The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-01-15
Bodies Recovered From the
BOyertOWn Theater Building
Now Number 162, Mostly I'm.
possible of Identification, ,
JEWELS ANDCLOTHING
Are Placed Beside Each to As.
sist Anxious Relatives.
Hundreds Gather to Look on
Faces of the Dead.

Boyertown. Pa, Jan. 15.-With the
opening of the four improvised
morgues today in which lay the VIC
tins of Monday nights theater horror
the Inhabitants of this borough began
to realize the awful extent of the
tragedy. The hand of sorrow has
touched probably every family in the
town and in many neighboring viii
lages. Where families were not di-
rectly affected by the terrible panic
and fire through the loss of relatives.
Ihey were mourning for lost friends or
acQuaintances
The grewsome scenes following the
olsaSter bring a shudder to the stout
est heart and many of the thousands
VINO nave come as curiosity seekers
nave gone away declaring they never
want TO witness another sight like it.
Inc four buildings used as morgues
contain 1b2 bodies. The three under
taxing establishments of the borough
were 100 small to accommodate the
victims so the borough officials de-
cloed to use the high school. I'm
uertdkerS from surrounding towns
We're pressed into service to care for
the podles as they arrived on the
scene. 10 each body was attached a
tag containing number and with the
corpse was laid articles of jewelry or
cIothlng that might have been in
possession of the victim.
Ihe coroner, who has been on the
scene since midnight had been ex-
pecoeo TO open the morgues for the
identification of the bodies But the
number of the dead grew so large that
the undertakers with augmented force
from other towns, were unable to
properly arrange the bodies Most of
the bodies were in such condition that
Few of them will be recognized by their
features alone. In nearly every case
the upper portions of the bodies were
burned.
Because of the difficulty of identif-
cation and the attendant confusion,
the coroner decided 10 keep the
morgues closed until today and dur
ing the morning the doors of the build
ing were thrown open. Hundreds of
people were waiting at each place to
get look at the dead
Perfect order was maintained at each
of the morgues, a squad of police being
on duty to keep the crowds moving.
Jacob Johnson, who was badly hurt in
the rush for the exit from the burning
building, died this morning. Coroner
Strasser is making an Investigation
preliminary to the official inquiry
1T was the saddest picture I ever
looked upon.' he said. mo living soul
can depict the scene 1t was simply in
describable. I shall make a thorough
Investigation leading up to what l con-
slider the most horrible affair that ever
occurred in eastern Pennsylvania"
The coroner'S attention was called to
the fact that oil lamps were used for
footlights in the opera house instead of
a stationary illumination. He said he
would make an inquiry.
Henry w Fischer of Carlisle, Pa,
the operator of the calcium light, which
was the original cause of the terrible
disaster. made his escape from the
burning building though not without
first receiving severe burns. Mr.
Fischer said:
The accident was caused by a cap
on one of the tanks blowing out. This
caused a sharp report and startled the
people. / stuck to my apparatus and
finally got the leak repaired Just as I
had the people Gained the foolish ac-
ton of some thoroughly frightened per-
son on the stage caused the overseeing
of an oil lamp and the consequent
spread of the flames which nothing
could avoid. Not until then did desert
my post and seek my own safety in
flight
to residents of Boyertown was shown
by the number of unclaimed teams at
the hotels. Fully 40 teams remained
unca1led for in the stables yesterday
and the hostlers said they belonged to
people residing within a radius of five
U
this place on Monday with their fam
lilies to witness the production Of the
Scottish Reformation There is no
clew to the identity of the owners of
number OF the teams.
The merry parties of four and six
that drove into Boyertown with the
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 house
near the scene of the accident.