The Irish standard., 1897-05-15
SAD SIGHT.
Witnessed on the Decks Of the
s Inflated Leona
|IoIlL NUMBER OF VICTIMS IS IS.
S6neculation ~ to the Cause Of the
Eire which Roasted SO Many Alive
-Rumored Loss Of Life by An.
other Disaster.

y .
GONE sight on board the Mallory steam"
Er Leona on Monday morning. Thir-
teen dead bodies, blackened by fire and
imoke, were lying In the steamers
ateeraee and men and women were on
the deck looking as though they had
passed through an awful ordeal. No
body was allowed to either leave or
board the vessel until after the coroner
had arrived to view the bodiesan give
permission for their removal.
The steamship which sailed from this
port Saturday afternoon returned at
late hour Sunday night with - corpses
pf men, women and children aboard.
They had been burned and suffocated
on Saturday night. Ten Of them were
kteerage passengers, one was the ships
butcher and two were stewards.
Coroner Hoeber arrived about $3.50 in
the morning at the pier, and found
Charles II. Mallory, one Of the owners
lot the vessel, in conversationwith Capt.
wilder, in the latter's cabin. Accom-
panied by Mr.. Mallory and the captain.
Coroner Hoeber went to the steerage
and viewed the charred bodies. Then
he gave permission for their removal.
The coroner told Capt. Wilder that as
q matter Of form he would be compelled
to have him placed under arrest.
He was immediately paroled in the
custody of Mr.. Mallory, who was in.
struoted to produce the captain when
the inquest is held.
wouldn't Touch the Dead Bodies.
At $3.50 o'clock In the morning two
dead wagons drove on the pier and
passed aboard the steamer IL pine
boxes, in which the bodies Of the VIC
Tins were to be removed. The men,
|bers of the crew refused to touch the
bodies and the work had to be per-
horned by the wagon attendants. The
|13 bodies were placed in nine Of the
pine boxes, some Of the bodies being
Those Of children and others charred
land burned to about half their natural
size. The. bodies were taken to the
morgue, where they will remain to
await Identification. The bodies which
cannot be identified will be buried in
the potter's field.
Charges Gross Carelessness.
Mr.. schillchraut said the general
impression was that the fire was caused
'by lighted match dropped by one Of
the crew into the cargo. He declared
that he saw number of the crew
smoking, and that they were very care
less in throwing away their matches.
The officers, he said, made no attempt
to stop the smoking among the crew,
(which is very strange, considering the
inhammable nature OF the cargo in the
forward hold. Along shore. it was
thought strange that the fire was not
discovered earlier. It must have been
smoldering several days. and yet
neither the captain nor any Of the Off
GERS knew anything about it until the
vessel was filled with smoke.
Another Terrible Disaster at Sea.
Hamburg, May ia dispatch from
1.-THE island Of Heligoland announces that
the Dutch steamer .Firdene from
tCagliari, island of sardiera, for Stock
holm, has been in collision with the
Norwegian bark Roedvar. Both yes.
sells are supposed to have foundered.
1T is reported that Is men Of the two
crews have been saved and that the
drowned are largely in excess Of that
lnumher