Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1904-06-23
MORE THAN 700 EXCURSION
lists LOSE THEIR LIVES ON
A BURNING STEAMBOAT
HUNDREDS OF WOMEN AND LITTLE CHILDREN BURNED
CRUSHED OR DROWNED IN HORRIBLE CATAS-
TR0PHE IN EAST RIVER, new YORK

high as one thousand and more, but
row it would seem that the maximum
of fatalities will not largely exceed
700.
Watch for Bodies All Day.
All day long, from sunrise until
darkness shut off even the melancholy
satisfaction of looking for the dead,
anxious searchers kept up their con-
start vigilance and at dusk there had
been recovered $50 bodies, for the
gres-t part of women and children
mothers who weeks ago had planned
that fatal outing for their children,
little ones who had longed for the
coming of the happy day.
More Than 800 Identified.
Up to dusk 499 bodies had passed
through the morgue and of these
more than 800 were identified. Down
by the river, where the boats unloaded
their dead, thousands gathered
throughout the day. The streets
leading to the morgue were blocked
and only with difficulty could the pc.
lice keep clear the passages leading
to the long rows of collins, for those
who came TO search for the missing.
Little Ones Died Together.
Up the sound, where the hulk of the
Slocum lies submerged, scores of
small craft aided tugs in graphing
for the victims. Divers went down
time and time again, and when thei.
work ended for the day, they de.
clared there were nc more bodies in
the wreck. A score of times diver
reappeared after his plunge with the
body of a woman or child. Two of
them coming to the surface together
on one occasion had in their arms two
little -sisters-clasped in each
others embrace, and their mother, It
was thought, whose dead hand tightly
clenched the skirt of one of them.
AS far as in their power the divers
searched the wreck from stem to
stern but there were masses of broken
timbers through which it was almost
impossible to explore, and it may be
that some will find a grave under
those sunken timbers until the hulk
is raised or the water of the sound
has washed away the last trace of the
wreckage.
Many Missing Found Safe.
1t is believed that many now report.
ed missing are safe and eventually
will be heard from by officials who
have the rescue work in hand Last
night surprising number of persons
reported to these officials that they
had been saved, thus cutting the list
of missing down considerably as well
as the probable mortality list.
lid not Launch Life Rats.
There is open criticism OF the fail
ure Of Tue Slocum's officers and crew to
meet the emergency, Capt Van Schaick
and the two pilots are under arrest, but
are held only as witnesses. That
there was terrible failure to meet the
responsibility is undoubted. No effort,
as far as can be learned, was made to
launch the life RATS and boats and no
attempt made toward equipping the
helpless women and children with life
preservers. But few of those rescued
and few of the bodies recovered from
the river had on life preservers and &C
cording to several statements most of
these supposed instruments of safety
were practically worthless.
Captains Varying Statements.
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 Roadway. Capt Van Setback
has made several statements, varying
in detail, but none of them is consld.
cred as satisfactory.
Pilot Van Wart, however, yesterday
ss.d that he could not dock the vessel
because all of her hawsers were
burned. His statement follows:
When l first discovered the pres
ence of fire on the steamer I decided
to make for the first dock that I could
find, but in a moment | was informed
that all the ropes by which we usually
tied up had been burned I then de-
cided to make for the first pcint OF
land where there was no rocks ano
beach the vessel and this I did. The
presence Of rocks all along the shore
made it impossible for me TO beach the
vessel any sooner than did"
Living With the Dead.
Brought into the Alexander avenue