New-York tribune. [volume], June 16, 1904, Page 2, Image 2

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2
BBTNGING BODIES IN CARTS TO THE LANDING AT NORTH
BROTHER ISLAND.
quantity of oil that wan carried and by the •tiff
t>reere that was blowing.
Henry Idea, of No. 100 East Fourth -St., who
raved bis sweetheart. Miss Swartz. by holding
her to the side of the burning boat after they
Jiad Jurrped overboard, declared that the fire was
due to a stove on -which clams ware being cooked
m the deck.
'1 *as on the lower deck with Miss P<vartz."
fie said last night, "when suddenly there wm a
t'Urst of flame from a kitchen on the deck, where
tbey were frying clams. Without any warning
whatever the flames broke out. «nd !n a minute
vere all over the forward part of the deck. I
think that the flames spread co fast because of
•ome overturned oil that had been spilled on
the de'k. 1
Th« moat readily accepted explanation is that
en oil stove exploded in the kitchen while some
one was trying to light it. This Is borne out by
the statement of Albert Kolb. of Marion-aye.
sinfi Two-hundred-end-flrst-st., who went down
below decks to ge: ■ plate of chowder. Just as
Kolb entered the pantry, or kitchen, the explo
rion of the stove took place, and there was a
hurried exit from the room by Kolb. and the
ethers who were there followed. All of the crew,
from The captain down, eft-aped. Of these. Cap
tain Van Srhaick, Pilot Edwin Weaver. James
Wood and Edward Robertson, deck hands, Henry
f-arfield, the cook, and Edward Waul, dish
washer, are In the I^ebanou Hospital. They will
Ksjee* er.
The crew Is said by some to have paid little
rr no heed to the cries for help of th* Blocum'*
ww engers, but busied themselves about sav
ing ili"ir ■■■"•■ Bvus. It was pointed out by some
of the .-.•:-■ last right thai if they had pro
vided tht- v „:;;■ :i and chßd(C3 with life pre
pervwa 'hat the disaster would never have <«■
tuned in ;ts preatul Immensity.
A MYSTERY TO ATEnan::-;
Why the >!'Hum was rot beached <m the
JJronx si-i- of the rivor is :i mystery to water
jnon. Thousands of peraoi were at hand to
*;<» to th»» rescue if the burning boat had been
Kept to fts .Ww-York shore. Thin was explained
by the Cat 'hat the steering ftpparattts had
j:ivei. >\ o . Bad the pilot was unable to control
the heat. Out- man. however, who saw the Slo
cum BOOM up ir.- river, said that thi- steering
pear could sot have bean oat of order, as ths
Bacaa m run past North Brother Island.
and tteo turned toward it Many factories line
\\ic- Pmbs rt* :<■ near tiers the gfrwnni h *»rh^4.
find the SOeitfe Beach Ferry and the H<-aith De
partment pies are there. so t hat there would
have been any number of men to bo out to
the help "f the IffWirr and Us lrmd of pa«=
■stiac rhere m ■ rumor that the ferryboat
J3ro::x. \v!.i h runs from One-ljundred-ar.d-thir
ty-fourth st. to College Point. Long Island, had
BUM th- Slfu-um without pausing to give aid.
Tills was denial at the oflice of the fen corn-
X>any.
Job- . Lilian, v.h" ram R bp.thlTigr house at
One-huudrvd-and-thi! ty-fourth-Ft. aod the Bast
JUvr. aear «rhere the Bronx decks, saw her
while the s '.! am ivaK 'ifiiit'n up the stream. He
aays that there were two i.a.ig«s and a 5 booner
between the Bronx and the Btoeuin. and that
•rbao the uay iras dear the ?iocu!n v. p ss going
•o f ■ tl'.nt ih» Bronx BOOM never have reached
her. Gill. in says that ih- ferryboat was fully
•even hu.. :: Beet away from the Slo. uni.
Chief P:;ot Edward Van Wart, who was at the
•wheel when tbe. f.ro broke out. said:
I was hi the pilot hous<» v.ith the captair. ri!id
cecor.d pilot. Edvwird \Vta\er. The nrst mate
called through the Mbe that there was a fire
In the stera. The <?aptain Immediately told hir.:
to lower the boats and get the fire apparatus
rut. It seemed as though the words were barely
out of his Booth when the entire boat was
VTapped in Barnes,
I tamed her htad with the idea of making
th* nearest dock, but saw at once that our
cables were burned and that it would be fatal
to attempt a landing without them in the deep
water n«ar the docks>.
