Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1915-07-26

fund will be available within twenty
four hours, according to Acting Mayor
Moorhouse. The relief work will be
handled by the Red Cross, the Chicago
Associated Charities and the city
health department.
Three Investigations On.
Three Investigations Of the disaster
are in full swing. Dickerson N. Hoover,
government inspector and Federal SUI
pervisor Charles Westcott arrived
Sunday and conferred with the local
inspectors, who began to gather facts
for the federal grand Jury ordered i'm
paneled Tuesday by District Judge
Lands.
States Attorney Macklay Hoyne had
q full force Of men locating witnesses
to go before the county grand jury,
which will be impaneled today.
The entire police department was
active. That evidence Of criminal
negligence had been obtained was
limited at Sunday by Chief Of Police
Healey. He said valuable information
was found in the inspection papers
seized Saturday in Captain Harry
Pederson's cabin.
States Attorney Has Papers.
Two different documents were seized
and the captain and twenty-eight Of
ficers and members Of the crew ar
rested. These papers. according to the
meager information that could be OBJ
tained are believed to show that fol-
lowing inspection the boat was to be
permitted to carry 1000 passengers and
seventy members of the crew. Chief
Healey refused to talk about the pa
pers other than to admit he had them
nd
Attorney Hoyne.
HAS there been criminal negli-
gence?" he chief was asked.
NO doubt that there has," CHIEF
Healey answered. These documents
are of vital importance"
In a statement last night States At
torney Hoyne said regarding his inves-
tigation:
1--WE insist considerable portion OF
the blame for the disaster rests upon
the United States inspection bureau. II
the bureau inspectors had done their
duty the accident could not have oc-
Cured We know the ship was con-
sidered unsafe by the inspectors be-
cause there are letters on file in Wash
ington which predicted yesterdays oc-
currence. / have copies of these let
ters and may introduce them at the
coroners inquest"
Coroner Hoffman issued the follow
ing statement today:
II intend to use every effort within
my power to punish every person, d.
rectly or indirectly responsible for this
great disaster. None shall escape"
Numerous theories have been adj
vanced but the evidence thus far OBJ
tanned by no means bears out that any
one theory is more probable than an
other.
Architect Condemns Boat.
Copy of letter from a naval archi-
tect condemning the construction Of
the Eastland will be part OF the evil
dence used by States Attorney Hoyne
in his investigation. The letter was
written by John Devereau York, of
Chicago. to the United States harbor
inspector here, Aug. 8. 1918. Z stat
ed in that letter. said Mr.. York. that
the Eastland was q dangerous boat
Every naval architect who knew the
construction will tell you she was ex-
tremely dang rous. She had SS-foot
beam for which all laws Of steamboat
construction require at least forty
inch keel. The Eastland had no keel
at ALL
There was not a stevedore in the
| hold who was not aware Of the danger
The fact that none OF them was found
in the glory hold after she turned
over showed that There was mar
row ladder leading up from that hold