EE£***d ? ffe^^Sf" ****; Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library Gift of Seymour B. Durst Old York Library MEMORIAL EDITION new york's awful Steamboat Horror HUNDREDS OF WOMEN AND CHILDREN DROWNED ANb BURNED TO DEATH WITH GRAPHIC DESCRIPTIONS OF FLAMES SWEEPING MANY SOULS TO ETERNITY WITH RESISTLESS FURY ; PANIC STRICKEN MULTITUDES JUMPING TO SURE DEATH, ETC., ETC. AND CONTAINING THRILLING STORIES OF THIS MOST OVER- WHELMING CATASTROPHE OF MODERN TIMES TO WHICH IS ADDED VIVID ACCOUNTS OF HEARTRENDING SCENES WHERE HUNDREDS WERE BURNED AND DROWNED IN THEIR EFFORTS TO ESCAPE COMPILED FROM THE DESCRIPTIONS OF EYE WITNESSES AND SURVIVORS OF THIS TERRIBLE DISASTER By H. D. NORTHROP, the well-known author Profusely Illustrated with a Great Many Photographs of Thrilling Scenes in this Fearful Catastrophe TO THE ABOVE IS ADDED AX ACCOUNT OF ALL GREAT FIRF HORRORS FOR HUNDREDS OF YEARS ENTERED ACCORDING TO' ACT OF CONGHE86, IN 1 Hfc YtAR 90*, a* D. Z. HOWELL IN THE OFFICE OF THE LIBRARIAN OF CONGRESS, AT WASHINGTON, D. C, U. 6. A PREFACE. THE appalling steamboat horror in New York Harbor is even more terrifying than the Chicago Theatre Fire, for this catastrophe resulted in the death of hun- dreds by both fire and water. It has sent a thrill of dismay and terror throughout the whole world. A crowd of excursionists were made victims of this dire calamity. All on board were anticipating a day of pleasure, and never dreamed that a disaster so shocking was near. In an instant the merry company was turned into a frantic struggling crowd, all making desperate efforts to save themselves and their friends. No language can describe the heartrending scenes, or convey any adequate idea of the awful holocaust on the " General Slocum." Crowds of children were on board, and their mothers were driven by the fury of flames to leap with them into the water. Family parties prepared for a day's picnic, were on the doomed boat, and were hurled to death, as it were, in the twinkling of an eye. In the wild con- fusion, mothers were separated from their little ones, never to look again into their loving faces. The accident occurred in the East River, opposite the upper part of New York City. The banks are steep and rocky at this point, which has been given the suggestive name of u Hell Gate." It has long been considered a dan- gerous place, and many small vessels have gone down in the swirl of these waters. When the fire was discovered the awe-stricken officers and passengers stood paralyzed and helpless to stay the ravages of the devouring flames. The seething 4 PREFACE. furnace gathered new materials for its remorseless de- vastation, and mocked all efforts to stay its onward progress. Clouds of smoke enveloped the sky, through which the ascending jets of fire shot with the fierceness of lightning. There was a noise like an explosion down in the steamer's hull, and red starry loads of sparks and smoke and flames flew up, and the greater part of the super- structure plunged forward into the flames. How many hundreds of lives were snuffed out at that instant nobody will ever know. From the shores could be seen writhing figures in the burning wreck, slipping down further and further into the flames until they disappeared. As bees cling to a branch when swarming, there was a thick clustering of women all screaming ; and boys and girls around the edges of as much of the railing of the boat as was left standing. Mothers threw their children overboard and leaped after them. The majority of them went down to a watery grave. All kinds of boats that were near hurried to the rescue, and many a sailor proved himself to be a hero by risking his life to save the drowning and those who were frantic and in agony from the all- enveloping flames. A full and intensely graphic account of this ap- palling disaster is contained in this memorial volume. The book has a fascination that cannot be resisted. This calamity stands out in bold and terrible outlines in the history of great disasters. CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. page FRIGHTFUL CATASTROPHE BY FIRK AND WATER- • . • 1 7 CHAPTER II. OUR COUNTRY AGHAST AT THE TRAGEDY 28 CHAPTER III. SCENES OF OVERWHELMING GRIEF 41 CHAPTER IV. SYMPATHY FROM ALL QUARTERS 60 CHAPTER V. STARTLING TESTIMONY OF EYE WITNESSES 84 CHAPTER VI. FUNERALS ATTENDED BY SOBBING THOUSANDS Ill CHAPTER VII. THE PULPITS RING WITH INDIGNATION 1 39 CHAPTER VIII. HEROES SAVE MANY LIVES 157 6 CONTENTS. CHAPTER IX. STARTLING FACTS AT THE INQUEST . . . . 176 CHAPTER X. NEW HORRORS SHOCK THE PUBLIC 199 CHAPTER XI. THE STEAMBOAT A DEATH TRAP 220 CHAPTER XII. WORTHLESS LIFE-PRESERVERS 23 1 CHAPTER XIII. VALOROUS DEEDS BY RESCUERS • • . ' 243 CHAPTER XIV. SWIFT JUSTICE DEMANDED. 258 CHAPTER XV. ORPHANS CAST UPON THE WORLD 277 CHAPTER XVI. SLAUGHTER CAUSED BY GREED 296 CHAPTER XVII. STEAMBOAT DIRECTORS ARRESTED 307 CHAPTER XVIII. DIRGES FOR THE DEAD 324 THIS GROUP SHOWS THE PHOTOGRAPHS OF TWENTY-EIGHT WOMEN AND CHILDREN WHO WERE ON THE ILL-FATED STEAMER "GENERAL SLOCUM." CONTENTS. 7 CHAPTER XIX. LIST OF VICTIMS OF THE GENERAL SLOCUM DISASTER . 337 BOOK II* THE GREAT CHICAGO HORROR. CHAPTER XX. STORY OF THE GREATEST CALAMITY OF RECENT TIMES . 359 CHAPTER XXL AWFUL SPECTACLE DESCRIBED BY THE RESCUED .... 372 CHAPTER XXII. DESPERATE STRUGGLES TO ESCAPE DEATH . . 390 CHAPTER XXIII. LIST OF VICTIMS OF THE CHICAGO HORROR ....... 407 CHAPTER XXIV. OTHER APPALLING TRAGEDIES CAUSED BY FIRE • • . • 419 ,. • ■T- 4fty*^JI ■ -' ^pPjMlp miMMwiiL . . . .*** §|L ,f '^f ^^ )■ w ^ V . Ihfc 1 J? fir ;f * A* 1 ^K aBffiHBB^^^BPB i:JpV ; : »■;,;;■.; 1 • c ( CAPTAIN WILLIAM H. VAN SCHAICK, WHO COMMANDED THE ILL-FATED STEAMBOAT "GEN. SLOCUM." WRECK OF STEAMER AFTER THE TERRIBLE DISASTER, WHICH RESULTED IN THE LOSS OF SO MANY LIVES. i tiff UJ I h O CO LU CC |S S o DEAD BODIES ON A RESCUE TUGBOAT SHOWING HOW THEY APPEARED AFTER BEING TAKEN FROM THE WATER. z I > H < . z £ CO < - £ - UJ UJ I I I- I- So CO Q uj ° oc < D Z Q Z < CO cr O h o o Q ROTTEN LIFE PRESERVER TAKEN FROM THE WRECK OF THE ILL-FATED STEAMER "GEN ERAL SLOCUM." SHOWING STAMP OF DATE OF INSPECTION. APPALLING HORROR IN NEW YORK BAY. CHAPTER I. FRIGHTFUL CATASTROPHE BY FIRE AND WATER. NOTHING approaching the great calamity of June 15th ever before happened in New York waters. In the midst of such an awful destruction of life, the exact number of those who perished is immaterial, but it is certain that on day of the calamity more than 1000 souls were sent to their long homes without a moment's warn- ing to prepare for death. The list of the missing has reached an appalling length. "How did such a thing happen?'' That was the question that was reiterated up and down the length and breadth of the city. People read that the captain found his boat with its living cargo was on fire at 110th street, and yet did not drive it to the shore until he reached 138th street, a mile and a half from the place were the cry of "Fire!" first reached his ears. Capt. William H. Van Schaick of the "Slocum" ex- plained as best he could how such a horrible disaster had come to a steamer under his care and direction. He is a man 61 years old, and has had long experience in com- manding pleasure craft in the waters around New y^-* Capt. Van Schaick said that, though he 1 of fire early, he made up his mind at erne x.y. 2 18 FRIGHTFUL CATASTROPHE BY FIRE AND WATER. no certain place where she could be beached in shallow water south of North Brother Island. The tide was run- ning east to the Sound with terrible velocity, and the captain feared that he would lose time trying to turn his boat into a proper beaching place to beach her west of North Brother Island. He stuck to his post, although the flames scorched his clothing, until the boat was hard and fast ashore. -Pilot Van Wart stayed with him. Rivermen generally are divided as to the good judgment shown by Capt. Van Schaick in trying to go so far. It was nearly an even division. The captain himself admitted that it was not until after the fire had been burning some time that he realized its fierceness and its rapidity. Capt. Van Schaick and Pilots Van Wart and Weaver were arrested and were sent to the prison cells of Bellevue Hospital. All of them were badly burned. GRAVE QUESTIONS TO BE SETTLED. District Attorney Jerome sent his assistant, F. P. Garvan, to the scene of the wreck to determine whether a crime had been committed. It was stated that if it could be shown that Capt. Van Schaick used his best judg- ment he would not be held responsible. But there were other questions which would call for a criminal investi- gation, as, for instance, the quality and condition of the life preservers on the " General Slocum " and the facili- ties which she had for fighting fire. T * was proven that a man could rip many of the •v e -rr OD the ship w ide open with his thumb- ^e of them were filled with granu- quickly becomes water soaked Former Fire Marshal Freel was FRIGHTFUL CATASTROPHE BY FIRE AND WATER !9 retained by the District Attorney to make an investiga- tion into the circumstances of the starting of the hre. There was a compartment in the hold of the passed Broadway, Astoria, John E. Ronan, a 24 FRIGHTFUL CATASTROPHE BY FIRE AND WATER. Dock Department employee, was struck with the gayety of the steamer, with her nags, her music and her load of hilarious children, and called to a companion : " Look at the 'Slocum!' Don't it make you hate to work when you see a crowd having as good a time as that?" But a quarter of a mile further on, William Alloway, the captain of a dredge, saw a burst of smoke puff out from the lower deck of the " Slocum " just forward of the smokestacks. He let off four blasts of his dredge whistle. At the same moment other boats on each side of the river began to toot shrill warnings. Alloway and his men could see a scurrying on the decks of the "Slocum." They wondered why Captain Van Schaick didn't back his boat right into the Astoria shore. "It seemed to me," Alloway said, "as though he was having some trouble with his wheel and as though she wasn't minding it, and as if he couldn't get his signals into his engine room. But anyway, he went right ahead." ALARM AT LAST GIVEN ON BOARD. From the best understanding of the situation which could be gained from those who were left alive when everything was over, it was quite a while after the " Slocum" was first found to be on fire that the serious- ness of the situation was understood by all of her officers and crew. Very few of the passengers knew anything of the real danger they were in until the burning and drowning had begun. Eddie Flanagan was the "Slocunrs" mate. On excursion steamers the safety and comfort of the pas- sengers are delegated to the mate, while the captain is in FRIGHTFUL CATASTROPHE BY FIRE AND WATER 26 the pilot house as he is, very properly, always while the boat is in motion. To Flanagan there came a deckhand and Steward McGann. He caught Flanagan by the shoulder and said : " Mate, there's a fire forward and it's got a pretty good headway." Flanagan jumped down through the dark space in the middle of the boat and turned the lever of the fire drill alarm. He sent McGann to warn Captain Van Schaick. The crew was not enough to handle so many passengers. The fire crackled up through one deck after another, licking out far on the port side. There was a rush for the stern. Some of the children thought that the whole alarm was a joke and laughed and pummelled one another as they ran. The mothers didn't. They lumbered after, trying vainly to keep hold of some one garment on the bodies of each one of their youngsters. GETTING OUT THE HOSE. Captain Van Schaick ran back from the pilot house and saw that Flanagan had two lines of hose run from the steamer's fire pumps toward the second cabin, and that the water was already spurting through them. The fire drill on the " Slocum " was always well done. It was held, without any requirement of law, once every week. But this fire was beyond any mere fire drill. It took Captain Van Schaick only a minute to see that he ought to get his passengers ashore as soon as ever he could. He determined on the north shore of North Brother Island. It takes time to read of all these things. It took almost no time at all for them to happen. The yells and screams of the few people who were caught on the decks 26 FRIGHTFUL CATASTROPHE BY FIRE AND WATER below the hurricane deck forward were ringing horribly across the water. The roar and crackle of the oil-fed flames shut these screams off from the frightened mass of Sunday school people aft. Kelk and Van Tassel had leaped into the crowds when the firegongs rang. It was due to them that more women and children were not caught forward of the fire. They herded the people back like sheep until nearly the whole company were huddled together on the broad after- decks. The fire was eating its way back steadily. The people were getting more and more frightened. Mothers whose children had been separated from them in the rush were getting frantic and dashing madly through the crowd. Confusion grew almost as fast as the fire at the other end of the boat was growing. Van Tassel took to the rail. TRYING TO QUIET THE CROWD. "Now, everybody keep quiet !" he shouted again and again, waving his big arms reassuringly at women who were grasping the rail and already leaning over and trying to make up their minds to jump. Pastor Haas had found his wife and his twelve-year- old daughter Gertrude and had put them near the back of a companionwa}^ where he was sure he could find them. He, too, tried to calm his people. He might as well have tried to calm the whirling tide that was bearing the burning steamer along to its end. They were fight- ing now. Mothers who had started side by side with an endless fund of sympathy for domestic difficulties were fighting like wild beasts. Screams came from the water. A woman looked over and saw three children floating by on the starboard FRIGHTFUL CATASTROPHE BY FIRE AND WATER. 27 side. The head of one of them was covered with blood where a blade of the paddlewheel had wounded it. The woman screamed just once, so loud that for a moment all the other horrible sounds of the boat seemed hushed. She pointed a finger at the little bodies that were floating back from the forward decks. "Frieda!" she screamed. "Meine Frieda!" Before a hand could be raised to stop her, if indeed there was any one there at that moment cool enough to raise a hand, the mother jumped on the seat and threw herself over the rail. She sank, whirling over and over in the swift current. So did the children. But other bodies came. As the flames worked upward and back- ward more people were driven to jump to escape being burned. Mercifully, the pilot house, being forward and up in the air, was in a position which the flames found it hard to reach. The captain and his pilots were able to keep steering. It seemed to be the captain's purpose as he came up past 130th street to try to find a berth on The Bronx side of the stream. There are a number of coal and wood yards along there and some factories. Rivermen said that he might well have carried out his plan. The land forces of the Fire Department could have reached him there. But he said that a tug warned him off, telling him that he would only be setting fire to the shore buildings and would not be helping his people in the least, if he ran in there. CHAPTER II. OUR COUNTRY AGHAST AT THE TRAGEDY. THE u General Slocum," observed now by hundreds of horror dazed people on both sides of the stream and on the islands, turned again towards North Brother. Steamers and tugs from far down stream were making after her. The Department of Correction boat "Massasoit" was on the far side of the Brother Island. Her captain lay in wait for the "Slocum," not knowing through what channel she would come. From downstream came the slim, white "Franklin Edson," the Health Department boat. Thence, too, came the sturdy little "Wade," with her tough talking, daredevil, great hearted little captain, Jack Wade. There came also the tugs u Theo" and u Easy Time," tooting their whistles, headed for the burning steamer. On board the u Slocum v horror was being piled on horror too fast for anyone to keep track of them, The fire, leaping now high above the frame work of the steamer's hog back, and roaring with a smoky glare of red tongues up thirty feet over the tall brown smoke- stacks, had begun to scorch the edges of the compact mass of women and children who were crowding back out of its way at the rear end of the boat. The greater number of these people by far were on The Bronx side of the decks. They seemed to feel, poor creatures, that, small as their chance for rescue was, when it came it would come from the thickly-populated shore rather than from the bleak, rocky, bare spaces on the islands on the starboard side. The "Slocum" was now 28 OUR COUNTRY AGHAST AT THE TRAGEDY. 29 opposite 138th street, heading partly across the river toward North Brother Island. With a crack and echoing volley of screams that set on edge the teeth of men hardened to almost any form of death or evidence of pain, the port rail of the "SlocurnV after-deck gave way and all the people near it slipped and slid, one over another, into the water. She had hardly gone 200 yards further on — indeed, by ones and threes and twos and sevens, gaily dressed women and little tots all in white were seen whirling down from the deck into the racing tide — when worse came. The steamers and tngs in pursuit were catching up one woman here or a child there, but it was not much they could do. The tide was too swift, and there was too much work to be done ahead to warrant any delay over indi- viduals. CLOUD OF SMOKE AND FLAMES. There was a puff like a great cough down in the "Slocum's" inwards. A red starry cloud of sparks and smoke and flames shot up and the greater part of the superstructure aft plunged forward into the flames. How many hundreds of lives were snuffed out in that one instant nobodv will ever know. Outsiders could see writhing, crawling figures in the burning wreckage, slip- ping down further and further into the flames until they were gone. As bees cling along a branch when they are swarming, there was a thick clustering of women, all screaming, and boys and girls around the edges of so much of the superstructure as was still standing. At the very back Kelk, the policeman, was standing catching up some of the smallest children, and hurling them out at the decks of the nearest following steamers. 