The San Francisco call., 1904-06-18
Secretary to Direct
InQuiryfOr the Gov
0rnmGnt.
Divers Report That Many
Bodies Are in Wreck
Of the SlOCuIn.
Say That 1t Will Be Necessary to
Dynamite OF Raise the Hulk Before
They Can Be Recovered.

NEW YORK. June 17.-Despite the
untiring work Of divers and grapplers
and the watchfulness Of scores Of men
who have given themselves over to the
task of searching for the missing, few
bodies of those who Derished in the
Slocum disaster were recovered to-day.
1t was said by divers who went down
into the wreck at dawn that there
were many bodies under the entangle-
ment Of timbers and paddle wheels,
and that it would be necessary to dy-
Mantle the hulk or raise it before
they could be reached. To this end
city officers communicated with a
wrecking company, and an announce
ment was made that the company
would undertake the work Of bringing
the wreck to the surface. Later, how
ever, a conference between the marine
insurance companies and the wrecking
company ended in a disagreement,
with the result that for the present
at least the matter is in allegiance.
At this conference it was announced
that the EnickerbOcker Steamboat
Company, which owns the General Slo-
cum, had resigned all claims to the
boat on the agreement that it should
receive $4,000, the amount for which
the boat was insured. The insurance
companies and the wreckinS company
failed to agree on terms. and if the
boat is raised at all the cost probably
will come out of the city treasury.
INQUIRY By GOVERNMENT.
Secretary CorteIyou of the Depart
ment of Commerce and Labor viii
personally undertake the investigation
into the disaster on behalf of the Gov
ernment. District Attorney JerOme's
assistants are working energeticaliy On
the case, and officers of the Cor
oner's office have made considerable
progress in the gathering of evidence
to be presented on Monday. when the
Coroners inquiry will begin.
There is in the COrOner's possession
a standpipe. taken by his direction by
a diver from the submerged wreck
The valve of the pipe is closed tight,
limiting that no use was made of this
pipe in fighting the fire on the Slocum.
Statements were made TO the Cor
oner to-day by several Of the steam
boat employees, who will appear as wit
nesses at the inquest, that the captain
of the Slocum sailed his boat between
three and four miles after the fire
broke out before Bleaching her. Several
watches showed that more than half
an hour elapsed from the breaking out
of the fire until the boat was run
ashore All the watches taken from
the bodies of the drowned stopped be-
tween 1910 and 1920 in the morning.
Estimates as to the number of dead
still greatly vary and this may be ac-
counted for by reason of the failure
to report to the proper authorities on
the part of many who, although off,
ciaIly registered as missing, were in
reality saved.
BURIAL OF THE VICTIMS.
Already $50 bodies have been recov-
cred, Of which about fifty remain un-
identified These include 27S children,
243 women and % men, Thirteen off,
GERS OF st. Marks Church are
among the dead. one of them being a
woman
The first funeral from among the vic
Tins was held to-day. 1t was that OF
a young girl, who is believed to have
died of fright No signs OF death from
burning or drowning were found. Her
IuHeEdl was IOllOWeu DS SUI -
others which were attended by thou
sands of persons from the East Side,
where most of the dead lived To-
morrow there will be 500 OF more fun
erals and 30 unrecOgnized bodies viii
be placed each in a separate coffin and
in a separate hearse and laid away in
the Lutheran Cemetery at Middle VII
Iage. L. l. The city has arranged for
their burial a plat large enough for
the burial of $50 bodies having been
set aside in this cemetery. All the un-