By This tone the heat was fo intense that we
had fa <-'.ose ■ .•■ windows of the pilot hotif^e.
After we beached her we managed in some way
to pet to the deck and Jumped Into three feet of
Wiar. In duing bo the captain hurt his Bptne
and split one of the bones In his a_iikle.
THE CREW OF THE SLOCUM.
Captain Van Schalck was born in Troy, this
Plate, sixty-one years ago, and Ik one of the
oldest excursion boat captains plying in New-
York waters. He has always had the reputa
tion of being capable and careful, and was con
sidered an expert handier of side-wheelers.
Captain Van Srhaick> first pilot was Edward
Van Wart, aged sixty-two, of No. 131 West
V« - enty-fiist-5t.. Manhattan; his second pilot
W»s Edward M. Weaver, aged twenty-eight, who
lives In Troy, I?. F OsjejhfJa was the engineer.
Edward Faiuagan the mate and Michael Mc-
Grann the steward. Captain Van hoirk lived
on board the br,-.t.
SENDS THREE CUTTERS OUT.
Collector Stran&han Orders Calumet, Hudson
and Xackinac to Use Ail Possible Speed.
As soon as the new* of the disaster reached
the New-York Custom House Collector Strana
han ordered an immediate investigation, and di
rected that the revenue cutters Calumet. Hud
ron and Mackinac be dispatched with utmost
speed to the scene of the wreck, to give any as
sistance possible.
Solicitor Hampton visited the offices of the
•tearr.boat company.' He vrn* told that there
were about nine, hundred persons aboard, but
that the ooui.t made by the purser of the boat
v.ou'.d be needed to determine the exact figures.
Need a Nourisher?
Lots do. Try
POSTUM
rood Coffee
10 Days and
Prove Things
Sm am IltU* book. "Tlm Rae4 .- w«n
fil\» • !O! O each ;,1«.
STEAM OX ALL THE TIME.
Director's Statement After Talk
with Captain Van Schaick.
Charles B. Hill, a director of the Knicker
bocker Steamboat Company, visited the I Leba
non Hospital late yesterday afternoon, to see
Captain Van Bchalck. the commander of the
General Slocurr.. who had been taken there
earlier la the day. under arrest. After a talk
with him Mr. Hi!i said that the captain did
not know the cause of the fire.
"The cause of the fre is not known," said he.
"I say That, because no Jmraettcatloa has beep,
begun. The government will 1 :. tool tedly begin
an lnveptigatimi. The captain is under arrest,
and it would be Inadvisable for him to make
any ftatement at present, but he told mo that
he and the first a«d second pilots, Edward Van
Wart and E. M. Weaver, were In the pilot
house until the Bloeon was beached. Then
they jumped directly from the pilot bouse into
the water. The captain hurt hit leg, and may
require an operation. The two pilots were prac
tically uninjured and assisted Is savins life.
They were all in the wheelhouse until the last."
"Was the boat under steam all the time?"
Mr. Hill was asked. "It has been paid that the
pilot house was deserted, and the boat drifted
with the tide until she ran aground."'
"The steam was on until the boat struck The
engineer, frank Conklln, told me at my office.
No. 14!« Broadway. wh»r^ he reported, that he
was in the engine room until the boat struck.
The current vis oa in* :i. •<>.!, and could not
have carried the boa! to Uh? b«>a. h. It would not
have been possible to have beached the boat
earlier, tor th^r-- is no shallow wat^r nearer
than North '.',!■ :!:.t Island. If tli« boat had
been rtm alongside tbe jiler* or pushed on the
ro. k» on the maiiiiand *::• Blight hs>ve sunk, as
th«- 1 is >'.<■< p along th'-r»\ ;uid more lives
■POUld h;i\e bee?: lost. The cap! sin said that
the flrrt i)e k!le^.• of the lire v. ■: ■ when he was
told of it through th« tube by some un" below.
The . . icum was then off the Sunken Meadow.
He took the boat to the nearest ] lai ■ where
phe could be beached."
•\Vaa anything done toward . ■ ting the fire?"
"The mate had charge of the nr" fitfhtlnpr, and
we don't know where he Is. The pumps were
.: . and there was fire fighting."
