The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1897-05-13
THIRTEEN BODIES WE'RE TAKEN
FROM THE ILL-FATED SHIP
HORRIBLY CHARRED.
STORIES OF The SURVIVORS DIFFER
to Save the Passengers, While
Another Insists That They
Only Sought Safety.

Slgnt on DOarQ the Mallory line steamer
Leona early today. Thirteen dead bodies,
blackened by fire and smoke. were lying
in the steamer steerage, and men and
women were on the deck looking as
though they had passed through an awful
ordeal. Nobody was allowed to either
leave or board the vessel until after the
coroner had arrived to view the bodies
and gave permission for their removal.
Coroner Hoeber arrived about 2:30
o'clock this morning at the pier and found
Charles H. Mallory, one of the owners of
the vessel, in conversation with Capt.
Wilder in the latter's cabin. Accompanied
by Mr.. Mallory and the captain, Coroner
Hoeber went to the steerage and viewed
mission for the removal The coroner
told Capt. Wilder that as a matter of
form he would be compelled to put him
under arrest He was Immediately parol-
ed in the custody of Mr.. Mallory. who
was instructed to produce the captain
when the inquest is held. The witnesses
were told to be at the coroner's Office at
noon today. A watchman guarded the
vessel and refused to allow any person
aboard without the consent of the cep-
tain or owner of the vessel
Coroner Hoeber found one man who
had been one of the steerage passengers,
whom he ordered detained until after the
inquiry. This mans is Thomas Doyle.
He is 67 years old and lives at Paterson,
n. j. He was ON his way to Vallejo, CAL,
70 n
veteran of the late war. He will be de-
tanned until the inquiry is held.
Doyle said that he was among the
steerage passengers who occupied hunks
on the starboard side of the vessel. He
said among the passengers who could
speak English were two men whose names
| he did not know, and a young Irish girl
named Bridget Sullivan, on her way to
| Los Angeles. She was about IL years
old and pretty. Doyle stated that he was
lying asleep in his bunk early on Sunday
morning when he was awakened by a
suffocating smoke. He first thought that
some one was smoking bad cherOOt, but
when he opened his eyes and saw the
apartment filled with smoke he jumped
| from the bunk and made for the COM
panionway leading to the upper deck.
| This was oily short distance from where
| he slept At the entrace of the companion
| ing Sire" He started for the compaiOn-
way and found two men had preceded
him. When he started up he fell back,
| having lost his balance. and when he
| started up again he was jostled by some
one behind him, who pushed him up. He
| does not know who this was. On reach
| ing the deck his first effort was for the
| safety of Bridget Sullivan, and he started
down into the women's side of the steer
hon htrf hn yxynC hp n Il
| by members of the crew. The crew
/ worked like beavers to put out the flames.
The matches, burlaps, etc., which caught
| fire were stored only short distance
away from the steerage apartments.
! At $3.50 this morning two dead wagons
drove on board the steamer and passed
| about the steamer twelve pine boxes in
| which the bodies of the victims are to be
removed. The members of the crew re-
fused to touch the bodies, and the work
had to be performed by the wagon at
| tendants. The thirteen bodies were placed
| in nine pine boxes, some of the bodies
being those of children and others char
red and burned to about half their natural
| size. The bodies were taken to the
| morgue, where they will remain to await
identification. Those who can not be
| identified will be buried in the potter's
| field.
| Samuel ScDllueTdul was Oue VI tuc
passengers in the steerage of the Leona.
| He came here from Hungary about a
| month ago and was on his way to Column
| bus. Tex. He has wife and six child
| rem i'm his native country, who he expected
| to bring over in short time. He had
| $3.50 with him with which he was going
| to start in small business in Columbus.
| He lost everything he had both money
and clothing. He does not speak Eng
| lish, but through an interpreter he said:
"The crew made no effort to save the
passengers, and none of us were awaken
ed by them. They simply took care OF
| themselves and left us to our fate. A
great many lives might have been saved
| if the crew had done anything to help
| the smOthering passengers.
Mr.. Schilderaut said the general i'm
preston was that the fire was caused by
a lighted match dropped by one of the
/ crew into the cargo. He declared he saw
| a number of the crew carelessly throwing
| away their matches. The officers he said,
| made no attempt to stop the smoking of
| the crew, which was unusually dangerous
| considering the inhammable nature of the
| cargo in the forward hold.
Men on shore thought it strange that
| the fire was not discovered earlier; it
| must have been smouldering several days,
| and vet neither the captain nor any of the
| officers knew anything about it until the
| vessel was filed with smoke.
Following is the revised list of those
! who lost their lives on board the Leona:
Passengers:
| Bridget Sullivan.
| B. Cotrane.
Mary Madros and her two children.
| Mrs. c.. Guazza and daughter.
Joseph Solomoinsons, sister and
| daughter.
j. V. Leicilka.
| Sophie Schmaize.
| Crew:
| Alfred Lang, waiter.
o. Heatman. butcher.
| II. Harvey, waiter.
| Charles c. Mallory made brief state
ment today in which he said:
81 do not attach any blame to the cap
| tain of the Leona. He tells me that the
| greatest credit is due to the officers and
] crew of the Leona. BE says that every