The Saint Paul globe., 1904-06-18
WRECK YET HOLDS
NUMEROUS BODIES
Estimates of the Dead in Steam
er SIocum Horror Still
Vary Widely

NEW YORK, June 17.-Despite the
untiring work of the divers and Crap
piers and the watchfulness of scores of
men who have given themselves over
to the task of searching for the miss
ing" but few bodies of those who per-
ished in the Slocum disaster were re-
covered today. 1t was stated by divers
that there are many bodies still under
the ENHANCEMENT of the timbers and
paddle wheels, and that it would be
necessary to dynamite the hulk or
raise it before they would be reached.
If the boat is raised the cost probably
will come out Of the city treasury.
Secretary Cortelyou, of the depart
ment of commerce and labor, will per-
sonally undertake the investigation
into the disaster on behalf of the gov
ernment; District Attorney Jerome's
assistants are working energetically on
the case, and officials of the coroner's
office have made considerable progress
in the way Of gathering evidence which
will be presented on Monday when the
coroners inquiry will begin.
Pipe Valve Is Closed
There is in the coroner's possession
stand pipe taken at his direction by
diver from the submerged wreck
The valve of the pipe is closed tight,
showing that no use was made of this
pipe in fighting the flames on the Slo-
cum.
Statements were made to the coroner
today by steamboat employees that the
captain of the Slocum sailed his boat
between three and four miles after the
fire broke out before Bleaching her.
Estimates as to the number of dead
9f11 ho
counted for by reason of the failure to
report to the proper authorities on the
part of many who although officially
registered as missing, were in reality
saved.
Already $50 bodies have been recov-
Thirteen officers of the st. Marks
church are among the dead, one of
them being a woman.
Described by Chief Engineer
B. F. Conklin, chief engineer of the
General Slocum, is at his home in
CatSkill, N. Y, ill from the effects of
his terrible experience. He did not
know how the fire started. Mr.. Conk
lin continued:
'I at once ordered the first mate to
lay the hose while / went to the
pumps, first notifying the captain. who
was in the pilot house, by calling to
Everett Brandow, my assistant, to
stand near the engine and not to leave
it, and he Obeyed me-
I'm less than a minute water was
being poured on the flames, but 1t did
not seem to check them in the least.
Two minutes or so later the fire alarm
sounded, and some one on deck cried,
Fire!'" Mr.. Conklin, after recounting
the terrible scenes that followed, add
ed:
at has been said that the life pre-
servers were old and rotten. We car
ried a full complement of preservers.
They were such as are required by law
and if they were not sound and in the
| condition they should have been, then
| it is up to the inspectors, for the boat
had been inspected only short time
| before the fire, and everything was
pronounced all right.
! With Flames Around Him
"Just before the Slocum was beach,
| ed the engine room was in flames, and
| the large mirrors in it fell. / looked
| for Brandow and he was still standing
near the throttle with the flames all
about him. When the boat grounded
there was terrible crash as the upper
| decks gave way, and for a moment
| felt sick, for I knew that many people
were caught beneath it. BrandOW
| stopped his engines and we made our
way With dlthcuIty ait. Here thore
were women and children who be-
sought us piteously to save them.
did my best to calm them and told
| them they must jump overheard. Just
| then a tug came up alongside and a
| rush was made for it.
Il was carried over with the rest and
| fell underneath the struggling mass.
arose and when reached the shore
| saw Capt. Van Schaick and Pilot Van
Wart standing in the water taking out
bodies which We're floating all around
us. I assisted in the work as long as
| 1 could. Brandow was badly burned
about the head and neck, but he es-
capped. He and I were the last of the
crew to leave the boat
Several witnesses were examined by
! Coroner Berry tonight, including the
| second mate of the Slocum, James
Corcoran. Corcoran said the first en-
| gineer, William Conklin, was among
the first to hurry off the vessel to a
tug.