■Was there ■ panic am<">nic thf crew?**
"I have heurd of no panic. There were In th»
neighborhood of three thousand live preservers
on board.
•It is awful,- he added. "This is the first time
in the fifteen years* history of the Knicker
bocker company that a life lias been lost."
llr. HHJ said he did noi care to estimate the
value of the boat. It was insured, but ho did
not know f'jr exactly bow much.
Prank A. I ■■ iby, president of the Knicker
bocker Steamboat Company, made tbe fuii'jwii!^
staten • yesterday sftemoon:
■ ' rt Thlrd-st .
I . . ■ : th. r .
1 •■ the commit of St,
tiark b Evangelical ' :
• «--th!r(i <if her licensed cai
1 ti- • \m at * "i k withii
aft' r the discovery of the fire, but the people be
came panicstricken and rushed to the r>-ir
.mi
Tlie boat was thoroughly equtpp< 1 with fire ap
1 m rvert l , t \i.-" : " ction
only s few ■
U 1 tian after careful ln
v«fltlgaiJon, about slxty-nve people were 1 1
■ !•• bttl M '1
The boat was fiea^hed under b< r own steam, and
I am Informed Bonn of th' 1 ■ were able to
walk ashore.
After the statement was given out yesterday
afti rr • was found that the <; s tlinate ot
• ■ .1 was dearly wrong, an effort was made lo
see Mr. Bsinsl»j. 1 1st ha could not be found.
HAD A FORTUNE IN HER EUSTLE.
Bank Books Contained Deposits of $30,000
— $200,000 Taken from Bodies.
The bodies of severs i persons having money in
their clothing were found. One off the bodies, Cor
oner O'Gorman said, was that of a well dressed
woman of middle age. She had twenty-five bank
books la her bustle. Th 2 Coroner paid that the do
posits indicated in til* books mi between ?'i".""'
.I?.! I*o.ooo. .4^ ii»-ar as could be made out. hum of
them :-!i :\\- ■'. '-.■■•. i she was a trustee for one Bra
Krleg^r or Kreug*r.
In the clothing of th* body of a woman that lay
tn the long row <.ti the Island were found $1.7) In
greenbacks, and SZS 18 K<Md. The body was marked
No. 141 of the unidentified.
Michael Mc.Gr.-uh, steward of the General Blocum.
vent overboard with between $200 and HM, and
h«>n Ills body wa.< found the money was g->ne.
O.imjier o'Gormu.n and his assistant "Jerry"
Wwr, took from th* bodies of vlrUms Jewelry,
money and other property estimated lo t*s worth
'ivt-r 1200,000. This was carefully guarded by the
l*o!i<y. As each body was searched, the. effects
j^-und upon it were irlaced la an envelope, which
was numbered, tl a body being 1 driven a iiuml*ir to
correspond, No two bodies bore the i-rima num
ber.
SYMPATHY IN LONDON.
The Newspaper* Express It — Long
Account* Published.
London, June 16.— The morning newspapers
publish long descriptive accounts of tho terrible
disaster at New- York to the excursion steamer
G»-iM!ral Slocum. and in their editorial articles
express a keen sense of sympathy with the
American people in th»» horrible accident, which
for grim and mournful contrast between merry
making and tragedy, is considered to stand al
most without precedent.
A CHILD SITS AMONG THE DEAD.
A morbid crowd surrounded the Alexander-a.v«.
Belles station from the arrival of the first body
until midnight. Policemen, doctors, reporters anJ
those seeking dead relatives or friends were fan ed
to push t!i»ir way through the throngs, Other thou
sands lined the East River shore until late at niglu
watching t!ie bodies being brought over from N'or'h
Broihei 'Island.
There were thirty-eight bodies at the station and
•"ting amonp them in a rear room n-as a b'rtel<t
eyed child. She was absolutely unhurt. she was a
pretty cli!k> with light hair and dark eyes ap
parently about tour years old. The child <ihl \',t
appreciate in the slightest the dreadful calamity
that had befallen her. She said that her Bamewas
Lizzie Kriegjr, as she pronounced It. and at s h»
lived so.-newhero on Kourteecth-st. s *
XEW-YORK DAILY TRIBUNE. THURSDAY. JUKE 1(5. 1004.
