The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1907-01-01

/ throughout Washington was the magnl-
tude and horror Of the railroad disaster
at Terra Gotta. It seemed that something
/ of the grim tragedy of it all was written
/ in most faces that one met Men meeting
in the ears, or on the streets. or gath
| cred at their places Of business would
glance at one another, and instead of the
customary morning salutauOn. one would
say: What a horror,' and the reply
would be an asserting horrible
The greatest disaster that has even
came to Washington as a city. That was
the voiced expression of many. and al
/ though there were some who recalled
scenes of the war days, when many a
home was bereft, there were none to dis
sent from the fact that this sudden blow
which fell in the blackness of Sunday
evening was the grimmest and most awful
tragedy of modern times in Washington.
So thoroughly and painstaking had all
the facts been garnered that little was
left TO speculation. The worst was known,
and no imagination could conjure up
scenes Of sadness and pain and horror
that were worse than the fatal truth.
Visit MOrEues and Hospitals.
It was not yet daylight before the ex-
odus downtown began. and cars from
every direction as they made their first
morning trips brought with them pale
faced men and weeping women on their
way 10 the various hospitals. or 10 the
District morgue.
1t was strange to mark how varying
were the emotions expressed Most Of
g oil
beloved one had spent a night of terrible
anxiety. and some OF them showed the
effects of the awful strain. Men in search
Of their women folk, or of little children
stared dumbly al the sodden morning as
the car took them on their way About
them they heard men talking about the
wreck and its horrors. but they took no
part in such discussion, just stared.
dumbly, hanging on. perhaps. 70 some last
shred Of hope.
At the hospitals the surgeons and the
nurses worked all night. and by the early
hours of Yesterday morning the wonted
discipline had reasserted itself, and there
was something Gke calmness. In the va
rious wards lay many sufferers battling
for life, some so sWathed in bandages as
TO be unacceptable and all with few ex-
Iceptions, were in dull. lethargic stupor
due either to mercifuI drugs or to the re-
raction. after the bitter experiences.
Anxious PLY Questions.
Early the hospital ante-rooms were
thronged with anxious relatives. and nu-
merous attendants were kept busy an
swering questions prompted by keen and
Iexcusable anxiety. but often incoherent
land meaningless. When It was found 10
be practicable, and the inquirer seemed
to have some definite reason for belief
that those he sought might be within. the
; silent nurses. tenderly sympathetic. would
= take the visitor into the ward and quietly
point out the bed ON which the patient lay
There We're few outward demonstrations
! of grief. They were mostly like the
woman, heavily yelled. who called before
l. o'clock at the Emergency Hospital The
description she gave of the patient she
wanted was a clear one, and she was led
to a bed where man of about thirty
years. with both legs broken in many
places and with internal injuries, from
which be is doomed to death, lay in q
state of coma.
She stood by the bedside and gazed al
} and labored breathing She threw bach
. her veil to get clearer view. Half tim
idly she stretched forth her hand anC
smOOthed the Coverlet that lay across. MS
breast, and she let her fingers rest q. mo-
ment on the rigid, pale hand that hung
outside
Fights Back Her Grief.
She realized, perhaps, that nevermore IL
this world would this patient rest his eyes
in recognition on any who were dear e
him. She gave a sigh and looked up {,
see the nurse regarding her with pity
Her eyes We're filed with tears. With Z
gesture of despair she moved from The
, bedside. fighting back her grief
That's him." she said, then dropped
: her veil again and hurried out into tn,
| rain.
The largest throng by far gathered a
that grim rendezvous Of death-the Dis
trict mOrgUe. 1t has been long, indeed
} since the Seventh street cars have beer
/ so generously patronized. All the morn
+ ing long the cars We're crowded and tha
little waiting station on the south sid,
of the Avenue was filled with sad-faceC
people sheltered from the rain and waiting
to be carried down toward the river OF
their mission of despair
The street about the morgue wa
r. thrOnged with vehicles, and the duh, bIacl
< wagons OF the Uudertakers were WAITING
{ there in force. Standing under umbrellas
the thTong filled half the street an,
, through the crowd q lane was formed an,
held by the police. and through thi
o walked the people-searching for thei
. dead.
Across the street there Is a row of bricI
houses. and here it seemed that househol,
duties We're suspended. while at the win
dcws and in the doorways housewife gos
siped with housewife about the tragedy
h The children of these houses were un
= affected for they played about in from
- in spite of the rain. and their unchecket
o laughter struck discordant note in tn
scenes Of sorrow.
+ Are Quickly Identified.
e Within. the morgue was a busy place
e but it was wonderful how quickly tn
dead there were Identified As soon a
this was done the waRsng undertaken
found another job, and the corpse. up T.
then simply a unit among the unknown
. became the object Of attention, was care,
for, shrouded and cofined. and carrie,
away.
The capacity Of the morgue was tested
Downstairs in the room that fronts tn
: sullen river, just back of the inques
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