Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1897-05-11

The Bodies Removed by the
Coroner - The Captain Placed
Under Arrest and Paroled.
New York, May lot was a grue-
some sight on board the Mallory line
steamer Leona early to-day. Thirteen
dead bodies. blackeuei by fire and
smoke, were lying in the cleaners
steerage and men and women were On
the deck, looking as though they had
passed through an awful ordeal. No
board the vessel until after The coio-
ner had arrived to Wow the bodies and
give permission for their removal.
Coroner Hoeber arrived about 2:20
this morning at the pier ard found
Charles H. Mallory, one of the owuers
OF the vessel in conversation with Cap
tain Wilder in the lalters CABIN. Ac-
companied by Mr.. Mallory and the Cap
tain, Coroner Hoeber went to tie steer
age and viewed the charred bodies.
Then he gave permission f0T their re-
moval. The coroner told Captain VIII
der that as 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 ir-
structed to produce the Captain when
the inquest is held. The witnesses were
told to be at the coroner's office at ncCn
to-day.
A watchman guarded the vessel and
refused allow any person aboard
without the consent Of the Captain or
owner of the vessel.
Coroner Hoeber found one man who
had been, one of the steeTage passen-
gers, whom he ordered detained until
after the inquest. This mans lame is
Thomas Doyle. He is 81 years old and
lives at Paterson, n. J. He was on his
way to Vallejo, Cal, to see his uncle
late war. He will be detained until tho
inquest is held. Doyle said that he vas
among the steerage passengers Who oc-
cupied hunks on the 5tarboard side Of
the vessel. He said that among The
passengers who could speak English
were two men whose names he did not
know and young Irish girl named
Lizzie Sullivan, on ncr way TO Los An
gelos, Cal. She was about II years old
and pretty. Doyle sTa,ed that he was
lying asleep in his bunk early on Sun
day morning, when he was GWakee1 by
suffocating feeling His first thought
was that some one vas smoking ] bad
cherOOt. but when he opened his eyes
and saw the apartment filled with
smoke he jumped from his bed and
bo a.
to the upper deck. This was only a
short distance from where he slept. At
the entrance of the companion way he
met the steward, who was shouting
fire." He started up the companion
way and found that .wO men had pre-
ceded him. When he started up he fell
back. having lost mis- balance, and that
when he started up again he was as
sisted by some one Dehon1 him, who
pushed him up. He does not know who
this was. On reacning the deck his first
thought was for the safety Of Lizzie
Sullivan. and he started down into the
women's side Of the steerage to rescue
her. But he was pulled pack ~ mem
hers of the crew. The crew worked
like beavers TO put out the flames. The
matches, burlap. etc. which caught lire
were stored only a short distance away
from the steerage apartments
At $50 o'clock this morning two dead
wagons drove upon the pier and passed
aboard the steamer twelve pine boxes in
which the bodies of the victims were 10
be removed The members of the crew re-
fused to touch the bodies. and the work
had 10 he performed by the wagon attend
ants. The thirteen bodies We're placed in
nine of the pine boxes. some of the bodies
being those of children and others charred
and burnt to about half their natural size.
The bodies were taken to the morgue.
where they will remain to await identif-
cation. Those who cannot be identified
will be buried in the potters' field.
Samuel Schilchraut was one OF the pas
sengers in the steerage Of the Leona. He
came here from Hungary about a month
ago and was on his way TO Columbus. Tex.
He has a wife and six children in his ma
tive country. whom ne expected to bring
over in short time. He had $3.50 with
him. with which he was going to start in
2 small business in Columbus. He lost
everything he had. both money and cloth
ing He does not speak English. but
fnTO1Tun
crov made no effort to help the passen
gers and none of us was awakened by
them. They simply took care of them
selves and left us 10 our fate. \ great
many of the lives might have been saved
If the crew had done anything TO help the
smothcring passengers.
Mr. Scbulchraut said the general impress
sion was that the fire was caused by
lighted match dropped by one of the crew
into t,o cargo. lie declared that he saw
a nuuber Of the crew smoking. and that
tbov we're very careless in throwing away
their matches.
Tho officers. he said. made no attempt
n ston the smoking among the crew
which is very strange. considering the IN
fammable nature Of the cargo in the for
ward hold. Along shore to-day 1t was
Thought strange that the fire was not dis
covered earlier II must have been smoul-
dori,,e, several days and yet neither the
cantair nor any Of tho officers knew any
thing about It until the vessel was filled
with smoke.
Folrowire is n revised list Of those who
lost their lives:
''-' PASSENGERS.
RRIDGET SULLIVAN.
r. COTRANE.
MARIA HARDO and
HER TWO CHILDREN.
1Tre Q GT-ZZA AND DAUGHTER.
TOSrPu SOIOMSON's SISTER.
Own DAT-GHTER OF J. VLACIK.
SOPHIE SCHMALZ-
CREW.
ALFRED LANG. waiter.
c HARTMAN. butcher.