Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1904-06-18

ioWi'i9 geographic message from
= President Roosevelt was received
by Pastor Haas last night.
"Accept my profound sympathy
for yourself, your church, and your
congregation"
Washington, June is. - A rigid
investigation of the General Slo-
cum disaster has been ordered by
Secretary CorteIyou, of the depart
ment CT commerce and lahcr.
New York, June 16.-After an all
night search with aid of professional
divers at North Brothers island for
victims of the Inflated General Slo-
cum. the excursion steamer which
burned yesterday, 522 dead bodies had
beef, recovered I'D to noon today.
Of this number 1856 have been iden-
titled. The number of missing is es-
timated in the vicinity of 400.
During the day yesterday 2O3 per-
sons were taken to hospitals After
treatment is was found that in many
cases the injuries were not serious
and these were allowed to depart.
Some of those who remain in the hos
pitfalls are still in critical condition.
Morgue Crowded All Night.
All night long crowds of people Wis.
tied the morgue with entreaties for
chance to try and make identifications.
Estimates of Deaths Vary.
The estimated number of dead as
given by officials vary exceedingly.
DR.. Darlington, president of the board
Of health q Enated. the total at 1000.
MLettor Brooks places the number
900.
Recovering the Bodies.
All through the night and today
, men in diving suits and others with
graphing hooks stood on the decks of
tugs which lowered above the sunken
wreck of the General Slocum. AS
bodies were brought up they were
transferred to other tugs and taken
ashore. How many of the dead lie in
the charred and sunken hull cannot be
estimated until every nook and cor
ner of the hull has been gone over by
divers.
Might Have Escaped.
Charles r. Storms, owner of lum.
Der yard at 134th street, says he sig
nailed the Slocum to come ashore and
turned in an alarm of fire, and almost
Immediately the engines were at the
foot of East 122nd street.
If the Slocum had turned in then.
not life would have been lost" he
said.
Among the first of the physicians to
reach North Brother island, was DR..
Henry Krauskopf, house surgeon Of
Harlem hospital. ut was the most
dreadful spectacle l ever saw" he
said. Lying about in various postures
were hundreds of women and children.
All seemed 10 be appealing for help at
one time. The most touching appeals
came from mothers for their children
There were children all about us lying
dead on the grass"
John Olson and Gunter Anderson. on
the tug boat D. S. Arnott, saved six
women and two children. ana after
wards recovered fifteen dead bodies.
Work of Ghouls.
Miss Martha Weirk says that while
she was struggling in the water, 8
boat pulled up along side of her an6
she was stripped of her rings, ear
rings and brooch and then pushed bacl
in the water. she was later rescued il
an unconscious condition by another
boat, and taken to the island
1t has been learned that 900 ticket.
for the excursion were sold to adults
1t is estimated that mothers took from
500 to 500 children along, for whom nc
charge was made. There were very
few men aboard.
Described by Pastor.
Row GaDroa n Hoac ,,ac{ar n
the church was saved but his wife AM
his daughter Anna are among til,
dead. Mr. Haas told this story of tn,
disaster:
1.-THE fire started in the kitchen ii
the forward part when we were off On,
Hundred and Thirty-fourth street.
understand that some lard which boil
ed over, started the blaze. At that tim,
most OF the women and children wer,
damned in the rear end of the boat
where the band was playing. Why tn
captain did not point the boat for thu
Meadows do not understand. He KEEP
on and the fresh wind from the soun.
drove the fire back through the decks
Three minutes from the time tn
fire started all the decks were ablaze
The scene which followed do not thinl
were ever witnessed before. | was i,
the rear of the boat with my wife an
daughter. Women were shrieking an
clasping their children in their arms
Some mothers had as many as tire
or four with them. When the fire sho
up to the top deck and drove tn
crowd back the panic was terrible
Women and children chung to the raj
ingS and stanchions hut could NOT hnlf