The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1912-05-02
T|TAN|Cs DEAD
REACH HALIFAX
Mackay-Bennett Brings 1870 Vic
tins of Disaster.
TOTAL OF SEA BURlALS 116
Undertaken on Board Claims Many
Consigned to Ocean Graves Through
Conflicting Wireless Messages
Received by Captain. 49,.

which contradicted others and were
misunderstood by Captain Lardner.
116 bodies of the Titanic bodies were
buried at sea by mistake. ......
With very few exceptions, perhaps
less than ten, the bodies consigned to
ocean graves We're as well preserved
as the 100 brought here when the
cable ship locked at the navy yard
here after days of suspense and disap-
pointing delays. .. ..... ....
Sea Burials Total 116.
The discovery that lie had been
committed to the deep and 100 brought
ashore shows for the first time that
the Mackay-Bennett recovered 306 in
stead of 205, as had been reported
from time to time in desultory tele-
grams. ..
According to John r, Snow, the only
undertaken on board the Mackay-Ben-
nett, all but very few of the bodies
buried were fit to keep. He said that
some skulls were crushed and arms
and legs broken and that very few
had faces so bruised as to be unrecog-
nizable. But there was not a single
body that had to be abandoned be-
cause of putrefaction. ..... ...t
1T was wounds or bruises only that
made identity difficult or Impossible
In only scattered instances" added
Mr.. Snow. The cold water and ice
| acted as preservatives.
Orders Were Conflicting.
81 embalmed loo bodies on the trip
single handed. ! would be embalming
bodies at the outset when | would re-
ccive orders to quit and then other
orders would be to proceed. 1t is true
that the bodies buried were as sound
as those aboard, but | think the cap
tain did not understand just what he
was expected to do, so many conflict
ing wireless messages came aboard.
Astor's Body Well Preserved.
Colonel Astor's body was clad in a
full evening dress and his handsome
gold watch dangled from the chain
out of his pocket, as If he had con-
suited it before the final plunge. His
body is in good state of preserya-
tion.
THE body thought to be that Of
George b. Widener of Philadelphia is
badly disfgured. The skull is crushed.
AS fast as the bodies were en-
balmed they were placed in all Of the
cC1Tins which We had on hand. When
the collins gave out we bound them in
tarpaulins. There are only two wom-
en- on board and think probably a
dozen or fourteen were buried at sea.
No Trace of Suicide Found.
81 found no trace of bullet wounds
nor any indications of suicide. Two
of the men passengers had revolvers
on their persons, but the chambers
were full.
THE burial services by Canon
Hines of All Saints cathedral, the
American church here, were impress
sire. Canon Hines read the simple
service over each body in turn and as
everything was committed the full
crew OF nearly 100, all on deck with
bowed and uncovered heads, the Off
GERS on the aft deck, sung loudly
Jesus Lover of My Soul" the flag
futtcred at half peak astern and over
all was a hush.
In this manner we committed "a
bodies on Saturday and Is on Monday
and II on Wednesday Of last week"
Captain Tells Graphic Story.
The story told by Capt Frank NJ.
Lsrdner of the Mackay-Bennett is
graphic. Captain Lardner says that
when he came across the bodies, the
white life belts bobbing at a distance
made them look like seagulls resting
on the waves.
Before we sailed" said Captain
and bring all bodies to port. Owing
to the number of bodies found and
other conditions (which the captain
declined to detailD il was not found
possible to carry out instructions to
the letter, so some had to be buried at
sea.
Fog Delays Funeral Ship.
we left Halifax April II in the
afternoon. We met fog and bad
weather which made passage slow. =.
1T was not until Sunday morning
that We came within sight of bodies
and wreckage. We found an upturned
lifeboat and picked up 81 bodies. We
buried "a of these that evening. One
reason was that we had only enough
material TO embalm 20 bodies.
We probably buried thirty or forty
identified bodies. Some were unrecog-
nizable. On Monday week we picked
Up rs and wsded through wreckage Is
miles long. The next morning we
picked up 80 bodies. Then the wealth
er became thick and in the afternoon
We could locate only 20 more.
"All day Wednesday the fog was SO
thick we could not accomplish any
thing. On Thursday We picked up 81
bodies. Friday night the cable ship
Nina lowered up alongside and we
worked together. We picked up 80
more bodies and headed for Halifax
Saturday, We made poor time owing
10 bad weather
To sink bodies the crew used
number of old fire crate irons. each
weighing 100 pounds or more. which
we're carried out for the purpose"