30 OUR COUNTRY AGHAST AT THE TRAGEDY. Mothers threw their children overboard and leaped after them. When the stanchions bnrned ont and the super- structure fell families were separated. Thus it happened to Dominie Haas. He had given up as hopeless any effort to get the people quiet, and had just found his wife and daughter. The crash came and he lost them. BIG STEAMBOAT ALL ABLAZE. Now the the big steamer, ablaze for more than two- thirds of her 250 feet of length, was rounding the point of North Brother Island. The flames were reaching out for the pilot-house. The door toward the fire was black- ened here and there and the paint blisters were bursting with little puffs of fire. But the hundred nurses and the tuberculosis patients — all the others had scarlet fever and other contagious diseases and were kept indoors — gathered eagerly on shore waiting a chance to help, saw old man Van Schaick and his pilots at their wheel, straining forward as though by their own physical efforts they could make the boat go faster. The captain and Van Wart are both of scrawny, hollow-cheeked build. Both have sandy side whiskers, cropped close. Van Wart is taller than the captain. Weaver, the other pilot, is of heavier build. They made a wonderful picture, the three of them. Afterward, when the horrors were all over except the most ghastly horror of all — the piling up and labelling of the dead — men spoke of the picture. It was at no moment certain that the pilot house would not shrivel up and vanish in a puff of smoke. If it did the "Slocuni " would never get close enough to the shore to make it possible for help to be given to the passengers who were still living. And the OUR COUNTRY AGHAST AT THE TRAGEDY. :;i two old men and the younger, with never a look back- ward, whirled their wheel and braced it, and with their teeth set close together and never a word kept their eyes fixed on the one little stretch of rock}- beach where it was possible for a steamer as big as the "Slocum " to be beached accurately and safely. They succeeded in the fight that they had been mak- ing all the way from the Sunken Meadows, where the "Seawanhaka" was beached years ago. Captain Van Schaick was past the Snnken Meadows, he said, before he knew that he had a fire on his boat, and the tide was too strong to let him turn back to beach her there, even had there been any way of rescue out there in the middle of the river. SWAM TO BURNING STEAMER. The only heartening incidents of the whole horrible half hour began happening as soon as the "Slocum's" bottom scraped on the North Brother Island shore, about twenty-five feet from the sea wall. The " Massasoit," which was the closest boat behind the " Slocum " when she struck, drew so much water that it was impossible to get her bow within fifty feet of the " Slocum." It didn't make any difference to Carl Rappa- port, her coxswain. He took a running jump forward over the bow and swam toward the burning steamer. Like a big red-headed St. Bernard, he grabbed two babies and swam back to his own boat. Meantime the captain of the " Massasoit" was putting boats overboard as fast as he knew how. When these were out picking up people from the water wherever they could, Rappaport was floun- dering around helping from the water side. The "Franklin Edson," with her new clean coat of 32 OUR COUNTRY AGHAST AT THE TRAGEDY. white and gilt paint, drew less water than the " Massa- soit," and went right up to the "Slocum's " side so that people jumped from the burning decks and were dragged back to safety. For safety was not on the forward deck of the '*Edson." Her forward windows were cracked by the heat and there are the marks of flames for the forward thirty feet of her superstructure. Jack Wade, master and owner of his little tug, curs- ing like a truckman stuck in the middle of a Broadway jam, was pitching his life-preservers over, turning loose his boats and pushing up so close to the burning decks that the hair on his brawny arms frizzed and his men had their shirts burned off their backs. It wasn't worth while afterward to attempt to get this crew to tell how many lives it saved. They had been too busy to count. SHOVED HIM OVEREOARD. Ruddy McCarroll was plain beaten out for the first time in his life. The effort which finished him had been getting a very heavy German woman over the side, single handed. When she was aboard she began to scream. Ruddy laid himself out flat, face down along the rail, and was sure he was going to die, he was so exhausted. He heard the fat woman say : " Wake up, you ! wake up ! " but he didn't know she i was talking to him. " There is n^ Claus in the water," she screamed. Without more ado she shoved Ruddy overboard. He floundered around, caught the boy, and managed to get aboard again. The fat woman grabbed Claus and started down the boat with him. Ruddy shook his head with a look that was almost a smile, and then fell on his face in a faint. OUR COUNTRY AG HAS! AT THE I'KAGKDY. All along the shore, as the burning steamboat "had come along the stream on the breast of the tide, fire alarms had been rung. One alarm at the foot of 138th street was rung three times. There was nothing the fire- men could do when they came, except just one thing, which was done at once. The captain of the first company to arrive at the rivers edge telephoned for the fireboat " Zophar Mills." She came up the river, screaming, with a voice that outscreamed all the other whistles which were being blown in every factory and yard from which the blazing steamship could be seen. The captain of the "Mills" saw that the "Slocuni" was beached and that rescuers were more needed than pumpers of water. He ran into 138th street and took aboard Captain Geohegan and all the reserves of the Alexander avenue station and took them over the river to help in the work of picking- people out of the water from rowboats and tugs. There is a big marble works opposite North Brother Island. The boss, when he saw the "Slocum," knocked off all work and sent his 150 men across in any and ever}' sort of a craft that they could lay their hands on. HUNDREDS OF RESCUERS AT WORK. Meantime the hundred nurses and the tuberculosis patients were doing wonderful things. Delicate-looking young women, in the dainty white uniforms which nurses wear, ran down to the water's brink and waded in up to their necks and formed human chains, along which strug- gling half-drowned refugees were passed. Miss O'Don- nell, the assistant nurse in charge, went out and brought in seven dead people and eight liviug. Every other nurse in the place was doing nearly as well. Dr. Watson, the head of the hospital, was out in the water n.v. 3 34 OUR COUNTRY AGHAST AT THE TRAGEDY. with them, cheering them on. Mary McCann, a sixteen-year-old, a ward helper, just over from Ireland, swam out four times and each time brought a living child to the shore. Even though relieved by these evidences — but one or two out of hundreds that happened unrecorded — of the working of good and brave human hearts, the misery and the horror were going on almost undiminished. The great hulk was still burning like a furnace on top of the water. Living men and women were still rolling out from her decks. Hundreds sought shelter from the heat under the paddle boxes, which seemed slow to burn. In there, among the wet paddle blades, the rescue boats were filled again and again. BOY CLIMBS FLAGSTAFF. Long after every one had given up any idea that there was a human life in the forward part of the boat, except those of Captain Van Schaick and his two pilots, there was a shout of surprise and agony on shore. A small boy — he seemed about six years old — climbed up to the flagstaff and began to make his way up as though to get away from the deck, which was burning under him. He climbed a little higher and a little higher with each jump of the tongues of flame from below, until he was almost at the top. He w r as a sturd} r looking little chap, and each time he found he had not gone far enough, he would shake his yellow curls determinedly and work his way a few inches more. It was a brave fight. He lost it. The flagstaff began to tremble, just as a boat was getting around in position to get at the child. The staff fell back into the floating furnace, and the boy with it. OUR COUNTRY AGHAST AT THE TRAGEDY. 86 As fast as dead and living were brought ashore, the weaker of the convalescent patients took them and car- ried them up on the lawn. There was a constantly in- creasing number of physicians coining over from the mainland, some of them in row-boats. Every burnt woman or child who showed any signs of life was carried into the buildings. The nurses' quarters and the doc- tors' quarters and the stables and every place that had a roof where cots could be erected was filled — except those in which there were contagious diseases. DEAD LYING IN ROWS. The dead were laid out in long rows on the grass. The living walked or were carried by them. Heartrend- ing recognitions were there ; women throwing themselves on the bodies of their children, children catching at their mothers' hands and begging them to "wake up," and screaming inconsolably when they realized that there would be no waking up. There was too much to be done at once for any list to be kept of those who were rescued. The Rev. Mr. Haas was pulled out of the water in which he had fallen soon after she beached, and found to be not very badly injured. But it was more than an hour before he could be found and identified. On many of the bodies which were recovered were life preservers which seemed to have been perfectly worthless. , Assistant District Attorney Oarvan's atten- tion was called to a collection of the "Slociiin's" life-pre- servers which had been made by Captain Jack Wade. These life-preservers were covered with such flimsy, rotten stuff that they could be ripped open by a scratch with one's thumbnail. They were rilled with ground-up 36 OUR COUNTRY AGHAST AT THE TRAGEDY. cork instead of with solid chunks which would retain their buoyancy. Captain Wade, who threw away a hun- dred dollars' worth of really good life-preservers to the "SlocumV passengers, was highly indignant over the matter. "Look what they let a boat of 2,500 passengers carry," he said, "and then look at what they make me buy, when I'm only licensed to carry eighteen. "• The work of recovering bodies went on steadily from the time when all hope of saving more lives ended. Nearly a hundred policemen, assisted by men from all the hospitals and morgues, went out in small boats and waded out and worked from the shore and from the decks of the tugs with grappling hcoks, dragging up all that was left of victims of the disaster. The bodies of some of those who were burned were in indescribably horrible condition, and only with the greatest difficulty could be singled out and identified. A SHOCK OF SENSIBILITIES. In the rush and confusion there were many things which in the face of a disaster less appalling would have shocked the sensibilities of the most hardened man who witnessed them ; such, for instance, as the sight The Sun tug encountered on one of its trips across to North Brother Island — a rowboat, with two men at the oars, and a small boy, who was holding a line by which were towed the bodies of three women, dressed, all three, in flimsy white dresses. Nobody was to blame. The boat would have been swamped with the three bodies inside. At 10.30 o'clock at night 415 corpses had been re- covered and tagged at North Brother Island. Fifty had been recovered at other points. They included a dozen OUR COUNTRY AGHAST AT THE TRAGEDY. 37 that had first been lauded at Oak Point. More were com- ing at the rate of twenty an hour. The police of the harbor squad, assisted by volun- teers, were wading and rowing about the shore picking them up with grappling hooks. So numerous were the corpses that earlv in the evening bodies were recovered at the rate of one a minute. All the boats used by the police and other workers were equipped with lanterns. In addition lights were hung on poles that had been stuck in the mud along the shore of the island. The police boat "Patrol" stood by constantly with a big searchlight played on the waters. The employees of the hospital rigged up temporary lines of incandescent lights along the lawn to aid those at work in tabulating and searching the bodies. LAID IN GROUPS. As soon as the bodies were taken from the water they were laid in groups of four each. They were first tagged and then searched. All jewels, papers and valuables taken from the bodies were thrown into huge bags. Each batch of valuables taken from a body was tagged with the number corresponding with that on the body. After the searching and tagging of the bodies had been completed photographs were taken of the groups of four. This was done by the use of flashlights. Dr. Darlington, president of the Health Board, arrived early in the afternoon and was still seen superin- tending his mtn and hustling with his coat off at mid- night. Coroner O'Gorman was also still there at that hour. Police Commissioner McAdoo had left shortly before 9 o'clock. Before leaving Mr. McAdoo said he would in the 38 OUR COUNTRY AGHAST AT THE TRAGEDY. near future confer with the Dock Department concerning a plan to have the police hereafter inspect every steamer, excursion or otherwise, before it leaves a dock. In this way the Commissioner sa}-s he thinks another terrible disaster as that which befell the "Slocum" might be averted. Just as he was leaving the island some one called Mr. McAdoo's attention to the fact that the work in caring for the dead was made doubly difficult owing to the lack of proper light. As soon as he was told this the Commissioner hurried to a telephone and called up the office of the superintendent of the Metropolitan Street Railway. " Will you help the city of New York out?" asked Mr. McAdoo, " In a minute !" was the reply. " Well, then send up six of those gasolene flare lights you folks use when repairing the tracks at night," said the Commissioner. MANY WILLING HELPERS. "We will send twenty-six if 3-011 want them," said the representative of the street railwa3^compan3 7 . Mr. McAdoo said that six would be enough. It was just fifty minutes later that a boat containing the requested lights reached the island. Two were placed on the lawn, where the bodies were being tagged. The other four were stationed along the shore and greath 7 aided the men at work in the water. The powerful lights illuminated the faces of the dead on the lawn most plain^-. Everybody praised the doctors, nurses and employees of the hospital on North Brother Island. All hands there pitched in and worked unceasingl3 r from the time the burning boat was first seen until late at night. Then many of them, especially the women, actually 01 R i 01 NTRY AGHAST AT THE i RAGED Y. 89 fell from exhaustion. Dr. Darlington ordered all hands to retire, but some insisted on working'. At ii o'clock at night Diver John Rice returned from the wrecked steamer with four bodies of children. They had been found in the afterhold of the vessel. Rice said that the divers had decided to make no more descents into the wreck, as it was plain to them that their labor would be useless. "We searched the forward part of the boat," said Diver Rice, " and could find no bodies. She has settled down with a crash into the middle and we couldn't explore that part. I suppose there are a lot of bodies there, but the wreckers will have to get in their work before anyone can get in the centre of the vessel. "The working crew are going to work on that part and they say that if necessary to clear it they will split the boat in two parts. We divers will go out in the morning again." EXACT TIME OF THE DISASTER. The watches on all the dead recovered early in the afternoon had stopped at 10.20 o'clock. The watches taken out at night had stopped at 10.25 o'clock. Dr. Darlington was reinforced by a large number of inspectors from the Health Department late at night. They devoted their time entirely to tagging the bodies and arranging for their transfer to East Twenty-sixth street. The only one of the ten members of the Erckling family of Nutley, N. J., who was saved was a two-year- old baby. She was saved by the nurse, Louise Gayling. The Gayling girl is twelve years old and was hired to watch the baby. She had the baby when the crowd 40 OUR COUNTRY AGHAST AT THE TRAGEDY. rushed panic-stricken to the rear of the boat. When she saw that they couldn't live aboard the boat the little nurse and her charge jumped overboard. " I went down under the water, but I still kept hold of the baby," said the Gayling girl. "I went down twice, and the second time I came up beside a board. I held on to the baby with one arm and grabbed the board with the other. I didn't know whether the baby was alive or not. Finally some men came in a boat and took us in. When they told me the baby was alive I couldn't believe it." John Ansel of 103 East Fourth street, whose wife and two young sons were on the "Slocurn," picked out one after another of five bodies at the Alexander avenue station as that of his wife. The man was crazy, with grief. He told the police that early in the day he had received a message from Germany telling of the death of his father, and within five minutes heard of the disaster to the u Slocuin," on which were his wife and children. Coroner Berry got from Ansel the initials on the inside of his wife's wedding ring, and a body which was not one of those picked out by Ansel, but which had already been identified by the dress as that of Mrs. Eliza- beth Diehl of 905 East Fifth street, was found to be Mrs. Ansel's. The ring was all that made identification possible. CHAPTER III. SCENES OF OVERWHELMING GRIEF. The following telegram was received at St. Mark's Lutheran Church on the night of the disaster: George C. F. Haas, Pastor. Accept my profound sympathy for yourself, church and congregation. Theodore Roosevelt. The Rev. Haas, who was prostrated at his home, was too ill.to receive the message. It would have required nerves of steel to bear up under such a sudden and fatal bereavement. President Roosevelt's message was given to the public through the press, and showed how pro- foundly he was moved by the great calamity, offering his heartfelt condolences for the bereaved. All day long, from sunrise until darkness shut off even the melancholy satisfaction of watching for the dead, anxious searchers kept up their unceasing vigilance, and at midnight there had been recovered 561 bodies, for the great part women and children — mothers, who weeks before had planned that outing for their children ; little ones who had longed for the coming of the happy day. As time lapsed the disaster swelled in sickening burden of overwhelming tragedy, more dramatic in detail than any playwright's genius has conceived of horror, and soul-bereaving in its pathos, because of the innocent years and hopeless helplessness of its victims. n 42 SCENES OF OVERWHELMING GRIEF. Human sympathy, "swelling like the Solway tide/' could scarce grasp the all-pitiless desolation which laid waste the flower of scores of homes and rent to incon- solable bleeding hundreds of hearts- Messages of sympathy flowed in a steady stream from all parts of Europe and America, all attesting alike the inconceivably appalling immensity of the catastrophe. The East Side had its human sympathies aroused to the full, and down by the river, where the boats unloaded their dead, thousands gathered throughout the day. Streets leading to the Morgue were blocked, and only with difficulty could the police keep clear the pas- sages leading to the long rows of coffins for those who came to search for the missing. DIVERS SEARCHING THE WRECK. Up the Sound, where the hulk of the " General Slocum " lies submerged, showing only a paddlebox, scores of small craft aided the tugs in grappling for the victims. Divers went down time and again, and when their work ended for the day they declared there were no more bodies in the wreck. A score of times a diver reappeared after his plunge with the body of a woman or a child. Two of them coming to the surface together on one occasion had in their arms two little girls — sisters — clasped in each other's embrace, and their mother, it was thought, whose dead hand tightly clenched the skirt of one of them. As far as it was within their power the divers searched the wreck from stem to stern, but there were masses of broken timbers through which it was almost impossible to explore, and it may be that some will find SCENES OF OVERWHELMING GRIEF. 