Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1904-06-18

on full steam before leaving the en-
CINE. SO that who ever happened to be
at the wheel could use the steam as
long as it lasted.
1.-THE fire started opposite 1C3th
street. The captain tried to put in at
Port Horris, but he was afraid the gas
tank there might explode from the
flames so he kept on to North Brother
Island"
New York, June 17.-FOrty-eight
hours after the burning of the steamer
Gen. Slocum, the exact number OF VIC
Tins is still unknown. In the early
morning hours a few bodies were
brought to the morgue, bringing the to-
tai up to 532. AS the morning wore
on with no more arrivals, hope began
to be felt that the awful total had been
completed, but it was soon shattered
by a report that divers at work on the
hulk of the Slocum has discovered a
mass of bodies in one of the paddle
boxes.
How many corpses there will prove
to be in this place will not be known
for some hours as they will not be dis
turbed until the coroner is on the
scene. One hopeful phase of the situa-
ton is the steady decrease of the num-
Der of missing. The list is still large,
being somewhere between 400 and 500.
The various officials whose positions
brings them in touch with the disaster
still adhere to the belief that when all
is told it will be found that between
900 and 1000 persons persisted.
The task of burying the dead began.
today. Early in the forenoon, meet
ing of the German Luthern ministers
of the city was held and program of
services arranged. While in many in
stances a Joint service will be held over
several bodies, nevertheless the clergy
men of this denomination have an her
culean task before them in admins
| tering the last rites over the dead of
their faith.
The distressing concentration of the
blow of the disaster is shown by the
| fact that in one apartment house in Sth
street there are So dead. while in Riv-
ington street house 16 bodies await
burial.
Preliminary steps have been taken for
three distinct Investigations of the dis
aster. These are being undertaken by
the federal authorities through the de-
partment of cOmmrce, by the coroner S
Office and by the district attorney. The
coroner's inquest will begin. Monday
next. Capt. Van Schaick and six of
his crew lie in a hospital with a po-
liceman at their bedside. They are de-
tanned as witnesses. The authorities
are rapidly gathering evidence and as
nnf
carelessness in the safety is quoted in
an interview as saying that the steam
er's fire hose was rotten and useless and
that it burst in a dozen places when he
and his men tried to use it. The charge
is also made that the life preservers
ON the boat were old and rotten and in
most instances proved inadequate when
used. Several papers. today. print pic
lures of preservers taken from the Slo-
cum which bear in black letters this in
scription: Passed by United States
steamboat inspector, June is. 1891" Will
liam Thembley. a deck hand, corrob-
boratcs Flanagan's statement regard
ing the defective fire hose and it IS re-
ported that evidence has been secured
showing that some of the life boats
possible for them to be cast loose ana
lowered. All the men who have made
these statements will be called as wit
| nesses by the coroner.
Police boats and other harbor craft
still maintain their patrol of the waters
| of the East river, in the vicinity of the
accident in the hope of recovering
bodies.
The coroner had arranged to visit
the wreck. today, for the purpose OF
ascertainng. IL possible. what evil
dence of culpability on the part of the
EnickeCbocker Steamboat Co, or
officials of the boat if any could be Sc
cured to present to the coroner's in
quest. 1t was arranged to take the
bodies out at that time.
At the various hospitals where the
injured had been taken it was said,
today. their condition was very salts
factory. There are now SO victims of
the disaster in the hospitals.
1t developed. today, that new hor-
ror had been added to the terrible con-
ditions resulting from the Slocum di-
saster through the righteousness
Of some person at the morgue. AS a re-
suit some of the bodies probably will
were taken from the water each was
tagged with number. That number
| was recorded and the papers. valuables
and trinkets which would have served
| to identify the bodies were removed