Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1904-09-24
HORROR CAUSED BY
CREWS NEGLIGENCE
Investigation Into Late Slocum
Steamer Disaster.
OFFICERS LICENSES REVOKED.
Report Made as to the Causes Lead
ing to Late Steamer Horror at New
York In Which Thousand Lives
Were Lost.

New York, Sept. 23.-A lengthy re-
port has just been made public of an
investigation by the local board OF
steamboat inspectors into the general
Slocum steamer disaster which occur.
red in the East river last June and
cost nearly 1000 lives.
The report concludes by announcing
the revocation of the licenses of Off
GERS aboard the Slocum as follows:
William Van lSchaack'' master and
pilot; Edward Van Ward and Benja-
min F. Conklin, chief engineer.
Briefly summarized, the principal
points of the boards report are:
That the fire was discovered at the
upper end of the sunken meadows and
that North Brother island was the
nearest available point to reach.
The steamers life-saving appliances
were inadequate, but had the boat
been supplied with double the mum.
Der not another life would have been
saved, because of the incompetence of
~~A~ ~AON' hOI LAAC4C was al dDSO~
Lutte lack of discipline of the crew be.
cause of the negligence of the master
and of the pilot
That fire drills had been neglected
and that, had the crew been trained
as the law requires, such a disaster
would have been almost inconceiyable
That one of the crew in his ignorance
added to the incipient flames by throw.
ing thereon an empty bag which had
contained charcoal That the chief
engineer was grossly negligent when
notified Of the fire in that he did not
see that the hose had been connected
and the water turned on.
The investigation began July 6. and
was delayed by the injuries of Captain
Van. Setback which confined him to
the hospital. Under the law the
board only took up the conduct of the
vessels licensed officers. The other
phases of the disaster were inyesti.
gated by special commission appoint.
cd on request Of President Roosevelt
and consisting Of General Wilson, OF
the army, and Commander Winslow. OF
the navy This commission has not
yet made public its report.
The report reviews evidence given
by river captains and expert East
river pilots and continues:
A few minutes after the master
was made aware that the Slocum was
on fire, he gave orders to the pilot
to beach the vessel on the North
Brother island. That order was
obeyed and the steamer was beached
probably within three minutes.
In the face of the evidence we can
not, in justice, arrive at any conclu
sion on this point, other than the un
favorable criticism passed upon Can
tain Van Setback for not havina
beached his steamer at some other
point than he did, which was wholly
unmerited. The great mortality, &C
cording to this view, was due to the
impossibility OF equipping 1900 per
sons, mostly children, in a few min
utes and not to the age of the pre-
servers. The evidence before us in
d1cates an absolute Lack of discipline
on the part Of the crew, the report
continues, because of the negligence
Of the master of the steamer and the
pilot who, under the law, Is next to
the master in charge, to observe the
provisions which require those off
GERS once at least each week to call
hands to quarters and exercise them
In discipline and use of the fire pumps
and all other apparatus for the safety
OF life on board such vessel, and to
see that all equipments required by
law are in complete working order fol
immediate use."