Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1904-10-17


Wart showed bad judgment and lack OF
skill in beaching the vessel al a consider
able angle with the shore line thus leav-
ing in deep water all but the bow Of the
snip which was in flames and affordinG
the passengers who could not swim little
opportunity to save their lives. The
commission believes that the vessel might
have been beached so as to enJ ble pas
sengers to leap overheard and wade
ashore.
The commission sharply criticizes the
condition OF the fire fighting apparatus on
the vessel. saying that the whole ire nose
equipment was bad except possibly one
hundred feet of new hose. which was
not used at all. The evidence shows
that no water had ever been put through
the fire hose on the Slocum. There is
a strong probability that the fire would
nave been controlled had the fire hose
Deen OF the required statutory strength.
NO hre drills or boat drills had been hello
, on the vessel, this year Her lifchoats
We're apparently IN fairly good condition
Many OF the life preScrVCrs, however,
were in bad condition and the evidence
indicates that only a small percentage
OF the passengers used the preSefVcrS at
all while it is probably true that many
of these defective life prescrVerS would
have nevertheless supported passengers
III the water, the average passenger, see
ing one torn, refused tC use it as to try
others. and the result was AZ disastrous
as if the life preServers had been wholly
unSerViceablc."
The commission says that the mate,
Flanagan, in distinct violation Of the law
and contrary to the requirements 81 me
NeSselS certificate, was not a licensed of-
ticcr. THE inefficiency and poor quality
of the deck crew of the vessel doubtless
typical of the majority of the crews OF
excursion steamers, is one of the essen
tial facts that caused the loss of so many
lives"
The reIlort shows that the total loss of
life by tn" Slolum disaster WAS 500 per
SONS and the number injured 115. out o:
a total list Of lbs. This great loss of
ia of do. In of
scvrn-ttnths-is obviously abnormal ANA
extraordinary The abnormal percentage
is due primarily to the COMPOSITION Of
the cxcursiuu nalty. about njnc-tenths
being womru and children Other factors
are tho great dtDth of water IN the chan
nel, The swiff tide, the extreme rapdity
and nrnprns. of tho fire the small amount
of as,Sist.ncr rendered the passengers by
the cfficcrs and crew Of the vessel. ana
the collapse of the starboard side of The
hurricane deck aft"
After ronsidnriu., the composjtion of the
excursion nartv The commission saws ~
very inuoitan; conclusion from thi>, sci
Of fartc is that rho. law ana rcol1I1tfnpS
must rncnnr;Zc he fac that nm excursion
nar1v must be taken care of. and cannot
ia Ike care of ITSELF"
In SOM. detail the commission discusses
the ,j,,tice AND rcsnonsibiIitirs Of he own
ers If cxcursion steamers ana Of he otfi-
GERS ana crews Of the vessels. The III
..S,-b;i = =; tr,a tb,+ II ., W., I,,s;,,a..
IF ~ NV etcambnat insnnctinn eo,.y,icn II
Sc rhat nrnrrr safety anpIiances ns re-
tti''t P'Ioirt ~ q "a '''i ~; -
,'l', ~ t ~ ,,cr f, M i1 IN,
int,9i ,,,d nror,l ,hIigarion nor frn,n tha
Gahilit,- fnr the n,aintenance nj nronnr
1870 ~ ~ 1T'I' r,; ~ III oi'o ~
The oni,ion that tho ounnre If Tho CON
c,, ginn',,, . ana. IN hi DE-
.,ra ~. III ~ inadan,'at ~, ;n,1,r,,o,.
~. 'ir H., ia, "' ~,
codditlons breHaill'g on noaid uhiS EefSt'
1 ti'nt' iiieE pc tIGi teo
aa@nts snr in r'i Tho n,n,aI rs,nn
7;iit t Ia =. - II, ti,, NM az
a ai1lr's lor rs '"iui results "a 'iiiS IL
~ oo+;, ;tr a.. ;,;- ~, x, |
r,ileio,, to II it ~
tha " J ,i II a,iin ~
~ ~ GU d; va VIZ i>i'iS9 -
~ f YIN 81 ltc III nv
poIl VI New LOTS poth ior ne eApihnd-
and 9 tb Of Of the
VI similar DISASTERS. ire colliiiii zion ulo
Iot eNtefd us INQUIRY peyoI'e me cHnG!-
tiohs presented AT tle port Oh Ne" 1ork,
as genera! lnVestlgatioh Wouiu nave
peeh 1mfracIcabie at present ana Would !
n:tNe uelaNeI me present report untii IT'S
YSeiu ni NO, would nave oeeh greatly n- !
R1nlshed Inc commission beileTeS that,
as HeW YORK IS the most important port !
IN te country from the standpoint OF /
the ftea1npoat Inspection service, that a
care1ui INQUIRY INTO the WORKINGS OF tne
iSssi III Woi'iu serHe as d s.lilcidiit
~ ioi seiei'i iehieuie'i ieeoiiiii'eiiu
~ ,o,,o,.. chow. ,.1,,4 a., a,,,,,a .;o- -
ne lerotl SHOWS ' me- Tue upela .ioiIS u.
"A oIh WerS unsatisiacno[s. iitrSiilclenI anu
iitE.isen. II, many leepGioS. ne IN
SION SAYS .ntt tne eVlueilce SHOWS tilat
tne lccal inspectors were lhterpfesnS
thell uutles III d indillieI NOT !usli.eo p'
me s.d'u ~ e. Inc reuuirenlelIt as 10 .ne
Isis VI , ~ Si ",l ti,S ;t
ant inSnectnrs m'de no mea sured nrae-
emre tnst yvbn.snavar Of fire. hose aIcant
s1ch as might incidentaIly take MA ce
nv tba uSa If cuch hose for thn testing
~ hoiIarc ,'bn,r uniforr,Iy ranortnd tbe
SC Loea ..in Isood condit;nn bnt ~
,,rossi,ra +o., go u.e maJo' -,ha IoaaI
insnociors S'no Si,,nod +hn cartif;ca+aS Of
,.nSsoIs ba6 NO ,7rsonai l,,nWIndgo If
these matters si,npJV accenting tbe re-
ports of their assistants. They never fol-
lowed up the assistant inspectors to see
that they did their work properly. They
failed practically. too, to instruct prop |
erly new assistant inspectors The |
Joint rule, which requires that a vessels |
equipment shall be inspected Jointly by |
the inspectors was not enforced The |
result of this negligence the commission
states was that life-Savng applianccsj
often were in extremely bad condition
The inspectors merely looked over. for |
instance, the life hose. The absurd and
inadequate nature Of such mere visual
inspections of fire hose in apparent from
the innumerahle cases in which hose
equipment. passed at the regular inspeC-
ton, burst on the re-inspection under