SCENES AT XORTH BROTHER ISLAND,
6EARCHIXG THE DEAD FOR IDENTIFICATION. THE BODY BEING
EXAMINED IS THAT OF ERA KING ER. CORONER'S NO. 66.
HORROR IN EAST RIVER
Continued from flrat i»c«.
boat and waited as long as sha could before
plunging, into th« river. Finally th« flames and
smoke were swirling about her and she
leaped over the mil into the water
twenty feet below. As she disappeared beneath
th* surface she clang tightly to her Infant
charge, and still had the baby in her arm? when
she aro?e again. Beside her. struggling in the
river, was a man In uniform, one of the officers
of the steamer. He told her to place one arm
about him. that he would hoM her up until help
came. She obeyed, but still clung to h«*r helpless
little, friend! In about five minutes they were
picked up by somebody la a iowboat and taken
ashore. The brave little girl and the baby whose
life she had saved were treated in one of the
hospital wards on North Brother Island.
Another instance of childish heroism was that
of Lucy Hour ken. a fifteen-year-old girl, of No.
162 South Becond-St, Brooklyn. She was with
her mother. Mrs. Lucy Henckatt, and her brother
Char!?*, nineteen years old. Whan the fire
Ftnrted she took her mother to the hurricane
,j.-. k. believing that '•>> be the safest 1 1 ice, and.
leaving her there, went In search of her brother.
< >n her way downstairs sbe found three b.ibie.fl
lying on the 1 rat tbe toot of the companion
way and in danger of being trampled on by the
people who were running wound on thf ma|n
de k. She carried the babies it.c by one t<> bet
mother, in w!u>s» charge she placed them while
she again went In search of her brother, whom
she saw In the midst of an excited crowd of
people on the main dock. Before she could i
him a cloud of smok< pierced by name. Inter
vened and she was forced to retreat to the upper
deck. When she got th^re six- could not find
he- mother or the three babies, ami. being un
able to stay any longer on tbe burning t»'at. she.
jumped overboard. Bhe was rescued by William
Major, of the tugboat Theo.
I.AWXS LIKE A BATTLBFTELD.
The lawns on th« ttorth *horf» of North
Brother Island so<i:i looked like a battlefield
aftrr-.t battle. They were arty covered with
bodies which wer- taken from the ■ •■■!• and
with persona who bad h^n rescued and were
being prf-pare.d for removal to the hospitals
Health Commissioner Darlington called all
the physicians of. the Health Department avail
able to the island, and kept them at work there
the rest of the day. [ore than three hundred
police were gent to the island to. work under
th« direction of [nsj tor Albertson. Coroners
O'Gorman and Bchoier soon began the task of
examining the bodies n moved from the water.
As rapidly as possible t!i* persons who were
to l>e sent to hospitals were removed In boats.
While the work of rescue was still in prog
ress, tli<3 burning General Blocum was raised by
the tide until she floated from the rocks and
began to drift in the direction of Hiker's Island.
Several of the boats which were engaged in
rescue work followed her until she sank, off
Hunt's Point. Before she went down the res
cuers could see many charred bodies of women
and Children who had been burned to death.
Captain Van Schalck and his pilot Jumped,
overboard as soon a* the General Blocum
grounded. Both were burned severely before
they jumped, but they were able to get ashore.
Most of the members of the crew had Jumped
overboard sooner. There was ■ report that the
engineer had been burned Si his post of duty,
but it was learned later that he had Jumped
overboard and had been rescued.
Peter Jensen, who owns a. naphtha launch,
was coming out of Little Hell data to the East
River when the blazing Slocum passed that
point on her way east. Jensen followed with
his launch, and the moment he was able he
ran her tip to the starboard paddle box and
snatched from certain death a little girl and
two little boys. Although burned himself while
making this rescue, he ran his boat to the beach,
landed the. children, and then, dropping flat on
his face on top of the sea wall, pulled forty
persons out of the water.
AX UNKNOWN HKRO.
A man whose Identity could not be learned
showed hlnraif to be a hero. He was seen on
the starboard paddle box of the General Slooum,
surrounded by a group of. women and children.
Tug No. 7. of the New-York Central Railroad,
braving the smoke and flames, ran up alongside
the "burning steamer, and the man on the paddle
box passed the women and children down to the
crew of the tug. The clothinir of some of the
passengers was burning, and the hero's own
parments were on fire by the time he had
handed the last person to safety. He was then
forced to jump Into the river and en-am ashore.
