The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1904-06-18

AZ untrug work or divers and Crap
piers and the watchfulness OF
scores of men who have given them
selves over to the task of searching for
The missing, few bodies of those who
persisted I'm the SlOcum disaster were
recovered today.
nc was said by divers who went down
into the wreck at dawn that there were
many bodies under the ENHANCEMENT Of
timbers and paddle wheels. and that
II would he necessary to dynamite the
-huik or raise it before they could be
reached. TO this end city officers COM
4+diilcdleQ with Wreckiug company
ahd an announcement was made chat
tue company would undertake the work
or bringing the wreck 10 thc surface.
later however O. conference between
tae marine insurance companies and
tfe Wrecking company ended i'm a dis
faSFeementr with the result, for the
present al least, the matter is i'm abey-
auCe
At this conference it was announced
that the knickerbOCker Steamboat
company, which owns the General Slo-
cum had resigned all claim 90 the boat
ON the agreement that it should receive
atOGu0 The amount for which Che boat
was Insured. The Insurance companies
and the wrecking company failed 10
asree ou terms, and If the boat is raised
al all the cost probably viii come out
81 The city treasury.
Inquest Next Monday.
Secretary CorteIyou of the deDart-
menL of commerce and labor viii per-
sonahy undertake the investigation into
tne disaster ON behalf of the govern
meul, District Attorney Jeromc's as
slstsnts are at work euergeticaIIy on
the case, and officers OF the cOr0uer's
Once have made considerable progress
an the gathering of evidence to be pre-
scented on Monday when the cOrouer's
inquiry viii begin
There is i'm the cOr0ueT's possession a
slandpipe taken by his direction by
diver OF the submerged wreck. The
valve et The pipe is closed tight hint
ing that Ho use was made Of Jhis pipe
IN lighting The flames ON the Sl0cum-
Statements were made to the cor
OueT today by several of the steamboat
employees who viii appear as witnesses
al the inquest that the captain of the
Siucum sailed his boat between three
or four miles after the FIRE broke cut
before Bleaching her. Several watches
showed that more than half an hour
elapsed from the breaking out of the
fire until the boat was run ashore. All
the watches taken from bodies of the
drowned stopped between 1910 and
1920 In the morning.
Number of Dead Unknown.
Estimates as TO the number of dead
SIN vary greatly, and this may be ac-
counted for by reason of the failure 10
report TO the proper authorities on the
part of many who. although officially
registered as missing were i'm reality
saved
Already 500 bodies have been recov-
cred. of which about fifty remain un-
identified. These include 273 children
DAB women and tWenty-three men. Ihir-
gteen officers of the st. Marks church
are among the dead, one of them be-
ing a woman.
The first funeral from among The vic
Tins was held today, 30 was that of a
young girl who is believed to have died
OF fright. No signs of death from
burning or drowning were found HEY
funeral was followed by score or
others which was attended by thou
sands of persons from the east side
where most of the dead had lived.
Tomorrow there viii DE 800 or more
funerals. and thirty-twO unTec1gnizd-
bile bodies Wild be placed each in sep
arate coffin and iu "a separate nearse
and laid away iu the Lutheran Gem
ctery at Middle Village. i. L The cltE
has arranged for their burial q Plot
large enough for the burial of go
bodies having been set aside iH This
cemetery. All the unknown dead viii
ba placed there side by side
Many thousands of dollars have been
Subscribed to- the relief of the uni r-
ttssete survivors
Some 4z5 persons reported missing
have not been accounted lot To inc
police How many OF these have been
found and for whom no report To
the police has been made IS not known.
but the police believe that many of
the 425 are dead
10 Is almost certain that the original
figures of more than 600 dead viii
be borne out by finding of more bodies. T
Witnesses Examined.
Several witnesses were examined by /
Coroner Berry tonight including tho
second mate of the SIocum, James Cor F..
c0rau. Corc0vau said the first enEi- F.
prar. William Coukliu was among the /.
first To- hurry off the vessel to a tug
I'm telling his story Corclrau said-
1.-The fire started iu "a room used for
storing oils The machinery oils. kero-
seue and beuzoiue were kept there AMI
tne lamps filled I'm 81. so one knows .
show the IRE started, but it is thought .
q lighted lamp lefE there, SO the men
could see to use the room, exploded
A bov saw the fire and told a deck
hand. He and others rushed % the
room 10 Tight the fire. / realized from
HE first chat there was no cnauce fo /
tine steamer Ll. are rH- Etil ~ AI-ll
Cow To stern SO rapidly that before the
un9or deck was aure the flames had
attacked everything ON the lower deck.
Ma an fought as Ions as We could
and the heat Then the others and .
tried to run to- the upper deck. but the
eaugWays were So crowded that We
lad no chance 10 go zap at all. Then
$50 tried TO SET life preseIyers for the
women and children. I saw "a woman
give birth 10 q child and then jump
overheard with the new born babe.
Thcy both died. J could not get 60
her. the crowd was SO great. and she
had no help at all. People were crazy.
The fire was all around her ANA she
picked up her baby in her arms
wrapped a piece of her clothing about
Yt and sick and frightened as she was
looked about Tor a way 10 escape. There
Was none. 1t took only moment for
Ber 70 realize this Then she climbed
or fee railing ana lcaped into the ws-
ter
John }. Coakiey q deck hand ON the