New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-07-25

the vessel various officials Of the city
county and Federal governments were
acting on their determination to place
responsibility for the river holocaust
and punish those guilty.
The full power of the city, county
state and federal authorities was d.
rected to fixing the responsibility for
the disaster. Fixing the blame, the
officials declared, will be followed by
indictments and trials on charges OF
criminal negligence.
Grand Jury Investigations On.
Two grand jury Investigations were
set in motion. Federal Judge kene-,
saw VI. Lands summoned special
jury to convene next Thursday. State S
Attorney Maclay Hoyne ordered the
assembling of the state grand jury
on Monday.
Word came from Secretary Of Com
merce Redfeld in Syracuse, n. Y, that
! he had ordered full investigation.
Herman F. Schuettler, First Deputy
Superintendent of Police, caused the
arrest of Captain Harry Peterson OF
the Eastland. First Mate Dell Fisher
and two engineers, together with
other employees Of the boat company.
/ District Attorney Hoyne immedi-
/ ately began to question witnesses and
/ ordered more than a hundred persons
locked up pending the inquiry. on
Gals or government inspectors guilty
/ of negligence or corruption in boat
accidents may be fined $4,000 or
sentenced to the penitentiary for ten
years. The state law provides fine
Of $4,000, or three years imprlson-
. 81
Coroner Peter Hoffman directed the
activities of the police in making the
arrests Of witnesses, survivors and
boat officers.
At 2 o'clock in the afternoon the Sc
lection of coroner's jury was begun.
With rain dripping from him, the
coroner stood on the north bank OF
the river and suggested names Of
prospective jurors, while assistants
/ telephoned and asked the men to un-
dertake the task.
Those who consented 70 serve were:
/ DR.. William A. Evans, ex-Commis-
sioner Of Health.
William F. Bodem, vice president Of
Reid, Murdoch g. Co.
Henry A. Allen, mechanical engineer
/ in charge Of the Department of Pub
/ lie Works.
J. S. Keogh, general manager Of W. F.
Mclaughlin & Co.
/ Eugene Beifeld, manager Hotel Sher-
man.
Harry Moir, proprietor Hotel MOrri-
son.
Dr.. Evans was chosen foreman, and
then the jury spent several hours view
ing the bodies of the victims.
Photographs of Wreck Taken.
Photographs of the boat were ordered
taken by Coroner Hoffman. after which
the pumping out and raising Of the yes
sci began. Chief of Police Healy, who
inspected the hull late in the afternoon,
expressed the opinion that there were
still three hundred bodies inside, which
cannot be recovered until the boat IS
raised.
W. X. Greenebaum, manager OF the
Indiana Transportation Company, made
the following statement late to-day:
"The Indiana transportation Com
pany expresses its deepest sorrow and
sympathy for the bereaved in the East
land catastrophe. The Eastland was not
overloaded There were 2,408 tickets
taken up at the Eastland gangway by
the Eastland collectors, under Federal
| supervision. The government capacity
mark is set at $500
AT this time the Indiana Transporta-
ton Company is unable to voice an
opinion on the cause of the accident,
because the Eastland was hired for the
day and the captain and crew were not
employees Of the Indiana Transportation
/ Company.
eve are doing everything in our
/ power, and will continue TO do so, both
/ in the work Of rescue and in aiding all
. hui ne kp 10
and by the press.
/ "To both we have thrown open every
/ facility for information and relief at
/ our command"
/ A few hours inquiry led investigat-
/ ing officials to the theory that the pc
/ culiar construction o. the boat was re-
sponsible for the accident. The East
land was equipped with water ballast,
/ so that il could enter the harbOr Of
South Haven, Mich. and other shallow
/ ports and river mouths. When APP
preaching such entries the water would
/ be forced from the tanks, reducing the
boats draft. Ballast would be taken on
again when the vessel emerged from
the harbor.
Believe Water Ballast to Blame.
Il was the theory of the officials that
most Of the ballast had been forced
from the tank in anticipation of a
heavy load to-day. The steamer was
thus rendered topheayy, il was thought,
and this. if "a fact, would explain why
she capsized so quickly.
The strength Of the river current
was another factor considered in con-
nectior with the possibility that the
keel had grounded in the mud of the
river bed. Those who discussed this
theory thought that the current, work
ing against the pull of the hawsers
toward the dock. made fulcrum Of the
keel and turned the steamer over. THIS
idea, too, was based largely upon the
alleged topheavy condition CT the YES
sci.
Still another theory was that a tug
started pulling on the steamer before
the wharf lines were cast of This,
however, was denied.
james Flanagan, a member of the
Eastland's crew, testified al the investi-
CATION conducted by States Attorney
Hoyne that he had received the signal
to cast a tow line TO the tug kenosha,
which was 10 take the Eastland into
deep water
IL did So" said Flanagan. "and the
tug began TO pull. Then | discovered
that ,She lines attached to the dock had
not been cast of. The tug was pulling
hard sll the time"
Flanniean said a steward had rushed