SWIFT RECOVERY OF BODIES.
Many small boats were manned by the police
after tho General Slocum drifted away from the
shore, ani the tatik of dratttOf for bodies was
begun. In the afternoon the recovery of bodies
was rapi-1. For two hours at one time in the
afternoon the bodies were being recovered at
the rate of one a minute.
Of tha bodies recovered before noon thirty
t< yen were taken to tha police station at Alex
ander-aye. and One-hundred-and-thirty-etghth
st., about which large crowds gathered. Later
the Charities boat carried two loads to the
Morgue at T'.venty-slxth-st.
When 130 bodies had been carried to ths
Morgue and Coroner O'Gorman was told that
no more could be accommodated th*re, he
turned an old coal shed on North Brother Island
into an impromptu morgue, being aided by Dr.
Darlington.
On a platform over blocks of ice, were placed
as many of the bodies as could be accommo
dated. It was first decided that relatives desir
ing to Identify their friends would be allowed
to come -on the island for this purpose, but when
the Impromptu morgue became crowded, and
more than two hundred bodies were still on the
lawns, it was arranged that tha bodies should
be taken to th* East Twenty-sixth-st. pier,
where another larger morgue had been im
provised. To facilitate the work of removing
bodies at night. Police Commissioner McAdoo,
who went to the Island, borrowed some cluster
lights from the Metropolitan Street Railway
Company. These were to he placed on the
lawns where the bodies lay. Mr. McAdoo also
made arrangements to have the bodies of the
dead photographed.
At a late hour in th» afternoon it was found
that over three hundred bodies had been taken
ashore «t North Brother Island and were still
being recovered at the rate of one a minute.
The lawns on the north side of the island seemed
covered with bodies, most of which were those
of women and children, and some of them
charred beyond recognition. C>ne girl, about
Sixteen years old, clasped tightly In her clenched
bands the body of a child apparently six months
old. Presumably they were sisters.
OFFICER! OF THE BLOCUM ARRESTED.
Seven men, including all the officers saved
from the General Slocum, were placed under ar
resi as soon as the police found them, and ns
they were all more or less Injured, either by
burns or shock, they were sent to the Lebanon
Hospital as prisoners. They were Captain Will
iam H. Van Schalck, sixty years old, who said
he lived on the steamer; First Pilot tSdward
Van V ■nt. sixty-foul years old, *>' No, SSI West
Twent) (i ; Second Pilot Edwin x. Weaver,
twer.ty-six years <-!d. who lived on the steamer;
Will! am W. Trembley. thirty-three years old, Of
California, w Fv« lived on th* boat ; Henry Can-
Reld, forty-six yearn old. of No, 43] Tenth-aye.,
a c.,.>k oil tii™ boat. Bdwiij Robinson, nineteen.
: i cook, of No 114 West Thhrty-nmth-st.,
and James Woods, forty-five year* old, a cook,
of No. :'.:;7 Nlnth-ave,
The officers iiilssins are Michael M^Grann.
ward; Edward Flanagan, mate, and B. F
Conklin, engineer, but it is known that Conklln
escaped death.
ALDERMAN DOUGHERTY V [ARD.
. of volunteers to do the
North Brother [a md, but
U i toughei tj In wh< ■
XXXVIIIth A-
! ■'■ on te time tha
firs! bod: was broughl
he personal i ■ per, as
Thomas J. Cahlli. v firema . I to Engine
y So. .» , i ! : , . undi r the
supervision of i O'Gorman, who, with
- rolled up, directed the mo
dej oslting ih* bodies.
<■■•! man announced thai ha would
■ • k >rning,
ho that I"-: ■ Morgue
and having identified ■ body, coulO by bringli.g
the number and •>■ description of the articles
found upon the bodies have th" property turned
over to them.
As soon as tha bodies on tha Island bad ' ;*.
Ups they were deposited m
coffins and shipped by either ihe Mussasoit or
the Fidelity direct to the pier at East Twenty
slxth-st. Tha boats called at East Ooe-hundred
and-thlrty-second-st. for the bodies senl from
tha Alexander-aye. station by order of Inspector
Brooks.
CHECK TO PAT FOR THE OUTINO.
So"n after dark ai North Brother Island the
body of George Pullman, ot No. 337 East Eigh
teenth-st., w;i* Identified by a card in his pocket.
