The Washington times., 1929-05-18
36 WHO DIED IN
CLINIC BLAST
BURIED
By CARL l.. TURNER


CLEVELAND, May 1S u.N.S.).--
Wheels of industry and the business
of great city came to a standstill
today while funerals were held for
36 Of the more than 120 victims Of
the Cleveland clinic disaster.
Mayor John D. Marshall officially
proclaimed this day for mourn.
ing and requested that 80 far as
possible, public and other business
be curtailed to permit general OBJ
servance.
In its hour Of suffering, the city.
bearing UP bravely under the strain
of its greatest calamity since 1876
children were burned to death in
the Collinwood School fire 20 years
ago, received messages of coincidence
from nations, rulers and other
sympathizers the world over.
Hoover Sends Message
"The whole country shares in the
sorrow which has come to your city
in the tragic death of so many"
President Hoover wired: Mrs.
Hoover and I send our deep
terrible disaster"
France, remembering Cleveland as
the home of an American it loved
so well, the late Ambassador Myron
T. Herrick. expressed its sympathy
through Paul Claudel. it's Ambassa-
dor in Washington, and from En-.
gland, by wireless telephone, came
that country's condolences.
One of the first messages re-
ceived came from Cardinal Cas-
psrri, papal secretary of state,
voicing the sentiment of Pope
Piux x1. DR.. George W. Grille,
founder of the clinic. received a
letter from Arthur J. Brothers,
New York. inclosing a check for
$3.50. to be used as he sees fit.
Eleven funerals were held yester-
day, and a number of other vic
tins, removed to their homes in
different cities. were to be buried
today or tomorrow.
Dead Put at 122
Elimination of unverified names
from the fatality list at police head
quarters has reduced the known
dead to 122. An accurate list is
difficult to compile because many
bodies were taken direct to their
homes from hospitals. others went
first to the morgue and to funeral
parlors, and still others died in
their homes.
There have been mo fatalities in
hospitals since noon yesterday. The
last name added to the list was
that of the football player, Ben
Jones, who drove to his home in
Grove City. Pa, believing he had
not been affected seriously by the
deadly gas, only to succumb later.
Although DR.. William E. Lower,
one Of the founders of the clinic,
said that patients who had survived
the effects of the nitrogen peroxide
and carbon monoxide gas this long
should recover. many Of the so In
hospitals were reported in critical
condition.
Ruins Visited Again
The gasses were generated by the
combustion of X-ray films, which
caught fire in a manner yet to be
learned in the clinic basement.
There was enough film in the base
ment. w. P. Yant. of the United
States Bureau of Mines. Pittsburgh.
said, to produce $4,000 cubic feet OF
gas in the building.
Coroner A. ]. Pearse and his
aides visited the ruins again today
with County Prosecutor Ray Miller
and Gen. H. L. Gilchrist. of the War
Department. who is here in an un-
official capacity. studying the ef-
fects of the gas.
Coroner Pearse said his investiga-
ton would not get underway In
earnest until next week, because.
until then. his time will be taken
up chiefly in rounding up wit
nesses.
Mrs. Rose Reber. a charwoman,
told the coroner she frequently saw
persons smoking near the X-ray
film storeroom. but no evidence had
been uncovered that would indicate
anyone had been smoking there i'm
mediately before the fire and ex-
plosion.
"Our investigation hasn't de-
veloped much valuable information
thus far" said the coroner. "hut
we intend to press it vigorously
next week"