The Tomahawk., 1904-06-23


other followers of the river, who braved
the flames and held the noses of their
boats against the fire-wrapped steamer
until driven off by the awful heat,
scorched and choking. Dead bodies Of
women were found with their burned
arms clasping close the pitiful forms Of
little children and babies were found
their tiny arms enfolding each other
in the stiff embrace of death.
Distress Signals Disregarded.
But there is a darker side hinted at
along the river front where are told
stories that seem to be the inevitable ac-
compartment of all great calamities.
There has been no evidence of charac-
ter specific enough to fasten it upon in
dividuals and permit of punishment, but
survivors and eyewitnesses say that
some brutal acts of selfshness and COW
ardice on the part of the Slocum's crew
were seen and that distress signals from
the burning boat were disregarded by
passing craft. One man AYERS that a
big white yacht passed the Slocum when
the bodies Of women and children were
going overheard and did not even slack
en- speed. According to this man the
yacht flew the pennant of the New York
Yacht club, but not the owners pen
nant which always signifies that he is
aboard, and after passing the Slocum
she steered over to the western shore
and hove to, while on her bridge man
in uniform with binoculars to his eyes
watched the vessel burn.
fhor
similar acts of incredible callousness is
the story of Miss Martha Weirk, who
says that while she struggled in the wa
ter boat drew alongside of her and
that men in it, after stripping her of
her rings and other jewelry, pushed
her back into the water The body Of
the steward had been ritled when found,
and, OF several hundred dollars he was
supposed to have in his pockets, not a,
cent was found
Criticism for Crew.
There is open criticism of the failure
Of the Slocum's S officers and crew to meet
the emergency, but as yet no formal
action has been taken by either the
municipal or federal authorities. Capt.
Van Schaicl and the two pilots are un-
der arrest but are held only as witness
es That there was terrible failure to
meet the responsibilities is undoubted.
No effort, as far as can be learned, was
made to launch the life RATS or boats
and no concerted attempt made toward
equipping the helpless women and chill
dren with life preservers. But few OF
those rescued and few of the bodies re-
covered from the river had on life pre-
servers, and according to several state
ments most of these supposed instru-
ments of safety were practically worth
less, either coming apart when attempt
was made to use them or not possessing
the buoyancy they are supposed to have.
There is very general criticism of the
captain and pilots for their failure to
turn the vessel ashore the moment they
were informed that the fire had gained
headway. Capt Van Schaick has made
several statements, varying in detail
but none Of them is considered as salts
factory.
Pilot Van Wart, however, Thursday
said that he could not dock the vessel
because all of her hawsers were burned
His statement follows:
when / first discovered the presence
of fire on the steamer decided to make
for the first dock that could find, but in
moment I was informed that all the
ropes by which we usually tied up had
been burned. I then decided to make
for the first point of land where there
were no rocks and beach the vessel, and
this l did. The presence of rocks all
along the shore made it impossible for
me to beach the vessel any sooner than
I did"
Scenes at Morgue.
From miGnight until long after sun
rise Thursday the work of arranging
the hundreds of unidentified bodies
which were being brought down from
North Brother island all night pro-
gressed uninterruptedly. The sleepless