The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1912-04-30

ag1nable color evidently the clothing
taken from the bodies picked up Each
bundle was marked with large
square of burlap on which was printed
a number. On board were represent
atives of the White Star line who had
boarded the vessel at the entrance to
the harbor They warned everyone
on the dock against attempting to
hoard the vessel and proceeded with
the arrangements for taking off the
bodies
AT that time only two mourners
We're on the dock. They were the
maid of Mrs. William Augustus Spenc-
er, Eliza Loretta, and T. A. Kenyon,
of Connecticut, searching for his
brother. Mrs. Spencer's husband was
lost on the Titanic. As the under
takers boarded the death ship, the
dead for whom no collins had been
provided could be seen lying on the
deck amidship.
Like Mummies.
Some of the bodies were wrapped
4 close as mumrnies in burlap and can
slyas and bound with heavy twine. Ufh-
\ ers lay uncovered in long rows, a
n heterogeneous mass of arms and legs
4 and heads. These bodies the under
takers began to remove at once, carry
Z ling them on stretchers to the waiting
wagons. A huge tarpaulin was lifted
from amidship and another great
group of dead were uncovered
! Evidently no care had been pos
sible for them. They lay stretched
beneath the big canvass with arms
and legs in cramped positions, soaked
: with sea salt and with sea stains like
red-hrown wine stains on every face.
i Distorted features twisted out of all
! shape and giving each face horrible
! grimace marked every face and star
4 ing, unseeing eyes leered from the
$ death group as the undertakers pre-
pared to move the bodies.
e. Outside the gate Of the dock yard
i a group of mourners had been held
up, because they had not been given
+ passes. They had passes to the
d morgue but the dock yard authorities
J. refused to honor them. Besides these
& there were but few about the place.
= There was no crowd of idle curiosity
e seekers clamoring for a glimpse of the
s gruesome freight Halifax went on
z quietly about its business passing with
e averted faces the death wagons that
n hurried through the street.
% A long double row of bare headed
Y sailors, dressed in dirty blue overalls,
p was stretched from the group OF dead
amidship to the covered gangplank,
The undertakers lifted body, placed
it in a loose canvass. stretcher and the
IS sailors lifted it, 1t was passed down
q the row from hand TO hand until il
,t came to the gangplank. There I'M
le dertakers grasped it. placed the body
" in a rough pine box. lifted the box te
le wagon. and 1t was off to tht
morgue.
II, Within ten minutes after the Mack
le ay-Bennett docked bodies were leayins
le the ship at the rate of one minute
,y The unidentified bodies were taken OF
of' first. They were in a big group tha
Id lay amidship uncovered and unem
he balmed.
he The body on board the Mackay-Ber
~ nett supposed to be that of George 2
Widener may not be the Philadelphi
Ell millionaire
vii Captain Richard Roberts of tn
ed yacht of John Jacob Astor, after
lg conference with Captain Lardner
at the Mackay-Bennett, declared he wa
he satisfied that the body Of Astor wa
on board but that it was possible thu
Ito the body identified as Widener may B
ng that of his valet.
,as Wallets often wear their master
re. clothes without removing the nan
,as tags" said Captain Roberts and Il
ers body on board was identified as NJ
she Widener by the name on the clotllinl
of The head is badly crushed and
md would be impossible to identify i
Use features.
ere Prem the description given me
rty continued Roberts, Il am satisfl
her that Colonel Astor's body is on boar