The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1904-06-17

the water. Then / started to climb
down the side of the boat when
heard voice calling to me to hold on
a minute.
81 turned and saw a man standing
on the bow of a tug which was ap-
preaching. l held on and was soon
taken off. with a number of other
persons who had been rescued from
the boat and from the water.
"The tug then put into the landing
on Randall's Island and after putting
the people ashore went out for an
other trip of rescue. AS / left the
dock / saw what looked to be 200
bouies, mostly women and children
along the shore lying on the ground"
IN A PANIC.
Indicating the panic stricken state of
mind in which the passengers found
themselves is the story, or fragment of
a story, told by August Schneider, a
musician, who went to the Alexander
avenue station. In his arms was his
baby, Augusta. He was looking for
his wife and two other children. The
only information Schneider could i'm
part was that he was with his family
on the main deck near the stern, that
he saw the steamer break in, two in
the middle" and the next he knew was
when he found himself with his baby
in his arms on the deck of a tug.
Whether he was in the water or not
the man did not know His clothing
was dry when he called at the police
station in search OF the missing mem
hers of his fanny, whom he did not
find, however.
TOLD BY SCHOOL OFFICIAL.
Jacob Miller, an official of ST. Marks
Sunday school. one OF the passengers
who was saved, declared this evening
at North Brother Island that at least
a part of the great loss OF life was due
to rotten and defective life preservers
II myself tried to put on several life
preservers," Mr.. Miller said, "and ev-
cry one of them was so rotten that it
fell apart as soon as l began to han
die it. Undoubtedly many more per-
sons would have been saved If the life
preservers had been in proper condi-
tion.
'It is reasonable to believe that a
large number of persons, when they
learned that the vessel was on fire,
rushed to the life preservers and many
of these persons, in fact, large part
of them, would proDably have been
rescued but for the fact that the life
preservers were practically useless"
The statement of Mr.. Miller. nu-
merous persons said, was borne out by
An examination of several lie pre-
servers which were washed upon the
shore of North Brother Island. The
canvas cotering of these life preserv-
ers was found to be so rotten, it was
said, that the slightest handling Of 1t
caused it o tear and allow the cork
insides to fall out.
LIFE RATS WIRED FAST.
According to Nicholas Balzor, an
other of the survivors, who was on the
top deck when the fire broke out, the
life RATS were secured by wire and IL
was impossible to release them in the
emergency. Balzor says he hacked and
cut at them with his knife, but suc-
ceeded in cutting through only one
strand when the flames drove him
back. There were no means at hand
TO free the RATS, he says, and for all
practical purposes they were useless.
Henry Iden, aged 19, of No. 100 East
Fourth street, came ashore with the
last load of survivors, He saved his
sweetheart, Amelia Swartz, but four
sisters, he reported, had been lost.
II was sitting on the lower deck
with Miss Swartz when the fire broke
out" related Iden. I'VE had smelled
smoke for about four minutes but
thought 1t came from the kitchen,
where clam chowder was being cooked
Suddenly noticed people on shore
waving their arms, and | could hear
them shouting. Then | saw the fire.
got two life preservers, and put one
on Miss Swartz and the other on my
SELF
I'VE crowded to the rail and stayed
there until the boat went aground,
when over we went. The fire was so
hot that / kept ducking Miss Swartz
under water every minute or SO, and
did the same myself. After while we
were pulled aboard tug"
The faces of both Iden and Miss
Swartz were blistered
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