13 a grave under those sunken timbers until the hulk is raised or the waters of the Sound wash away the last trace of the wreckage. There were a number of places where the living might have landed, and it was believed that many who were reported missing were safe, and eventually would be heard from by the officials who had the rescue work in hand. Indeed, a surprising number of persons re- ported missing were found to have been saved, thus cut- ting the list of missing down considerably as well as the probable mortality list. Many persons were injured in the panic that fol- lowed the originating of the fire on the " General Slo- cuin," and at least 200 persons were taken to the hospi- tals. LIVE BODY TOWED FOR MILES. Perhaps the most remarkable case in the many appalling experiences of those who were on the u Slo- cum'' was that of Miss Clara Hartman, who was picked up for dead, towed behind a boat for several miles, wrap- ped in a tarpaulin and tagged as dead, and then recovered consciousness at the Alexander Avenue Police Station. It was believed she would recover. Although man}- of the bodies taken to the Morgue were very badly mutilated, and the clothing in many cases almost entirely burned off, valuables were taken from them and were in the keeping of city officials, to the extent of $200,000 or more. Several of the men and women had the savings of a lifetime on them when they perished. Much jewelry, it was reported to the police, had been lost, but an explanation may be found in the fact that it was destroyed by fire rather than stolen. 44 SCENES OF OVERWHELMING GRIEF. Mayor McClellan, after receiving messages of con- dolences from many sources, visited North Brother Island and later visited the Morgue. He issued a proclamation to the citizens of New York and appointed a relief com- mittee of prominent men. And relief was sadly needed in that little East Side territory which the vast majority of those that perished were accustomed to call home. Among the people who had miraculous escapes were Florence Weiss and Mrs. Nicholas Schumacher. Some one threw them from the " Slocum " upon a tug, and dozens of others came tumbling down on top of them. They were not hurt. They said the boat burned like a paper box. JUMPED AND CAUGHT A WOMAN. Minnie Weiss, 13 years old, was on the bow of the excursion steamer. She saw smoke and then a tongue of flames eating its way along the top deck toward where she stood. The crowd made a rush forward. She climbed down the side and got to the first deck, where there was no fire. She jumped into the water and caught hold of a woman who had a little boy in hei arms. A rope was thrown to them from the " Massa- soit," and they were dragged on board. Minnie was with her mother, Mrs. Otto Weiss, and her brother George, who was 15 years old. She thought that both were lost. George Kirschner, 13 years old, jumped from the u Slocum " and swam ashore. His mother, brother, sister, grandfather and two cousins were with him. He said he thought they were all lost. From out of the wreck off Hunt's Point and from the Sound the bodies of forty-one more victims of the Si ENES OF OVERWHELMING GRI] "Slocum" tragedy were recovered next day after the disaster. Two of this number only came from the wreck itself— the charred remains of an infant and another of a girl perhaps thirteen. The remainder, some so burned by fire that they might never be recognized, came from out the eddy off North Brother Island. It was a day of persistent, systematic search, with the police and all other departments working harmoni- ously on the water or anywhere and everywhere their mournful duty called them. It was a day that saw the pier heads of The Bronx for hours black with morbid humanity ; that saw the water alive with small craft, kept in check only by the most vigilant police super- vision, and, strangest of all, it was a day that saw steam- boat after steamboat, jammed to the guard rails with excursionists, pass and repass the scene, bands playing, children and young people dancing, while the elders rushed to the side to see the wreck. TRYING TO USE SEARCHLIGHTS. Work around North Brother Island proceeded slowly after ten o'clock on Wednesday uight, although the tired policemen and the score or more boatmen were ready and willing to continue the work of grappling. During the night a city tug came up and tried to play a searchlight over the narrow stretch of water where it is thought the majority of the lives were lost, but this only blinded the men at work and gradually the number of searchers was lessened until after two o'clock, when the work was prac- tically at a standstill. Coroner O' Gorman and his assistants, who had worked valiantly, handling nearly four hundred and eighty bodies in little more than twelve hours, went home 46 SCENES OF OVERWHELMING GRIEF. for some needed rest. Dr. Stewart, in charge of the island, prevailed upon his staff of surgeons, nurses and attendants, and even convalescent patients, to try to take a few hours' sleep. Only along the seawall was there any sign of life, v and there the lanterns of the police in one section lighted up a half dozen men separating and sorting the odds and ends of wearing apparel, while in another section near the little red brick morgue, were men working on coffins of rough pine against the certain need of the morrow. All night long, too, the police patrol steadily followed the water's edge for the entire circumference of the island seeking for other bodies. MANY BOATS ON HAND. It was just daybreak when the search was renewed with vigor. So soon as the men could see Captain Dean, of the police boat patrol, had three boats, each holding four men, out with grappling hooks. By Inspector Albertson's orders three other boats manned by police- men joined them. Within an hour a dozen boats in which were watermen of experience specially hired were in the little fleet. They had not well beguu when up through Hell Gate came the Merritt-Chapman Wrecking Company's derrick tug, "The Hustler;" drawing three small diving barges. Captain F. J. Risedorf was in command of this fleet, and with him were Albert Blumberg, Henry Heyer and Peter Rice, divers. They did not tarry at the island but went north where the low tide off Hunt's Point showed the starboard paddle box of the ill-fated steamer and a few burnt and charred spars. About seven o'clock came the Sound fleet making SCENES OF OVERWHELMING GRIEF. 17 New York after their night's run. Immediately that the pulsations of the great screws had passed came the har- vest of the dead. One after another, in several cases two at a time, the searchers came to the shore with bodies. Now it was mother clasping her infant, now an elderly woman, a young woman, and child after child. v Some had but a vestige of their clothing left on them, telling of a death by flames DROWNED BY MONEY, One of the bodies found was that of a middle-aged man, and the grappling hooks found him not ten feet from the beach. In his pockets when he was brought ashore was found a bag weighing fully twenty pounds, filled with nickels, pennies and small silver. Who he was was not known at the Island. S. H. Bergh, one of the citizen searchers, found the body of Mr. Griffing at this time. He weighed nearly 300 pounds, and in his effort to secure him Mr. Bergh fell overboard. A moment later another hook caught a baby carriage. The flames had sadly burned this, but still inside, as if some mother had rolled it overboard, was found the body of a child, unrecognizable. It was nine o'clock then, and Coroner O'Gorman, accompanied by his physician, Dr. Curtin ; Jeremiah Fahey, chief clerk ; Police Sergeant Posthoff, Alderman Dougherty and William Mahoney, returned and found awaiting them sixteen bodies picked up during the morn- ing. These were ticketed and their valuables and other distinguishing marks noted. The Coroner then estimated that he had nearly one hundred and fifty thousand dollars' worth of securities, money and jewelry awaiting identifi- cation. 4 It is awful," he said to Dr. Darlington. The Mayor's stay was not of long duration. He went to the home of Dr. Roberts, where he congratulated the staff on its work, and inquired as to the health of the nurses and patients who had worked on the day before. Charles and Fred Barclay, who, in the auxiliary sloop had picked up more than fifty persons the day before, were brought before him, and warmly commended. Then the Mayor visited the beach, where he could see the grappling men at work. Before he returned to the city the Mayor interviewed Rice, one of the divers, who assured him that there were no more bodies in the boat. He was of the opinion that 52 SCENES OF OVERWHELMING GRIEF. some might be held down by the boat, but he was satis- fied there were not many of these. With low water and change of the tide the number of bodies found increased. Around six o'clock five bodies were brought out in as many minutes. There were two boys, a girl, woman and a man. The woman had a plain gold wedding ring on her finger, but it was without in- itials or lettering. There was nothing in her pockets or that of the man to lead to their identity, but in the pockets of one of the boys was a note, evidently an " ex- cuse" which the lad was to have presented at school Thursday morning. It was sent with the other effects to the Morgue. FOUND BY DIVERS. A launch from the wreck brought the second body down. This was half the body of a girl of about 15. Rice, the diver, in groping through the mud under the port side of the " General Slocum," had found it there. There was absolutely no mark of identification. Emblems of mourning appeared on hundreds of doorways down in the old German colony that clusters about the little red brick Lutheran church in Sixth street. Here hung a streamer of black, and across the street a cluster of white flowers all but hid the streamer of white that told of the death of a baby or of a child of tender years. Down the street a little further perhaps two badges of black hung side by side, nor was it infrequent that place had been found for one of black and another of white in the same street door. Walk where one would, from Third avenue to the river on the east and from First street in the south to SCENES OF OVERWHELMING GRIEF. 53 Tenth street to the north, the scenes of death, of mourn- ers seeking their dead or wailing over their lost ones' bodies, of remnants of families all but obliterated, with those left behind scarcely able as yet to realize the "Slocuin" tragedy, were constantly before one. From the front windows of little, old-fashioned brick dwellings and from the tiers of stories of more modern apartment houses flags hung at half mast. Men and women swarmed in the streets all day and night, and little children talked in whispers of the horror that had taken away some of their playmates. It was no unusual sign to see a group of women on the sidewalks drying their eyes as they condoled with one another. With more demands upon them to take care of the dead than they dare promise to fulfil, the undertakers in that section of the city found their establishments be- sieged by relatives of the victims of the catastrophe^ begging of them that they arrange for the burial of "just one more." Turned away by one undertaker, another was sought, and so on until perhaps a mile from the des- olate district, an undertaker was found, one who would be able to make the arrangements. UNDERTAKERS IN CHARGE. Four undertakers within a radius of four blocks of the little Lutheran church had 145 bodies in their charge in the middle of the afternoon, and still they were pleaded ( with to accept more. In the establishment of Jacob Herr- lich fifty-two bodies had been cared for, and around the corner in avenue A, Philip Herrlich had charge of thirty- one, and could handle no more. There are about thirty-five undertaking establishments between Grand street on the south and Tenth street on 54 SCENES OF OVERWHELMING GRIEF. the north, and it was these that were principally con- cerned in the burial of the " Slocum's " dead. Hurrying the bodies from the Morgue as soon as the indentifications were made and the permits of removal issued, they were taken to the various undertaking establishments for preparation for burial. Men who had been working all through Wednesday night were in readiness, and the bodies were carried away to the homes, where relatives or friends awaited them. It was impossible for those whose duty it is to prepare the dead for burial to care adequately for all. Thus it was that in a few isolated cases bodies lay in rough boxes on the sidewalks until room could be made within doors for their accommodation. TEMPORARY BOXES IN USE. With this unprecedented demand for their services, the undertakers called for assistance upon establishments in Brooklyn and though out Manhattan. Temporary boxes were all in use early in the morning, and wagon loads of them were brought from Brooklyn and from the northernmost part of the city. The undertakers told the afflicted families that arrangements could not be made to furnish at the most more than four carriages for the mourners. In order to provide hearses it was found necessary to draft these vehicles from every establishment in New York City, and it was expected that a few would have to be brought from New Jersey. There were many of the families who wanted to delay the funerals until Sunday. They were told that it would be impossible to fix upon that day as all would likely arrive at the same decision SCENES OF OVERWHELMING GRIEF. and it would be impossible for men or horses to convey the dead to their last resting place. As matters stood it was believed that some few small undertaking establishments entered into contracts that they would be unable to fulfil simply because they were not equipped with sufficient hearses and other necessaries. vSome of the larger establishments expected that at the last moment they would be forced to take up those con- tracts and carry them through. Throughout that section of the city the black wagons that precede the hearse in the undertaker's duty, were rolling through the street and down the avenues weighted down by the dead. Wherever one stopped it was surrounded by throngs of men, women and children. STREET FILLED WITH PEOPLE. Until late into the night the street in front of St. Mark's Evangelical Lutheran Church was filled with people. Men trooped up the front steps of the church and into the vestibule to inquire for loved ones, their countenances portraying a night of sleeplessness and hours of anguish. Men and women, their hair whitened and their forms bent by age, trudged into the church asking for information. In the vestibule of the church a long table had been placed and at it sat men to note the name of each visitor and the names of those inquired for. This " information bureau" had been established the day before, but it had been run regardless of any system and the records were practically valueless. This was changed when Commis- sioner McAdoo sent two young policemen there to keep official records and transmit them to Police Head- quarters. 5H SCENES OF OVERWHELMING GRIEF. To the right of the steps leading into the church the Rev. Frederick Holter, of St. Paul's Lutheran Church, Jersey City, placed a small table and a placard announc- ing that subscriptions would be received to a relief fund. Browning, King & Co. sent $100, Magistrate Flammer the same amount and Henry Gaecker contributed $100. By nightfall $700 had been recorded in the book of con- tributions. But this sum was made up by amounts that ranged from three cents to $100. The smallest amount was contributed by a poorly dressed aged woman, who walked up to the little table and, laying down three pennies, said: — "It's all I have, sir, but I want to give it, sir. God bless you, sir." Three workingmen passed her as they walked to the table and each of these laid down a five cent piece, the first saying: — u We want to give something toward your fund." They did not wait to receive the "thank you" that was their only receipt. PASTOR'S GREAT AGONY. Directly in the rear of the church, lay the pastor of St. Mark's, the Rev. George C. F. Haas, suffering men- tally and physically. All day long respectful groups stood in front of the little private residence, eager for word from the patient's sick room. The body of Mrs. Haas was delivered at the house ealy in the day, but her husband was not in a condition then to be told that his wife's body had been found and identified but that no tidings had come of his little daughter Margaret. It was nearly six o'clock in the evening after his wounds had been dressed, and the Rev. Mr. Haas was thought to be in a condition to learn the sad news that he was told by his physician, by the afflicted man's SCENES uK OVERWHELMING GRIEF. *7 brother, the Rev. J. A. W. Hass, and the Rev. Mr. Lock, assistant pastor of St. Mark's Church. The patient re- ceived the news quietly and only replied: — "It is as I feared, and only as I was prepared to hear." So many false reports as to his patient's condition had been circulated during the day, and all of an alarm- ing nature, that Dr. Senken made this statement: BULLETIN CONCERNING DR. HAAS. u Dr. Haas in the beginning suffered a shock. He has improved greatly since and is now convalescing rapidly. He is now in full possession of his faculties, and we hope in a few days to have him again among the workers. The news of his wife's death and the uncer- tainty as to his daughter's fate was broken to him this evening and he bore up as a brave pastor should/' There had come to the house of the Rev. Mr. Haas during the afternoon this letter from Archbishop Farley: The Rev. Mr. Haas: Reverend and Dear Sir: — I beg to tender you and your afflicted people my most sincere sympathy in the presence of the appalling calamity that has fallen upon them and you through the burning of the "General Slocum"; and I know my feelings are fully shared by the whole body of the Catholic clergy and laitv of New York. May the Giver of all strength comfort you and yours in this their dreadful hour of sorrow. Believe me, my dear sir, very respectfully yours, JOHN M. FARLEY, Archbishop of New York. 58 SCENES OF OVERWHELMING GRIEF. Great was the band of heroes who rendered courage- ous service in the work of rescue, suggesting the follow- ing pertinent lines by our national Secretary of State : JIM BLUDSO, OF THE PRAIRIE BELLE. BY JOHN HAY. Wall, no ! I can't tell wha' he lives, Becase he don't live, you see ; Leastways he's got out of the habit Of livin' like you and me. Whar' have you been for the last three year That you haven't heard folks tell How Jimmy Bludso passed in his checks The night of the Prairie Belle ? He weren't no saint — them engineers Is all pretty much alike — One wife in Natchez-under-the-Hill, Another one here in Pike. A keerless man in his talk was Jim, And an awkward hand in a row, But he never funked, and he never lied — I reckon he never knowed how. And this was all the religion he had, To treat his engine well, Never be passed on the river, To mind the pilot's bell ; And if ever the Prairie Belle took fire — A thousand times he swore He'd hold her nozzle agin the bank Till the last soul got ashore. All boats has their day on the Mississip, And her day come at last ; The Movastar was a better boat, But the Belle; she wouldn't be passed ; SCENES OF OVERWHELMING GRIEF. 