New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-06-18


favorite granada lighter and young grandson,
who had persisted Henry W. Lambeck. an aged
| man. of No. 104 Avenue A. fell in a faint from
| exhaustion yesterday. He was revived WIN
stirnulants and sent to his home. AS he was
| being carried to his home he reused himself ana
| in a feeble voice asked
| Has my little girl come yet?
| The wreck of the General Slocum. which
| lies almost submerged off Hunts Point; Where
she finally sank after Wednesday terTioIe IL.
| seized yesterday by the authoritles' anu
will be used evidence in the coroners inquest
and in such subsequent proceedings as may ne
| taken. The District Attorneys office is formal d.
Iy in charge of the wreck but the duty OF
| guarding it turned over to the Police De-
| Arrangements were made yesterday by city
| officials for the immediate raising Of the hulk.
| for which the city will probably have to pay.
| II is believed that much valuable evidence as 10
| the condition OF the steamer and as to the ef-
forts oc the crew in lighting the fire will be OBJ
tanned Even more important, in the eyes Of the
n,Inber Of bodies still believed to be in the
! wreck II the wreck blown up with dyna-
| mite, first proposed, many of the bodies
would doubtless be torn apart.
| IMPORTANT EVIDENCE ON THE WRECK.
That the wreck will furnish most important
! evidence for the coroners and the District At
| torney was shown yesterday afternoon, when
/ John NJ Rice a diver in the employ of the Dock
! Department finding that he could recover
| more bodies with the wreck I'm its present posi-
! ton hunted about until he found the fire fight
1
| a twelve-foot section Of a 4-inch standpipe, to
| which hose is attached on shipboard for the
! purpose Of lighting fire a launch dis
| patched TO North Brother Island for Coroner
O'Gorman and on his arrival the pipe
/ tested.
J Water WAS poured in the open end of the pipe,
| and not a drop ESCAPED at the valve end. This
| proved according to the engineers on the diving
! float that the valve had not been opened, and
do ferl1r t1n fro
With this particular piece of apparatus. The
! standpipe was placed just forward of the star
board paddle box In which many people took
refuge to escape the flames. According TO the
accounts Of the fire given by survivors it could
have been reached with safety for a considerable
time after the fire broke out.
After making the water test. the coroner tried
the valve which opens It. but 1t was tightly
closed and the wheel had not been turned.
Coroner O'Gorman tied the wheel in the position
in which it found and put his official seal
upon il. The pipe was then sent to the Alex
ander-ave station in charge Of a policeman.
II consider this n most important piece of
evidence" said the coroner We Will get at
the other force pipes as soon possible. and de-
termine just how much the crew did toward
fighting the flames From the appearance OF
the pipe and condition OF the valve. it would
seem that il had not been used for years. vet
This mute evidence which the wreck is fur
nisaiug is indisputa ole and of the utmost inn
portance"
There was conference at Police Headquarters
yesterday regarding the raising Of the wreck il
which Police Commissioner McAdoo. Assistant
Distric; Attorney Caravan and William l.. Chap
man. secretary Of the Merritt Chapman Wreck
ing Company took Part. After discussing the
plans and cost OF raising the wreck. Commits
sioner McAdoo gave out the following state
mcnt.
The hulk has been taken in charge by the District
Attorneys office for evidence which II may con
tain In connection with the investigation behalf
or the people" and at their request tho Police De
durtnr Tho onar,tion .7C"esssr, ~ ISM The h,,i
The intention now is To raise the hulk once. and
the District Attorneys office has notified the
that they viii want immediate action and viii
brook no interference with the pursuit OF the evil
The Merritt Chapman wrecking Company are 20
tons today under the direction OF this offico in
hunting for bodies / have directed them to make
on the port side. Dragncts, owned by the COMPANY
will be used In sweeping the wreck aud the vi
entity for bodies.
There Is little doubt that tho wreck he
raised. and without delay The Merritt-Chap-
man Wrecking Company made an investigation
on Thursday, and Kivlin. chief wreckt came
to that conclusion The companys diver.
Greenberg in number OF descents. covered the
entire vessel. He says the decks entirely
burned away. with the exception Of the main
deck. In this the fire ate great holes, through
which the flames got into the hold and licked
up the woodwork there. There will be some sal
wage in the wreck, II is believed. the Slo-
Gums boilers did not burst, and much Of the
machinery is probably little damaged.
Rice, the citys diver believes that there are
many bodies still in the wreck The port pad
die box is buried in the mud. and the divers
have been unable to cut into it. 1t is believed
that number, of bodies will be found there
when the vessel is raised.
The hold of the steamer, Rice says, probably
contains number of CorpseS. They I'M
doubtedly burned almost to a crisp. and recog-
milton will be impossible. but the workers are
none the less anxious to get them out.
Soon after graphing for bodies resumed
yesterday report was received that one of the
divers working at the wreck of the Slocum had
found number of bodies jammed around the
machinery near where the main deck fell I'm.
They were fastened tightly that they could
not be moved. II was said and talk OF resorting
TO dynamite TO tear the machinery apart was
heard
BODIES LOST THROUGH SMELLS
Three bodies that had been brought up by
graphing hooks off the west shore of North
Brother Island lost last night Coroner
O'Gorman says. because the captain OF the
steamboat Priscilla. Of the Fall River Line
failed To slow up when he was warned In one
instance in particular. Coroner O'Gorman says
the failure OF the boat to slow up almost tore
from the of a grieved father the body
Of his child.
Herman Weidner. Of No All East Ninth-st
standing the shore. waiting To recover
the body of his Herbert. thirteen years old.
He had given a description OF the boy and when
one Of the searchers pulled up the body of a
boy he compared ii with the description and
thought the body to be that of Herbert When
the Priscilla passed by Captain Dean who was
on the Patrol, warned the captain to slow up.
This not done. and the wash from