New Britain herald., 1915-07-29
REDFIELD STARTS
 FEDERAL PROBE OF
 EASTLAND TRAGEDY
Deputy Collector of Customs De nies Panic Among PaSSen-
 gers When Boat Listed
INVESTIGATION BY CITY
 COUNCIL IS ABANDONED

II. S. District Attorney Cline PrcpN'es
 to Empanel Government GraSd
 Jury to DeIve Into Question oN
 Criminal RcsponsiDiIity-All But
 Four of S32 Bodies Recovered Idcn-
 tifed-5OO Persons Still Missing.
 Chicago, July 29-Examination of witnesses in the inquiry of the United Statds Department of Commerce into gan here today under the personal su'- peryision of Secretary Redfeld.
 While this inquiry was progressing United States District Attorney sCline prepared to empanel federal grand jury to- investigate the question of criminal responsibility fo1 the acci- dent. In the states attorneys office efforts were directed to determine the extent of Jurisdiction of the state grand jury over. the prisoners held by the coroners jury for grand jury ac- tion.
 Under Government jurisdiction. United States District Attorney Cline said:
 If any action against those respon- sible is ordered by the state grand jury we will demand the right to enter pro- ceedings against the tive steamboat inspectors and the boat captain named by the coroner's jury, in advance of any action which may be taken by the states attorney following indictments. by the grand jury. These men are government officers the cs ptain hold ing government license and being under government jurisdictions in all the proceedings, the state will have the fuffest Usoperation from the gov, erninert. x
 City Council Probe Abandoned.
 The investigation ordered by the city council was abandoned today on the advice of the corporation counsel Before adjourning the council com mittee which was to have investigated the cause of the Eastland cisaster decided to petition President Wilson to appoint an Investigating commits sion to act in conjunction with Fed eral authorities. The president also was petitioned to have the govern ment make a stability test of every excursion boat running out of Chi cago.
 500 Persons Missing.
 All but four Of Ss2 bodies recov- cred up to noon have been identified. In addition to the victims whose bodies have been recovered 500 per- sons are listed as missing
 At the opening of the inquiry of the Department of Commerce Robert H. McCreary. Deputy Collector of Customs, told of pls>:ag inspectors on the Eastland to count the passengers, and of making arrangements for one of the inspectors to sleep on board Friday night, so that no passenger could be taken aboard without being counted.
 'sI went to the boat abouA7, o'clock, Saturday morning.v said MT. Me- Creary. 1T saw Inspectors Oakley and Lobdell in charge of the gangway I watched them until count of the passenger 2.450 then I took QakIev's place. I counted off 45 and told In- spector Lobdell to let on five more Four women and babe in arms came aboard and I counted the bgbe as the two thousand five hundredth person to come aboard the Eastland"
 Denies Panic Among Passengers.
 Mr. McCreary denied that there was any panic among the passengers or that they rushed to the dock rail when the boat listed.
 Inspector General Upter testified that no case of overcrowding or vio- lation of the passengers laws had been found in the last twenty years.
 One of the points to be laid before 1 the Grand Jury is the incompetency of the crew of the Eastland, reports | of investigators indicating that many 1 of the members of the crew were un- familiar with nautical work. Evi- dence supporting charge of neglf- ! gence Also will be presented to the Grand Jury
 The county grand jury which was | adjourned yesterday following a con- ference beetween Secretary Redfield | snd States Attorney Hoyne was re- today and the report of the l ccroner's jury commenting that six | persons be held, was laid before it.
 Charge of Manslaughte-. by the coroner early to- day against William Ii. Hull, general | of the company owning the EastIand: Harry Pederson, captain, and Joseph N. Erickson, chief en- gineer of the Eastland; Walter general manager Of the