The Oskaloosa herald., 1915-07-29
Petersen BLAMES
PULL FOR WRECK
Captain Of EastIand Seeks to
Escape Responsibility.
READY 70 TELL EVERYTHING
Charges Federal inspector Was
"FLxed"-saSs Boat Owners Can't
Make Goat" Of Him as in
Sloeum Case.

.
Chicago. July s2S.--''They can't dS
with me what they did with the skip
per of the General SlocSen! It's the
fault Of the ships owners, nsr an u
Thus did Capt Harry Peterson Of
the Eastland seek to escape from, pos
sible punishment as the Investigating
bodies closed in on the sunken hulk
OF the ship of catastrophe. sg., II. 81
Captain Peterson hasn't been In en-
actly good favor since he went around
the ship last Saturday and complained
that the rescners with acetylene drills
were harmhg the hull.e,fh - n. I'd
According to State Is ATTORNEY Hoyne
Captain Peterson made confession,
According TO Mr.. Hoyne Captain Pc.
derson said: ,.g -~a sss- y a~s
The owners Of the Eastland are
trying TO make goat out of me. Ill
tell everything know. - -
Ill see to it that they don't do to
nae what they did to the skipper of
the General sSloeum. lie went to Jail
with some of the officers. 80
If any Jury could find me guilty
of causing the death of all those peo-
pie Id want them to hang me, and
I'd be glad to get the moose around
my neck.
I'm a sailor, not, q manager or
owner. My place was up on. the
bridge and ! was up there. | wasn't
down at the gangplank counting pas
sengers. Nor was / down in the en-
CINE room. was at my post, as
every captain should be.
"Told Reid Was Fixed" -.
They can't blame me If the East
land was carrying more than she
could handle. The officials of the
company were mighty anxious to get
the. privilege of carrying, 2.580 pas
sengers instead of $500 passengers
They had their license for 1000 a
year ago. .-... 49,.
But that wasn't enough for them.
They set about fixing 1t up to get u
new license.
Finally was told by one of the
officers to go to Robert Reid, tho
federal inspector, who has his head.
quarters at Grand Haven. / was told
to apply to him for the privilege. =.
Il started to ask how this was go
ing to be done. | was told that II
was all fixed up with Reid and that
all would have to do was apply
for it. ..~-
Grants Passenger Increase.
Il made a special trip to Grand
Haven-that is one OF the formal
made my application,
Il guess it was fixed up all right.
Reid did not hesitate to give me the
new license-for $500 passengr 5.
This was the license the Eastland was
operating under when she tipped over
In the river" -....
According to the states attorney,
J. NJ Ericsson, son-in-law of Reid, was
made chief engineer of the Eastland
shortly after the granting of the new
license. Ericsson was in charge of
the ships machinery last Saturday
when the Eastland carried it's merry
picnic crowd to death.
The Eastland was safe. The &C
cident to the ship. from what l can
earn, was due to shallow water where
she was locked. The bottom of the
null was resting on the bed of the
liver, and when the tug pulled the
5astland turned over. .,..r.r
This was the statement Of William
A.. Hull, general manager of the ST.
Joseph Steamship line which owns the
steamer which overturned in the Chi
ago river on Saturday.
My information is that one line
rom the stern of the ship was fas-
ened when the tug began to pull, and
hat the cap was pulled of the piltng
~ the tension" he continued. Lack
If ballast could not possibly have been
he cause of the ships turning over.
rhe ship certainly was SAFE"