The daily morning journal and courier., 1904-06-29
RESPONSIBILITY FOR
 GEN. SLOCUM DISASTER
VERDICT RENDERED BIZ THE
 CoRoNBR,S JURY.

Directors of the KnicIxerboclzer Steam l boat Company, Commodore Pease and 1 Captain Van schaick Made CriminaIiy l Responsibre--Aiate FIannagan Ac- cused of Cowardfce-rnspector Lund-
 berg's Conduct to be Reported to
 Government.
 l New York, June 2S,-The inquiry con- ducted by Coroner Berry and 8 jury into the General Glocum disaster was concluded to-day, and after nearly four hours deliberat1on a verdict was rem ldered in which the directors of the Knickerbocker Steamboat company, the tcaptain of the Slocu1n, the commodore of the company's fleet and others were held criminally responsible. Warrants for their arrest were issued The nate of the Slocum, according to the jury, acted in a cowardly manner, and the misconduct of Steamboat Inspector Lundberg it was recommended, should be brought to the attention of the fed eral authorities.
 1 The charge in each case was man. slaughter in the second degree. Ball Twas fixed by the coroner in amounts varying from s1,0eo to $5,0O0. l The directors of the company are: Frank A. BMnaby, president; Charles E. Hill, vice-president; James K. At kinson, secretary, and c. Delacey Evans. Robert K. Story, Floyd c. Cor bin and Frank c. Dexter.
 I As soon as each of the jury had indi- Ividually declared the verdict his own, lwarrants were issued for the arrest of all those named.
 l After pointing out the duty of the different officers and persons named, and their failure to perform their duty, 1.-the jury finds: t
 That the president, Frank A Barna- by; the secretary, James K. Atkinson and the board of directors of the Hnick- 1 erbocker Steamboat company, namely, Frank A. Barnaby, Charles F. Hila, c. Delacey Evans, James K. Atkinson, Robert K. Story, Floyd S. Corbin and Frank G. Dexter, were guilty of crirri- nal negligence in the failure to see to the proper equipment of the General E6locum in the matter of the fre-hght- ling and life-saving appliances on board said boat.
 That the captain, William H. Van lSohaick, be held crinainaily responsible for the accident.
 HThat the captain, John A. Pease, the acknowledged commodore of the fleet, Ibe held orinlinally responsible for his failure to properly equip the General .slocum with flre-ighting and lige-pre- .Eserving appliances
 That Edward Flanagan, the mate, acted in a cowardly manner, and we
 recommend that he be held criminally irresponsible for failure to perform his duty on the General Slocum on the day of the disaster.
 That, in the opinion of this jury, the misconduct of Henry Lundberg, the lgovernment inspector, in failing to re- bort to his superiors the true facts con- cerning the vessels fire -extinguishmg and lffe-saving equipment, should be brought to the notice of the United
 States prosecuting officials: and we further hold that said Henry Lundbera
 be held for criminal negligence by req son of his incompetence, careless and indifferent inspection of the General Slocum's hull and life-saving appli-
 ances on the fifth day of May, 1904. I 'The jury are also of the opinion that the system of inspection which prevails in the harbor of New York is very in efficient and does not properly deter mine whether the life-saving apparatus land fire appliances on the vessels in this harbOr are in proper and s1jfahle lcondition to prevent the loss of life, land we recommend to the secretary of
 commerce and labor that he issue such instructions to the supervising and To- cal force of inspectors as will cause
 them to efficiently and honestly exam line the steamboats. plying in and about lthis harbor."