59 And so she come tarin' along that night — The oldest craft on the line — With a nigger squat on her safety valve, And her furnace crammed, rosin and pine. The fire burst out as she cleared the bar, And burnt a hole in the night ; And, quick as a flash, she turned and made For that wilier bank on the right. There was runnin' and cursin', but Jim yelled out Over all the infernal roar : — "I'll hold her nozzle agin the bank Till the last galoot's ashore." Through the hot, black breath of the burnin' boat Jim Bludso's voice was heard, And they all had trust in his cussedness, And knowed he would keep his word ; And, sure's you're born, they all got off Afore the smokestacks fell — And Bludso's ghost went up alone In the smoke of the Prairie Belle. He weren't no saint — but at judgment I'd run my chance with Jim 'Longside of some pious gentlemen That wouldn't shook hands with him. He seen his duty, a dead sure thing — And went for it thar and then ; And Christ ain't a-going to be too hard On a man that died for men. CHAPTER IV. SYMPATHY FROM ALL QUARTERS. MAYOR McCLELLAN, as soon as lie arrived at the City Hall next morning after the tragedy, set the official machinery of the municipality in motion to aid the afflicted survivors and relatives of those who perished to recover and bury the bodies of their dead. His first act was to confer with Commissioners McAdoo, Tully and Darlington, of the Police, Charities and Health Depart- ments, and to instruct that no expense be spared in giving assistance wherever necessary. He directed Commissioner Darlington to arrange without delay for the burial in the Luthern Cemetery on Long Island of those bodies which were burned beyond hope of recognition. He explained to Commissioner Mc- Adoo that the chief necessity for the present was to re- lieve the suffering, and that investigation as to the cause of the disaster would come later. Then the Mayor issued a proclamation appointing a committee of twelve well- known men to act as a relief committee, and announcing that contributions to aid the survivors might be forwarded to him at the City Hall. Mayor McClellan said he had no idea as to the amount of money the committee would require to assist those who are suffering. "That will be a matter for the committee to deter-' mine," he continued. "I hope to hear from the men whom I named on this committee by to-morrow, so that I can arrange for the first meeting. I shall probably call the committee together myself and then allow it to take whatever course it deems best," §0 SYMPATHY ["ROM ALL QUARTERS Gl As socm as he liad completed his arrangements for the relief work, the Mayor dictated a letter to the Rev. George C. F. Haas, the pastor of St. Mark's Church, ex- pressing his own sympathy and the condolences of the city at large as its official representative, as follows : "On behalf of the people of our city and myself I express to you and to your stricken flock the sentiments of sorrow which pervade the community at the awful calamity which has come upon you. "In the hope that we may lessen, in some degree, the anguish which you and your people suffer, I have appealed to the generosity of our fellow citizens to render financial aid to those who may need it to care for their sick and to decently bury their dead. " We all hope that courage may be given to you to bear up under your great affliction." The prompt message from President Roosevelt is contained in the preceding chapter. MESSAGES OF SYMPATHY FROM ABROAD. Even before the Mayor reached the City Hall tele- grams from mayors of man 3^ of the principal cities of the United States expressing sympathy and offering assistance had arrived. Messages were received also from cities abroad and from -private individuals and associations in various parts of the world. The first to be received was a message from Carter Harrison, Mayor of Chicago ; the next was a cablegram from London, from Sir Thomas Lipton, who begged to be allowed to contribute $1,000 to a relief fund. The Mayor cabled immediately in reply, thanking Sir Thomas for his offer and assuring him that the contributions of the citizens would be ample to meet the necessities of the situation, b2 SYMPATHY FROM ALL QUARTERS. Other messages were received from Bailie Sorley, acting Chief Magistrate of the Corporation of Glasgow ; Mayor Weaver, of Philadelphia; Mayor Holtzman, of Indianapolis ; the Polish National Alliance, of Chicago ; Bishops Derrick and Arnett, of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, and the School of Engineers, of Mexico. At the suggestion of the Mayor Charles V. Fornes, President of the Board of Aldermen, called a special meeting of the Board for the purpose of taking action to lessen the suffering among the survivors and the rela- tives of those who lost their lives. At noon the Mayor boarded the tug " Manhattan," of the Department of Docks and Ferries, at the foot of Fulton Street, East River, and made a personal investi- gation of the scene of the disaster. PRESIDENT LOUBET'S MESSAGE. President Loubet, of France, sent the following message to President Roosevelt : Profound!}' moved by the awful catastrophe of the " General Slocuin," I have it at heart to address to your Excellency my sincere condolences, and to send to the families of the victims the expression of my sorrowful sympathy. EmilE LoubET. President Roosevelt replied as follows : I profoundly appreciate the friendship and sympathy which prompted your Excellency's telegram of con- dolence, and I beg you to accept in behalf of the afflicted families and the people of the United States my sincere thanks. Theodore Roosevelt. The following telegram was sent by Mayor Harri- son to Mayor McClellan: SYMPATHY FROM ALL QUARTI OS Chicago sends to New York her heartfelt and keenest sympathy on account of the terrible calamity which has just occurred. Our own recent eatastrophe makes US mournfully appreciative of the sorrow into which your city has been plunged. Please command us if we may be of any assistance whatever. Carter Harrison. Telegrams and letters of sympathy to the congrega- tion of the church are pouring in fast. The following message came from the 'British Sunday School Union, London : The Sunday School Union, representing two and a half million workers and scholars in Great Britain and Colonies, assures church and relatives of their profound sympathy at the time of this appalling disaster. Heart- felt prayers that the Father may vouchsafe comfort and sustaining grace. Also the following message from the Sunday School Chronicle : British Sunday school workers deeply grieved at sad calamity. Heartfelt sympathy. Mayor Weaver sent the following message to Mayor McClellan, of New York, yesterday : Philadelphia is horrified by the news of the fearful accident to the school children on the " General Slocum." Our most sincere sympathy is extended to the parents and friends, and we are most anxious to do something to help you in this great affliction. Will you let me know if there is anything we can do ? There seemed to be no end to the stories of personal experience on board the " Slocum " and in the river. Every one was a tale of woe. Andrew Ottinger, a clerk in the Street Cleaning Department, stood at his door almost bewildered. Of 64 SYMPATHY FROM ALL QUARTERS. six of his family but one returned, Ottinger's son Willie, thirteen years old, scarred by flames. Willie told his father that when he last saw his mother she was fastening- life preservers on Andrew and Arthur. She wished to put one on Willie, but he said, "Never mind me, I can swim." Then someone, the boy believes it was his mother, pushed him overboard, and later he was picked up by a tugboat. A CHILD'S PATHETIC RHYME. One of the visitors to St. Mary's Church gave his name as N. W. Dillon. The visitor said he was a brother of Mrs. Katherine Diamond, whose children, May, eight, and Frank, four years old, were not to be found. Mr. Dillon was nearly prostrated as he called for " May, May," and in one hand he carried a piece of paper on which was written in a child's handwriting : She meets me on the corner At the closing of the day, And tells me that she loves me, My golden haired May. The grief stricken man read the verse over and over, sobbing as he showed it to others. Young Christian Schoett, the organist of St. Mark's Church and one of its Sunday school teachers, was identi- fied among the dead on the pier. Two women a moment later became hysterical over the body of a young girl in the third coffin from that of the young man. She was his sweetheart. Young Schoett was nineteen years old. He had gone on the excursion with his mother, Josephine, his sisters, Katie, ten years old, and Helen, five, and his cousin, Henry Seidewand. All of them lost their lives. SYMPATHY FROM ALL QUARTERS. ^ Mrs. Schoett was identified by her son-in-law, Edward Yost. He said that the father of the family, Christian, was its only survivor. Two friends were guarding him constantly for fear that he would end his life in his grief. Young Schoett, the church organist, was a gifted musi- cian. His affianced bride was his Sunday school and music pupil. They had not yet made public their engagement, but the fact was known to their intimate friends. Mrs. Catherine Diamond fell on her knees before a box in which lay the body of a white haired woman about sixty years old. Brokenly she made it known that the dead woman was her mother, Mrs. Catherine Birming- ham. Leaning over the box, she cried : A HYSTERICAL WOMAN. u You didn't want to go, did you, mother? But I insisted on it. I'm responsible for this. I killed you. I thought you'd have a fine day's outing. All may be right?' Hysterical the woman rose and looked about her. She walked to the first entrance to the pier on the south side, where she cried: "Mother, I'm coming," and started to plunge in the river. One of the Bellevue nurses, who was standing there, caught the woman in time. She struggled and fell to the floor and was taken to Bellevue, where she was quieted. Out of one party of eleven merrymakers aboard the "Slocum," all members of one family, only two were saved. One was Mrs. Henry Kassebaum, the other being her daughter, Annette. Mr. Kessebaum, who visited the pier in an effort to identify some of the bodies, said of his wife's experiences on the steamer: N.Y. 5 66 SYMPATHY FROM ALL QUARTERS. " My wife was on the upper deck, a member of a party of eleven, all of our family. Henry C. Schnude, one of my sons-in-law, was head deacon of St. Mark's Church. He was paying teller for a banking house in Broadway. He was there with his wife and their two children, Grace, four and one-half years old, and Mildred, who was a year and a half old. Mr. Schnude's father and mother were also with them. My other daughter, Mrs. Frieda Toniport, had with her her two children, Francis, four, and Charlotte, two years old. "They were all sitting together, listening to the band in the stern of the upper deck, my wife says, when she heard some children scream. She thought at first that a child had fallen overboard. Then they all saw flames near the centre of the boat. THEY STUCK TOGETHER. " 'Stick together ! All of us stick together! ' cried my wife, but the crowd rushed toward them and pushed half the members of the band overboard. Among those she saw fall was George Maurer, the band leader. u And then she found herself separated from the rest, while the fire was creeping along the deck toward her. She told me she saw the pastor, Mr, Haas, his wife and daughter, leap overboard, and she thought that he was a man who would know when the time had come to jump. " So my wife plunged into the water. She sank twice, but when she came to the surface she hung on to the paddle box of the steamer. She clung there as long •as she could and then a man in a sail boat, came up and rescued her. " He took her ashore, where a woman put her in a SYMPATHY FROM ALL QUARTERS. 07 carriage and took her to her home, in 138th street. This stranger gave her dry clothing and sent her home. She didn't get there until half-past ten o'clock at night. I can tell you, that was a happy moment when I saw her cuter. I had given her up for lost. " Our daughter Annette, when she was separate! from the party, ran to the hurricane deck and jumped on the deck of the tug boat Wade, which came up just as the fire was closing around her. She broke her leg in the jump aud was taken to Harlem Hospital." FOUND MOTHER AND TWIN BROTHERS. Mrs. Katherine Ottinger, and four children, two sets of twins, Charley and Emma and Arthur and Andrew, were aboard the "Slocum." Her husband, accompanied by his two remaining daughters, Lillian and Catherine, respectively eighteen and nineteen years old, visited the pier, where they came across a box in which lay a woman with two little boys beside her. The younger girl burst into tears as she recognized her mother and her twin brothers, Arthur and Andrew. Her father went further down the line, where he came across the body of an old man whose arms clasped a little girl and a little boy. They were Charley and Emma. Henry Heintz, 12 years old, who lost his mother, his aunt and his sister, was dumb because of the ordeal. He and his brother George were saved. They stood on the middle deck, until it became too hot, when they jumped into the water. Henry held on to the paddle wheel and was rescued by men in a tug. When he re- covered from the first great shock he could not speak. 68 SYMPATHY FROM ALL QUARTERS. George declared his mother's and aunt's bodies were i obbed of diamonds and jewelry. He said bis mother had a valuable brooch and his aunt two diamond rings, all of which were missing when the bodies were found. Fully 90 per cent, of the victims of the disaster were insured in the three leading insurance companies han- dling what is called industrial insurance. Unbroken lines of men and women streamed through East Twenty-sixth street all day on their way to the Morgue. They filed past the rows of bodies laid out 011 the long, covered pier of the Department of Charities and endeavored to identify their missing loved ones. IMMENSE CROWD AT THE PIER. More than twenty thousand persons visited the pier. The police complained that at least two-thirds of these were morbid curiosity seekers, but they shrugged their shoulders and said they were powerless to exclude them. It was on the whole an orderly crowd, and the work of identification progressed rapidly during the afternoon, so tliat by six o'clock the number of those unidentified had been greatly reduced. Twice, however, the throngs became unmanageable when the police tried to restrain them from invading the pier while bodies were being unloaded from steamers. Police were thrown from their feet and women were trampled underfoot. No one was seriously injured. Pathetic and tragic scenes were repeated time and time again as the identifiers recognized the faces of friends and relatives. Mothers cried out and fainted beside the boxes containing bodies of their husbands and babies, and one despairing woman tried to throw herself into the East River, but was prevented by a Bellevue nurse, SYMPATHY FROM ALL QUARTERS. 09 One feature of the scene was the invasion of the pier by hundreds of young and fashionably dressed women. Many were accompanied by escorts, others went unattended, but nearly all were unmistakeably idle sensation seekers. Two of these women drove over in an automobile. The police at First avenue at first refused them permis- sion to pass. But the women begged actually with tears in their eyes to be allowed to see whether any of their friends were among the dead. They smiled later when they had gained their point, and walked over to the pier. Several other women came in carriages, but the majority sauntered over from the Twenty-third street shopping district. CURIOUS WOMEN THERE. Police Captain Shire, of the East Thirty-fifth street station, groaned over the continuous influx of curious women shoppers. 'What can we do?" he exclaimed. "We can't order them away. We can't exclude them from the legiti- mate inquirers. It's woman's way, I guess/' Through the excellent management of the police and the authorities of Bellevue and the Charities Depart- ment, the crowds were kept moving and congestion was prevented. Charities Commissioner Tully asked Michael J. Richard, assistant superintendent of Bellevue, to take charge of the pier and the landing and disposition of the bodies as they arrived. Mr. Richard was assisted by registrars and clerks from the hospital. "One of our serious problems," said Mr. Richard, "was that of providing a sufficient number of coffins overnight to hold the bodies. The supply on hand at 70 SYMPATHY FROM ALL QUARTERS. the Morgue and the Charities Department was far below our needs, so the stocks of coffin manufacturers in the city were practically bought out." Besides the pine boxes of the Morgue were others of stained wood, cloth covered or zinc lined, indicative of how the emergency had been met. Inspector McLaughlin and Captain Shire had charge of the police arrangements. A line of policemen kept back the hosts of morbid spectators at First avenue. Others guarded the doors of the Morgue and the pier. At least eighty policemen were on hand during the earlier part of the day. The crowds became larger and more demonstrative late in the afternoon. WHOLE FAMILIES WIPED OUT. According to Mr. Richard, one reason why the prog- ress of the work of identification was so slow on Wed- nesday night and early next morning, was that entire families had been wiped out and nobody was left to identify them. Friends and relatives appeared on the scene later, made known the identity of the dead, and scores of undertakers' wagons bore the bodies away. Bodies in a line four deep covered the floor of the pier. Ten policemen with pencils and writing pads took down the names of the identified and identifiers and the records were kept by Coroner s clerks and also at a temporary office improvised in the old waiting room on the pier. There Coroner Scholeer issued permits for the removal of bodies. Mayor McClellan, accompanied by Assistant Cor- poration Counsel Breckenridge, visited the pier shortly after noon. Removing his hat, the Mayor walked the length of the pier between the lines of bodies. SYMPATHY FROM ALL QUARTERS. 71 A woman, who had identified the body of a child, fell in a faint nearly at his feet, and further on four men, carrying a coffin, scraped his shoulder with their burden. Before leaving the Mayor inspected all the arrangements made for the disposition of the bodies. Four bodies arrived at the pier on the Charties Department steamer " Fidelity " during the morning. The " Massasoit," with thirty-nine more dead, readied the pier shortly before three o'clock in the afternoon. It was then that the visitors were all ordered off by the police, so that the work of unloading bodies could pro- ceed rapidly. MOB BROKE THROUGH LINES. There was along wait, during which the grief-stricken men and women became uncontrollable. A mob, held up at the First avenue corner, broke through the lines and was subdued with difficulty. A second one, impatient at being held up at the pier doors, pushed them aside and swept the police guards down the narrow passageway at the entrance. A panic seemed impending for a moment. Two aged women were thrown and trampled upon and their screams caused other women to become hysterical. The policemen promptly controlled the situation. After the bodies had been unloaded from the " Mas- sasoit " deck hands trundled out two big wicker go- carts filled to the brim with children's straw hats, decked with red, blue and vari-colored ribbons. They followed with two barrels filled with sunshades and umbrellas and three or four barrels of clothing. At the last came two barrels filled with women's handbags, 72 SYMPATHY FROM ALL ^U^RTERS. purses and pocketbooks, filled with money and valuables. These were taken in charge by the police. Many offers of assistance in burying the unidentified dead were made to Commissioner of Charities Tully. One undertaker offered to bury all the bodies remaining unidentified. Two well-dressed women, who said they were Mrs. Chandler and Miss Mason, called on Commis- sioner Tully to offer to pay for all the mourning, need} persons who had lost relatives in the accident, wanted. They also offered to furnish clothing, food and other pro- visions for those needing them, and they said they would like to look after destitute families in instances in which the breadwinner of such family had met death in the dis- aster. FEW ENTERED AT A TIME. The crowd around the Morgue and the Department of Charities pier in East Twenty-sixth street in the even- ing was much greater. By 8 o'clock the line of people waiting to be allowed to enter and look upon the rows of bodies ranged within extended for many blocks. About 200 were allowed to enter at a time, and as they thinned out, some with their fears turned to terrible certainty as they had come face to face with the cold forms of their loved ones, and others, roused to faint hopes by their failure to find what they dreaded, they were gently shown out into the street and another party admitted to undergo the heartrending ordeal. At one time at least 1500 people were in the long line awaiting admittance, besides the hundreds of morbidly curious persons who lined the adjacent streets. Despite the many curious ones, the crowd was rever- ent. Often, as the groups standing in Twenty-sixth SYMPATHY FROM ALL QUARTERS. 