Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1904-10-21
SLOCUM DISASTER
President Roosevelt's Letter
on Commissioners Report.
SCORES CAPTAIN AND DIRECTORS.
Those Responsible For Wholesale
Destruction of Lives of Excursion-
lists Must lie Fully Punished.
Congress Must Act.

Congress Must Act.
WASHINGTON, Oct. 10.-The fol-
lowing is the letter in part of President
Roosevelt to the secretary of com
merce and labor regarding the report
of the United States commission of in
vestigation upon the disaster to the
steamer General Slocum:
Il have received the report of the
commission of the United States on the
investigation of the General Slocum
disaster and the report Of the depart
ment Of justice of Oct II recapitulat-
ing what has been done by the depart
ment of justice in connection with the
criminal proceedings taken against va
rious individuals because Of their con-
nection with the disaster. Punitive ac-
zion by the government can of course
only take two forms: One, that of legal
proceedings against those either within
or without the service, and, two re-
moval from office Of those within the
service.
ut appears that the department of
justice has already secured indictments
against the master and captain of the
Slocum and against the managing di-
rectors of the Knickerbocker Steam
boat company, to which company the
Slocum belonged, for misconduct, neg
ligence and inattention to duty by the
captain and for aiding and abetting
therein by the managing directors.
Furthermore the department Of
justice has secured indictments against
Henry Lundberg and John w. Elem
ing, the assistant inspectors of the
steamboat inspection service who ac-
tually inspected the Slocum, for fraud,
misconduct and inattention to duty.
Lundberg had been appointed merely
on probation in the service and has
been dropped.
80 much for what the department
of justice has done in reference to the
disaster But i'll addition to the men
put on trial by the department of JUS
tice action should be taken against
those employees whose responsibility
for the state of things producing the
accident has been brought out in the
report of the commission. According
to this report it appears that in addi-
ton to the two assistant inspectors
who are now on trial the supervising
inspector of the Second district, Mr..
Rode, and the two local inspectors of
the port of New York. Messrs. Du-
mont and Barrett, should all three be
removed for laXity and neglect in per-
forming their duties. AS regards the
conduct of Mr.. Rode. Mr. Uhler dis
sents from the conclusions of the four
other commissioners. | agree with the
conclusions of the other four. LaXity
and neglect, where the consequences
may be SO terrible as they have prov
ed to be in this case, cannot be passed
over even where there has been good
conduct in other respects on the part
Of the man implicated. Accordingly
the three officials named will be re-
moved from the service Moreover,
you will please direct their successors
in office at once to conduct Il thorough
examination of the entire inspection
force of the port of New York with
the object of wedding out all the men
whom such examination shall show to
be untitled to perform the very ardu-
GUS and responsible duties of their po-
sitions."
The salient points of the report are
as follows: The Slocum disaster
brought out the peculiar helplessness
characteristic of an excursion crowd in
case of disaster and the inflammabili-
ty of the vessel and extraordinarily
swift progress of the fire.
There was marked ineficiency of
crew. total lack of fire drills, boat
drills and established discipline. an
unlicensed mate. total failure of fire
hose, badly defective condition of life
preservers, inefficient inspection of this
vessel neglect of the master to fight
the fire or aid passengers or to give any
orders to such end and finally his
neglect TO beach the vessel or to put
her alongside of a wharf Immediately
after receiving a report of the exist
ence Of the fire.