The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-06-22
THE LIST SMELLS
Number Dead Now Nears
Eight Hundred, Yet
Search Goes On.
(By the Associated Press. }


of victims who lost their lives in the
General Slocum disaster continued to-
day All through the night despite
the terrific electrical storm which
swept over the city. the Searchers held
to their greWsome work and early
today the total number of bodies re-
covered had reached 40, and it was
expected that every hour during the
day would add to the number. 1t was
hoped that Identification would ma
terialy reduce the large list of miss
ing before night. An alarming result
of the developments of the last three
or four days has been that, although
more than 200 bodies have been taken
from the river, the list of missing has
remained almost unchanged. Today
when the total of bodies recovered
exceeded $50, the list of missing con-
tinued We'll in excess of three hun
dred.
Many of the bodies taken from the
river today are in such a condition
as to make Identification next to inn
possible.
When the coroner's jury, which is
investigating the disaster to the Slo-
cum, resumed its session today, Dan
iel O'Neill, a deck hand on the Slo-
cum, was called as the first witness.
O'Neill said he never saw any fire
drill on the Slocum, although he had
been employed on her ever since she
was put in commission this year. He
could not recall that new hose was
carried on board the steamer at any
time. There was no life preservers
on the hurricane deck, he said.
O'Neill corroborated the testimony
given yesterday that the store room
held paint. oil. old canvas and a lot of
other dunnage beside the lamp. He
said some times the room was lighted
by a swinging lamp and some times
there was no light
The witness first learned of the fire
when he heard the people shouting.
Then he ran to the hose. 1t coiled and
burst when the water pressure reach
ed it. He heard Flanagan shout Get
another hose" and ran and got the
rubber wa .1ing hose, but the coup
ling would not fit the standpipe.
After that he jumped overheard
and swan ashore.
Replying to questions from the
jury O'Neill said the flames prevented
them from getting to the deck where
the washing hose were after the coil
ed fire hose had burst.
Edward BrandoW, of Cats.lill, the
assistant engineer of the Slocu, m was
the next witness. For use in fighting
fires he said they had a donkey en-
CINE for pumping water to the fire
hose and to the water closet. They
never had any other hose on the Slo-
cum.
He first heard of the fire when the
mate, Flanagan, reported it.
Questions on Life Preservers.
Oscar <ahnweiler a member of the
firm which supplied the life preserv-
col ha 10 General SlOcI!In
her original equipment Of life pre-
servers in 1891 The last sale made
by his firm for the Clocum was in
1895.
Mr.. Kahnweiler estimated that
life prescrver properly cared for,
would last twenty years. Many might
become worthless in much less time.
81 will show you one now, said
the assistant district attorney as he
carried it dramatically and laid it
across the knees of the witness, Il
dilapidated looking life belt that was
aiken from the wrecked slocum.
'I'll trust myself to that belt now
with hands and feet tied" replied
Mr.. KahnWeiler.
Mr.. Caravan tore large strips from
the belt and returned to his seat say
ing, that will do"
Coroner Berry ANNOUNCED that Cap
tain Schaick, who commanded the
Slocum is in such condition at the
Lebanon Hospital that he may not
be able to testify for several days
| He tried to get to court today bus
when the coroner stated that the cor
oner's inquest could not be completed
without the captains testimony.
Edwin Weaver, second pilot of the
Slocum said the distance run by the
burning boat was no more than half
mile, the time consumed in making
the hun between two and half and
three minutes, and the place where
the bow was beached the best possible
place.
Weaver said he bought the decl:
hose. He took a piece of the old
hose to the sore and asked that it
be matched. He ordered 200 feet of
rubber hose at the same time.
Mr.. Caravan produced the bills for
the hose and showed that it cost six
teen cents a foot.
|. Don't you know you can't buy
good fire hose for less than ane dol
lar a foot?' was asked.
81 don't know anything about
hose. / did what / was told and
bought what l was told to buy.