Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1900-07-04
CHASTITY SCENES
In Search for Bodies in Ho-
boken Dock Fire.
Almost Incredible Tales Of Inhumaniiy
by Towboat Captains.
lO2 Bodies Now Recovered Caring Tor In.
iursd and Suffering.

New York. July 3.-From the swirl
ing waters of North river. in among
| the blacktopped piles of the burnt
piers, and from the iron coffin hulks of
| three fire-devastated ocean liners, there
| had been recovered, up to 10 o'clock to-
night, the remains of 1872 human beings,
| all of whom met death in awful form
| in Saturdays contlagration. The list
| is growing, hour by hour, and tomor-
| row morning, when the tide is at its
lowest it is believed that a great many
more bodies will be recovered. The
| dead. tonight, are distributed among
| the morgucs in Hobokcn, Jersey city,
New York and on the steamship Saale
| there are three bodies which have not
| yet been removed. In O'Donnelrs I'M
| dertaking establishment there are %
| bodies; in Hoffmans, 2G; in Jersey
| City, 2: and in New York, g. The other
| 10 of the 10 which had been taken to
| the morguc up to tonight. have been
removed for burial
Aside from this list of bodies which
have positively or partly been identi-
| fled, a number Of people were seen TO
have persisted by friends or by fellow
| officers on the ship.
| All day long today. the work Of
| searching the ruins was kept up. The
| officials Of the North German Lloyd
| Line did everything they could to
straighten out matters and bring things
into some sort of tangible shape. Their
main efforts We're directed to taking
| care OF the survivors and to securing
an accurate list Of the missing. They
| looked after the transportation to Ger
many of the survivors who are in con-
dition to go, gave them clothing and
fed them.
| Thousands Of people lined up along
| River street in Hoboken, today, watch
| ing the recovery of the dead. Under
| takers wagons stood in front of the
| Valencia Boat Club house ana wooden
collins lay on the float in the water
ready to receive the dead as the bodies
were lowed in. Far out in the stream
were numerous small row boats drag
ging their graphing hooks behing
them as they searched for bodies among
the submerged debris. TO the people
on the shore the row boats appeared
to be but little specks far out beyond
|
that once supported the great docks.
| Many persons on the shore had ma
rine. field and opera glasses and with
these kept n hearing on the small boats
in search Of the Gruesume corpses. AS
each boat would near the shore, the
efforts of the oarsmen and the sluggish
| movement of the little craft showed
| whether or not there was a body If
| -, Iai
thu, body could be seen bobbing up and
down in the water. often showing a
burned. charred ana horribly mangled
face The bodies We're drawn to the
| Valencia Boat club float. lifted onto
it and from there carried to the dead
wagons.
| Official action was, today, started
on the charges of cruelty against tug
boat captains and also on the charges
that they refused to rescue persons I'M
less money was paid to them.
| Fritz Ferdinand Heinrich krouse
| the third officer of the steamship
| Phoenicia. of the Hamburg American
Line. today. went before Recorder
Stanton in Hoboken and made the fol-
lowing affidavit:
| Il am the third officer Of the Ham
burg-American Line Phoenicia. now at
the Hamburg American docks. Ho-
boken. on Saturday. June 80. 1900. at
about ; O'Clock, | left the Phoenicia
and went out to the end Of deck No.
. | went to one Of our lifeboats which
was alongside the burning steamship
Saale of the North German Lloyd
| Line.
Il saw tug boat at the end of the
pier. l asked the captain to put me
| on board the lifeboat spoken of. He
| said: Yes. all right. | can do it
| II went on the tug boat called Dan
| dy and was going up to the pilot house
| and was showing the pilot where /
| wanted to 60. We put away from the
| dock and had covered about half the
distance. The captain of the tug boat
Dandy then said: Have you any
money to pay me?'
Il answered: It's no use for me to
carry money while on board the ship.
I have none in my pocket. I only car
~ money when l go ashore
The captain Of the Dandy, who was
in the pilot house at the wheel then
said: I have no time for you. l have
other business to look after. l must
put you back on shore
Then he turned the boat back and
took direction back to the pier head
again. ! begged him to give me help
to save the men who We're aboard the
steamer Saale He refused, and
reaching the pier. / got off the rug
boat. The tug boat Dandy later re-
turned and the captain requested me
Continued on page 81
What Our Fjau Stands For.