New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-06-18

Just before noon Terence j. McManus, or
Black olcott, Gruber Bonynge. entered the
office of Coroner Berry with Edward Flanagan.
first mate: John J Coakley. one OF the deck
hands Of No 3O7 West Twenty ifth-st.; Ebert
GafTgan. an oiier. Of No - Howard-ave Brook
Ign. Walter Payne porter. Of No 75S Green
wich-st.. and George Owens. steward. in charge
of the clam chowder booth. Mr.. McManus told
Coroner Berry he had telegraphed to Catskl
y y for Everitt Grandow, assistant engineer
and Frank Conkng, engineer, both Of whom
live there.
Each II the men examined separately by
Cororer Berry and his statement taken by
stenographer. Coakley was the first man
alnined His statement follows:
FIRE STARTED IN SOME HAY.
Before the boat started two barrels Of glasses
packe in salt nay were 9rSu S on board After
barrels and the hay were put into the forward
lamps stored. When the boat started, half
way up fhe river | was standing at the bar when
there a little boy ran up and told me that there
it sp5 barrejs tbai nd NM l y,arn i,,ers
and tried TO smother the fire out 1 could not
Flanagan yelled 10 Engineer Conking 10 turn on the
water in The hose. and the. then -, he and myself
ing brsy Il was very dark down there and , in
some Nay pe9pe on the boat We're attra6teG by me
helped Us do IT, This put a LOT Of kinks IN the hose
burst think ell this happened opposite the
sixth-st. in the East River. The hose about
q three inch and was Of good canvas After
I ] ran upstairs BY tnis time all the people
panic stricken. ! ran mp 10 the upper deck; As l
over the side OF the beat while the pad lie wheel
vas sun reFoIEne' alo We AgI 10y 4 I - me-
wire that held lie preservers. Then they ali
grabbed a little baby and Jumped overheard While
in the water a woman grabbed me and threw me
I thought j would never come up Nhen
! arose swan for the shore and landed the BABY
When the Captain steered for North Brother
Island he ala the very hest hing ne SoalG 1 h9
have gone under forty feet OF water and just as
Ra ae6ed E ffs b %G OPPOSITE NoTih Brother Island it
only required three or fou! strokes ana was
The scene Of the panicstricken people on the
vessel will always haunt me Three, O'Clock this
morning I swoke and could see all the people
in the pouring rain, as 1 could not so TO sleep
ffhnk the fire was caused by somebody throwing
q cigarette into The salt hay.
After giving his statement to Coroner Berry |
Flanagan said to the reporters:
The statment attributed 70 me IN this mornings
papers that the hose burst because ii was rotten
hs n a ETons ea T e co l9f ssid that fhers
FIRE. and ] held up my hands warningly to |
ana s oF 80 s1S ' eom f99 o f the forvd room
started 70 get the hose in readiness and coupled
# up She kinked great deal.
when TIE water started 10 rush through the hose !
= coupling became loose We ran back 20 the 1
coupling, but before could get the water run |
ming straight again and couple the hose the passen-
gers became aware Of the IRE and panic started
end the assistant engineer were the last TO leave the
feei Of water. As jumped The after deck fell IN
snd carried down a lot of people. swan over 10 !
] had "a ask The nurse for drink Of whiskey.
Henry Lundbere one Of the TWO United States |
steamboat inspectors VINO last inspected the |
General Slocum. went n the Office of Coroner I
Berry. I'm The Bronx in answer to q subpoena. /
He was accompanied by a lawyer from the Office !
or Julius Mayer
When did you last inspect the Socum?"
asked Coroher Berry.
7 respectfully decline 20 answer that question !
by advice OF counsel" he replied.
"On what grounds" asked the coroner.
On the grounds that il might tend TO incrim- +
inate me-" responded the inspector.
Several witnesses were examined by Coroner
Berry last night, including the second mate Of /!
the Slocum, James Corcoran. Corcoran told /
Hfterward what he had said to the coroner. He I
accused the first engineer, Ccnkling. of Sinking
and said he hurried OFF the vessel TO a tug
among the first, and did not get the soles Of his .
shoes wet. Corcoran said:
The fire started near the forward cabin Of I.
the nrst deck eft of the bow. and in a room used
for storing oils. The machinery oils. kerosene /
and benzine were kept there and the lamps
filled IN it. No one knows how the FIRE started, /
but it is believed lighted lamp left there. so /
the men could see TO use the room exploded A /
boy saw the fire and told deckhand. He and /
a lot OF others rushed TO the fight the |
fire. I realized from the first that there was no .
chance 10 save the steamer. The fire swept 4
from DOW 10 stern so rapidly that before the (
upper deck was afre the flames had attacked /
everything on the lower deck. We all fought
long as we could stand the heat. Then the I
others and / tired 20 run to the upper deck, but (
the gangways were crowded that had no 4
chance 10 get up at all. Then tried to get .
life preSerEerS for The and children We 4
pulled them down, and did not try TO take them /
out gently. Look at my hands.
A sight / saw on that boat I'll remember for /
long time, guess. II was the most pathetic /
and astonishing 1 ever saw, and bad a trag- |
edy as anything there l woman give |
birth 10 a child and then jump overheard with /
The newborn babe. They both died The woman |
was terribly excited and / saw her, across the /
crowd. fan down. Then i could she had |
given Geliverance 10 her bab be. ano l couldn't get
10 her, and she had no help at all. People were /
too crazy. The fire attacking her surround /
inss, and she picked up the queer looking Great |
nre IN her arms, wrapped a piece OF her clothing /
about II, and, sick and frightened as she was, /
looked about TO reason out the best way she |
could go. Think OF a woman actually thinking 4
In such a condition and with such surroundings, |
and doing IT all for her newborn baby! 1t took |
only a few seconds, but saw il all, and was /
crazy TO get at her to help her when she made |
for the railing. Up on ii she climbed. holding |
the babe with She stood there an in /
slant, and then leaped out into the water. l |
couldn't help watching, and was pinned in so /
could do nothing. l saw what happened, and /
when both went down and ] help was /
near, ] thought ] had seen the worst thing in /
my life. Its hard enough 10 think over IL.
The first engineer at his post at the |
time OF the fire. He was one Of the very first TO |
leave. Conktng did not get the soles OF his /
shoes wet. for he boarded the first tug that /
came alongside anywhere near.
Captain Van Schaick is 81 right. He did we'll, /
whatever any says. He and Second Engi- /
neer Everett Brando worked hard till the end. /
BRANDON helped people till he was just about TO /
be entirely surrounded by flames He put on |
before engine %