Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1907-02-14
SEVENTY.ONE BODIES FOUND
Remains Of Victims Of Larchmouut Die
aster Washed Ashore or Picked Up.
THIRrY-LIsHT HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED
Latest Estimate Places Number OF the
Dead and Missing ne ISS-
Charges Made Against
the Crew.

vtvors OF the Larchmont disaster and forty
nine bodies of those who persisted. reached
here this evening. The survivors were
taken to hospitals, while the dead were
placed in morgues.
Physicians, after examining the bodies,
said that in numerous instances death re-
suited from cold rather than drowning
The unnatural position of the bodies
showed the terrible effects Of the cold. One
body, that of woman, was placed a
slab and as her head rested on II. her
hair. frozen solid, extended to the floor
A careful compilation Of figures shows
that 1893 lives are known TO have been
lost in the disaster. 1t is known that there
were not less than 1877 persons on board
the steamer. OF that number only 10 sur
vived. Seventy-one bodies have been re-
covered thirty-eight of them having been
Identified. There are still 100 passengers
who are either missing or unidentified
Charges Against Crew.
A statement by Fred Hiergesell, an 49,
year-old boy, who was returning to his
home. after having been a runaway for
nearly a year. contained the first direct
| charge against Captain McVey and his
! crew. Hlergesell declares Captain McVey's
boat was the first which left the sinking
steamer. He said he saw many women on
the hurricane deck rushing about helpless
and begging for life preservers. Many
women pleaded In vain with passengers and
crew to direct them to the lifeboats.
MY stateroom was almost at the point
OF collision on the port side" said Hlergp-
sell. Il was in bed with my clothes on and
when l rushed deck found the officers
| reassuring the passengers and telling them
| that they were in no immediate danger.
The captain left the steamer in the very
| hoa he hon xnae oh
session of by a gang of negro walters.
These men seemed to have lost their heads
and so many Of them crowded into the boat
that 1t capsized as soon 1t struck the
| water and / believe all were lost
| 81 got into the third boat with FIVE other
| men. There were no oars in the boat and
we were obliged to drift with the wind and
| the waves. We drifted for several hours
| e<d when we were near land a big wage
capsized the boat. The five men who were
with me were drowned. but as soon a. l
| struck the water 1 began to swim, and
although my hands were terribly frozen
and my feet felt like lead, / succeeded in
reaching the beach where some one
dragged me out of the water.
Hiergesell's statement was not confirmed
by any other survivor, but he insists he Is
right.
President Danbaugh tonight, said:
1.-The schooner was responsible for tho
| collision. In view of the horrible condi-
lions which prevailed Immediately after
the accident 1 am satisfied that the men
did all in their power to meet the situation
as conscientious and honorable men. 1t
appears from my investigation, that the
schooner luffed right into the Larchmont
and caused the accident which resulted in
such great loss of lfe."
Bodies Picked Up at Sea.
BLOCK ISLAND, Feb. 13-Twenty-two
more bodies of victims Of the Larchmont
disaster were brought ashore late today by
fishing schooners rra
The survivors Of Monday nights disaster
off Watch hill were today taken to Prov
idence on the steamer Kentucky, where
they will receive medical treatment. Fifty
bodies recovered yesterday were also taken
aboard the steamer.
The Kentucky had just cleared the har-
Dor when in came the schooners one after
another with their grewsome loads and
with their flags at half mast. The little
life saving stations were then once more
turned into morgues. AS on yesterday,
the surfboats were run out and the dead
were placed on the floor, side by side, to
await the arrival of another steamer to
carry them to Providence.
The bodies brought in today were, with
one exception, fully clothed, and in addi-
ton had life preservers strapped to them.
The victims evidently had remained on
board the Larchmont longer than those
whose bodies were recovered yesterday.
All were sncased In ice To remove this
covering the life savers worked long and
patiently in the hope of making identin-
cation as easy as possible
Injured May Recover.
Purser Ascar A. Young still maintained
today there were from 125 to $50 passengers
on board the steamer when il left New
York for Providence and that most of the
survivors were inclined to support his
figures rather than those OF Captain Nc
Vey, who estimated the number at from
fifty to seventy-nve. From some OF the
surviving officers 1t was learned that the
Larehrnont carried crew of forty-fve
men, OF whom only ten are accounted for
THIS means that OF a total of $50 to 20
people aboard the Larchmont, nine passen-
gers and ten sailors have survived. Their
condition is pitiable. but physicians arc
almost in constant attendance upon the
sufferers and express confidence that none
Of the injured is likely to succumb
One OF the ships officers stated that the
Iarchmont carried eight lifeboats and four
life RATS. At o'clock today It was be-
lieved that FIVE OF these boats and one
raft had been accounted for.
There are only two women among the
, survivors. Mrs. Harris Feldman Of New
York and Miss Sadie Gallup OF Boston.
During the night the coast guards from
: the two life saving stations, aided by a
larger number of the populaee, patroled
the beach and water front for bodies
: Every corpse chat came ashore was incased
, in ice several inches thick.
Two Survivors Wreck.
On a piece of the after deck OF the
steamer were picked up two survivors and
2 dead man, all that remained OF sixteen
who had sought refuge on the frail support
I Little hope was felt that occupants OF
. the missing lifeboats and RATS had sur
vived the fearful cold. which moderated
! but slightly during the night.
5 Nearly all the surviving passengers in
p terviewed agree that the crew and officers
I behaved well. With the first shock and
| the thrush of water and escape OF steam
] from the broken main steam pipe Captain
McVey realized the scope OF the accident
5 The crew was called to quarters, each man
Y springing 10 his station as the call TO desert
+; the shin was taken Panic-stricken mas.