Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1907-02-15


were employees OF the snip, or in
others that while approximately 20
per cent of the vessels crew was sdven,
only per cent Of the passengers SUI.
vived
Captain McVcy explained that
while his boat may have been the first
in the water, it was because h" had
good crew ana despite the fact that he
was among the first off the deck. lie
remained by his ship until she went
down. He said that he mad made no
move to get into his boat until he had
given orders to his men to lower all
boats and clear away the RATS.
While his boat was in the water, it
was fastened to the ship by rope in
the running gear that had become
caught and this was cut by :'oatswaiI
Andrew To5eson, who saw that with
the ship settling rapidly. the boat and
its occupants would be caught in the
whirlpool and sucked down beneath
the surface.
The captains boat was on the wind
ward side and he said he called to the
passengers to jump into his boat
which would hold about - people in
al, but the electric lights had been ex-
tinguished in the collision and in the
darkness and confusion, no one heed
ed his summons. Everybody was on
the leeWard side of the ship and he or
dered his men to row around there, he
claims, but the gale baked this plan
and as the boat was driven away from
the stricken steamer his men had to
! give up their task and crouch down in
, the bottom of the boat out of the way
of the piercing wind.
At $ O'Clock this morning the num-
: Der Of known lost in the frightful cal
amity stood at 13S. At least 151 per-
sons were known to be on the steamer
and there is every Indication that the
number was nearer 300. Seventy one
bodies had been recovered up to S
O'Clock and 40 of these lie in the NOR
g'lr in this city awaiting Identification
The stream of anxious relatives ana
friends that passed through the
chamber of death for the purpose of
seeking some missing dear one, did
not cease until after midnight or early
morning.
The work Of indentification pro-
cceded more rapidly than when the
curpseS lay in their caskets on ice on
Block Island, from which place they
were brought yesterday afternoon yy
the steamer Kentucky and when the
doors of the mOrgue closed the list of
identified dead numbered 80. A num-
Der of people Were early on hand to
file once more through the long lines
Of dead and every train brough more
people on the mpurnful quest.
Block Island today WAS given
chance to res: frnA the high tension
of tragedy of the past two days. OF
all the victims ~ the week, dead and
living. only a few Of those too seriously
injured to b. removed yesterday. re-
manned on their beds Of pain. Their
condition was reported " as wecl as
could be expected
Life guards patrollel the coast as
usual, but the sea cast up no more of
its dead at their feet. For the first
time in As hours they obtained some
physical relief and rest. The weather
had moderated rapidly and this morn
ing it was calm and clear and mild.
The sea had gone down and there was
scarcely a breeze to ripple the surface
Of the water. Under these conditions
there was little expectation of any
more bodies coming ashore today on
the island and the tired men were able
to relax from their trying vigils.
Passing ships may pick up bodies
and at other shore points along the
Sound few corpseS may be cast up
but the life savers here do not anti
cipate that the list of recovered bodies
will be much lengcnthencd until the
hull of the Larchmont is blown up, for
II is known that many passengers and
some of the crew persisted below decks
Captain McNey. who is but % years
old. and probably the youngest
captain plying the Sound. has been or
dered by the United States steamboat
inspectors TO submit a detailed report
of the accident to the board which.
it was said, would meet at New Lon
don, Conn, today Captain McVey
was able TO prepare n report of the
manner in which his ship was sunk.
but owing to the condition of his
frozen limbs was unable to go to New
London until tomorrow.
Inc fTOEluHnCe IONDpal 20 5. tug
Roger Williams. chartered by the Joy
Line officials. left today for Block Is
land TO bring to this city the bodies
found yesterday afternoon.
DR.. John c. Champlin. medical ex-
amincr for New Shorsham. who came
here OF III" Kentucky. yesterday, re-
turned to the island OF the tug. as it
is necessary for him to view the body