The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-10-17
REPORT PUBLISHED
 ON SLOCUM AFFAIR
THE INVESTIGATING COMMISSION HOLDS, RODE, DUMoNT AND BARRETT RESPONSIBLE FOR EAMBoAT DISASTER.

Washington, October 16.-The report of the United States commission of investi- gation upon the disaster to the steamer General slocum, appointed June 23 last by the then secretary of commerce and labor, George B. Cortelyou, and consist ing of Lawrence O. Murray. assistant secretary of commerce and labor; Her bert K. Smith, deputy commissioner of corporations; George Uher. supervising inspector general of the steamboat in- specton service; General John Wilson U. S. A. tretired) and Commander Cam eron McR. Vinslow. U. s. N. was made public today.
 Tn connection with the findings of the commission presented in the report, Pres ident Roosevelt, to whom the report was submitted. has written a letter to Sec retary Victor H. Metcalf of the depar.- ment of commerce and labor, briefly sum- marking the report and directing him to carry into effect the recommendations of the commission He also directs that Robert s. Rodie, supervising inspector of the Second district steamboat inspection service, and James E. Dumont and Thomas II. Barrett, local inspectors in charge of the port of New York, be dis charged from the servlce the commis sion holding them directly responsible for the laxity of the steamboat inspection to which the Slocum disaster was directly attributable
 Commissioner Uhler dissents to that portion of the report which places re- sponsibility on the supervising inspector of the second district, Robert S. Rode. otherwise he concurs with the commis- sion Appended to the report Is a report i from the department of justice on the criminal proceedings connected with the disaster and the Hfe-preserver cases. The report states that the General So- cum was owned by the Knickerbocker Steamboat company a New York cor poration: that the S1ocum was last in- spected by Henry Lundberg and John w. Fleming May 5, 1904, and that the cur rent certificate of inspection at the time , of the disaster was issued May by , James A. Dumont inspector of hulls. and Thomas H. Barrett. inspector or boilers. the board of local inspectors at the port of New York. In describing the | Slocum, the report says 1t was construct ed entirely of wood; that the upper works | were in a highly infammable condition
 and there were no fire-proof hatehes or bukheads The commission states that l there are many similar vessels doihR service in the United States. the con
 struction of which Is quite as dangerous
 Regarding the origin or the nfe, @ tne
 report states that the cabin where the blaze was discovered was filled With in- nammable matter including large amount of oil. "A, .,
 "The condition of thls cabin, with the
 purposes for which It was used the | nort recttes constitutes one or the es- sential facts of negligence contributing | to the disaster. 1 Speaking of the fre-hghting apparatus the report says:
 "The forward valve ana stanopipe "eIe 1 .,nr1ied with a 1OO-foot length of cheap
 unIined linen hose, costing probably less l than 20 cents q foot. age unknown. but probably several years old
 The rest of the fire apparatus on the main deck is said to have consisted Of | inc after valve of the said standpipe, two hand fire pumps, and some twenty buckets.