He had also in another pocket a chei k drawn to
the order of tha owners of the steasaer Genera]
i the Knickerbocker steamboat Con
(any. it is supposed that Pullman uas the
treasurer of tlie school that gave the excursion,
and this was the check to pa>y for the steaiwir's
i barter.
Between the hours of 3 and 7 p. m., Rounds
men Klute and GUloon, of the harbor police,
and these patrolmen, George A. klott, Robert
Murphy, John P. Kelly, William A. Gray and
John Healy, with George W. Reid, the Central
Office doorman, took 219 bodies out of the water
off the north end of the island. Tha rest were
taken out by civilians In launches and row
boats engaged by the police.
" John Rice, the diver who rescued the body of
"Bill" Hoar from tho bottom of the Boon ton
dam. was employed to po down into the hold of
the sunken steamer. He was taken down to
Hunt's Point on the Merrltt & Chapman wreck
ing tug, the William B. Chapman. He worked
until dark.
The Rev. Paul Sommerlate, pastor of the Har
bor Mission of the Reformed Church in the
United States, on Ellis Island, told Corotier
Joseph I. Berry, at the Alexander-aye. station,
that Mrs. Ida Poering. thirty-three yean old,
the wife of the Rev. O. Doerlng. a missionary
on Ellis Island, who was out of the city, had
gone on the fatal excursion, and that she was
nmong the missing, together with her children.
Ida. eleven years old; C.ustave, nine, and Aetna!
five. Their home is nt No. 11l State-st. th'a
city.
INVKSTIOATION ORDERED.
Commissioner McAdoo has ordered a general
Investigation started at once Into the safety of
all steamers carrying passengers In this harbor,
as to their ability to fight fire, and to find out
whether the life preservers are sufficient for use
in cases of emergency. The Commissioner, it
is said, 's convinced that the steamboat in
spectors have not made a proper inspection of
the passenger boats, and he has ordered Captaiti
William Bean, of the Patrol, to begin the work,
in a practical manner, at once, especially upon
the Coney Island boats.
NAVAL MILITIAMEN HELP.
Commander Franklin, of the First Battalion,
Naval Militia, the moment he was asked for
boats by Commissioner McAdoo assignM th>
pteam launch Seneca. In charge of Captain
James (Joodlow, John Gardlee and Engineer W.
I M. -Andrew, and the launch Onelda, Captain
Michael McGrath and kmil Humraell. to the
work of establibhintr a ferry between One-hun
dred-end-thlrty-second-st. and North Bssjthsi
Island. John M.-Kwen, of the harbor police,
was assigned to assist thorn
At tho Alexander-aye.. police station, as fast
BODIES COVERING THE DECK OF T HE MASSASOTT.
as bodies were Identified they wer« turned over
to undertakers. Soon there were a score of
undertakers' wagons outside the statioc, and the
crowd grew until the street was almost
passable, fully five thousand people surrounding
the house.
When th« work of Identification had been
finished and the remaining bodies had been re
moved to the Morgu«. Coroner Berry made the
following statement:
You may be sure that this most terrible ca
lamity will be investigated by all departments
of the city government. The District Attorneys
office is working in concert with the Coroner's
office and the Police Department, for the pur
pose of fixing: the responsibility for the awful
loss of life. It seems to me that the crew was
not station so as to discover the fire in rime.
Hod they bean properly distributed about the
boat I believe that the toss of life would have
been materially lessened, if not prevented en
tirely, for had the fire been handled properly it
could have been extinguished without trouble.
I am surprised also at the neglect displayed by
the crew in their efforts to prevent a panic.
Their duty when they saw that the fire was
■beyond their control plainly was to distribute
life preservers among the passengers, but this
they seem to have overlooked entirely in their
mad desire to escape themselves.
Coroner O'Gorman thought there would not
be enough coffins available in the city for all
Of the dead Inspector Albertson remained at
North Brother Island all night with a squad of
DoUce.
The work of searching for the bodies looked
more ghastly after dark than In the daylight.
Searchlights from the steamej Patrol were
focused on the lawn here the corpses were
in rows, and the men at ->york tagging the bodies
were armed with, tenters* which added to tk#
welrdness of the sc^ne.
- I
. from the
r v •. burned I
■ ■
IUK . , I Of a.
■ burn."i beyond recognition.
HELP FROM HOSPITALS.
