New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-06-21

The first official investigation OF the Slocum
disaster was begun yesterday in the barnlike
Grill loft Of the I'd Battery Bathgate-ave.,
near one-hundred- nd-seyeDty-seventh-s st.
when Coroner Berry. of The Bronx. opened the
coroner's inquest. Involving. as ii does. the hx-
ing Of the respons bility for the loss Of between
seven and eight hundred lives. this is the most
important case that has been before coroner
court Not only the crew OF the I'll fated steam
er are virtually on trial. but also the company
which owned her and was responsible for her
equipment As acutely before the bar is the
entire system Of inspecting steam vessels in
vogue IN the United States Bureau Of Inspection
OF Steamboats,.
That there had never been a fire drill on the
socum within She memory Of the crew whlch
manned her last Wednesday was one OF inc
striking things brought out at the start. O'her
Witnesses testified that barrels OF oil and parreI
glasses stuffed with salt grass were IN the
oil room. Where the fire started. The crew tola
conflicting stories about their efforts to fight the
fire. the breaking Of hose and the launching OF
keboats. A number of questions lis TO the THOR
oughness Of the last inspection OF the steamer by
federal inspectors was an indication OF the Droao
scope which the. inquest Will cover.
Two score Of those who escaped with thelr
isa from the deathrldden steamer were seated
IN front OF the jury waiting TO be called as Wit
nesses Many OF them were women. and whlie
al were in deepest mourning for relatives lost
IN the disaster. several still wore bandages over
The burns they received before they jumped from
The burning steamer.
Every little while some one would come lhIo
The room who had news from North Bro'her
Island where Coroner william O'Gorman ana
humber OF rescue crews were still searching Tor
bodies
"Thirty-aye more bodies this morning, YVES
hhe first report that passed IN whisper throusii
the inquest room.
Then little later: They just brought in
iTenty more bodies" That, too' went 'Iie
hounds of witnesses. spectators and jurymen.
Nothing of this sort was needed 10 aoo 70 'ne
seriOuxness Of the assembly, but 1t hed IT'S
eject and marked the faces of those who are
Concerned with the examination with the oe-
termination 10 get 10 the very bottom OF the
Responsibility for the disaster
Members OF the crew, with the exception OF
ras three who were lost and the captain. VINO is
SIN in the hospital were kept away from TAO
crowd in the coroner's private room "He"
they were brought out, one by one 10 give iesti
iacny. the survivors and mournefs iIoni TIC
parish Of ST. Marks glared at them
Then there were the mute witnesses whIch
olFers obtained from the wreck. ana the Iaui'S
lie preservers taken from the bodies they mao
:sled 10 save There was the standplpe WIN
rs valve unturned, giving undisputaDie 'eso
inony thaz at least one part of the steamer
'ae gre fire nghting apparatus had not oeeh
asea. There were hose nozzle Win '"e S"p
t'il On and sections of worthless hose
The Inquest wns called for 1o:So o'clock ana
al morning carpenters worked TO turn the oriii
i0sl of the sTTnory into something Ike court
foorn- A part was rallied off for the attorneys
siso reporters. and raised platforms were oune
~ ne coroner and jury.
.ne jurors are John II. Thorne. foremah''
Ni@rsnce A. Jones NJ. A. Husson, Felix hifsh-
Hs'p Robert Jacobs, John r. Sleeves John =
.'einiz Theodore chalot. Gerald {. Cohhoi'
sonn y. Haskins. Frank @. Schaeher. James
-@ion. Jacob Zimmerman. Daniel j. HIGGINS
- Joseph A Goulden-
Aos' OF them are business men and AZ
0'e' appeared 20 surpass the average cor
Jury ia intelligence. They were prompt
A1inx questions Of witnesses when the eA-
I'd, -A'st'en was once under way, and every Ques-
- TO the point ssvers1 hznss -Dronanf-