The San Francisco call., 1904-06-18

Repubiic was almost upon the divers
float and the waves made by the vessel
began to make the float rock and sway
that the pilot seemed to realize that he
should obey the signals and slowed
down slightly. By the time the Grand
Republic was abreast of the wreck,
however, all steam was put on again
and the boat proceeded up the sound.
ANOTHER LIVE BABY FOUND.
Saved from the wreck of the ill-fated
steamer General Slocum there is a lit
tie unknown boy at Lebanon Hospital.
Blue eyed. golden haired and plump,
the little fellow creeps about the wards,
wondering what has caused so much
excitement.
Nurses of the island hospital, in
specting the dead, found the baby
where a policeman had laid him down
to be tagged with the other unknown
dead. They hurriedly carried him to
the reception hospital dormitory.
Warm milk and sleep brought the lit
tie one around to laughing, prattling,
crying healthiness.
Late in the afternoon the baby was
sent to the Lebanon Hospital, where it
was the only bright spot in the place
Of sorrow and pain. A man, one of
the long line who scanned the faces
of the children, anxiously seeking for
his own missing ones saw the baby
late at night and said he thought he
knew the parents. He went out to
search for them, but has not returned
to the hospital
Nearly all of the bodies recovered
yesterday were found in the mud close
to the westerly shore of North Brother
Island, where the Slocum was first
beached and where hundreds went to
their death
DISCUSSING THE DISASTER.
Discussions as to the best means for
preventing such disasters have brought
out expressions of opinion by several
leading shipbuilders and naval archi-
tects that it is easily possible to con-
struct vessels of the type of the Gen
eral Slocum in such a way as to make
them comparatively safe. These ex-
perts believe the free use of steel in
the construction of the upper works
would involve a greater expense than
builders of excursion craft are ready
to incur. They believe that a safe boat
constructed with bulkheads, CORFU
gated iron partitions and fireproof ma
terials, might be built for about 20 to
80 per cent more than the cost of
wooden vessel such as the General Slo-
cum.
One leading constructor expressed
the idea that every vessel should have
bulkheads of light double plating,
filled with asbestos. These should be
so fitted that they could be swung
or dropped across certain parts of the
steamer when necessary without OBJ
structing free passage at other times.
All machinery should be incased in
metal to the top deck. Decks should
be supported by metal framework and
fireproof materials wherever possible.
Inflammable stuff, he said, should be
barred
Divers had explored the wreck of
the steamer yesterday and reported
that no more bodies were to be found
there, but to-day a diver who was at
work on the sunken hull found a large
number of bodies packed tightly inside
one of the paddle wheels.
INJURED ARE IMPROVING.
At various hospitals where the in
jured are it was said to-day their con-
dition is satisfactory. There are now
only SO victims of the disaster in the
hospitals.
1t developed to-day that new hor-
ror had been added to the terrible con-
ditions resulting from the Slocum dis
aster through the over -officiousness of
some person at the Morgue. AS re-
suit some of the bodies probably never
will be identified and will go to a last
resting place in the humble plat fur
nished by the city's charity. When the
bodies were taken by hundreds from
the water and laid in rows on the grass
at North Brother Island each was tag
ged with number. That number was
carefully recorded and the papers, val
uables and trinkets which would have
served to positively identify the bodies
were removed and placed in separate
packages, each package bearing a
number corresponding to the number
on the body from which the articles
were taken. These packages then were
placed in the custody of the Coroner.
Scores of the bodies at the Mcrgue
were burned or bruised beyond recog-
milton, but it was hoped that all might
NC NidAiIieu ny lIIeIluS ny lHcdHo VI the
papers and jewelry.
When the bodies were taken to the
Morgue they were placed in numbered
boxes. but in many cases these num-
bers did not correspond with the fig
ures the bodies had previously borne.
AS result the plans were completely
upset and the numbered packages of
valuables became practically worthless
as means of Identifying the owners.
MORGUE RECORDS INCOMPLETE.
One case which came to the attention
of the officials to-day was that of A.
T. Hill of Williamsburg. Hill called
at the morgue yesterday and identified
the bodies of his brother-in-law, Will
lam Richter, and the wife of the lat
ter, and they were removed to the Of
flee of an undertaken. In the afternoon
the bodies of Catherine and Lillian
Richter, 3 and years old, respectively,
also were identified by hi; When he
called at the morgue to-day with an
undertaken who was to attend to the
burial of the bodies they could not be
found. The bodies were numbered 173
and 175 respectively and the authorities