The Madison journal. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1888-current, 1915-07-31
MANY HOMES IN
GRIP OF SORROW
MoRGUES VISITED BY FRIENDS
AND RELATIVES SEARCHING
FOR LOVED ONES.
LITTLE VIOLENT EMOTION
Some Few Broke Down Under Strain
and Were Cared For BY Corps
of Red Cross Nurses.

Chicago-Sorrow which spread over
the city with the 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,
Chicago's temporary morgue.
Side by side lay the dead. Among
them walked anxious hundreds seek
ing to identify a loved one and hop
ing they might not succeed. Time
and again group would pause beside |
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 a hundred
needed aid.
All through the night load after load
Of bodies we're 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 embalme's
who had volunteered at the cali of Cor
oner Peter M. 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 overturn-
ed vessel was passed by another line
Of bodies, identified. and in the keep
ing of an undertaken.
Before body passed out the identi-
fication was recorded by deputy cor.
oner and the name of the nearest rela-
tive placed on file. So perfect had
been the preparatory work of the cor
oner, that from noon until 1 o'clock
more than 100 bodies were taken away
and a few hours later less than 20i
bodies remained In the temporary
morgue.
Approximately 5000 persons, mos
of them friends or relatives of tn,
victims, had gathered about the arm
ory before noon. Two and thre,
abreast, the lines extended along tw,
sides of the armory square and ,
block east in Randolph street Tw,
and three hundred at time they wer
admitted and when all OF one grou
had passed out, another took its place
Many of the bodies bore no signs O
struggle. Calm and still, their face
lay upturned. uncovered to aid in ider
: tification. Here and there, however
was one with distorted limbs, with
bruised head or torso Perhaps til
most pitiful Of the many sad scene
were the bodies Of the little ones, mer
babies who were caught in the crowt
ed cabins of the overturned boat. Fo
several hours two Of these little one
lay with smiling, upturned faces nea
where the embalmers were busy. r
nally the pitiful sight become to
much for the nerves Of even thos
most used to scenes of death, and tn
tiny forms were carried to a more r,
mote part of the hall.
"Ail Cone" Woman Murmurs.
In the Red Cross room there wer
many scenes of sorrow. One woma
we'll along in years kept repeatin,
"All gone! Husband. son, his wife an
their two children" Time after tim
che said this, but no tears fell and 9
last she slowly left the place. sti
murmurfng. "All gone"
| III tHe OutBOiHS StTedm was OHc vi
dertaker's litter containing husban
wife and child. Identification W,
\ made by a friend.
i Several times through the day Il
4 nurses were obliged to quiet SON
II who became hysterical. Several wol
j en- tainted, some few screamed al
i one man, bowed with years, scream'
Il and struggled with those about hi
II when he saw the bodies of his wi
il and children.
Il "The men are the hardest to contr
Y when they do give way" said the pf
i sician in charge Of the relief room.
Il The scene was compared by CO..
ners men and police officials who "
messed both. to the Identification
the bodies of the victims Of the I
quois theater fire.
There is less hysteria, less viole
expression Of grief here" said Jan
ng Markham, sc cretary of the Detect
ye' Bureau. Il think It Is because {
he dead here seem more peaceful; II
or are not disfgured as were tn,
] otherA"