Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1907-02-16
New Element Injected Into
Horror Attending Sinking
of Steamer Larchmont
SURVIVORS, STORIES
REFLECT OH OFFICERS
Now Known That 159 Were
on Steamer-Of These
81 are Still Missing

Providence, R. L., Feb. 15.-Ths'
number of identified dead in the
Larchmont horror numbered 55 when
the morgue opened today. The death
last night of Samuel LaCombe of Man
chester. N. H., one of the nineteen
persons who reached the shore after
tie Larchmont went down, brought
the list Of survlvo- dow to eighteen.
Highty-seven people known to have
been on the steamer were still missing
or unidentified when the work
claiming bodies was resumed today 1t
is now practically certain that the
Larchmont carried out with her on
tnat fatal Monday night 159 souls.
Blame Officers Conduct.
With returning strength the survi-
vors are able to recall more clearly
what happene'i in the terrible con-
fusion of the accident Stories 70.
fiectilg on the conduct of some Of the
officers and members of the crew are
related. Captain McVey insists that
ne and his men did all that could he
done in the fifteea minutes thst
ela.'sed fro mthe time tbs steamer
was rammed until she went down.
Captain Left Doat First.
Providence, r.. l., Feb. 15.A new
element was injected into the horror
attending the loss of the steamer
Larchmont in Block Island sound Mon
day night through collision with ths
schooner Harry Knowleton, when Cap
tam McVey of the steamer early today
admitted that his liIeboat was one CT
the first, If not the first, to leave the
sinking ship. This statement was
made in reply to charges by Fred
Hiergselle, an 1S.yearold lad Of
Brooklyn, one Of the survivors, that
the passengers were left to shift for
themselves; that the ships crew.
crowded the boats without attempt
ing to provide for the passengers and,
that Captain McVey was the first toi
desert the ship.
The statement of Hiergselle createtI
sensation in view of the fact that
ten of the nineteen survivors were
employees on the ship, or in other
words, that while approximately 90
per cent Of the vessels crew weras
saved, only per cent Of the passen-
gers survived.
Officers Upheld.
| New York, Feb. 15.--The stories ot!
mistreatment and desertion of passen-
gers IN the i'll fated steamer Larch-
mont by the Larchmont's officers and
crew are vigorously denied by officers
of the steamer Kentucky. which ar
rived here today The Kentucky is the
steamer which was sent to Block Is
land by the Joy line Immediately after
the drst news Of the disaster had been
received. Purser Edward Bodmer de.
clared that several of the rescued pas
sengers were loud in their praise Of
Captain McVey's conduct at the time
Of the disaster and that one or two of
the women passengers who survived
said the captain did everything possi.
BILE undec the circumstances.
Girl Pushed Away From Boat.
Block Island, Feb 15.--When Miss
Sadie GallLp of Boston, Mass, tried to
get into lifeboat Of the steamer
4 Larchmont, which went down in Block
island sound Monday night, Captain
4 McVey and Purser Young pushed her
j away. Miss Gallup said today, when
4 she recovered consciousness for the
Il first time since. bein.; brought ashore
here from a piece of Wrecks1e on
j which she foated for ten hours.
i Miss Gallup is one of the two only
4 women survivors of the wreck, IN
4 which it is now known $50 persons
lost their lives. She was eager to
make a statement She said she beg
5Iged the captain and purser to take her
in the lifeboat with them, but they re-
i fused permission and showed her
away when she tried to climb In. She
said there were then only six people
in the boat, although it would have
held twenty more.
Girl Is Badly Frozen.
! Miss Gallup was in such serious
1 condition yesterday she could not be
taken to Providence with other sur.
viyors. Physicians said tonight sha
would recover, although her hands
and feet were badly frozen.
When refused seat in the captain 4
boat Miss Gallup found herself}a piece
, of wreckage with several other people,
They drifted ten hours before being
! picked UP by the crew of the fishing
lschooner Elsie.