SCENES AT THE GARRISON HALL.

Colonist, Volume LI, Issue 12466, 16 February 1909, Page 2

SCENES AT THE GARRISON HALL.

An awe-stricken crowd of people gathered at the Garrison Hall, in Buckle-street, to witness the infinitely .pathetic spectacle of loads of bodies being brought in from Miramar in vehicles. The. faces of the drivers of the vehicles/spoke of the seriousness of their mission, as the crowd parted to allow the vehicles to pass into tho shedthrough tlie doors, mere curios- [ ity 'gave place to reverence, and hats ! wore doffed and women paled and stood appalled. The police kept the door sternly, and no one who was' not a relative or friend of any of the dead : was aUowed to enter, so that those of i a morbid tendency and others desir- ' ing the mere experience of witnessing \ an .unprecedented sight were de- i barred. .;=..'• . .'.- . Inside there were improvised tables 7 running/ the whole length of the. in; i side of /the artiUery hall. - AU7 the 1 corpses had. been carefully sewn in". I blankets, sails,, pieces of canvas, and j. I other coverings that were available, 'i and so j happily, it was impossible to j

soe the faces that were bruised and discoloured by the terrible buffeting , the victims had undergone previous to death. Dr Frengley and a staff of helpers attired in white overalls, were busy spraying the corpses with a strong solution of formalin, and the faot that it was absolutely necessary to treat the occasion as one for- business-like promptitude and quiet effort had a calming influence on those unhappy people who were permitted to enter in order to see if among the many unidentified bodies there were ahy of their loved ones. All the afternoon there were conveyances coming ahd going through the doors, and each one bore a burden of heartrending interest. Sometimes an . express ' came in with a load of coffins; then there was one containing the bodies of four little children. Corpses were being loaded from the tables to the carts as undertakers arrived to take charge of bodies for friends or relatives of the deceased. It is remarkable tliat among tho many women who visited the' sad | temporary morgue none showed any weakness in the actual chamber, but many having once got outside utterly broke down, and sobbed convulsively. Strong men, too, were prostrated, and some were leaning up against the fences in Buckle-Street trying with indifferent success to appear unconcerned. In sonfe cases both men aud | women were led away by friends whose physical support was necessary. There were tense moments when some of the numerous undertakers .undid the sewing of a cover, in order that an inquirer might see the features beneath and decide, if possible, whether they were those of the dead friend they sought.