The Climax-Madisonian. (Richmond, Madison County, Ky.) 1914-1917, 1915-07-28
MOURNERS SEEK
SHIP VICTIMS
Many Anxious Thousands Pass
Through MOrguG.
TRAGIC SCENES ENACTED
Strong Men Flee Weeping From the
Temporary Morgue of the EastIand
Victims, Unable to Bear Up Under
Their Sorrow.

Chicago, July 26.-Stunned by the
blow of the steamship Eastland dis
aster Saturday, Chicago is yet crop
ing among it's unclaimed dead in ef-
forts to identify the victims
'In the 1ame of God, ask you to
20 away and let those seeking for
relatives and friends come in and
identify their dead" With these
words Coroner Peter Hoffman ad-
dressed the thousands who stood out
side the Second Regiment armory
when the doors were thrown open.
Twenty at a time. the anxious seek
ers were admitted to the great death
chamber. While those on the outside
waited their turn, tragic scenes in
endless number were enacted within
the walls of the massive emergency
morgue Mothers, sisters, and daugh-
ters walked slowly between the long
lines of dead hoping and yet not hop
ing. Time and again single scream
told OF the discovery of some loved
one, while often there was only sup
pressed, choking, heart-breaking sob
as the mother collapsed beside the
body of her child.
Strong men, hardened to tragedy,
broke down and fed weeping from
the building, unable to bear up under
this greatest tragedy of all. Other
men, finding a wife, mother, or sister
among the dead collapsed like women.
Still others moved about the great
morgue as though in trance. Here
and there an hysterical laugh told of
some mind strained beyond the break
ing point. Tragedy was written on
every face, tragedy that rdefies de-
scription.
All through the night and the day
scores of firemen worked in the river,
where the great hull of the lake
steamer lies on its side, taking from
the dark waters, bodies of men, wom-
en- and children, whose lives were cut
on without warning.
When bodies were identified at the
temporary morgue in the .Seeond
away by relatives, and almost imme-
,iiately the places vacated were filled
ly other bodies, brought from the
river by the police ambulances.
Other thousands hurried toward the
rver to watch the work of rescue,
bat found their way barred by
strong line of policemen, who held
them back.
The larger number of bodies recov-
cred we're taken out of the water
about tie middle of the river, and op-
&L - l,
ricane de:k.
On many thousands, however. the
awfulness of the calamity seemed to
rest lightly. Other steamship lines,
filed their sailing dates, and excur-
sion boats left docks which were
within a stones throw of the unfortu-
nate Eastland.
Looking from the decks down into
the waters where hundreds of other
excursionists perished only a few
hours ago, pleasure loving Chicago
was unafraid. 1t filed the other boats
and with music and dancing, probably
carefree and without sadness, sailed
away.
Other men saw a chance to thrive.
Owners of automobile trucks for 10
or Is cents head. carried passengers
over the Clark street bridge, from
which vantage point they could look
at the disaster.
Undertaking rooms in the downtown
district and those close in on the
north and west sides. were filled with
mourners. Bodies which were there
had been identified and had been
turned over to undertakers to be pre-
pared for burial.
Harry c. Moir said that if the East
land had taken on ballast in the river
she would never have been able to
move with the load of passengers,
but would have grounded. He said
It was customary for the Eastland, on
all her trips, to go to the deeper wat
ers OF the harbor before taking on
sufficient ballast to make a vessel en-
tirely safe.
~ us that S.