New-York tribune., 1918-02-13
U.S.Lost More
Than 159 ON
The Tuscaniia
Many Buried ON Scottish
Coast; Ceremonies
Impressive
BY The Associated Press1

A SCOTCH SEAPORT, Monday. Eel
1.-THE American dead as result o
the sinking of the steamer Tuscani
apparently is at least 159.
Thus far 145 bodies have been burie
along the Scotch coast and fourteen ad
ditional bodies were recovered. Flu
neral services over the latter will b,
held tomorrow
correspondent of The Associated
Press who reached here this mornint
with two American officers after
perilous voyage from Ireland is abb,
to give the first account of the las
moments of many of the American
victims who perished as result al
the disaster and of pathetic incidents
attending their burial on the bleak and
rocky shores of this barren coast.
The correspondent to-day assisted in
the burial of sixteen Americans. bring
ing the total of those buried thus far
to las. Fourteen bodies of Amerj-
cans were recovered to-day and will
! be buried tomorrow. The bodies of
eight members of the crew also have
been recovered.
Burial Impressive
To-day's burial was at the waters
edge at the base Of rocky cliffs, and was
picturesque in the extreme. All the
tiny villages for miles around were in
mourning for the Anne cricans. and farm
and fisher folk came great distances to
attend the ceremonies. twenty-five
American survivors of the disaster, who
had been left behind for the purpose,
assisted the natives in digging the
graves into which the khaki-clad troop
ers tenderly placed their dead COM
rades.
Looking down from the top of the
cllits 800 feet above stood the mourn
ers, headed by British colonel and
an American private carrying an "Old
Glory" made for the occasion by a
group of Scotch women, who on learn
ing that the Americans had no large
edition of the flag from a sergeant
and remained up all night copying it
on a large scale
The Last Three Volleys
Two clergymen came many miles and
s..
after which volunteers fired three vol
leys, which rcechocd against the hill-
SIDES. While this was going on the
only photographer within twenty miles |
photographed the mourners.
The ceremony was much the same as
was carried out at the same spot On
the previous day, when thirty-folr
Americans were laid at rest in two ,
other graves. So badly mulilated were
many of the bodies that two American
army officers, who were sent here from
London expressly for the purpose,
found it impossible to take finger
prints for identification purposes. @
Wooden crosses, with distinguishing
numbers, have been placed on each
grave, all of which are enclosed ty
temporary fences.
The bodies of the Americans have
come ashore thus far at eight widely
separated points along the coast. All
out fourteen, which were recovered to-
lay, have been buried at three of the
most central points, or where the
greatest number were recovered For
Instance, at one point alone the funeral
hers who were washed up within a
stretch Of coastlinc not longer than
wo city blocks.
Among the treacherous, low-lying
ocks twenty miles further north the
leXt greatest number was found
orty-ninc. Midway between these two
oints forty-four bodies were discov-
red in Il small cove, sixteen of which
he correspondent helped to bury to-
ay.
Many Identified by Tags
When Il few bodies were found at
catered places they were brought to
more centralized point and buried
nth many others in one or two large
renches. a majority of the dead were
Identified through the metal disks
hich the men wore. There were about
"enty instances of men wearing blank
ags, but in spite of this fact ma. !
ority of them were identified by n
eneral description of the body and
apers carried by the men in their e.
ockcts.
SO many bodies came ashore between
'e cllffs and in inaccessible places :
lat great difficulty was experienced .
| conveying them to burial places. :,
ONE bodies were dashed upon the '
'cks at the base Of preciptous cliffs =
gher than the Palisades of the Hud- 6
IN River At one point forty-four :
>dies were recovered at the base of =
ifs which rose to height of 300 y
ct, making it impossible to remove y
en- more than few yards from the
aters edge.
Hard to Get Coffins +
The absence of timber on the barren
nds out Of which to make coftns de-
yed the burials and made it necessary
to bury most of the bodies
the men in their uniforms, covered
tn canvas. Some coffins were pro-
led from trees cut down for the pur
Sc, but only small proportion of
e men were buried in this way.
A local undertaken at the point whore
c sixty bodies were found soon ex-
usted his small available supply of
Inns. Thereupon the owner Of a bic
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