New-York tribune., 1904-09-24

| before
negligence of the master the steamer and or tne
ehage ~4 to OBSERVE See s ~ provisions m Of Section IS
Rule v. Rules and Regulations Of the BoaEd el @ gu
once az least each week to cali All hands 4 to @ guar a
tS frs % 11T11s ann % All ~ other spparatus for the
safety of life board such vessel and to see ss
working order for Immediate use"
COULD HAVE PUT OUT THE FIRE.
Had this rule been observed and the crew Of the
General Socum been trained as 70 tner GHTe5 = ia "a
81 e to or eo5eee ha such disaster could
have occurred to the steamer as dld occur: as ~
three Of the crew saw the fire in it's incipiency.
when bucket or two of water (buckets ana a par
evdenceS sew was ali that was needed TO put out the
doing this however one OF them in his Ignorance.
added fuel the flames in the shape OF an empty
ouertiy saturated with dust from the same. al In
gredient about infiammable as gunpoWder'
Basing his case on the statute under which
the board revokes his license, Captain van
wart is now suing TO have it restored to hlni'
According TO maritime law. the pilot or otner
subordinate officer is able to give orders on his
own initiative only in the absence OF the master
Otherwise all discipline would be at an emu.
Thus captain Van wart had no authority to
order fire or other drill on his own initiative
and holds that he therefore is not responsible
for the lack of discipline and inadequate pro-
lection against fire existing on the General
SIocum The most careful reading of the entire
report win fail to discover any esnsure. direct
or by allusion, TO the work Of the boards own
man. Lundberg, who inspected the Slocum a
month prior to the catastrophe.
Sad as it seems to Inspector Dumont. the cor
oner's jury. to which The Tribune at the time
referred as made UP of men Of exceptional in
teligence, failed TO perceive that the members
Of the board were without blame. They had
this to say concerning one Lundberg. Of whose
existence the local board appears 20 be unaware.
that he was guilty Of criminal negligence by
reason of his incompetent. careless and indif-
ferent inspection" of the Slocum. The verdict
also unlzindly said. concerning the board. that
its system of inspection which prevails in the
harbor of New-York is very inefficient and does
not properly determine whether the life saving
apparatus and fire appliances on the vessels are
in proper condition to prevent loss Of life"
The coroners jury held that Frank A. Barna-
by, president Of the Knickerbocker Steamboat
Company; the secretary. Atkinson. and ive di-
rectors of the company were guilty Of criminal
negligence In falling to provide proper life saw
ing appliances; that Captain Van Schaick was
criminally responsible for the accident, and that
Captain John A. Pease commodore OF the feet,
was also crimiaally responsible for the lack OF
proper safeguards on the SIocum The jury ac
cused the mate Edward Flanagan. Of acting in
a cowardly manner.
Captain Van Schaick the officers of the steam
boat company and Captain Pease were indicted
July % by the federal grand jury Inspector
Lundberg and Inspector Fleming who assisted
him. were also indicted. although the present re-
port makes no mention of either. Van Schaick
and the two inspectors were charged with GRIM
inaI negligence under Section 5,344, Revised
Statutes the others were charged with aiding
and abetting this neglect.
FORGET ABOUT PULvERIzED SAVERS.
The laudatory mention OF solid cork life pre-
servers which appears in the report apropOs Of
nothing In particular does not throw the least
light on the action of the two inspectors. as the
life preservers OF the slocum happened to be
made from pulverized cork. another evidence Of
poor memory on the part OF the board. Con-
cerning these life preservers. Coroner Berry's
jury had this % say:
That on board said steamboat on June 10. 1904.
there was a wholly improper and unsuitable frs
sHficienf NUMBER Of good and avaiiabs lie pre-
and other life saving appliances, properly
said SO Ts 's n aSd shS Sa this SGsTa s he
tion existed when on May 5. lso4. Assistant Steam
the vessel and approved Of its FIRE extinguishing
and life saving equipment. apparatus and appli-
ances.
Inc CoFOH6I jury Was not content with the
SNUG assertion of the Board Of Inspectors that
"It has not been decided proper to go into the
matter any further than is incidentally neces-
sary"-to clear itself The coroners jury with
out hesitation placed the blame for the disas-
ter. 1t said:
Barnaby Atkinson. Van Schaick Pease and the
other directors 0f the company. 70 provide such
cency OF the latter and also because n of neT ,hs
absence OF licensed and trained mate 20 COM
mand the latter and direct them. the said fre was
That the lives OF the deceased were DESTROYED
bv and through the aforementioned misconduct
and negligence OF the said Barnaby i, and
and other directors
Content and willing as is the board 70 let the
matter drop. certain other investigators Of the
accident have other views on the propriety Of
such action. At the office of the United States
District Attorney. General Burnett said:
can only say this in regard to that report The
United States District Attorneys office will not be
vestigation held by the local inspectors Of steam
boats. This office will prosecute every Indictment
found by the federal grand jury as relentessly as
the evidence allows. The defendants have until
October to withdraw the plea of not guilty en-
tered az the spring term of the United States Dis
to quash the indictment
H. K. Smith. the legal adviser of the federal
commission appointed by the Department Of
disaster. said yesterday, EFT would be highly i'm
proper for us 20 discuss this report" The re-
port or the federal commission will probably be
finished In few days II will be made public In
the first ten days Of October