The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1912-04-30
E. H. DILLON & co.

sel was to be tied up.
 At the same time a detachment of British bluejackets from the cruiser Niobe marched on the pier and clear ed it of everyone not holding an of- ficial pass. They carried side arms and they were instructed to keep everyone away. They then placed an awning entirely about the portion of the dock assigned to the Mackay. Bennett and prepared the covered gang plank which was run out as soon as the death ship was berthed.
 Under a white marquee on the dock, the view of which was shut off by awnings that had been arranged, more than 100 collins and rough box es had been piled tier on tier. Near them were the undertakers and em- balmers who were to care for the bodies. AS the Mackay-Bennett came into sight down the harbor the un- dertakers, embalmers and ambulance helpers put on long brown coats and began to arrange the coffins, opening them and laying them out in great long rows ready for the silent occu- pants who could already be seen piled on the decks of the approaching cable repair ship.
 Among the undertakers was Miss O'Neill. of St. Johns, brought over 10 Halifax to care for any bodies of women that might be aboard the Mackay. She was the only woman on the dock just before the Mackay hove in sight. Mourners, after their long vigil. did not hurry to the dock when the whispered word went through the city:
 She's coming"
 Warned by the White Star and city officials that visit to the dock would Mayflower Curling Rink, where the bodies were 70 be taken immediately upon being embalmed. The atmos- phere of a morgue pervaded the pier.
 As the time for the vessel to ap- prOach the dock came nearer. the lit patient. The nervous tension rose to a high pitch and more than one ludicronsly gruesome incident occur red. One grayhaired, middle aged undertaken, with his accustomed black hidden under a green-gray duster, joined two of his friends in Jumping rope" Two turned g piece of rope while the grayhaired man skipped laboriously. The group laughed ner- vously at his antics.
 Almost a roar of laughter went up as little red cross man in navy uniform sprinkling disinfectant with a squirt gun turned the stream on himself, deluging his head and shoulders with the fluid.
 The undertakers strolled nervously about testing the coffins and rough boxes again and again. conversing in low tones.
 Mackay-Bennett, conveyed by a tug, hove in sight just about half a mile from the dock yard Commander Martin, of the yard, immediately hur- ried to the pier and took active charge. The curtains about the dock were dropped.
 A dozen black -draped hearses drove into the dockyard and lined up be- of death.
 The bodies of John Jacob Astor and Isidor Straus were among those in the hundred collins piled on the after deck. They were among the last to be removed as the pile of corpses, with wide open eyes in the bright sunlight amidships called for bodies picked up in the death cruise bore any bullet marks, according to the crew of the Mackay but the con- dition of many bodies was horrible.
 Frozen for days in the icy sea they were discolored, wrenched and of them as human beings. Those that were buried outside were worse than the ones brought ashore" re- marked one of the members of the Mackay's crew.
 Among the unidentified dead was the tiny figure of baby girl appar- ently about two years old. The. child's s body had been picked up by the Mackay-Bennett. It was floating on a bit of wreckage. By no means could the little body be identified.
 The rough crew of the Mackay took charge of the body and it will be buried in Halifax at the expense of the sailors.
 For two hours the work of remov- ing the bodies went on with the reg ularity of -clockwork. The wagons gave out and the hearses of all the local undertakers were pressed into service. At II o'clock, (At'antic ward getting off the huge pile of cof- fins that reared high on the after deck of the ship.
 After the body of Colonel J. J. Astor had been positively identified by Captain Richard Roberts, of the As tor yacht, the coffin containing it was loaded into wagon and sent to the Mayflower Curling Rink with all the other bodies.
 Captain Lardner gave out the fol- lowing statement regarding the death cruise:
 all the bodies found floating but owing to number found and weather conditions it was impossible to carry out instructions and some were com mitted to the deep after services by Canon Hinds.
 we left shortly after noon on Wednesday, 17th of April, fog and bad weather delayed us on the run out and we did not arrive until Sat urday night at 8 o'clock. On Satur- day at noon, having asked all ships to report to us if they passed any wreckage or bodies we received a communication from German Steam ship Rein she had passed some wreckage and bodies. The course was shaped for her position. Later in the afternoon we spoke to the Ger man ship Bremen and they reported they had passed three large bergs Lat. AZ north. Long. 49:20 west.
 'We arrived on the scene at 8 o'clock, Saturday night. stopped and let ship drift. In middle watch wreckage and few bodies were sighted. A. daylight the boats were lowered and although a heavy sea was running, 51 bodies were recover ed that day."