73 street stood and talked in low tones of the catastrophe, from the interior of the pier shed would come a despair- ing cry, which told that another one in the silent rows of bodies had been identified. "Another one," the crowd would murmur, and there would be speculations among the subdued groups as to whether it was father or mother or daughter or son. The body of a girl of 8 years, which was declared by neighbors to be that of the little daughter of Henry Heintz, of Front street, was washed up against the side of a pier at the foot of Clinton street, in the East river, hardly a block away from the girl's home. The tide by a strange vagary had carried the little body from the scene of the calamity of North Brother Island down through the narrow channels of the river to this point so near her home. The girl's mother, Mrs. Annie Heintz, was among the dead. KISSED THE COLD LIPS. Jacob Michael identified the' body of his daughter Carrie, 12 years old, late in the afternoon. He was slowly walking along the line of coffins, when he suddenly halted, and with a moan, fell to his knees in several inches of water, and reaching into a coffin, raised the head of a child and beo-an to kiss the cold lips fervently. Earlier in the day the man had been to the Morgue and identified the charred body of his married daughter, Mrs. Catherine Cohrs, and that of his year-old grandson. The bodies of his daughter and grandson had been burned almost beyond recognition, but Michael did not seem to be as much affected by that awful sight as he was when he saw little Carrie's body in the coffin. He had to be 74 SYMPATHY FROM ALL QUARTERS. dragged from the coffin by the police and was forced to leave the pier. The body of Lena Ackernian, 16 months old, was identified by her father. Mr. Ackerman was walking ont on the pier, when he saw some photographers slant a coffin against the side of the pier and attempt to take a picture of two bodies therein. He recognized the features of his baby and, rushing forward, tore the body from the coffin. It was some time before the police could persuade him to give it up. HOSE BROKE IN MANY PLACES. « Assistant District Attorney Garvin examined Ed- ward Flanagan, first mate of the " General Slocum." Flanagan declared that while he was playing water on the fire his hose broke in many places, making it useless. He then made his way to the upper deck, and tried to restore order among the women and children, who were jumping overboard. The mate remained at this post, he declared, until the boat grounded. Then his clothes were blazing, so that he jumped into the water to extinguish the flames. He spent two hours in the work of rescue, until he collapsed, and was taken to the hospital. Mr. Garvin received word that Chief Engineer George Conklin, of the " General Slocum," was alive, and immediately took steps to find him. Mate Flanagan told a straightforward story of the disaster to Mr. Garvin. He was standing on the main deck, he said, talking to a deck hand when he was told of the fire. He hurried to Engineer Conklin with the news, and then went to Captain Van Schaick. He ordered full speed ahead and made for North Brother Island, blowing his whistle for assistance. Flanagan ran SYMPATHY FROM ALL QUARTERS. 75 back to the scene of the fire and attempted to extinguish the flames, which in the meantime had reached serious proportions. Failing to accomplish anything with the hose, the mate rushed to the upper deck and tried to quiet the panic-stricken women and children who were leaping overboard. He stayed on the upper deck until the boat went aground. When he leaped to save himself he found two women and a baby in the water, and they cried to him for help. He could not keep the three afloat, and they were lost. After the women and baby disappeared, Flanagan said he next saw Michael Graham, the steward, who was trying to save the ship's money. It was mostly in silver, amounting to more than $1000, and was in a bag. Graham found the weight pulling him under and let go of it. INSPECTORS TRY TO ESCAPE. In a statement issued over the signatures of Captain R. A. Sargent and Christopher Vert, United States Inspectors of Steam Vessels at the port of Philadelphia, the New York inspectors were exonerated from all blame in connection with the accident to the " General Slocum." They said : "From accounts of the accident, we cannot see that it can in any way be attributed to the steam vessels inspect- ors in New York, this particular vessel having been inspected last May. What we have read in regard to the life preservers being so badly decayed and of such faulty construction that they are useless, we cannot look upon as correct, and think that these preservers must have been damaged by fire, as it is the custom of inspectors at this port, and at New York also, we believe, to carefully exam- 76 SYMPATHY FROM ALL QUARTERS. ine all life preservers at each annual inspection and to see that they are of approved t}^pe and are located in accessi- ble places. This vessel was, no doubt, equipped on either side of each deck carrying passengers, with hoses of such length as to reach all parts of the deck connected to the steam fire pump main ; also with two efficient hand fire pumps with hose attachments, also leading to different parts of the deck. It is evident from accounts that not only the captain, mates, pilots, and engineers, but also the unlicensed members of the crew, heroically remained at their post and did all in their power to avert this fear- ful catastrophe." Secretary Cortelyou ordered a rigid investigation of the " General Slocum " disaster, under the direction of the Steamboat Inspection Service. CORTELYOU'S CIRCULAR LETTER. Realizing the importance of having exercised the greatest care in the management of steamboats, especially excursion boats, Secretary Cortelyou, on May 23, of this year, issued a circular letter to the inspectors of steam vessels, warning them to guard against just such a dis- aster as that which occurred at New York. Supervising Inspector General Uhler received from Robert S. Rodie, Inspector of the Second District, at New York, a preliminary report of the accident. Inspector Rodie, as soon as he learned of the fire, went to the scene in the wrecking boat " Chapman." In his report to Gen- eral Uhler he says : "While viewing the wreck I noticed some clothes near the forward side of the paddle box and called Cap- tain Turner's attention to it. It proved to be the body of a woman, and on close inspection it was found that three SYMPATHY FROM ALL QUARTERS. 77 other bodies were inside the paddle box, all of which proved to be women. "At the time we first went alongside the wreck there was no one in the immediate vicinity except a small boat with a man in it some distance off. A short time after we noticed that a police boat was approaching the wreck. We turned over to them the work of taking the bodies out, which they did- We provided them with axes, and they cut away part of the open woodwork in order to re- move bodies." PROCLAMATION BY THE MAYOR. Mayor McClellan issued this proclamation : To the Citizens of New York : The appalling disaster, by which more than 500 men, women and children lost their lives by fire and drowning, has shocked and horrified our city. Knowing the keen sympathy of the people of the city of New York with their stricken fellows, I have appointed a committee of citizens to receive contributions to a fund to provide for the fit and proper burial of the dead, and for such other relief as may be necessary. The following gentlemen have been asked to serve on the committee : Morris K. Jesup, Jacob SchifT, Her- man Ridder, Charles A. Dickey, Robert A. Van Court- landt, Erskine Hewitt, Joseph C. Hendrix, Thonias* Mulry, George Ehret, John Fox, John Weimacht and H. B. Scharman. Until the committee has had opportunity to organize, I shall be glad to receive contributions at the Mayor's Office. As a sign of mourning, I have ordered the flags of the City Hall to be put at half-mast. 78 SYMPATHY FROM ALL QUARTERS. That the fire hose on the " General Slocnm " was so rotten that it burst in several places as soon as the water began to flow through it, permitting more to spurt through the holes than came out of the nozzle, was the statement made by Edward Flanagan, the first mate of the vessel. He made this assertion calmly and deliberately, fully appreciating its significance. "I was amidships," said Flanagan, "when a deck- hand ran up to me and told me the vessel was afire. I did not wait to investigate, but ran up to the captain and told him about it, first stopping to tell the engineer. When the captain heard rne he ordered full steam ahead and made for North Brother Island blowing his whistle all the time. Then I ran down to the main deck to take the fire apparatus, and some of the deck hands and I be- gan to get out the hose. We got out three lines in all. SCARCITY OF WATER, " But as soon as the water was turned on I was sur- prised to see each line burst at different places and it was impossible to get enough water from the nozzles to be of the slightest use in quenching the flames. It seemed that the hose was new, and what put it in that condition I am at a loss to explain. "Abandoning this work I ran to the stern where the women and children were, and shouted to them to keep calm and not to be afraid. But it seemed to me that most of them were Germans who did not under- stand English — whether it was this or that they were so frightened that they did not hear me — but they paid not the slightest attention to me. I do not know how the fire started and I don't believe any one does, but it is my opinion that it started in the lamp room." SYMPATHY FROM ALL QUARTERS. 79 His voice trembling and his eyes rilled with terror at the remembrance of the scene on the " Slocnin " George Heintz, seventeen years old, told how deck hands had de- serted the passengers and left them to the mercy of the flames. He spoke in high terms of the captain, who, he said? had called upon him to quiet the fears of the women and children. Stepping upon a rail of the boat, the boy talked to the panic stricken excursionists until he was forced into the water by the rush which they made for safety. "I was standing on the upper deck near the pilot house when the fire started," said Heintz. " With me were my mother and my two sisters, Louisa and Diana. I told them to stay by my side when the fire came toward us. My brother Henry was there, too, but he and my mother and sisters were lost when the crowd began to rush to- ward the sides. Henry was saved, the rest are missing. RAN FROM THE FLAMES. "When the flames leaped toward us the deck hands jumped into the water. Only one remained and he made a feeble attempt to put out the fire with water. I stood on the rail entreating the crowd to allow the women and children a chance for safety, but when the flames began to play about the dresses of the women and the smoke be- came thick they ran away. "I stopped talking long enough to look around for my brother, mother and sisters. I could not find them, but a short distance away I saw the figure of a little girl kneeling in prayer. I started toward her, but before I had gone two steps she was enveloped in flames and I was swept over the side by frightened passengers. "My head seemed to strike in a mud bank after I 80 SYMPATHY FROM ALL QUARTERS. went under the surface of the water and, struggling tc look about, I saw the figures of half a dozen children, bo}^s and girls, in the weeds and mud. Some way, I don't know how, I got to the surface of the water and was picked up by a tug.' ' One of those who escaped from the "Slocum" was Louise Gailiug, the fifteen-year-old daughter of Christo- pher Gailing, a laborer, who resides in Nutley, N.J. The girl jumped from the burning steamer with the two-year- old child of a Hoboken family, by whom she was em ployed. At the home of the Gailings the mother said she had heard nothing from her daughter and knew little about the disaster. The girl would easily pass for seventeen years of age, and is an excellent swimmer PUPILS DEEPLY MOVED. Soon after roll call in the various schools throughout the city, and especially in those adjacent to or in the dis- trict principally affected by the disaster, there were signs that the pupils were deeply moved by the great loss of life. Superintendent Maxwell sent out a circular to prin cipals in schools, in which he expressed the sympathy felt by all public school children and teachers, and in- structed that flags be displayed at half-mast on all public school buildings throughout the city. Dr. Maxwell pointed out the lessons of the disaster, urging teachers to admonish their pupils to remain cool and collected in the presence of sudden danger, to learn to swim and always to be ready to lend a helping hand to those weaker than themselves. A heavy pall of sorrow hung over Public School No. CO l±J LU U. > -. z UNKNOWN BABY DEAD WHEN FOUND FLOATING IN THE WATER BY THE MAN WHO HAS IT IN HIS ARMS. z to o ui - o o m E < z UJ uj Q Q »2 Z — cc < u. LU GRACE GADE 405 EAST 5th ST., NEW YORK. LOST. EVA SCHNEIDER 326 6th ST. N. Y. MOTHER LOST WITH HER JULIA WORTMANN 178 AVENUE A. NEW YORK. LOST. ANNIE BLUMENKRANZ LOST. WAS WITH MISS WORTMAN. \ LOTTIE LINK 76 AVENUE A, NEW YORK. LOST- JULIA HECKART AVENUE A, NEW YORK. LOST. ANNIE HECKART 88 AVENUE A. NEW YORK. LOST. MAGGIE HECKART SAVED BUT BADLY BURNED UJ U z z * 2 u 5 CD I h ^ U. CO O w > H Z z - UJ Q CO UJ cc Q. REV. GEO. C F. HAAS PASTOR ST. MARK'S EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH .^■HUhk. **$% '^[, J* r '*"'% |t^K%[i ■ JL*- ^rjlAC L W V ' ft M W Vjf » MV^ 1 ^ '< ' H** T^lfc^tattit* i 'AiaaaiK/' V\ 1 ||J| ■A ^ NLtftJ ■ 7 and then the hose burst, as the pressure was too great. Then we could do nothing/' Coakley admitted that for a time he was as much excited as the passengers as the flames continued to spread. He ran up on deck, and saw a boy of about fifteen climb on the side rail and drop into the water near the revolving paddle wheel, which sucked him up. Coakley helped to loosen the wire which held the life preservers and they fell to the floor. GRABBED BABY AND JUMPED. As the " Slocuru " struck he grabbed a baby and jumped overboard. He was almost drowned by a woman who seized him, but he managed to shake her off and to reach land with the baby. He was convinced that the captain had not erred in beaching the " Slocum " at North Brother Island. Coakley had little rest after the disaster, as he was haunted by visions of burning and drowning masses whenever he tried to sleep. Mate Flanagan's story differed from that of Coakley in several respects. He was under the impression that the " Slocum" was about opposite East Ninety-seventh street when he was notified of the fire. While he was having the hose prepared for use a coupling became loose, and when the water was turned on it escaped at this joint. Before the hose could be properly arranged the panic had occurred. He said he and an assistant engineer were the last to leave the hold. He jumped iuto about ten feet of water and was exhausted when he reached shore. The other members of the crew who were examined substantially agreed with this version. Coroner Berry kept a staff of clerks busy issuing subpoenas for the inquest. He wished to obtain the testi- N.Y.7 98 STARTLING TESTIMONY OF EYE WITNESSES. niony of as many adult survivors as possible, and of all who were in a position to throw any light upon the des- truction of the "General Slocum." He believed that the investigation before him should be as thorough as pos- sible. "Evidence before me so far indicates an appalling failure on the part of the crew of the 'General Slocum' to assist the helpless passengers during the tragic half hour. I have examined eye witnesses of the disaster, none of whom remembers to have seen any efforts made by the crew, although the witnesses themselves were among those to risk life in rescue work. Stand pipes for the fire hose, taken from the wreck to-day, show that on the side of the boat farthest away from the flames no at- tempt was made to use the fire fighting apparatus. Valves are found unturned and caps are still in place. There is nothing to show that the crew did not look out for itself alone. Only one member appears to have perished and that one was a steward." CREWS CALLED AS WITNESSES. In the foregoing words Coroner O' Gorman summed up the results of an important part of his day's labor on North Brother Island, and around the wreck of the "Slocum" off Oak Point, nearly two miles away. The Coroner had in fact devoted every minute he could spare from the task of attending to the eight bodies recovered to the preliminary investigation. Early in the day he had called before him the crews of the tug boat "Wade" and the "Franklin Edson," the island ferry. Blistered paint and woodwork on both boats showed where they were while the fire raged, and of each member of the crew the Coroner asked what work, STARTLING TESTIMONY OF EYE WITNESSES. 99 if any, was done by the crew of the "Slocum." What lie found was expressed in his utterance to the press. Following this he called before him the staff of the North Brother Hospital corps, including every one from Dr. Stewart to the humblest orderly. Physicians and nurses, as well as patients who had risked their lives wading and swimming out into the swift tide, were asked to tell of their observations. Not one of them could re- lieve the impression first produced by the testimony. EVIDENCE OF STAND PIPES. At the wreck the Coroner had John M. Rice, a diver employed by the Department of Docks, busy at work collecting the silent evidence of stand pipes, reels, noz- zles and the like. Rice had not been working an hour on the starboard side of the boat aft of the paddle box when he came up with a section of a stand pipe, the cap of which had not been removed. "It shows that no attempt whatsoever was made to attach the hose," was the official comment on this start- ling evidence. Later in the day Rice brought up another stand pipe twelve feet long, to one end of which was a wheel valve. Burnt shreds showed that a hose had been at- tached to this pipe, but further investigation showed that the valve had never been turned. Then too came a reel with shreds of unbound hose, and a nozzle which had not been removed from its place. "That an effort was made to use hose has been told/' said the Coroner, "but that an effort was made to use ii on the safe side of the boat away from the flameshas not yet been shown. With discipline or practice it would appear that the vantage point for the crew would have 100 STARTLING TESTIMONY OF EYE WITNESSES. been to the starboard away from fire, but they were never there so far as I can see." Of the bodies found on the third day only one, so far as known, was identified at North Brother Island. That was the body of August Well, fifteen years old. Young Well went to the picnic with his brother Charles, two years younger. Charles escaped, but two months before August had broken his leg, which was still incased in plaster of paris. The weight dragged him to the bot- tom. Of the others found one, a girl eleven years old, wore a ring of rubies and pearls on her left hand and a turquois ring on her right. Another, a girl of fourteen, had a long gold chain around her neck, to which was at- tached a locket which had for a monogram "W. A. C." MERRIMENT ON A SISTER BOAT. With flags flying, bands playing and nothing but jollity and merriment aboard the steamboat "Grand Re- public" passed the wreck bearing the thousand and more who were attending the outing of the 120th street Methodist Episcopal Church. The "Grand Re- public" did not slow down as she approached, as the police require when divers are at work, and whistles on tugs and launches had to be blown vigorously to compel the action. Patrick Gilligan, a diver, was under water then and the booming of her big paddles brought him to the surface in a hurry. As the steamboat swept by the shores of North Brother Island the crowds rushed to the side nearest the island to get a good view of the work of rescue going on there. According to the police and other witnesses of the scene, the excursionists waved handkerchiefs. When the roll of those who risked life to save pas- STARTLING TESTIMONY OF EYE WITNESSES. 