New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-06-18


| Secretary Cortelyou yesterday went to West
| field Mass. where he was TO address the West
field Board of Trade and the Westfeld Normal
| School of which ne is graduate.
Corcoran's hands were burned. and the palms
were lacerated. He said the wires holding the
preservers were broken by him and the others,
and in doing that their hands were cut
As he was boarding the train for Westfeld
he said:
As Secretary Of the Department OF Commerce and
Labor I am the head of the federal inquiry into
and in 50 far possible my undivided ateRtion
until The matter is finally settled, ann0ue F ~ "di
ant Secretary Murray. AS soon as practical the
Board OF Inspectors will get together ana take
This inquiry win be separate and distinct from
a aay proceedings Drought '' '''' '''''s u
Before leaving was in e9nf9Ts4Sg
General of the Steamboat Inspection service ana
T re MI IIbIer viii come to New-York tomorrow
ing. and we formulating a plan for hold
Every one VINO can throw the least light, upon
the matter VIII be brought p Snpme 90 long as
any one can be found who can aid us In arriving
viii continue until the whole truth is known
want It thoroughly understood that the iederai
onstrated that some one has been lax in his duty
vice II has been charged that boiler and other
inspectors have been negligent in the performance
or Charge The public can rest assured that no
one viii be shielded. and that the blame shall De
Until we have an opportunity of making the in
for this matter is too serious be considered light
matter TO The bottom. officially and personally
General Uhler arrived in this city early IN
the morning He went at once 10 me o .,IIf VI
the local inspectors in the Wmtehali uu4lulnS,
where he was closeted FOR some time WIN
Robert s Rode, General Dumont, head OF the
lo- al hoa efSt
N Stranahan. Collector of the PORT. 'ol.eCtpi
Stranahan has nothing 40 90 dlrectIy WIN .iie
examination of steamboats, His dutes peEIh
and end with the imposing of the penalties pre-
scrbed by law for violations Of the regulations
governing steamboats, -. -,
Uhler went back to Washington where he VIII
make a report to President Roosevelt returning
here early this morning.
the accident and the approaching investigation
When he was served Yesterday with a subpoena
loud words between him and the subpoena
server. As the server left the Office he called
back over his shoulder:
You people can't bluff me. I'll find Lund-
berg. too" Lundberg, who was said at the IN
spectors office 10 he in The Bronx. certified
May : that the life preservers and hre hose on
the Slocum were in fit condition.
Mr.. Dumont would not say anything about
the story that the board is investigating itself
Fter the manner of the Port Chester inquiry
OF the Aldermen, which is common talk along
The waterfront.
though the assistant inspectors Of steamboats,
who Inspected the SIocum were found guilty in
the inquiry of falsely certifying 10 the efficiency
OF the life saving appliances on the Slocunl. they
could not he prosecuted. According to the law
yers. the law holds the supervising inspectors
and not their assistants liable for the proper
Of vessels. NIr. Dumont admitted
that he had personal knowledge of the con-
dition Of the life preservers, boats, RATS and
fire pumps the Slocum bur had issued the
certificate on the report OF the assistant in
spectors.
SCENES AT THE MORGUE.
Though hampered somewhat by conflict ~
authority among coroners and the disgraceful
conduct of some Of the undertskers who haunt
the Morgue. the work of identifying the dead
and removing the bodies from the Charities De-
partment pier went rapidly yesterday.
Where at daybreak there had been two hundred
bodies last evening were only twenty-nne. OF
which only eight were unidentified In the
MorRue proper we're thirty-one bodies. burned
TO a crisp absolutely unrecognizable.
Only five new bodies were received at the tenn
porary morgue yesterday. These came down
from North Brother Island by the Fidelity at
. p. m. and two more at G o'clock. one body
was left the island at that time.
The same vast throng passed IN and out at
the gate of the pier yesterday. the same spirit
Of unthinking curiosity pervading It. OF the
thousands who came TO view the bodies cOmpar-
atively few were relatives seeking a dear one.
These latter came 10 remain near the coroners
Office. seeking every stray bit OF information.
showing in their ashy faces and tear dmmed
eyes the terrible grief and anxiety under which
they labored. There tears at the
Morgue. The relatives still dazed they
move about tranceke in their affection
AS the number Of bodies on the pier grew
less the eagerness Of the undertakers who wait
ed outside with their runners increased. The
conduct of these runners has been feature FAR
more disgraceful than the unseemly curiosity
which has prompted thousands 10 view the
bodies lying in the Morgue. Many times have
they actually fought among themselves as
father would come from the pier. weeping over
the discovery of his chlds body
A dispute witnessed by five hundred persons.
was between Coroners Physician Weston in
charge of the bodies. and J. Hynes. an under
tak4r. of One-hundred- and forty -first-st. and
Villis-aye who, in the last two days. is said 10
have taken twenty-sx bodies from the morgue.
Hynes presented a certificate and permit for the
removal Of the body of Edward Smith. of No
DOS West Twenty -eighth-st.. a waiter on the
Slocum. the only negro victim Of the disaster.
The body of Smith identified by relatives
and the permit for removal was issued by Police
Surgeon Higgins, formerly a coroner's physician.
who was detailed TO the mOrgue by Commits
sioner McAdOo.
When Hynes presented the permit DIR. Weston
said no relative had asked for permission TO re-
move Smiths body, and on his withholding it
from the undertaken there was a stormy scene.
Then relative of the dead man appeared, say
ing she had given no permission for the removal
of the body by any undertaken. When she
found that the body was ready for removal she
called J. c. Thomas, undertaken Of No.
Alb Seventh-ave. to take charge OF II. Hynes
is relative OF DR. Higgins
ant ~ he