The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-02-14
Admits That His Boat Was One
Of First to Leave.
NOT TILL SHIP SANK.
Then There Was No Use to
Stay.
Called to Passengers to jump
Into His Boat.
Number of Known Lost Is One
Hundred Thirty-eight.

Providence, r. L. Feb. IA new
element was injected into the horror
attending the loss of the steamer
Larchmont in Block Island souno
Monday night through a collision with
the schooner Harry Knowleton when
Captain McVey of the steamer early
today admitted that his life boat was
one of the first. if not the first. to leave
the sinking ship. This statement was
made in reply to charges by Fred
Hiergsell, an 1S-year-old lad of Brook
lyn. one of the survivors. that the pas
sergers were left to shift for them
selves: that the ship's crew crowded
the boats without attempting to pro-
vide for the passengers and that cap
tain McVey was the first to desert the
ship. The statement OF Hlergseli
created a sensation in view of the fact
that ten of the survivors were en-
ployes on the ship, or in other words,
that while approximately 20 per cent
of the crew was saved, only per cent
of the passengers survived.
Captain McVey explained that while
his boat may have been the first in the
water il was because he had good
crew and that he remained by his snip
until she went down. He said that ne
made no move to get into his boat un-
til he had given orders to his men TO
lower all the boats and clear away
the rdftS. nile MS DOaI was III lIlc
water il was fastened to the ship by
rope in the running gear that had
become caught and this was cut by
Boatswain Andrew Tobeson. who saw
that with the ship settling rapidly the
boat and its occupants would De
caught IN the whirlpool and sucked
beneath the surface. The captains
boat was on the windward side and he
said he called to the passengers TO
jump into his boat. which would hold
about % people in all, but the elec-
trio light had been exunguished and
1 nthe 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,d
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 in the bottom of
the boat out of the way of the
At 8 O'Clock this morning the num-
ber of known lost in the frightful
calamity stood at 12S. At least 157
persons were known to be on the
steamer and there is every indication
that the number was nearer zoo:
Seventy-one bodies had been recovered
up to o'clock and these lie in the
morgue awaiting Identification The
stream of persons passing through the
morgue looking for missing relatives
or friends did not cease until after
midnight and at that time 38 of the
dead had been identified. Many per-
sons were early on hand to file once
more between the long lines of dead
and every train brought more people
on the mournful quest.
The survivors at Block Island are
reported "as we'll as could be ex-
pected."
The weather has moderated and this
morning was clear and mild. Under
these conditions there was little eX-
pectation of more bodies washing
ashore today.
list of MISSING
Following is 4 revised list Of the
missing:
Nathan L. Adelman. Providence.
Pilot Johnanson. Providence.
Norris Barenholtz. Boston.
Captain Emma Becklund, Salvation
Army. Worcester.
Robert Biggard. Worcester.
James Blackwood. Ashton. R. I.
Harry and Jacob Bonce. Providence.
John Campbell, North Smithfield,
r. I.
Acquit Carmonty, New York.
John Carroll, Fairhaven, Mass.
William Carroll. Providence.
James Chabot. Pawtucket.
Cadet John Cedarholm, Salvation
Army, Linn. Mass.
Angelo Shipel. Providence,
Geo. Cnti. Pawtucket.
Jos. NJ. Carisse, Providence.
Protto Doreco, Providence.
Pierre Durmouline, Woonsocket
Mrs Durmouline. Woonsocket
Solomon Dovisorsky, wife and son.
Mrs. Alta Edelstein and son, Bos-
ton.
Louis FeIabeck
Willard Franklin North AtteTboro.
Robert Gay, chief engineer, Bridge
port, Conn.,
Eza Geary. Pensacola. Fla.
Samuel Goldberg. Brooklyn
Charles f. Hargrave, Providence
Mrs. Anna Heckling, Providence
Six-year-old child of Mrs. Hecklin.
s. E. Hedges, Providence.
r. Hulgreen, Boston.
Captain Helga Hellgreen, Lynn,
Mass.
Frank Herrick, Providence.
Anthony Heidi, Providence
VIM Hadley Providence.
Antonio Lanneti. Providence
Nicholas Jarrella, Providence.
Miss Louisa Jenson. Providence.
Miss Alma Johnson, Salvation Army,
Worcester.
John Kannally. Providence.
Ephriam Kaplan. New York
d. A. Skinner
Julian E. Klimarzowski. OlneyvilIe
Ralph Levin, Chelsea. Mass.
John Lewis. Providence.
Clauds w. Lynd. Providence
Emanuel Lyon, New York
Mrs Mack Taz, Woonsocket
Frank Mclaughlin, Providence
James NJ. McCloud. Providence.
Mrs McCloud. Providence.
Frank Milliken. Boston.
Jacob Nicholson. Belmare. N. j.
Miss Sadie Nicholson. Belmare, N. J.
Lieutenant John Molin, Worcester.
George A Monk. Woonsocket.