Scene* on North Brother Island
Described hit the Doctors.
r>r. Axman, of Lebanon Hospital, in spsswing
of what he sa.w and did last night, said:
II was the most grewsome spectacle T evet
witnessed hi my life. It was simply awful. No
words of mine can fittingly describe it. At first,
I was -so horrified that 1 did not know where
to go or what to do. I was pulled here ani
there by various people, ail '•:' whoa wanted
me to attend tb'-lr friends and loved ones first.
I finally got on a tvs; and Started for North
Brother Island. On the way there we pulled
ten people out of tli* water, and I personally
attended thirteen after reaching th«» Wand
These were all put on the log and brought back
to the hospital, and I remained there to treat
those who had been brought by myself and
others.
Dr. sTocnmel, also of Lebanon Hospital, was
on the second ambulance that reached the scene.
He said:
I found a tug watting at. Ihe river and prompt
ly boarded it and went at once to North Brother
Island. 1 have never seen such a. horrible sight
before, and I trust that I never will again. It
looked like -i battlefield. Heaps of dead were
I'ilcd here and there, onetimes as many as fifty
lying tn a heap 1 treated as many Injured as
l could and sent then to the dock, from where
they were sent to the mainland in Charge, of
nurses. The moaning of the injured was Boat
pitiful to hear. It s^ms to me that I can «tii!
hear their groans. I will never forget it as long
as I live.
I>r. Bchwan, house surgeon at Lebanon Hos
pital, said:
I have never In my life seen such a calamity.
I spent no time in looking around.' but pitched
in and helped the doctors who arrived before
me. I can only say that It was awfui and w*
all did our best.
l>r. Arthur Kutts, the house physician at Leb
anon, said.
Horrible, and in capita] letters, i<j the or.lv
way in which the scene can be described. When
I reached North Brother Island I found bodies
lying on the beach for a hundred yards in every
direction. The rescued were coming 1 in by boat
loads. I devoted myself principally to the chil
dren who had been injure. 1. I gave them stim
ulants, wrapped them in blankets and sent them
to Lebanon Hospital.
I was at the tunnel disaster, nt One-hundred
and-Bmetleth-St ami Broadway, and, horrible
as that was. It did not compare to this. Many
of the bodies were burned so as to be unrecog
nizable, and others were minus l«*gs an. l aj-ms,
which all went to make it a scene that can never
be forgotten by anyone who was there.
Superintendent Daub, of Lebanon Hospital.
went over with six nurses. He said:
When I first reached the seen* I was so over
come that I wept like a child. It was some time
before I could think connectedly, but 1 finally
pulled myself together and put the nurses to
work. They all did their utmost and deserve to
be complimented on their untiring efforts.
Fourteen minutes after the alarm for the
burning of the Slocum was received at Flower
Hospital the ambulance was on the scene. This
was the quickest run of any of the ambulances,
the famous horse Baby, which was Injured last
week, making the run. In the ambulance were
Dr. Kaufman. in charge; Drs. Taylor and
Cocheu, Miss Barker, the head nurse, and
Nurses Underbill and Welßh.
Dr. Kaufman, in spcakine; of the work done.
said:
Of course, we handled scores of people. The
first seven whom we came to we took to Lincoln I
Hospital. We only brought two to our own
hospital. The first two we found were children,
one a girl about two years old and the other a
boy about six. The boy was badly burned. The '
girl was only lost. Then we found a woman !
about twenty-five yenrs old, with a baby in her
ana* She was unconscious and wrapped In a
blanket. Ph> was severely burned and Buffering
from shock. I should think that she should re
cover, however. The baby was uninjured
There were three boys, then, who were burned |
which made the seven.
Th* physicians from th^ Harlem Hospital [
treated about on.» hundred and twenty injured
persons.
MR. HAAS'S GREAT LOSS
HIS STORY OF TRAGEDY.
All His Family Except His Son
and Sister Missing.
The Rev. George C. A. Haas, the pastor of the
church, was saved, but his wife and daughter
are among the missing. The pastor was pros,
trated last night. Much of th© time he was
unconscious. With his sister. Miss Err.ma Haas,
he returned home about 3 o'clock.
With the exception of Mr. Haas's son George,
who di.i not go on the excursion, these two
are apparently the only ones left of a lar?<j
family. Mr. Haas's mother-in-law. Mrs. Carl
Hansen; his sister-in-law. Mrs. William Twl
more, and Mrs. Tetimore's two-yea?-old daugh
ter. Edith, are also missing.