101 sengers of the "General Slocum " is made up no names will stand higher than those of eleven members of the Bronx Yacht Club. In three small launches the eleven men in the space of a half hour drew from the water no drowning persons. Within six hours afterward they had recovered 127 bodies from the tide and from the beaches. The Bronx Yacht Club is a small organization, with headquarters at the foot of Willow avenue, which face the Bronx Kills, by which the burning steamboat passed. Its members are all rivermen, owners of small launches and sailboats. All of them know the treacherous cur- rents of Hell Gate and the swirling tide rips that strike off from the many islands thereabout. They were all about the club when the " Slocum " passed, and three minutes later were in pursuit. MANY BODIES DRAGGED ASHORE. H. Burgi, owner of the auxiliary sloop " Elsie," hastily gathered with him Charles Wetzel, steward of the club ; Rudolph Zimmerman, Frank Barky and Rob- ert Start. They pulled from the water alive, sixty-two. men, women and children, and landed them on North Brother Island. Later they found thirty-two of the dead. Policeman Andrew Woods, of the Alexander avenue station, was on strike duty near 138th street. Running with all his might he soon had with him Peter Jansen and John Rau in the launch " Peter." Twenty-three living persons were pulled from the water by the three men and later thirty-eight dead were found. In the launch "Surprise" went Reuben Tudor and Granville Gibbons. They found three women alive float- ing in the current. Policeman Herbert C. Farrell, of the 102 STARTLING TESTIMONY OF EYE WITNESSES. Alexander avenue station, was at a fire, but he hastily collected some men, strangers to him, and they seized the small boat of the tug " E. A. Bayliss." Twenty-two liv- ing persons were saved by them and sixteen dead were picked up. The Chief Engineer said : " I saw several children with their clothing on fire and their mothers vainly trying to put out the flames with their hands. I never saw fire spread with such rapidity, and in less time than it has taken for me to tell you this the whole front part of the vessel was in flames. TRAMPLED TO DEATH. " Those who were on the lower deck rushed aft and many children were knocked down and trampled to death. I can yet hear those agonizing and piercing screams and feel the scorching flames. " I realized that our only safety was to beach the boat, and I knew that North Brother Island was the only place to do it. We could not turn back and beach on the meadows, for we were above them, and I was fearful that we might strike a rock in Hell Gate. " Had this happened the loss of life would have been greater, for no one, not excepting a good swimmer, could have kept afloat in that swift water. " It all happened so suddenly, and the fire spread with such rapidity, that in less than fifteen minutes after it was discovered the boat was in flames from stem to stern. " When the boat was beached and I left the engine room they were still working. "Just before the "Slocum" was beached the engine room was in flames, and the large mirrors in it fell with a STARTLING TESTIMONY OF EYE WITNESSES 103 crash. I looked for Brandow, and he was still standing near the throttle, with the flames all about him. The heat was intense, but I did not seem to feel it much. ' " When the boat grounded there was a terrible crash as the upper deck gave way, and for a moment I felt sick, for I knew that many people were caught beneath it. Brandow stopped his engine, and we made our way with difficulty aft. " Here there were a number of women and children, who beseeched us piteously to save them. I did my best to calm them, and told them they must jump overboard. Just then a tug came up alongside, and a rush was made for it. " I was carried over with the rest, and fell underneath the struggling mass." Second Mate James Corcoran told the Coroner Conk- lin was among the first to hurry off the vessel to a tug. ENGINEER FLED FROM DANGER. "The first engineer (Conklin) was not at his post at the time of the fire," Corcoran declared. "He was one of the very first to leave the boat." The district surrounding St. Mark's Church was one of mourning. Clubs, churches of all denominations, stores, schools and restaurants were draped in mourning. Scores of funerals were held. A Methodist church and Baptist church were used for several of the funerals, but the majority were held at the homes of the victims. Fifty Lutheran clergymen ap- peared at St. Mark's Church and were sent around through the district to conduct the funerals. Several pastors held funerals over as many as six bodies. Sixth street, in the vicinity of the church, was 104 STARTLING TESTIMONY OF EYE WITNESSES. packed from early morning till late at night. All busi- ness in the street and in the surrounding streets was sus- pended ; in most places a card in the window said : ''Closed on account of death." Late in the afternoon a carriage drove slowly past the church with a corpse sitting upright on the back seat supported by cushions. The body was wrapped in a sheet and was alone in the carriage. The driver had brought it from the Morgue. FIRST FUNERAL OF A VICTIM. The first funeral of a victim of the disaster was that of Miss Agnes Bell, 19 years old. The policemen guarded the hearse as it moved toward the Twenty-third street ferry, and hundreds of mourners walked after it. The burial was in the Lutheran Cemetery, at Middle Village, L. I. Following Miss Bell's funeral, others were held as fast as possible, and at night the hearses and processions of carriages were going through the streets. The body of a man was taken out of the water, and clasped in his right hand was a big bag of coins, dimes, nickels and pennies. The man was clutching the bag with such a grip that it took some strength to loosen the hold. The money caused his death. Had he dropped the bag and used his hands he undoubtedly could have kept afloat. A policemen put the bag on a pair of scales, and found that it weighed twenty-six pounds. It dragged the man to the bottom, without a show for life. Mayor McClellan issued a formal appeal to aid through the relief committee. More than $16,000 was contributed on the third day for the relief of survivors of the wreck. One of the first STARTLING TESTIMONY OF EYE WITNESSES. 106 big gifts came from H. H. Rogers, the Standard Oil mil- lionaire. It was a $1000 gold certificate, which was pinned to a slip of paper bearing the sender's name. In order to ascertain if there was any basis for the accusations which are being made against the captain of the " Slocum," or if on the other hand there was any basis for the vigorous defense which his friends were making on his behalf, a newspaper chartered a vessel and sent it over the course which the steamer took. On board were photographers equipped with cameras, experts who were to note where a vessel of the " Slocum " type coifid or could not be beached, and lead lines to verify the depth of water as given by harbor charts. ALARM ON THE STEAMBOAT. It appears that the fire was discovered by a deck- hand just before the "Slocum" entered Hell Gate. He told how he first tried to smother the blaze and then gave the alarm to the mate, who transmitted it by tube to the captain in the pilot house. Going through Hell Gate with a flood tide vessels habitually travel at their best speed, as in that narrow swirl of water a vessel must answer her helm quickly, which she would be unable to do if she were going slowly. The " Slocum " had the tide with her, and this, with her own speed, must have been carrying her along at fully eighteen knots. As only a few minutes elapsed from the moment when the fire was first discovered to the time when the captain hurried from the pilot house to make inves- tigation, it indicates that the position of tne " Slocum " then was about midway of Ward's Island. Giving him one minute to make his way from the 106 STARTLING TESTIMONY OF EYE WITNESSES. pilot house to the " forward cabin," as the witnesses speak of the compartment where the fire was discovered, and another minute to make his way back to the pilot house, the "Slocum" then would have reached the sunken meadows, that long, wide shoal, where she might * have been beached, broad off her port bow. No one except the captain himself can know what his estimate of the danger was. Steamboat captains, like railroad engine drivers, must needs have active brains and decision, and action must come at once. Estimating the time which the newspaper boat made over this par- ticular part of the route — the difference in speed and state of tide being noted — it is figured that the captain of the " Slocum " had between one minute and a minute and a half in which to decide if the blaze which had broken out forward was serious enough to warrant his seeking the sunden meadows as a place to beach. NO PLACE TO LAND. It had been urged that the " Slocum " could have been beached on the opposite side of the stream. The expedition found no place on that side where this was practicable, the banks being "steep to," like sea walls in other words. The chance of beaching on the sunken meadows having passed — the " Slocum " being an unwieldy vessel and the tide with her — the next place where the vessel might have gone was to the pier of the Health Depart- ment at the foot of East 13 2d street. The steamboat "Ed- son," lying there promptly vacated the berth and seems to have done all she could with her whistles to call atten- tion to the berth. Captain Van Schaick does not say that he saw this ; STARTLING TESTIMONY OF EYE WITNESSES. 107 he says though that he did sheer in to make the pier six blocks further up, but was warned away. The captain, in his statement, adds that he then stood for North Brother Island, intending to beach there. Scores of witnesses have said that the forward decks caved in before the "General Slocum" went aground. As the fire had broken out forward and as the wind was driving the flames straight aft, it has been urged that the pilot house had been made untenable before the vessel grounded, and that the tide drifted her to the point where she went aground. Summed up, the men on the vessel chartered by the newspaper found no place in the route taken by the "Slocum " where the vessel could have been earlier beached except the sunken meadows. That is, no place where she could have slid her keel after the captain had made his return to the pilot house. STEEP AND ROCKY SHORE. The Long Island shore is steep and rocky and above the meadows on the other side there was no place which the newspaper boat investigators could find where a vessel could have been beached with any chance of saving life. South Brother Island was a bit nearer than the North Brother, where she finally went ashore, but the prepon- derance of evidence is that the "Slocum" was not under control after her sheer in toward the 138th street wharf, and from which her captain says he was warned away. One of our leading journals commented on the disaster as follows : "The announcement of Secretary Cortelyou that he will personally conduct the inquiry into the disaster 108 STARTLING TESTIMONY OF EYE WITNESSES. to the steamboat ( General Slocum ' will give general satisfaction. There is certain to be a thorough investi- gation, as the Coroner will conduct a separate one. Such a catastrophe could not happen without some one being at fault. There is a disposition to blame the steamboat inspectors, who are under Secretary Cortelyou, but the}^ may not be to blame. And yet if the facts are as repre- sented, the steamboat owners and the inspectors are both responsible. LIFE PRESERVERS ROTTEN " The assertion that the life preservers were rotten is repeated so often, and so few persons appear to have been saved by the use of the preservers, that there is reason to believe the charge to be true. If^so the inspec- tors are to blame and also the steamship owners. The fire hose on board the vessel was of no advantage appar- ently, and is said to have been decayed and leaking. No use was made of the lifeboats, and much that might apparently have been done was seemingly neglected. Perhaps there may be some excuse. "With plenty of good life preservers, properly adjusted, there should have been few lives lost where the steamer was beached. The crew was clearly not trained for an emergency. That should be made compulsory and a Government officer should be provided to inspect such performance of duty on every passenger vessel of the size of the ' General Slocum.' The laws are now deficient in that respect. A bill to provide a partial remedy was passed by the Senate at its last session, but it failed in Conference Committee. " There is insufficient legislation to regulate ves- sels carrying such a large number of passengers. This STARTLING TESTIMONY OF EYE WITNESSES. 109 disaster might easily be repeated almost any day in trie vicinity of New York. Fireproof paints, and even fire- proof wood will probably be used on all such vessels in time. But it should not be possible for a steamboat to be so quickly consumed as was the " General Slocum," caus- ing such an enormous loss of life. Such casualties in Europe are unknown. Both on the steamboats and on the railroads in this country there is a much greater waste of life, proportionately, than in Europe, while there should, if anything, be less. There is too much eagerness to save expense and make greater profit. INSTANCES OF GRAND HEROISM. " As is almost always the case when a great disaster occurs, the East River tragedy was attended by many instances of unselfish heroism. The plucky way in which the nurses and many of the patients from the hospital on North Brother Island rushed into the sea and fought with the waves to save life when the burning boat was beached deserve to be recognized. The captain and pilots of the " General Slocum " in sticking to their posts until the craft reached shore, although the pilot house in the fore part of the boat was threatened by the flames, seem to have had an adequate realization of their re- sponsibilities. "Whether Captain Van Schaick acted in the wisest manner has yet to be determined, but he showed at any rate that he was not a coward. Some of the crew are said to have become panic-stricken, and no intelligent attempt to launch the boats and life-rafts seems to have been made. There is also the charge that ghouls in the shape of robbers made their appearance, and that a yacht near the scene failed to render any assistance. no STARTLING TESTIMONY OF EYE WITNESSES. " But while certain of the viler qualities of human nature were in evidence, the zeal and bravery of the boat- men, nurses and hospital attendants who did their best to rescue others proved once more that there is heroic stuff in a pretty large proportion of mankind. "The pity of it all is that their efforts could do so little, for fuller information has swelled the number of the victims far beyond that given in the first reports. If the allegation is true that Federal laws are insufficient in their application to the inspection of excursion boats, the lack is one which should be promptly remedied when Congress meets again. As a matter of fact it is a ques- tion whether all large craft used for this purpose should not be required to be built of steel or iron. Such vessels might sink, but they would not burn." CHAPTER VI. FUNERALS ATTENDED BY SOBBING THOUSANDS, ON Friday the region in the vicinity of St. Mark's German Lutheran Church, in East Sixth street* was the scene of 114 funerals, representing the burial of nearly 200 bodies, almost all those of women and chil- dren. Enormous crowds thronged the streets of the quarter, and a large force of police was necessary to pre- vent disorder and keep clear a passage for the long lines of hearses and carriages. Funeral services were held in no fewer than thirty-seven churches of various denomi- nations in this section. Sixteen more bodies recovered during the day were brought from the scene of the wreck to the temporary Morgue at the foot of East Twenty-seventh street this afternoon. So great was the clamor for admission to the pier that all control of the crowd was lost, and on the entrance to the pier being thrown open a rush took place, during which many persons were knocked down and trampled upon. Twenty-nine of the unidentified dead were buried on Friday by the city in the Lutheran Cemetery, leaving but eight bodies still awaiting identification in the Morgue. As the fourteen hearses carrying these twenty-nine unknown victims of the disaster passed an unusually large crowd stood respectfully on the sidewalk, making a line extending several blocks to the pier, whence the ferry carried them over to the Long Island shore. The ill 112 FUNERALS ATTENDED BY SOBBING THOUSANDS. men stood with bowed and uncovered heads, and by far the greater portion of the women and children gathered along the street knelt. Even those who are ordinarily phlegmatic and undemonstrative were affected by the sorrow that all seemed to feel, and sobs shook the frames of the women while tears streamed down the cheeks of the men. The cortege continued through the streets lined with mourning thousands until it became a part of the long procession of funerals that were wending their way to the cemetery. One carriage only followed the hearses, carrying officers of the Health Department, who were ordered to make an accurate map of the great grave prepared for the bodies, so that if any are identified later by means of the clothing, the coffin containing the remains may be readily found. HOME IN THE CEMETERY. Out at the beautiful Lutheran Cemetery, that Gar- den of Sleep, where the dead will rest until the Day of Judgment, 160 grave-diggers had prepared little earthen homes, well toward the southern slope of the cemetery, where the winter sun shines lovingly and the summer wind sings lullabys of sorrowing intonation. Simple were the ceremonies of burial — a few words from the Bible — a few words of Scriptural consolation, and — a life of heart-break for the surviving relatives and friends. Through the streets of the stricken St. Mark's parish on Saturday passed the bodies of 156 men, women and children, victims of the "Slocum" catastrophe, on their way to graves in the Lutheran Cemetery, at Middle Village, L. I. One hundred and twenty-six of these bodies came from eighty-eight homes of the neighbor- E LU > < 00 LU M £ Q QQ UJ Q O 00 Q < UJ D A PIER USED AS A MORGUE DEAD BODIES IN COFFINS WITH ICE PACKED AROUND THEM, AWAITING REMOVAL BY THEIR RELATIVES AND FRIENDS. CORONER O'GORMAN WHO CONDUCTED A RIGID INVESTIGATION AS TO THE CAUSE OF SUCH GREAT LOSS OF LIFE. POLICEMEN CARRYING THE DEAD ABOARD A RELIEF BOAT. ~ CO CC D UJ -> > ° I to > o > < Ll CO < CO HI CO 2 Q z 1 ^ oc u. Q > uj 5 Q _i > uj uj i > H Z o > en uj z cc o < o < FUNERALS ATTENDED BY SOBBING THOUSANDS. 