Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1904-06-17
are under arrest but are held only as


meet the responsibilities is undoubted.
made to launch the life RATS or boats
and no concerted attempts made to-.
ward eauipping the helpless women
and children with life preservers. But
few of those rescued and but few Of
the bodies recovered in the river had
on life preservers and according to
several statements most of those sup
posed instruments of safety were prac-
| tically worthless, either coming apart
| when attempt was made to use them
or not possessing the buoyancy they
are supposed to have.
There is very much criticism of the
captain and pilots for their failure to
turn the vessel ashore the moment
they were informed the fire had gain
ed Roadway. Capt. Van Schaeck has
made several statements varying in de-
tail but none of them is considered as
satisfactory. Pilot Van Wart, however,
Thursday, said that he could not dock
the vessel because all of her hausers
had been burned. He also claimed that
it would have been impossible to beach
the steamer sooner than he did be-
cause of the presence Of rocks all along
the shore.
The Long Island shore was being
patrolled by the police in boats, Thurs
day. 1t was expected that many bodies
would be washed up on the Long Is
land shore at the turn of the tide.
The wreck of the General Slocum lies
about 200 feet off Barrett's Point with
| only a portion of one paddle wheel box
above water. Two floats are made fast
to the bow of the boat and divers are
continually going down into the water.
Later in the day they will go under the
wreck and it is thought they will find a
great many victims there.
In the opinion of river men most of
| the bodies will be found at some dis
lance down the river and some may
| drift out to sea because of the tide,
and never be recovered.
An illustration of the extent to which
sympathetic feeling is aroused was CIV
Ell today when large undertaking
| corporation formally offered to give
| free burial to the bodies of those per-
SONS whose relatives might be unable
to care for them. This offer was fol-
| lowed by one from a cremation COM
| pany, extending the use of it's plant
| free of charge.
| kilograms and letters of sympathy
for the congregation of the church are
| fast pouring in. Among the messages
We're two from representatives of Brit
ish Sunday school organizations.
| President F. A. Barnaby of the
Knickerbocker Steamboat Co., the own
| ers of the steamer General Slocum,
made a general denial, today, of the re-
ports that the steamer was equipped
with worthless hose and life RATS were
dashed to the steamers with wires.
| 1.-THE apparatus for fire-fighting on
| board the boat at the time of the acct
dent was of the very best that money
could buy" said Mr.. Barnaby. 'The
boat was thoroughly overhauled, early
this year, and we spent over 10000 on
| her in refitting, machinery, in hose, eX-
tinguishers, pumps and machinery, as
well as for life preservers. The fact
/ that the vessel was rated as an a l
| risk, is the best evidence that every
| thing was done that human foresight
could provide. The story that boats
and RATS were tied down with ropes
and wires, the former so covered with
| dried paint that they resisted knife
is absolutely false. The life RATS were
simply laid on the deck. 1 venture to
say that many people were killed SIM
ply in the effort to get at the boats. We
had over 500 life preservers more than
the legal capacity of the boat. The al
legation that they were old, rotten and
| worthless is not true"
Mr.. Barnaby said the company was
making an investigation of the disas-
sx.,, cniI hnf
personally he believed the fire started
in the store room.
| Edward Flannigan chief officer of the
Slocum, when questioned by Assistant
District Attorney Caravan. today, de-
MED that it was impossible to get wa
ter where the fire hose was attached.
The supply of water was plentiful, but
the hose, which was new, he said, burst
in many places almost as soon as the
| water was turned on and became use
less.
The scenes about the morgue and at
the docks where the relief boats came
| in laden with their CHASTITY freight.
were heart-rendering and beyond any
possibility of description. Men and
| women who had waited for hours gave
! way to bitter grief when the bodies of
| their loved ones were found among the
piles Of burned and mangled dead.
The scenes at the bureau of Informal
ton which has been established in st.
Marks Lutheran church were pathetic
| in the extreme. There was Il con-
slant stream of people and now and
then as they came were informed that
the loved one for whom he or she is
seeking is among the dead, a cry Of
grief is heard. One young man was
| Informed that his mother and four sis
tcrs for whom he was looking had not
been found. He had been to the
morgue and to all the hospitals and
this was his last hope. Satisfied that
his loved ones were dead he tainted
and it was some time before he could
be resuscitated.
A heavy pail of sorrow hung, today,
over public school 25, on Fifth street
near first avenue, which is in the CELL
ter of the residence district most af-
fected by the SIocum disaster. OF the
1000 pupils. OF the school, nearly 800 of
the regular attendants did not appear
in their classes tOdaV OF this num-