The evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1907-1908, 1908-01-15
PremOnitiOn Of BOyertOwn's
Holocaust Saved Lives
of Scores.
VICTIMS STILL IN RUINS
Forty Unclaimed Teams at
Stables; Owners Among I'm.
identified Dead .- Nearly
Every House in Borough
in Mourning.

BOYERTOWN Pa, Jan. 15.-With
the opening today of the four impro-
vised nlorgues in which lay the VIC
Tins of Monday nights theatre holo-
caust, the inhabitants of this little
borough began to rsalize the awful eA-
tent of the tragedy. The hand of sor-
row has touched probably every fam
lily in town and in neighboring villages.
The four buildings used as morgues
contain 1862 bodies. The three under
taking establishments of the borough
were too small so the borough officials
decided to use the high school. To each
body was attached tag containing a
number, and with the corpse was laid
any article of jewelry or clothing that
might have been in the possession OF
the victim.
SO far as physicians and undertakers
could ascertain from the charred re-
mains and clothing, 10 of the dead
were women and girls, and f3 were men
and boys. So badly burned were the
other bodies that the sex could not be
determined, and it is probable these
viii all be buried in one plot in Union
Cemetery.
Coroner Strasser had expected to
open the morgues for the Identification
OF the dead yesterday afternoon, but
the number OF dead grew so large that
the undertakers. even with the aug
mented force from other towns, were
unable to properly arrange bodies.
Mosa Of the bodies were in such con-
dition that few of them will be
recognized by the features alone
Bec,suse of the difncuty of identidca-
ton and tho attendant confusion the
coroner decided to keep the morgues
closed until today, and during the
morning the doors of the buildings were
thrown open. Hundreds of people were
waiting at each place to get look at
the bodies in the hope of finding the
remains of loved ones. AS quickly as
identiications were made the bodies
were turned over to undertakers for re-
moval to the homes Of the victims.
Jacob Johnson, who was badly hurt
in the mad rush for exit from the burn
ing building, and Mrs. John Dyer dled
this morning.
Coroner Strasser Is making an in
vestigaton preliminary to the official
inquest.
1T was the saddest picture ! ever
locked upon." he said, mo living soul
can depict the scene. 1t was simply
indescribable | shall make a thorough
investigation leading UP to what | con-
slider the most horrible affair that ever
occurred in Eastern PennsylYania.
The coroner's attention was called TO
the fact that oil lamps were used Tor
footights in the opera house in place
of stationary illumination. He said
he would make thorough inquiry.
But two members of the cast so tar
as can bo learned were killed. This ls
due to the precaution taken by Mrs
Della Mayer. She had a premonition
that something would happen. Al a
luncheon given to the members of the
cast in the hall several days ago she
said she feared something Thefe
ought tc be a means of escape, she
said The rear entrance was spoken
of, and at her suggestion the doors
were taken off the hinges SO that IN
case of accident egress could easily oe
ACCOMPLISHED Scores owe their lives
to this means of exit.
That the victims were not confined
TO residents of Boyertown was shown
by the number of unclaimed teams at
the hotels. Fully forty teams remained
unealled for in the stables yesterday
and the hostlers said they belonged TO
people residing within radius of f1Ve
or six miles of Boyertown, who drove
to this place on Monday with their fam
lilies to witness the production of "The
Scottish Reformation" There is no
clue to the identity of the owners of a
number of the teams. The merry par
ties of four and six that drove into
Boyertown in these teams are believed
TO be among the unidentified dead in
the various morgues.
Boyertown is bearing up bravely un-
der the heavy burden of sorrow which
has stricken many homes. seventeen
of the victims resided in one row of
houses near the scene of the disaster
BY order OF the town burgess all the
saloons in the town. which were closed
at a. M yesterday because OF dis
order among drunken men, will remain
closed until further notice
Mrs. III. e. Munroe, of Washington,
ID G. author of the Scottish Reforma-
ton" who was in Willkesbarre, Pa,
when the disaster happened, has ar
rived here
In her room at the Union Hotel to-
day she was found plunged in grie1
over the loss of her sister, Mrs Deila
Mayors, the lecturer, the ruin Of her
property and the calamity that has
befallen the town.
Il am nearly 70 years old" she said
Il have been in the entertainment busi-
ness for quarter of a century.
This terrible affair has blasted my
life. My poor sister was lovely
woman and an accomplished lecturer.
In Monday nights fire lost $1,000
worth of stereopticon pictures, accum-
uated during years of travel abroad
and $1,000 worth Of costumes.
Mrs. Mayors, I am told. was killed
Continued ON Sev- Pagc.)