118 hood, and the Morgue added thirty of those whose names in life will never be known. • Services, as a rule, were most simple. Only a prayer, the reading of the Scriptures and the benediction were used in most cases, even where the minister faced three and even four caskets containing members of one family. It was the general wish that this should be so. The grief of the German district does not find outlet in ceremonial of an elaborate character. MORBIDLY CURIOUS CROWD. Throughout the day streets in the vicinity of St. Mark's Church were crowded. Many of the crowd were of the morbidly curious kind, but as many more were mourners, weeping women and children, and silent, heavy-eyed men were there to behold the last of lifelong friends and acquaintances. Evidences of mourning were everywhere. From almost ever}' house, not alone the crepe on the door told of grief, but black-draped American and German flags and long streamers of black and purple and white swung from windows. In the windows of shops were black bordered cards bearing in German and English the legend : " We mourn the loss of our be- loved," or "We mourn our loss." The police arrangements were perfect. Earlyin the day Inspector Schmittberger, having under him twenty- three sergeants, ten roundsmen and four hundred police- men, divided his force into squads of eleven — ten men and an officer — and there was a squad for each funeral during the day to keep back the crowds and to force passageways for the processions as they wound in and out of the streets. But there was no hard work for them to do. The N.Y. 8 114 FUNERALS ATTENDED BY SOBBING THOUSANDS. crowds were most easily handled. It seemed as if all who came within the borders of the territory were trans- ferred into solemn, awestruck men, women and children. Silently the spectators lined curbs and sidewalks by the hour to see the hearses pass and repass. Only occasion- ally would a policeman have anything to do, and that would be perhaps when some man or woman would step out from the crowd, muttering incoherent words which told of evertaxed nerves. They were easily soothed and led away by friends. There w r ere no nightsticks used by the policemen ; they carried none by command of the inspector. FUNERAL OF PASTOR'S WIFE. Chief of the funerals perhaps was that of Mrs. Haas, wife of the pastor of the little church which had suffered so much. The old fashioned parsonage in Seventh street, just back of the church, was crowded at one o'clock by friends and representatives among the clergy. The floral decorations were profuse, tokens from ministers of every denomination of the city, as well as friends. Mr. Haas, whose nervous condition, was such that fears were entertained for his recovery, was led into the parlor, and a moment later Miss Emma Haas, sister of the minister, herself still suffering greatly from the effects of her experience, was carried down stairs on a stretcher and placed beside the chair on which her brother sat. The Rev. Dr. Alexander Richter, of St. Matthew's Church, Hoboken, was in charge of the services and preached a sermon that dealt with resignation. The Rev. Dr. Jacob Loch, of Brooklyn, read the Scriptures, FUNERALS ATTENDED BY SOBBING THOUSANDS. llfi and the Rev. Dr. Heischmann, president of the Minis- terium, and the Rev. Dr. Hugo Hoffman offered prayers. Only once were the services interrupted, and that was when a messenger called one of the ministers pres- ent aside, and after a whispered consultation it was announced to the brother and sister already stricken that bnta moment before a body at the Morgue had been identified as that of Mrs. Tetamore, Mrs. Haas' sister. With the authorities assisting in every way the bod}- was at once brought to the house, and an hour later, when the funeral procession started there were two hearses, and the sisters were buried together. PICKPOCKET CAUGHT. Outside in the other streets, before the Haas funeral and afterward, funeral services were being conducted on every hand. In the crowd that assembled was Benjamin Lieber- man, seventeen years old, whom the police knew. He was charged with having snatched the pocketbook from the hands of Airs. Rosie Fischer. At the woman's scream the crowd turned and saw her struggling with the man. Detective Ross, of Inspec- tor Schmittberger's staff, was on the man at once, and there was another brief struggle. Then Ross had another problem confronting him. The crowd had turned toward the prisoner, with "Lynch him! Kill him!" Men struck and kicked at the prisoner, and one man struck him above the eye, inflicting a severe bruise. The screams of the women and the shouts of men could be heard for blocks. Luckily other policemen came to the aid of the detective and his prisoner. 116 FUNERALS ATTENDED BY SOBBING THOUSANDS. Not a half hour later came another shock to the crowds and this perhaps was the greatest of the day. Down Second avenue, moving slowly, came a procession of fourteen hearses, followed by one carriage only, con- taining two men. At the head a black hearse bore a black casket of an adult and at its side a tiny white one. At the Morgue the ticket had read : " Unidentified woman found with child clasped in her arms." Behind this came several black hearses and then one of white in which side by side were three white caskets. Another interval of black and another white casket bear- ing two, a black hearse bearing two, another mother and child, and so on through the fourteen. MOURNING BY SILENT CROWD. Straight down the avenue from the Morgue the pro- cession had come slowly, and just as slowly it turned through Sixth street. If the crowd had been silent before it was now almost immovable. Only here and there as the procession passed could be heard a half-stifled " Ah !" as some woman or man sunk on the pavement in prayer or in a fit of weeping. Through Sixth street to First avenue went the procession ; down First avenue to Fifth street, and so on east and south to Delancey street, where was the entrance to the Williamsburg Bridge. It was almost the climax of the day's strain, but the police anticipated even more distressing scenes, for many more remained to be buried throughout the district. In one instance, that of the Ritcher family for instance, there were six bodies awaiting the coming of the hearse. There were three in some other families, four in one instance. The crowds would be greater the police feared because of Sunday, but there would be six FUNERALS ATTENDED BY SOBBING THOUSANDS. 117 hundred policemen to preserve order and prevent conges- tion. The bodies on Friday were buried in the Lutheran Cemetery at Middle Village, L. I., and the way for all the processions was across the new Williamsburg Bridge From nine o'clock till five the processions were almost continuous across the structure, and the sight was wit- nessed by thousands of the east side who filled Delancey street and other thoroughfares. GRAVES FOR THE UNKNOWN. Out at the cemetery during the night one hundred and fifty men had been busily engaged in digging graves. For the unidentified dead and for the poorest, the cemetery trustees had provided a plot 250 feet square, and in this the twenty-nine bodies were buried. The others were scattered all over the cemetery. There was pro- fusion of flowers everywhere, for societies, churches and individuals had been most generous. The order at the cemetery was perfect. There was no confusion. There were no services there. Five members of one family in Williamsburg were buried from the home of William Blohm, Williamsburg. They were Blohm' s wife, Anna, twenty-eight years old ; his married sister, Mrs. Annie Smith, twenty-four years old, and her two-year-old daughter, Mildred, and his two sisters, Margarette and Dora Blohm, eighteen and fifteen years old. Another child of Mrs. Smith, which perished on the ill-fated steamer, Beatrice, two months old, had not been recovered. Airs. Margarette Blohm, fifty-three years, the mother of Blohm, was the only one of the family on the excursion to be saved. So great was the throng of 118 FUNERALS ATTENDED BY SOBBING THOUSANDS. mourners in and around the House that Police Captain Becker, of the Hamburg avenue station, was obliged to turn out the reserves. The five bodies, in separate caskets, were in the front room of the Blohm house. They were taken in five hearses to the Lutheran Cemetery. Before the funeral cortege left the house a Lutheran minister officiated at a brief service. Hundreds followed to the cemetery. An immediate and thorough inspection by the Federal authorities of all excursion boats plying about the harbor of the city was demanded by Mayor McClellan. The Mayor further directed Police Commissioner McAdoo to contract with the Merritt-Chapman Wrecking Company to raise the hull of the "Slocum" as quickly as possible. This action was to be taken regardless of legal complications as to whether the sunken hull of the "Slocum" was within the jurisdiction of the Federal or municipal authorities, in order to release the bodies of victims still confined in the wreckage. RELIEF BY CITY GOVERNMENT. The Board of Aldermen held a special meeting and authorized the Board of Estimate and Appointment to issue $50,000 in bonds to meet the expenditures made by the Commissioners of Health, Police and Charities during the last few days in assisting the survivors and relatives of the victims to recover the bodies of their dead. In calling upon George B. Cortelyou, Secretary of the Department of Commerce and Labor, for an inspection of excursion craft, the Mayor pointed out that the city authorities were without jurisdiction and unable, there- fore, to protect citizens from such dangers. In closing, the Mayor said that anticipating Secretary Cortelyou' s FUNERALS ATTENDKI) BY SOBBING THOUSANDS. 119 compliance with his request, if a modification of existing regulations should be undertaken, the experts of the Fire, Health and Building departments of the city would, if desired, be placed at his service to facilitate the work. With regard to the raising of the hull of the " Gen- eral Sloe um " the Mayor was acting at the suggestion of Police Commissioner McAdoo. In his letter to Commis- sioner McAdoo, authorizing him to raise the money, the Mayor said : 11 1 agree with you that in order to recover any bodies that may be therein, and to obtain any physical evidence which may throw light on the cause of the disaster, the hull of the "Slocum " should be raised without delay. COST OF RAISING WRECK. "As the underwriters are unwilling to expend more than $6, ocx) for the work, and as you inform me it will cost $12, ocx), I hereby authorize you to contract with the Merritt-Chapman Company to raise the hull at an expense not to exceed $12,000, the work to be done as soon as pos- sible ; you to take entire supervision of it." With the discovery of from thirty to fifty more bodies of " Slocum " victims in a pocket nearly a quarter of a mile from where the boat was beached on North Brother Island, it became evident that the grewsome total would be greatly enlarged. A diver, who renewed the search for victims, found a deep hole in the bed of the river practically filled with bodies. Within an hour after the search was begun eight bodies had been brought to the surface, and when he was forced to abandon work for a time because of the swift current, he stated that between thirty and fifty bodies still remained in the hole. 120 FUNERALS ATTENDED BY SOBBING THOUSANDS. The diver was searching along the river bottom and had reached a point near the foot of the sloping lawn on North Brother Island where the bodies of the first victims of the tragedy were laid on Wednesday, when he found several bodies lying together, and at first supposed there were no more than half a dozen in the pile, but upon removing several, he found a great hole in the river bed literally packed with dead. Supervising Inspector Robert S. Rodie, of the Steam- boat Inspection force, was asked to send an inspector to the excursion boat " Grand Republic," a sister boat of the " General Slocum," for the purpose of testing the life-saving appliances on her, and thus proving, for the benefit of the public, both the safety of the boat and the efficiency of the force of inspectors. He refused to grant the request on the grounds that red tape was in the way of an immediate compliance, and also said that the re- quest would not be heeded anyway. ORDERED TO SAY NOTHING. He would not discuss the question further, saying that he was under orders from Secretary Cortelyou to say j nothing until the investigation into the accident by the I Department of Commerce and Labor had been com- pleted. It was ascertained that no less than 70 per cent, of J the life preservers on the " General Slocum " were thir- | teen years old ; that only some four hundred of these had j ever been repaired ; that in thirteen years the company owning the " General Slocum " had bought only 1500 new life preservers, while 5100 life preservers were re- quired on the two boats — " Grand Republic" and " Gen- eral Slocum " ; that the life-preservers on the ill-fated FUNERALS ATTENDED BY SOBBING THOUSANDS. 121 boat were passed only this spring by the steamboat inspectors. What was ascertained in regard to the Steamboat Inspection Bureau of the Department of Commerce and Labor was a revelation. It showed the bureau to be a cumbrous machine, bound into a state of ponderous slow- ness by red tape, unable to do much, if anything, of its own inclination ; dependent upon other departments not allied with it in the first instance in all cases ; at best but perfunctory in the discharge of its duties and possessed of about all the short-comings and defects' that Govern- ment departments are heir to. TO RESTORE PUBLIC CONFIDENCE. Supervising Inspector Rodie was asked first if he would consent to send one of his inspectors to the "Grand Republic" to make a public test of the life-saving appli- ances on that steamboat. It was explained that the pur- pose of the request was to restore public confidence, if possible, in the protection afforded by the Knickerbocker Company for the passengers on its boats, and in the effi- ciency of the steamboat inspectors. Inspector Rodie resented the request and replied, in part : "All such applications must be made in writing on a printed form to the local Board of Inspectors, and before anything will be done it must be duly considered." " In your opinion would anything result from such a request?" was asked. "No." " A citizen, then, no matter how grave his reasons for desiring such an inspection of a vessel might be, would be unable to secure an inspection ? " 122 FUNERALS ATTENDED BY SOBBING THOUSANDS. "In my opinion," replied Supervising Inspector Rodie, " the board would not act on such a request. All such requests must be made by the owners or masters of vessels, and the board does not devote its time to attend- I ing to the wants of the public." » " Does not the system afford the owners and masters of vessels full opportunities to do about as they please, and is not the system arbitrary and extremely faulty at least ? " was asked. " I do not understand it to be so." NO INSPECTION CERTAIN. " Is the bureau in a position to keep surveillance over the craft of this harbor and make inspections on its own initiative regardless of the requests of captains and owners ?" " The functions of this department are executive, not punitive. The Collector of Customs notifies us of much regarding vessels, and we get information in other ways, but no inspection may be made. I am not going to discuss the law that creates this bureau. The law and the book of rules governing the bureau will furnish all necessary information". Mr. Rodie produced copies of the law and the rules, and dismissed the subject. He was then asked about the jlife preservers purchased by the Knickerbocker Com- pany for the " General Slocum," and said that all he knew was that his inspectors had inspected all life pre- servers sold to that company. With a view to ascertain- ing the names of the inspectors who inspected the life preservers sold by the manufacturer who supplied the Knickerbocker Company at the time that the company made its last purchase of 300 new life belts and had 200 FUNERALS ATTENDED BY SOBBING THOUSANDS. 128 old ones repaired, Mr. Rodie was asked to open his books. He gave the names of the inspectors as John F. Walsh, Henry Lundberg, Peter C. Petrie and Cornelins H. Smith. Mr. Rodie was asked to produce these men. "You will have to hunt up your own men," he replied. Application for interviews with these men was made at the proper department, where an aged clerk, whose appearance was strongly suggestive of a pensioner, answered: "You wouldn't be allowed to interview them if they were in. The bureau reserves the right to make its own investigation, and it can do so if it wants to, hey ?" Thus were all avenues to a public investigation of the "General Slocuin" closed. "I have absolute confidence in every inspector in this bureau," said Mr. Rodie, in conclusion. TEST A FEW SAMPLES. "In the face of the fact that rotten life preservers on the "General Slocum" were passed by them as good?" was asked. "Sir," he said, "I have." In regard to this particular section, the statements of Supervising Inspector Rodie were aglow with light. In regard to the methods of the inspectors in looking over life preservers Mr. Rodie said: "They select a few samples promiscuously from a pile of the material to be inspected and test them and then, if these stand the test, on the assurance of the maker that those in the pile are all right, the inspector stamps them as passed." "He does not see, then, that every one is all right?" was asked. 