Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1912-05-01

fms gave out we bound them In tarpau.
Inns. There are only two women on
board and | think probably n dozen or
fourteen were buried at sea.
~ found no trace of bullet wounds nor
any indications Of suicide. Two of the
men passengers had reyolvers on their
persons, but the chambers were full
We kept picking them up for several
days in little clusters of from four to six
1t was strange how they seemed to
group that way.
't'The burial services by Canon Hines,
of All Saints Cathedral, the Anglican
church here, were impressive. shall
never forget the scene. There were ice
berGs sullenly drifting all about. a leaden
sky and dusk just creeping on us. Canon
Hines read the simple service over each
body In turn. and as every one was com
mitted the full crew of nearly 100 al,
stood on deck with bowed and uncovered
heads. The crew on the aft deck sang
Jesus Lover of My Soul. the flag tut
tered at half peak astern and all WAS d
hush.
s.In this manner we committed twenty.
four bodies on Sunday, fifteen on Monday
and seyenty-seven on Wednesday of last
week. 1t was g~rueling business. tell
you. but all hands a.tefi Win true syln-
patty and spirit. II any mistakes we're
MADE they were unintentional and due to
confusing orders from headquarters. T
though we might nave brought all the
bodies ashore, but I don't know what the
orders We're. ! was merely an undertaken
ON hoard.
N you see. every body was tn seed
with a square ~ lineu bearing prin.ad
numbers. 1t will take hours to transfer
them TO the. moryia.'
The story told by Captain Frank II.
Lardner OF the Mackay- Bennett Is
vr1 nhip ~ nntnfn 40 80
when he came across the bodies the
white lifebelts bobbing at a distance
made them look like seagulls resting on
the waves.
CoptniD's Story of Trip.
Before we sailed" continued CAPTAIN
Lardner. II had instructions TO 90 out
and bring the, bodies to port. Owing 10
the number of bodies found and other
conditions (which the captain declined
TO detaips it was not found possible to
carry out instructions to the letter. 10
some had TO be buried at sea.
left Halifax April II in the after.
noon. We met fog and bad weather
which made our passage slow. We ala
not come In the vicinity of the scene
OF the disaster until about s D. m. Satur.
day. On our way out we asked an
,oVis PosScu u tney saw anything of
bodies or wreckage. The steamship Rbain
reported having seen bodies in iatitnaa
4z.el north and longitude 49, 10 west. The
steamer Bremen reported bodies In lar
ituue ~ ana longitude 1870 west
SUNDAY morning. during the middle
watch We came Within sight OF bodies
and wreckage. We found an upturned
iiteboat and picked up ffty-one bodies
we buried twenty-four of these that eve
nlnH flna AaCnn uyaa tI-a -
enough material to embalm SEVENTY
bodies.
On Monday we picked up twenty-six
ana steamed through wreckage fifteen
miles long. We sighted many bodies
but darkness was coming Oil, so we
threw out a buoy marker and drifted
that night. The next morning we picked
up ninety bodies, Then the weather be-
came thick and in the afternoon we
| could locate only twenty-nine more.
II account for the crushed skulls,
broken arms and legs and other in
juries by the fact that when the great
liner foundered the waves pounded the
dying passengers against posts and
stanchions.
Nina Joins In search.
"All day Wednesday the fog was 90
thick we could not accomplish anything
At midnight Wednesday the weather
NVdtltI
cleared We were then able to pick nm
the wake of wreckage again. On Thurs.
day last we picked up ~eighty-seven
bodies. Friday we got messages from
the cable ship Nina. Captain Decar-
tere reported that she was COMING n
aid us in the work. Friday night the
Nina hove alongside and we searched
together. We picked up eight more
bodies. and headed for Halifax Satur-
day. We made slow time owing to bad
weather.
"Our system was to send out small
boats, round up the bodies. take than
aboard and then remove all vaiuahles.
which were placed In bags bearing tho
numbers corresponding with the labels
on the bodies.
ITO siuk the bodies the Mackay-Ben.
nett's crew used n number of old fire.
crate irons each Weighing 100 pounds or
more. which were carried out for the
purpose