Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1907-02-15
CAPTAIN FIRST TO LEAVE
Commander Of Steiner LarOhmont Said to
Have Deserted Sinking Ship
WOMAN PUSHED AWAY FROM HIS BOAT
survivor who Has Just Regained
COnsciousness Tells story OF
COwardice-Dead Num-
Der 40.

NoWhrutce-ueAu NUM-
Der 40.
BLOCK ISLAND, r. l.. Feb. M--one
more of@the grim harvest OF twenty-three
victims OF the steamer Larchmont was sent
to the mainland today on the tug Roger
Williams. AS the death-laden boat left
for Providence still another Victim was
brought in by the fishing schooner
Theresa making in all seventy-four bodies
recovered here from the disaster or Watch
Hill Monday night
One survivor Miss Sadie Gallup, Of Bos-
ton, remains here. Today she declared she
begged either Captain Mcvey or Purser
Young to take her in their boat, but that
they pushed her back, and the lifeboat
left the Iarchmont with only six in II.
although Il would have held twenty more
When the steamer went down she found
herself on a piece of wreckage and re-
mained on, II until picked up ten hours
later by the crew OF the fishing schooner
Elsie.
Miss Gallup only regained consciousness
this afternoon and was very eager to make
a statement. He condition was so grave
yesterday that II was impossible to take
her to Providence with the other sur
vivors. but it is believed she will recover
The Block island fishing feet Of twenty
sails searched the adjacent waters care
fully today, but only two bodies were
recovered. The boisterous condition which
prevailed since the Larchmont went down
moderated and the wind shifted to the
southwest and south. so that 1t is not be-
lleved that any more bodies will be thrown
up on the beach. 1t is thought that IL
any other victims of the Larchmont re-
main afloat they will be thrown upon the
beach either at Naragansett Pier, Point
Judith or Newport, or perhaps the south
ern Rhode Island shore to the westward
of Point Judith.
Grew Seeks safety.
PROVIDENCE, r. L.. Feb. IA new
element was injected into the horror at
tending the loss of the steamer IArchmcnt
In Block Island sound Monday night
through a collision with the schooner
Harry Knowleton, when Captain McVey
of the steamer early today admitted that
his lifeboat was one OF the first. IL not
the 1rst to leave the sinking ship. This
statement was made in reply to charges
by Fred Heirgsell, an 1s-year-old lad of
Brooklyn, one of the survivors, that tile
passengers were left to shift for them
selves; that the ships crew crowded the
boats without attempting to provide for
| the passengers and that Captain McVey
was the first to desert the ship. The
| statement of Heirgsell Greeted a sensation
in view OF the fact that ten OF the nine
teen survivors were employees on the ship,
or, In other words, that while approx
mately 20 per cent of the vessels crew was
saved. only per cent of the passengers
survived.
Captain Explains. Of
| Captain Mcvey explained that, while his
boat may have been the first in the water,
II was because he had a good crew and
that he remained by his ship until it went
down. He said that he made no move to
/ get into his boat until he had given orders
! to his men to lower all the boats and clear
away the RATS. While his boat was In
the water 1t was fastened to the ship BY
rope In the running gear that had be-
come caught and this was cut by Boat
I swain Andrew Tobeson, who saw that with
| the ship settling rapidly the boat and Its
occupants would be caught in the whirlpool
and sucked beneath the surface. The cap
tains boat was on the windward' side and
he said he called to the passengers to jump
into his boat, which would hold about
twenty-five people in all. but the electric
| lights had been extinguished and In the
! darkness and confusion no one needed his
summons. Everybody was on the leeward
side OF the ship and he ordered his men
TO row around there. he claims, but the
| gale baked his plan, and as the boat was
! driven away from the steamer his men
had to give up their task and crouch ir
the bottom Of the boat out Of the way OF
the piercing wind.
Known Dead 140.
The figures of the results Of Monday
nights disastrous collision between the
Larchmont and the Rnowlton are as fol-
lows:
Survivors, 10; bodies identified, "a; known
missing. 96 total known 10 have been on
board, 16s; bodies recovered, "a Only two
bodies were reported as being picked UP to-
day.
| strange Vessel Runs Away.
NEW LONDON, Conn.,, Feb. 14-United
States Steamboat inspectors John Stewart
and William Whitney examined the -four
members of the crew of the schooner
Harry Knowlton, who were on watch Mon
day hight when the schooner coilided with
the Larchmont. They were Captain Frank
T. Haley. Mate Frank Govant and seamen
Carl johnson and julius Borgerson. They
united In telling of a strange steamer which
! approached within a mile after the collision
and then headed the other way and passed
up the sound. Captain Haley said he
ordered the man at the wheel to keep the
schooner on her course. Captain Haley
said he saw the nose of the steamer cross
the bow of his vessel. At the same time
he heard a whistle signal from the steamer
and then the crash came. Another vessel
| evidently a steamer was observed with
both It's red and green lights showing. In
dioating that 1t wss headed for the Schoonsg
apparently to give help. but headed up the
sound. again. To Inspector Stuart Captain
Haley denied that there was any danger
OF his schooner having waved from its
course. The testimony OF the others agreed
In the main with Captain Haleyk