The Harrison times., 1915-07-31
MANY HOMES IN
GRIP OF SORROW
MoRGUEs VISITED BY FRlENDS
AND RELATIVES SEARCHING
FOR LOVED ONES.
LITTLE VIOLENT EMOTION
ESome Few Broke Down Under Strain
and Were Cared For BY Corps
Of Red Cross Nurses.

Chicago which spread over
the city with tbS Eastland disaster
and engulfed a thousand homes with
grief, found most poignant expression
in the presence of the silent forms
of the victims laid out in the drill
hall Of the Second Regiment Armory,
Chicagos temporary morgue.
Side by side lay the dead Among
them walked anxious hundreds seek
ing to identify loved one and hop
ing they might not succeed. Time
and again a group would pause beside
a pitiful bundle. There would be a
gasp, a low-voiced exclamation, flow
Of tears, and another would be taken
from the list Of unidentified dead and
placed in the known columns.
There was little sign of violent
emotion though everywhere the tense
ness of repression was apparent, Men
and women, boys and girls, and even
little ones, bereft in many cases OF all
their loved ones, though they shook
with sobs, made no outcry as they be-
held their dead. Some few broke down
under the strain and were cared for
by a corps Of Red Cross nurses sta.
toned In squad room near the en-.
trance But Of the thousands who
through the day and night visited the
armory, not more than hundred
needed aid.
All through the night load after load
OF bodies were received at the morgue
and through the morning at less and
less frequent intervals the procession
continued.
While the victims were being identi.
fed, so undertakers and 40 embameis
who had volunteered at the call Of Cor.
oner Peter NJ, Hoffman, worked rapid
ly In a space at the north end Of the
hall preparing the bodies for burial.
Hearses Front the Armory.
AS the morning wore along the Cur.
tiss street front Of the armory became
crowded with hearses and the incom.
ing stream OF bodies from the impro.
ViSed morgues and from the oyerturn.
ed vessel was passed by another line
Of bodies, identified, and in the keep
ing OF an undertaken
Before body passed out the identi.
fcation was recorded by a deputy cor
oner and the name OF the nearest rela,
tive placed on 1le So perfect h6d
been the preparatory work Of the cor.
oner that from noon until / o'clock
more than 100 bodies were taken away
and n few hours later less than 200
bodies remained IN the temporary
morgue
Approximately 5000 persons, most
Of them friends or relatives Of tho
victims, had gathered about tho arm
ory before noon, Two and threO
abreast the lines extended along two
Sides OF the 0rmory square and n.
block east In Randolph street. Two
and thteo hundred at time thoy were
admitted and when all OF ono group
had passed out, another took ils place.
Many OF the bodies bore no agns OF
struggle, Calm and stIll, their faees
lay upturned, uncovered 10 aid In lden.
tineatlon Here and there, however,
was one with distorted limbs, with A
bruised hend or torso Perhaps the
most pitlful OF the many sad soono1
were tho bodies OF the littlo onos, more
babies who were caught IN the crowd.
cd cabins OF tho overturned boat For
several hours two of those little ones
lay with smiling upturnod fOoos nenr
whore the emb6lmors were busy. m.
nNlly the pitml sight become too
much for tho nerves OF oven theas
most used TO scenes Of death, and the
tiny forms were carried to more rs.
mote part OF the hall
"All Cone" Woman Murmurs,
In tho Red Cross room there were
many scenes of sorrow, ono woman
well along In years kept repeating,
"All gonel Husband son, his wife and
their two children Timo after time
sho said this, but no teRr5 foil and at
last she slowly LEFT the place, stu
murmuflng, AN gone"
In the outgoing stream was ono un.
derlaker's litter containing husband,
wife and child Identification was
made by friend
Several tImea through the day tho
nurses we're obliged TO quiet some
who became hyHtefioal Several Won,
on tainted, some few screamed aud
ono man, bowed VITA years. acronmed
ana struggled with thouo about him
when he saw the bodies Of his wife
and children,
"fhe men are the hardest 10 eohtFel
when they do give way" said the ply
stefan IN charge Of the relief room.
The scene was compared by coro.
nors men and police oi1ela!s who wilt
messed both TO the Identification Of
the bodies OF tho victims OF the fFo,
gu0ia thdBlef HFa,