Daily Kennebec journal., 1904-06-21
7s4 BODIES
CONTINUED from page -

memorial services The suicide was not
reported until today.
The coroner's jury was quickly Sc
cured President Barnaby of the
Knickerbocker Steamboat Co, owner
Of the General Slocum, was the first
witness and from him it was learned
that the actual operation of the steam-
er was under Capt. Van Schaick, who
received his instructions from Capt.
Peasc On application of the latter. he
said, an inspection of the Slocum was
made by the United States authorities
before she was put in commission this
year saying:
1T was reported to us that the Slo-
| cum was in thorough good working
condition.
He had not personally inspected the
boat but said he had examined the re-
ports of the company's inspection and
! Of that by the United States inspec-
ton officers.
He presented reports of the expendi-
lures on the Slocum for life preser-
vers in 1902, 1903 and 1904 and explained
that the books which We're offered for
| inspection would show for which YES
| sci they We're intended.
The certificate OF United States inspec-
ton was submitted by Judge Dittenhoef-
| fer at Assistant District Attorney Gar
vans demand and was admitted as evi-
| dencc II certified that on May Z, 1904,
the General Slocum was in good condi-
ton to carry 900 passengers and that it
had aboard 2I30 life preservers.
The bills for life preservers which were
dated in different months in 1902 1903 and
1904. upon examination proved to have
originally borne the name Grand Repub-
lie" This name had been scratched out
and the name General Slocum'' substi-
tuted When this fact was called to Mr..
Barnaby's attention he was unable to ex-
plain why anything of this kind had been
done The books of the company, howev-
er, would show what supplies went to the
Slocum and what to the Grand Republic.
Asked if the ledgers would not show
how many life preservers were bought
for the Slocum since she was built in 1891,
Mr.. Barnaby said he was not sure all the
Iledgers could be found. Mr.. Barnaby said
that he had instructed Capt. Pease at the
opening of the season to put the Slocum
"in first-class condition and to spare no
expense. We spent $4,000 in repairs"
James X Atkinson, secretary of the
company, said he knew nothing of the
erasures on the statements presented by
Pres. Baranaby. These statements Were
prepared by the bookkeeper. He prom
ised to try to find the company's books in
the storage vaults.
A crushing blow fell on Albert Kraal,
an ivory and pearl inlayer, when he reach
ed his home at Middle Village. l.. l.,
near the Lutheran cemetery, today, and
laerned that his entire family. consisting
Of his wife, Mary, 26; daughter, Julia, 8
and son, Albert, / year, had gone on the
SIocum excursion and had been lost
Kraal mas been at work in Newport, r
l.. and did not know that his family
vert on the Inflated excursion.
According; to the testimony of John
J. Coakley. one of the Slocum's deck
hands, he never had been instructed In
a fire drill since he became an en-
ploye of the Knickerbocker Company
at the beginning of last season. Coax
lev said he first learned that the steam
er was on fire, when small boy called
his attention to smoke rolling down
from the bow. He said he ran up to-
ward the bow of the steamer and found
n blaze in the locker where the oil fol
the lamps was kept He dumped char
coal on it, think to smother the flames
then cut down the hose and called fol
assistance The fire was sc hot that they
were driven out; but they got the hose
i'm position and had just directed 4
stream of water on the fire when the
hose burst. No attempt was made t
replace the ruined hose, he said, as the
passengers were i'll n Ianic.
The witness was unable to give any
information as to the origin of the fire
The room in which it started was light
ed by n common ship lamp when ir
use. He remembered that a quantitS
of salt hay which had been packed
around a barrel of beer glasses brought
on board that day, had been stored il
the locker and said that it was thu
custom of the men to light matches il
the locker, when they went in there fol
anything.
James CorcOran described the sole
water washer attached to the stand
! pine to prevent water dripping int
the hose and rotting it. To get this of
so the hose could be used it woul'
have been necessary to disconnect th'
hose from the standpipe. Corcoran di,
not see this done.
Edward Flanagan, the mate for tn
last two seasons on the Slocum. wht
hired the deck crew of that boat, sai'
that the forward cabin where the fir
broke out was used to keep old line
and worn out awnings and brooms
Flanagan denied any knowledge of th'
false washer which blocked the fir
, hose.
who coiled up that hOse?"
81 don't know. 1t was always coileC
that way
What orders did you give You
mem"
when I got back from notifying TIL
engineers, I manned the pipes. Thei
when the water pressure came coup
,, Ter blew off and the hose burst.
then ordered some of the men up stair
to free the life preservers and lowe
the life boats. Then we tried to reacl
the other standpipe, but we could no
pass the flames"
a - ,,,l,1