The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-07-26

Chicago, July 1s.---Chicago, stunned
by the blow Of the steamship East
land disaster. 10 cropping tonight among
It's unclaimed dead IN efforts to fdentf-
~ the victims. ts#
All through last night and today
scores of iremen worked in the river.
where the great hull Of the lake steam
ser lies on its side. taking from the dark
waters the bodies OF men, women and
chodren. whose lives were cut OK
without warning.
when the bodies wore identified .
the temporary morgus In the Second
Regiment army, ths5 wsrs taken Away
by relatives. and almost Immediately
the places vacated were filled By other
bodies brought from the river by police
ambulancea.
Hundreds kept vigil at the armory
all night. and ut the break Of day thAlfs
numbers were angumanted by the ar-
rival Of others who resumed the search
for missing ones which was broken .
few hours before by exhaustion.
BY the middle OF the forenoon 3o,-
600 people were At the West Side ar
mory. They were impatient In their
demand Tor admittance and seemed
unable to understand that all could
not be permitted to enter Il one time.
Police admitted them In squads OF =
score or more. and those who were hsld
back begged and cried for permissien
to 60 In immediately to try to And
relatives for whom they were -
search.
wemen sereanJ Men Collapse.
The seachers spoke seldom: they
were oblfvious TO the shouted orders
of policemen. undsrtakers. and other
workers. They were dazed. They
could not comprehend the awfuInesa
of the catastrophe. They carne TO ths
center Of Identification and all bodies
were assembled in the one place.
Then long after daylight the nerves
Of scores broke almost simultaneously.
Women screamed and cried in tbs
agony Of their souls.
Men collapsed completely.
Fathers sobbed over the bodies 81
their children.
Husbands who had waited and seach-
went to pieces.
A man fell across the body OF hin
wife, calling to her to speak to him.
He was carried away By policemen,
but he broke from their grasp and
rushed back to the place. whore tina
body lay. He was mad, erased by tbs
climax to the awful strain.
Another could not weep. He could
not speak. He allowed himself ~
be led away apparently hearing and
seeing nothing.
Policemen who had worked all day
among the dead broke down a. they
carried women and men to the open
air.
II was no place for spoken words 81
comfort. Men looked and felt, but
until they broke down they did not
speak.
An aged woman came along. she
was feeble and bent with years. ehe
walked down aisle after aisle peertng
into each face. Finally she pulled awAys
the sheet from the face Of q mans
1t was her son. Slowly she sank down
on her knees, utterink not sound
Then lifting her hands upward she
prayed silently.
Maay weep saSentiy.
Deliberately she rose to her feet.
gave the name TO one Of the workers
standing by. and stumbled her way
through the rows Of dead and stood
quietly while the body was taken
away.
Tho sight Of the babies lying In rows
away from others brought tears ~
the eyes OF most Of the women IL thsy
parsed But they wept quietly.
h Outside the armory the hundre9k
waiting in tine. stood silently for tb9
greater part. frequently. however
someone's nerves would gousually u
was man. Policemen had trouhas'
calming these cases.
You will let me In" cried one YOUTH
when policeman attempted 10 push
him back In line. ~ sister IL In
there. You can't keep me out
1T took three policemen, gentle mi
their 1rmness. 20 restrain him
Other thousands hurried toward ~
river TO watch sthe work oe rsae@6S
but found their wnx harrs1 ~ ~
strong Hire Of poltcemenl whU he1d tn
than that II C11xk 9kr&ek ana o31feyy
= fsN we're alIeWQ - Sn6un& =