the contract has 1 risen to the occasion in a most remar- | kable manner and has met every emer- gency which has arisen.
 l The officers guarding the doors of the | temporary morgue have had their patti ence taxed in restraining the anxious relatives and friends. many of whom l have come from distance states to claim | the corpse of the loved ones who perish l ed In the disaster.
 All identified Save One. l So far all the bodies that have reach | ed Bessemer have been identified save one. This Is tn body of a negro and is I supposed to be William Howard. Owing l to the many mangled bodies some diff l culty was expected in many instances in the Identification.
 The body of Sandy Nelson was sent in as Oliver Houston, but having being pre- pared for burial he was identified by his father and four brothers, who took charge of the remains. Oliver Houston who was sent in from the mines as unknown, was identified by his father and mother.
 The removal of the clothing from the bodies disclosed many horrible and sick
 ening sights which had been hidden from the eyes of the rescuing parties | at the slope of the ill-fated mine. In many instances the head and limbs of | the victims had almost been severed | from their bodies and many horrible | and gaping injuries added horror to the | sights revealed to the undertakers and l their helpers Among the bodies that have been recovered so far, James Law
 rence's, who had charge of the pumps 1 Tn the mines, is the only one that en- | tirely escaped mutilation. He was walk | ing in the entrance when he was over l come by gas and from all appearances. 1 died without a struggle His body was l free from signs of violence and his face | was free from any gas burns. Even his | hair. beard and eyebrows were unscorch-
 ed. He was a fine specimen of manhood.
 and his strong and heavy frame, devoid
 of any of the effects of the explosion. ccntrasted strongly with the corpses of the other victims lying in the morgue.
 Money Found In Clothing. | In removing the clothing from the | bodies which the undertakers carefully l roll up and turn over to the bereaved, s70 dollars was found in the clothes Of one of the Italian miners.
 Notwithstanding the mangled and char l ed forms of the unfortunate victims of
 the Inflated mine, the finely developed 1 forms of the dead cannot but impress the l fact the miners at Virginia were fine specimens of manhood. The frame and |
 of experience in digging coal, have given | to the miners constitutions that could
 have withstood hard and persistent at i tacks of illness.
 Every car and train coming Into Bes- semer brings miners from all sections. l who are en route to the scene of the | disaster to assist in recovering the bodies l from the mine. Capt John Hanby of | sloss mines and a number of miners from l Sloss have been at Virginia since yes- terday aiding in the work.
 l James OHara. president of the Pratt 1 City local of Mine Workers and Adam | Pow, president of the Vivian local have | been taking an active part in the re- 1 covery work. They have provided for the | conveyance of all union miners in the | district to Virginia City and have come | to Bessemer several times to procure | food for the rescuing party.
 | The excitement in Bessencer has been