The Brunswick news. [volume] (Brunswick, Ga.) 1906-2016, 1912-05-01
TIE ENCOURAGEMENT ARRIVES
WITH BODIES OF MANY
TITANIC VICTIMS.
Relatives Gather to Take Charge Of
Bodies of Dear Ones Who Lost
Their Lives in the Awful Titanic
Disaster.

Halifax, N. S., April 30.-One hun
ired and ninety bodies, among them
tnose of Col. John Jacob Astor and
sidor Straus, were brought to Hall
AK today Oh the cable ship Ma .ka;T-
Bennett, which had been searching an
area Of more than thirty square miles
where the White Star liner Titanic
sank after striking an iceberg.
George B. Widener's body, although
previously reported as recovered, was
not among those on the ship, and her
commander explained that a body at
first though to have been that Of Mr..
Widener was buried as that of his
valet.
All told, 306 dead were found, and
116 were consigned again to the sea.
Not one name of prominent persons
missing was added to the list of re-
covered dead by the Mackay- Benefits
arrival.
Sailors worked four hours unload
ing her, and the dead were taken to
an impro7ised morgue in a curling
rink, where relatives will have op-
pcrtunity to claim them.
While the city's church bells tolled
and British flags fluttered at half
mast, the cable Ship Mackay- Bennett
steamed slowly into Halifax harbol
this morning, bearing the dead picked
up from the place where the White
Star liner Titanic sank.
| AS soon as the ship was sighted
down the harbor, the canvas curtains
shielding the coffins and embalmers
tents on the pier were lowered, anC
twenty sailors from the Canadian
cruiser Niobe, in the yard for repairs
lined up as a guard.
A woman was the first mourner tc
arrive on the pier. She was Miss
Elisa Lurette, a maid for Mrs. Will
liam Augustus Spencer of New York
Mr.. and Mrs. Spencer were passen-
gers on the Titanic. Mr.. Spencer
went down and Mrs. Spencer was
saved. The maid hopes to find her
late employers DOQy.
Her own flag at half-mast, tee death
ship docked slowly. Her crew man
ned the rails with barred heads, and
on the aft deck were stacked the
coffins with the dead
Bodies in Life Belts.
Members of the crew, talking over
the side, said that every body picked
up had been in a life belt, and there
were no bullet holes in any.
Many uncoffined dead lie on the
forward deck, covered with tarpaulins.
AS the undertakers came aboard it
was decided to take off these bodies.
John Jacob Astor's body, it was said.
was somewhere in the pile of rough
coffins at the stern.
When the tarpaulin was thrown
back, fifty bodies were disclosed. Men
with stretchers quickly came on
board, and the work of removal was
begun swiftly. The total number of
bodies on board was 100. 1t was
necessary to bury 116 at sea, Among
those brought to port are the bodies
of two women.
Capt. Richard Roberts seeking Col
onel Astor's body, reported, after a
conference with Commander Lardner
of the Mackay- Bennett, that he was
sure the identification was proper. He
added, however, that the body identi-
fed as that of George B. Widener, OF
Philadelphia, was so mutilated that
Captain Lardner could not say posi-
lively whether it was that of Mr. Wild
ener or Of his valet
Astor's Body Identified.
After a second conference with the
commander of the Mackay- Bennett
Captain Roberts announced that there
was no doubt of the Identification OF
Colonel Astor's body. In the pockets
$4,000 in cash had been found and he
wore a belt with a gold buckle The
body identified as that of Mr.. Widener
was buried at sea.
At II o'clock the work of removing
the dead from the forward deck had
had not been completed None Of tha
coffins had been touched.
1t was predicted that the mere
work of unloading would take per-
haps all day. AS fast as bodies were
put on the pier they were placed in
wagons and taken up the hill to a
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