The Detroit times., 1908-01-15
M0URhERs Be \ D
WEEPING OVER
WHITE ROWS
sHRoUpEp coRPsEs LINE BOY
ERTowN MoRouEs-LlsT or
DEAD IS tss-FlREMEN FOUGHT
THROUGH JEALOUSY.


BOYERToWN, Pa. Jan 1.-THE
Pennsylvania state police are on guard
at the doors of four morgues In which
lie the charred bodies OF the los VIC
Tins OF the Rhoades opera house IRE,
where Identification OF the remains
began today. Because OF an efort
made to rob the dead OF jewels and
trinkets, Coroner Strausser Is admit
ting TO the morgues only FIVE persons
at a time and the work OF singing out
their relatives by the Borrowing sur
vivors is slow.
Early today another victim was add
ed to the long list OF dead. He was
Jacob Johnson, who. though rescued
from the vortex of the panic. had In
hailed the deadly flames. He. OF all
those persisted, ts at his home.
-fffe others. swathed in white linen.
lie in long rows in the morgues. while
above them bend weeping men and
women seeking. too often in vain, for
knowledge OF their dead.
Form Relief Committees.
Relief committees to arrange for the
burial of those who lack means and
to provide for an adequate police pro-
lection have been formed. Irwin EhGt.
chairman OF these committees, today
declared that though one hundred
grave diggers had volunteered. men
would be engaged by the city and are
already In the cemeteries with picks
and shovels preparing for the victims
last resting places.
Tonight In the hall OF the Friendship
Fire Co. a public meeting viii be held
to arrange for the burial or the dead.
Whether any one person Ii respou-
sible for the disaster Is very doubtful.
The air Is full OF stories of how Il
happened = but the plain fact Is that
the exact nature OF the occurrences
which precipitated the panic has been
blurred In the minds of the survivors
by the terrific nature of the fight for
life In which they took part.
Whole Families Wiped Out.
Whole families have been wiped out
of existence. One orphaned child re-
mains OF A. family Of six or seven.
Wives mourn husbands, husbands
mourn wives The civil arm hangs
practically powerless. The state po-,
lice are in charge. The saloons arc
all closed. Business otherwise Is sus-
pended. A pail hangs over the place
From door after door In the best resi-
Dental section of the city. streams OF
black dangle. The streets are silent.
though thronged.
Not loud spoken word. or
whistle, or q song. or laugh. Men
with grave faces. women with tear
stained eyes, throng the hotel corri-
doris. gather on the street corners.
stand before the hideous tomb Of their
friends and relatives.
All the talk is of death. They meet
on the highway and speak thus In
hushed tones:
Isn't II terrible? How many OF
yours were there?"
my father and sister"
IT have lost my children
School houses, undertaking estab-
lishments and churches were turned
into morgues and In these places to-
day a force of undertakers recruited
from Reading and Pottstown are at
work endeavoring to restore to these
corpses some sembIance OF humanity
for the day when the throngs Will flle
IN TO attempt Identification OF the VIC
tins.
Meanwhile Coroner Robert Strauss
ser. of Berks county, Is seeking men
for his jury of inquest, who do not
feel tho burden of personal grief and
loss.
Serious Test for Jury.
This jury will Ak nne responsibility
for the calamity. IL will have a SER
ious test. Indeed, save for the fact
that the hall appears to have been
crowded beyond It's capacity there
does not seem TO have been any direct
individual responsibility.
Surveying the ruins now and list
ening TO the stories OF the few who
escaped unscathed, there Is absolutely
no reason to be found why a solitary
soul should have persisted. The hall
was located on the second floor.
/ There were fire escapes on every
side OF the auditorium, Ave windows at
the rear, eight more on each side and
at the front eight more that opened up
on n hood roof that was barely scratch
ed by the flames. All OF those who
persisted might have found safety on
this roof alone. had reason prevailed.
But the heap of bodies. eight feet
high. at the foot OF the six feet wide
stairway and a broad pile of bodies
Just OF the top landing Of these stairs
told pitlfully today OF the mad night to
descend by that means alone
Petty Jealousy Of FIremen-
Here Is a circumstances that calls
for rigid investigation, however. whom
the authorities here recover from the
shock OF the disaster. On the author
ity OF Oficers Culver, Gray. Grant and
Ray. OF the state police. who rendered
noble service when the borough was
In confusion, the members Of the To-
cal volunteer FIRE department. whtlo
the flames ragged and men. women and
children fought to get out OF the In.
ferno. engaged In fist fight with vol
unteer hremen brought from Potts-
town over petty jealousies that crop
ped up on the scene.
II Is hard TO think that duty sat on
them so light, but of1cer Grant said
today:
There were two fights while the
FIRE ragged and personally ran the
men out OF the lines. They ware Are
men. They bad been drinking. Most
of them had bottles OF whisky about
them
And BURGESS Koohler SAID:
1T was because OF that nehfinS LhAk
/ ordered all saloons closed ---
The real story Of what hsppeaed IN
the little opera house win probably
never be told.