The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1912-05-02
MACKAY- bENNETT
D0CkED At $40
One Hundred and Sixteen Picked up
Were so Mutilated as to be Be-
You'd Identification and were
Buried Immediately.

q D 4
Halifax, April 30.-Special: The
MacKay cableship locked at $40
this morning, while the church bells
were tolled and flags hung at half
mast.
The people with hushed voices were
kept back by soldiers on the docks.
One hundred collins were piled on
the dock while thirty undertakers
were ready to care for the dead.
Some of the bodies were wrapped in
canvas and others naked could be
seen on the deck of the ship.
Officials of the ship said 116 bod
les picked up at sea were so badly
mutilated that they were Immediately
buried, as Identification was impossi'
BILE.
On the ship were 100 bodies, two of
whom were women.
AS soon as the steamer dOcked two
rows of sailors stretched from the
ship to the shore and the bodies were
passed along the row at the rate OF
one a minute to the undertaken, who
placed them in collins and carried
them to the morgue in ambulances.
AS the cableship came into the har.
Dor all the ships under orders imme.
diately cleared from the harbor up the
center of the bay and there was moth.
ing to impede her progress.
About the covered docks were
hundred blue clad sailors with mourn.
ing bands on their round caps and on
the sleeves of their blouses. They
were ordered to form patrol to keep
all crowds away from the great naval
dock, where the vessel was to be tied.
At the same time a detachment of
British blue jackets marched on the
pier and carried side arms and were
instructed to keep everyone away.
Under the white canopy of the dock
the view was shut off by the awning
which had been arranged, were 100
collins and rough boxes were piled
tier on tier. Near them were the un.
dertakers, embalmers and ambulances
halted. The men put on their long
brown coats and began to arrange the
collins, open them and place them in
great long rows ready for the silent
occupants.
Among the undertakers was a Miss
ONeill, brought to care for any bod
les of women who might be aboard
the ship. She was the only woman
on the docks before the MacKay-Ben'
net hove in sight. -e.
Wdener Buried at Sea. St."
The body of John Jacob Aston was
identified by the captain of the Aston
Yacht The body thought to be Wide
ner, the Philadelphia millionaire, was
buried at sea, as it was undecogniza-
BILE. Many bodies on the decks of
the steamer were frozen in the ice
for days before recognized and were
discOlOred by salt water and could
not be idntified. Many of the bodies
We're cut by the ice and discolored.
The captain of the ship thinks only
few more bodies will be recovered, as
storm has driven them westward
into the gulf stream. Capt. Lardner,
of the MacKay-Bennet, gave out
statement of his cruise. He said it
was necessary to bury bodies at sea
becaue they were badly mutilated by
the Ice and because he had embalmlng
fluid for only seventy bodies.
Astor and Straus.
Out of the crepe draped skating
rink that served as temporary
morgue the first two bodies of the
Titanic to be sent to an undertaker's
shop this afternoon were those of
John Jacob Aston and Isahore Straus.
Both of these bodies were in good
condition considering the length of
time they had been in the water and
both had been embalmed and kept in
the coffin on the Mackay- Bennett. For
this reason it did nob take long for
them to be put in such condition so
that they could be turned over to the
undertakers.