A thorough «rarch has been Trade of all th»
hospitals, but none of the missing relatives had
been found up to a late hour last night.
According to Mr. Haas's story, fat that boiled
over in the cook's galley started the fire.
"The fir*?."' said Mr. Haas, "started in tha
kitchen In MSB forward part, when w» xrera oft
One-hundred-and-thlrty-fourth-st. I under
stand that some gat that boiled over started
the blaze and that IBS mss. hi the kitchen, in
st-id of nsli'ir.-,' it. ran fat Iheh are*
"At that time most of the women art! chil
dren weie jamm^l la the m i of the boat,
where the band was pUy
•Why ths captain did not petal fat teal
for the meadows I do not understand. Ke hast
on. and the fresh wind from the Sound drove
the fir- back through the gfTHisnl decks with
Pghtnftlg rapidity.
■ in three sstawtes from the time the ire start
i se.
""Such sc*^*^ as followed I don't think mre
ever witnessed before. was la the rear of tt»
boat with my wife and daughter. Warns were
Shrieking BBd clasping their children Ir. their
arms. Some BMthcta had as m.i::y as three or
four with them. Our case seemed hopeless.
Death from fir? ws« to bo escape! cr.!y to d.*
ip. the vat»r.
■"When the fire shot up to Ins top Iseft and
drova the crowd back the pan:; was I SJtttßl
to witness. The crush from the forward part
of the boat swept those ir. the rear a: ing. Th»
■omen and children clu:\t; to ih>- ndlhiga and
siar.e-hio:i3. but could not k-^p thetl holds. L
with -.r.y wife and daughter. • ;: a'onj
with |he *est.
"I believe that the first that fell tatß the water
mere crushed over. When they went there
Seemed to be a general iudinauoti to )u op. Th- 1
women and children went over the callings liks
files. They preferred to take a chance in the
water than await sure dt?Mrr, in fire.
• In :he great crush many wonwn fair.tPti and
fell to the deck, to be trampled upo:-.. Uttfei
children were knocked down. Mother*, with
their little buys a.n-1 girls in their arr.ia. would
gtva wild screams and then leap into the water.
\Ve could »••*=» boars pulling o;it from the show
by this Inset and a faint ray el hope cam*
10 us.
"Wiri-. rr.y wife and daughter I had !••"!'. sweat
BUSS the rail. Thi fire then looked as if It would
devour us the next instant. I vjoc my wife ani
daughter out on the rail, and then wv went over
board. I was in such an excited state tr.at I
desVt remember whether we were pushed over
or jumped.
"When I struck the ■ itat I sank, and when
I rose there were scares about me ggktssg to
keep afloat. One by on© I saw them sink around
me. But 1 was powerless to do anything.
"I was holding 1 my wife and daua up ?"
the water as best l could, almost under the aid-*
of the boat, when some one, jumpliij; from th*
rail directly above me. landed or. top of Hi
My hold was broken, arid we all went under
together. When I came up my wife and child
were gone.
"With a great effort I managed U> keep afloat,
but my strength, was about gor.^. when a ir.an
on one of the tugs picked me up."
D:-. Semken. who is attending Dr. Haas, said
that the latter was in a serious conditi ia Wkßi
he was not in imminent danger of death, It was
only his tine constitution that saved hr.n. aa h*
was badly burned and suffered from Immersion.
GeiUlldi Has?. wh<» was at tirat th u»;. .: to be
lost. It was said hurt nhj h.i.l be^r. - ra by
some playmates at North Brother Istmdt
Charles Anger, th* superintendent of the Sun
day school, has not been heard from since th*
disaster, and it Is believed that he his bee*
drowned.
A MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT.
He Send* His Profound Sympathy to Pastor
and Congregation.
President Roosevelt sent th* following message of
condolence to the Rev. Georg« C. F. Haas, pastor
of St. Mark's CLurch:
Accept my profound sympathy for yourself, jess
church and your congregation.
THEODORC RQO3EVBLT.
CREW WAS NOT PROPERLY STATiONED.
Coroner Berry said last night that h* was unable
to fix the responsibility for the disaster, but frost
a superficial examination ho believed the orew !!3>J
not been properly stationed, so as SI s«.» th« flames
In time to make- headway in fishtlng them.
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