The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1904-06-22
INQUEST BEGUN.
To>Place the Responsibility for the
Recent Calamity in New York
Harbor.

HaFD0r.
New York, June 2O.-The coroner's
inquest was begun today in the mat
ter of the burning Of the steamer Slo-
cum and the great loss of life resulting
therefrom in New York harbor on last
Wednesday.
President Barnaby Of the Knicker-
booker Steamboat company, owner Of
the Gen. Slocum, was the first wit
ness and from him it was learned that
the actual operation of the steamer
was under Capt. Van Schaick, who
received his instructions from Capt.
Pease. On application of the latter,
he said, an inspection of the Slocum
was made by the United States author
tiles before she was put in commission
this year, adding, CIT was reported
to US that the Slocum was in thorough
good order and working condition.
He had not personally inspected the
boat but said he had examined the re-
ports of the company's inspection and
that by the United States inspection
officers.
The. certificate of United States in
spection was placed in evidence. 1t
certified that on May Z, 1904, the Gen.
Slocum was in good condition, to car
ry 2, 500 passengers, and thatit had
aboard 2, 250 lifepreservers.
According to the testimony of John
J. Coakley, one of the Slocum's deck
hands, at the corners inquest, he
never had been instructed in a fire
drill since he became an employee of
the Knickerbocker company at the
beginning of last season. Coakley said
he first learned that the steamer was
on fire when small boy called his at
tention to smoke rolling down from
the bow. Coakley said he ran up to-
ward the bow of the steamer and
found a. blaze in the locker where the
oil lamps we're kept. He dumped char
coal on it, hoping to smother the
flames, then be let down the hose and
called for assistance. The fire was so
hot that he and those who came to
help him we're driven o1t of the lock-
er, but they got the hose in position
and had just directed stream on the
fire when the hose burst.
It was impossible to reach any of
the life RATS, because of the panic,
but one of the life boats was lowered.
The other boats, we're 50 surrounded
by struggling persons that the crew
could not get at them. The boat
which they succeeded in clearing and
which was filled with women and
children, capsized while it was being
lowered from the davits.
Several of the men corroborated
Coakley's story in most of the details,
but none of them knew of the lifeboat
being lowered. One of the men, James
Corcoran, described the solid rubber
washer attached to the standpipe to
prevent water dripping into the hose
and rotting it. To get this washer off
so the hose could be used, it would
have been necessary to disconnect the
hose from the standpipe. Corcoran
did not see this done.
Edward Flanagan, the mate for the
last two seasons on the Slocum, who
hired the deck crew of that boat, said
that the forward cabin whore the fire
broke out was used for storing old
lines and worn out awnings and
brooms He had one barrel of sperm
oil there and there we're some empty
barrels that had contained oil.
"Were there any arrangements to
turn steam into the lower deck?"
"Not to my knowledge
Flanagan denied any knowledge of
the "false washer" which locked the
fire hose.
He said he manned the water pipes
| as soon as possible but when the water
pressure came the hose burst. Flana
gan gave testimony as to the visits of