Daily Kennebec journal., 1904-06-21
Recovered from Wreck of
Steamer SIOcum.
About 800 Missing Are Reported
by Anxious Friends.
Over 100 Bodies Recovered, Satur-
day, Many ct Them Unrecognizable-
Coroner's Inquiry into Disaster Is
Begun.

New York. June 21-The death list
of those who perished on the Gen. Slo-
cum Is growing at an alarming rate.
Bodies came to the surface, Monday off
the shores Of North Brothers Island
singly and in groups Of twos and threes.
until 1O2 additional had been re-
covered. Every passing steamer seemed
to churn up the water to such a degree
that with its wash one or more bodies
would be swept onto the beach. Be-
tween the hours of and 3, Saturday af-
ternoon, As bodies, some of them badly
mutilated, We're taken ashore by the
searching party.
This brings the total number of bod les
recovered up to 734, and yet there are
something like 1923 persons unaccounted
for. A number of these are among the
unidentified lying at the morgue and
over on North Brothers Island and the
unrecogniZable that have been buried
in the Lutheran cemetery on Long Is
land.
The coroner's inquiry into the disas-
ter was begun, Monday. Thousands of
persons gathered i'm and d.around the Ar
mory in the borough of The Bronx.
where the inquest was held. Among
those examined were Frank A. Barna-
by. president of the Knickerbocker
Steamboat Co, James Fl. Atkinson, the
secretary of the company. Mate Flana-
gan of the Slocum, and several men,
bers of the crew.
at work on the Slocum, today,
stead of the hull resting IN mud as
they thought, they found that it rested
on rocks which were never known to
exist. This they say will delay the
work somewhat.
More than 200 witnesses have been
summoned to appear at the inquest
which was scheduled to begin before
Coroner Berry. 1t also was planned to
have present an assistant United
States district attorney and stenos..
rapher, with Instructions from the de-
partment of justice to take all the
te testimony offered. As fast as the notes
are transcribed. the evidence will be
examined by United States District At
tOrney Burnett, who vii; in turn for
ward the evidence, together with his
opinion thereon, to the department.
If the evidence warrants it," said
Cen Burnett, today. II shall not wait
until the end of the inquest before
moving in the matter. If the evidence
is strong enough the federal grand
jury will be considering certain
phases of the case long before the in |
quest has closed"
Tn oI1 20 TIA {a1> Al
department of justice was taking in the |
inquest, III. X. Smith, the legal repre- ]
sentative of Sec Cortelyou, of the de-
partment of commerce and labor, was
under Instructions to keep that depart
ment thoroughly advised as the in
quest progresses.
1t was expected that striking facts |
would be adduced at the inquest for |
in addition to the proof that the life |
presery ers were rotten. that the fire |
hose burst. that the life boat divits !
would not work and that the life rifts |
We're so fastened to the decks that they !
could not be moved Coroner Berry is |
said to have evidence that many OF |
the preservers We're so heavy that they |
sank like lead. Two bodies were found |
on the bottom Of the river with these |
ring preservers around them.
Another charge which the coroner Is |
to investigate is one to the effecte that |
n portion of the guard rail to which |
four bodies were found clinging when |
1t was raised from the bottom of the
river, yesterday, was rotten and worm-
eaten.
Several more bodies were recovered |
during the forenoon. some of them I'm |
the vicirity of the wreck of the Siocum.
Thc-e are four divers at work near |
North Brother Island searching for |
bodies.
One DIVER reports that at a depth CT |
B5 feet he has discovered large hol- |
low in which he says there are a great |
many boGies.
A resident Of Jersey City named
Workman. who lost two daughters in
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