124 FUNERALS ATTENDED BY SOBBING THOUSANDS. "No," said Mr. Rodie, "He can't" "Why?" "Well, it would take too much time and too much labor. The inspectors haven't the time to do it." There were two standpipes on the big excursion steamship, one on the port and one on the starboard side. That which was brought up by Diver Rice was from the port side. Commissioner McAdoo ordered Captain Divilin, chief wrecker of the Merritt-Chapman Wrecking Com- pany, to take Divers Greenberg and Hine, who have had long experience with manipulating machinery under water, to go down at the earliest possible moment and briug up the standpipe on the starboard side. If this was locked also the commissioner thought that he could prove without a doubt that the assertion that water was poured on the flames by the crew was untrue. A MASS OF RAGING FIRE. But there was another and a more conclusive way in which to establish the fact that water was or was not used as the "General Slocuni" went up the river a mass of fire. In the keel of the boat are two seacocks, one of which controls the flow of water to the boilers, the other to the pumps. The cocks were built in the keel on either side of the engines. If the divers found that one which admits the water to the boiler was open, as it undoubtedly was, nothing whatever would be proved for or against the theory that the crew's tale of fighting the flames was not based on facts. But if, on the other hand, they found that the sea- cock which controls the flow of water to the fire pumps was locked, there could be no doubt that no water was r FUNERALS ATTENDED BY SOBBING THOUSANDS. L26 used to extinguish the fire. The account of bursting hose and desperate struggles to make what water was obtained most effective would be discredited and the in- vestigation started on another track. It would mean also either that the engineer was deceived in his belief that while his assistant was standing by his post and driving the blazing boat ahead as fast as every ounce of steam could push her, he himself piled the hose, or that he in the excitement of remembrance of the horror somewhat exaggerated the real condition of things. Life-preservers were found on five of the bodies dragged from the water off North Brother Island. These bodies, instead of floating close to the surface, were found in the mud of the river bottom. LIFE PRESERVERS A WEIGHT. Coroner O' Gorman made a careful examination of the bodies, and declared that in each case the so-called "life-preservers" had acted as a weight to drag the wearer down. Each of these five life-preservers was outwardly in perfect condition. The canvas was unbroken and the straps were in proper position. But the pulverized cork that formed the filling of each "preserver" was water- logged and as heavy as stone. There was not a particle of buoyancy in any of the five. On the contrary, each was a dead weight, under which even a strong swimmer would speedily tire. Coroner O'Gorman made no Concealment of his opinion. After a close inspection of these life-preservers, he said: "They prove a point that I have assumed from the first hour of my work in this appalling case — namely, 12(J FUNERALS ATTENDED BY SOBBING THOUSANDS. that the life-preservers on board the 'General Slocuni were in reality life-destroyers. "These exhibits will figure prominently at the com- ing inquest. The District Attorney will also be keenly interested in them." The startling fact that the number of persons un- accounted for in the destruction of the "General Slocuni" was much greater than was generally believed was brought to light throught the effort of a newspaper to verify the list of the missing. It was expected that the reporters who were assigned to the duty of making a house to house canvass for the purpose of correcting the lists would be able to show a reduction of the number believed to have perished. WHOLE FAMILIES MISSING. That expectation was based on the supposition that many who, during the early anxiety of friends, had been reported as missing, had returned home and that then the formality of reporting them as having come back had been overlooked. Just the opposite proved to be correct. In many cases whole families were still missing, and had not been men- tioned in the missing list at all, and in other cases in- complete reports had been made were more than one of a household had not returned. This proved particularly true in First, Second, Third, Fourth and Seventh streets, though it applied in a measure to the entire locality. In several instances the reporters had their lists of missing one-third lengthened instead of reduced, indicating that the extreme estimate of the magnitude of the accident would prove in the end to be correct. FUNERALS ATTENDED BY SOBBING THOUSANDS. 127 Instances were found where thirty persons reported missing had returned, but at the same time it was dis- covered that twenty missing persons had never been re- ported, so that their disappearance was not suspected by the authorities. It was also found in many instances where it was thought only one child was missing in a family several were unaccounted for. SCARCITY OF COFFINS. Another sad feature revealed by the visitations was .the discovery that because of the great demand made upon East Side undertakers the funerals were delayed, and coffins could not be furnished fast enough. In one of the homes so distressed a funeral was set for the after- noon. The mourners all collected, and were sitting in the rooms adjoining the little parlor, but had to be in- formed that the funeral could not take place until next day. Something more distressing still was revealed. A band of thieves was working among the distracted mourn- ers. Several homes were robbed, in at least one instance the thieves having taken articles which were in the room in which the body lay. It was a noticeable fact that the homes of the vic- tims of the accident were generally neat and comfortable, typical in many ways of the care of the German house- wives, in some instances now lying dead in the rooms they took such pride in keeping tidy. Willie Kepple, n years old, was believed to be among the missing, but he reached his home late Friday night. "As soon as I hit the water." he said, "I started to swim out toward the centre of the stream, but the tide 128 FUNERALS ATTENDED BY SOBBING THOUSANDS. was so strong I went back five strokes every time I took one, so I made up my mind that I would not tire myself out, so I just turned over on my back and floated. That's what we used to do down at the docks. You see, if a fel- low wants to stay in the water longer than some one else, he must just hold back his strength. "So while I was a floating they were a-jumping over the side of the steamer. Twenty would jump at once, and right on top of 'em twenty more would jump. Then there would be a skirmish of grabbing at heads and arms, and the fellows what could swim would be pulled down, and had to fight their way up. PULLED OUT OF THE WATER. "Two women who got near shouted for me to help them, and I tried to, but they were too big, and I had to break away to save myself. When I was in the water about half an hour they pulled me out on a tugboat and chucked me up on the deck. I was so scared that I might get a licking for going on the excursion without being let go that I stayed up in Harlem and slept in the park. Yesterday when I picked up a newspaper I saw my name among the missing, so I thought I'd come home and get the licking instead of breaking my mother's heart. So I'm home, and my mother only kissed me, and my father gave me half a dollar for being a good swimmer." Coroner Berry continued his preparations for the in- quest into the causes that led to the sickening disaster on the " General Slocum." The allegations made before the Coroner by Coakley, the deckhand, who definitely established where and when the fire originated, and by Second Mate Corcoran, who said Engineer Conklin shirked his work and got away FUNERALS ATTENDED BY SOBBING THOUSANDS. 129 " without getting his- feet wet," produced a sensation, and these two men were to be among the principal wit- nesses examined by the Coroner. The Coroner obtained another interesting witness in the person of John Engleman. Engleman said that he worked for years on a New York, New Haven and Hartford tug, knew the river thoroughly and knew that when he first saw the fire the " Slocum " was opposite Ninety-second street. The man said he knew what to expect when he saw that the crew was making no effort to subdue the flames, so he and his wife and son jumped into the river not long after he discovered that the boat was on fire. THIN FIRE HOSE. One of the witnesses examined by Coroner Berry was William A. Ortman, who was in charge of the ice cream booth. He said he was near the wheelhouse when the fire was seen. He saw several of the crew trying to fasten a section of hose to the stand pipe, but they had to give up the attempt, as the threads on the hose were so much worn that when the water was turned on the hose was thrown several feet away from the* stand pipe. Coroner Berry obtained another piece of evidence in the shape of a five-foot piece of the fire hose used on the " Slocum." It is of thin canvas, without rubber lin- ing, and experts say that on the slightest pressure of water from within it would leak like a sieve. The hose was brought up by the wreckers, and within an hour was in the Coroner's hands. General Daniel E. Sickles, member of the Board of Aldermen, sent the following communication to President Roosevelt : n.v. 9 130 FUNERALS ATTENDED BY SOBBING THOUSANDS. " I have just returned from a meeting of the Board of Aldermen, it being in reference to the awful calamity which came to us last week — the loss of the steamboat "General Slocum," in which nearly iooo of our women and children perished. u This misfortune has touched every heart in the municipality, and has brought sympathy to us from every part of the worl(J. Of course, you have already taken such steps in the right direction as becomes your office, but I trust you will not regard it amiss to receive a suggestion or two from one of the ' city fathers.' OFFICIALS CHARGED WITH NEGLIGENCE. " There is an impression here that the Federal offi- cials charged with the duty of inspecting steamboats have been negligent and inefficient, and that they are gravely at fault, in not having done what they might have done to avoid what has happened. " Pray see that the steamboat inspectors shall be competent and trustworthy, and if further legislation be necessary to provide safeguards for the future, ask Con- gress to provide for them. " You will agree with me, I am sure, that a prompt and thorough investigation of all the facts is of prime im- portance, as well to fix responsibility for the past as to provide a guarantee for the future. "Sincerely yours, " Daniel E. Sickles." Inspector General Uhler, of the Steamboat Inspec- tion Service, came to New York to take up the investiga- tion of the "Slocum" disaster. Mr. Uhler had a long conference with his subor- dinates, and a preliminary report made on the FUNERALS ATTENDED BY SOBBING THOUSANDS. 181 disaster for the President's guidance, and then a vigorous campaign of inquiry made all over the country to enforce the laws and prevent a repetition of the "Sloe um" horror. Inspector General Uhler was to remain in New York until the inquiry there was com- pleted. "The tragedy has caused this office to be swamped with correspondence," said General Uhler. " Thousands of letters are coming in from persons in every part of the country who have theories or inventions that they claim will prevent or make impossible such awful occurrences. Inventors of life-saving apparatus, pumps, hose, diving belts and chemical fluids for rendering wood fireproof are writing here, demanding that their schemes be adop- ted by the government. I do not know whether any of them are useful. It is not my province to decide. It seems to me, though, that the only way to prevent such horrors as that in New York Harbor is to require all the boats to be built fireproof. Time and experiment may prove that this is possible." THICK WITH HEARSES AND CARRIAGES, All lanes in St. Mark's parish led to the cemetery on Sunday. The narrow streets on the East Side were congest- ed with hearses and carriages from 8 o'clock in the morn- ing until night. Swarming over the sidewalks, men, women and children followed in the wake of the solemn corteges and on out to the cemetery, where thousands witnessed the last chapter in the disposition of the dead, r Superintendent Avenus, of the cemetery, said that 150 persons in all were buried there on that day. All were "Slocum" victims from the various boroughs. 132 FUNERALS ATTENDED BY SOBBING THOUSANDS. Professional funeral-goers, shorn of sentiment for the dead or sympathy for the stricken living, invaded St. Mark's parish. Women were the greatest offenders. Seeking a "free ride," they forced their way into the carriages halted before the houses of the dead, and defied the mourners to dislodge them. Only when the police charged them were they routed. Blocking the sidewalks before the houses from which the dead were being borne, these women brushed the mourners aside, taking their places in the waiting carriages. At several funerals the police surrounded the carriages, driving the crowd back with drawn clubs, and thus made way for those who were entitled by rela- tionship to occupy the seats. THOUSANDS IN ATTENDANCE. Nearly 50,000 persons jammed the cemetery roads, overflowing on to the lawns and mounds, fighting for vantage points. One woman fainted in the crush and was trampled. Her arm was broken. The exterior markings of mourning in the parish began to disappear. A few flags floated, but the crepe that gave the district a cloak of black following the dis- aster was noticeably absent. Little children played half-heartedly in the streets. Their elders seemed to be endeavoring to lay aside the sorrows of the present to better meet the hopes of the future. On every hand were evidences that the cloud of 0oom was lifting. This was emphasized by the impressiveness of the Sunday morning service in St. Mark's. It was the first since the disaster. The services at St. Mark's at all times are simple. FUNERALS ATTENDED BY SOBBING THOUSANDS. 188 The interior of the church suggests simplicity. The people who worship there are simple people, practical in life, moderate in mind. In the morning a remnant of the congregation gath- ered to pay tribute to those who had been taken to their Maker. A week before they had gathered there, every pew filled, men, women and children in the full flush of health and happiness, thrilled with the expectancy of delight as the pastor announced the excursion that would be taken on the " General Slocum." CAME FROM STRICKEN HOMES, The flock had been decimated by death. Every per- son there came from stricken homes. Some pews were empty — the pews of families the disaster had ex- terminated. There were no greetings at the door, no gossip in the aisles, not even a sob or a sigh. The fountain of tears had run dry. Men who had not been in church for years came to take the place of wives who had gone to their graves — mothers who had always taken the little ones to Sunday school and church. In many cases the children had also gone to the grave. The Rev. Dr. John H. Holstein, former pastor of St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church, Brooklyn, mounted the pulpit. As the service was about to begin the vestry door opened. The congregation stood up. Suppressed sorrow was released and a pitiful sob came in unison from the lips of all as the bowed figure of the pastor, the Rev. George C. F. Haas, supported by his brother and son, filled the frame of the door. Trembling with sobs, his hands and face in band- J34 FUNERALS ATTENDED BY SOBBING THOUSANDS. ages, he was led to a seat. As lie stood in silent prayer for the wife and daughter who had been torn from him and the hundreds of his flock who had gone to death, the remnant of his people remained standing. It was the first time the pastor had entered the church since the disaster. Extreme simplicity marked the service. There was no sermon ; no music. Dr. Holstein read a poem, " Who Knows How Near Is My End." Then he read in suc- cession the 14th chapter of John, the 39th Psalm, the first epistle of St. Peter, chapter 5, verses 6 to 11 ; the seventh chapter of Revelation, from the ninth verse to the end. PASTOR'S PATHETIC FIGURE. Prayers for the afflicted were then recited and the congregation silently filed out after the pathetic figure of the pastor had been led back to his home through the vestry door. The undertakers began early in the morning search- ing Manhattan, Brooklyn, and even New Jersey, for hearses and carriages. A sufficient number could not be had, and many families who had prepared for funerals in the afternoon learned that the processions to the grave must start in the morning. The first cortege was started at 8 o'clock. The hearse had to return for others of the dead. Inspector Schmitt- berger was on hand with 450 policemen. Long before noon a score of funeral processions were vending their way through the East Side streets toward the Williams- burg bridge. There was no music in the van. Alongside the white hearses which marked the funerals of children, FUNERALS ATTENDED BY SOBBING THOUSANDS. 186 youthful pallbearers marched. Some hearses carried two or three little ones. And in some of the black hearses, on top of the caskets of adults, could be seen tiny boxes containing infants. Frequently a white hearse followed a black one in the same line. And occasionally came a black hearse and several white ones. Thus the silent processions indicated to the spectators the extent of the loss to those who followed in the mourners' carriages. Wreaths and flowers covered the coffins. In some cases an open carriage filled with flowers led the way ; again, a florist's wagon carried the offerings. The hum- blest victim had not been forgotten. GREAT QUANTITIES OF FLOWERS. The cadets from Old St. Mark's Church, on Second avenue, formed in line, after Sunday school, and, bearing- great quantities of flowers, marched through the stricken district, distributing wreaths to the home of each of the victims. In the afternoon the entrance to the Williamsburg Bridge was jammed with carriages. A black line over the north drive marked the procession, and was noted for miles up and down the river. It was unbroken all day. It was not until late in the afternoon that the police lost patience with the " funeral ghouls." These thought- less persons had been more or less -active all day, but not until the last few funerals were making up and the chance of a u ride" was growing less did they lose all semblance of decency. The most flagrant offence was at the funeral from the home of Edward and Charles Schmidt, in East Ninth street, where the wife of Edward and the mother of Charles and the latter's wife and son, lay dead. More 136 FUNERALS ATTENDED BY SOBBING THOUSANDS. than 5000 persons crowded into the block. The relatives and friends of the family had difficulty in gaining access to the apartment. There were three hearses at the door and a score of carriages. As the pall-bearers carried the three coffins out of the house a hundred women pressed forward to get a seat in the carriages. Sergeant Fennell and twenty policemen drove them back, but they rushed again. Some of them obtained seats, and only relinquished them when threatened with arrest. As each carriage drove up to the door it was surrounded by a score of policemen. UNBLUSHING AFFRONTERY. "What do you want to get in these carriages for? " Sergeant Fennell asked a woman and her two grown-up daughters, whom he had driven out for the third time. "Oh, it's a nice day for a ride," replied the mother, unblushingly. The same trio was dislodged from a carriage later. They had entered from the off side while the driver was making his way through the crowd. The most conspicuous funeral was that of Mrs. Clara Klein, wife of Edward Klein, a liquor dealer. His mother and two of his children were also lost on the ill- fated steamboat. In Klein's wine room, the services were held. Under a cloak of black crape every vestige of the wine room had been obliterated. Edward Klein, Jr., seventeen years old, who had his kneecap broken on the "Slocum," sat beside his mother's coffin, propped in a chair. He fainted during the services, but when revived insisted upon going to the cemetery and was lifted into a car- FUNERALS ATTENDED BY SOBBING THOUSANDS 187 riage. Inspector Schmittberger led the funeral proces- sion to the bridge at the head of fifty policemen. Mingled with the East Side funerals was one that came from St. Thomas's Church, at Fifth avenue and Fifty-third street. It followed to the bridge in the wake of some for whom there had been no service at all. The Lutheran pastors, like the hearses, were not numerous enough to go around. They had been summoned from every point within reach of New York. Some of them conducted six and eight services. FUNERAL OF A CHOIR BOY. The funerals of Mrs. Elizabeth C. Schrumpf, wife of Jacob Schrumpf, a retired mounted policeman, and her two sons, John Edward and William Walter, fifteen and seventeen years old, respectively, were held from their home. The youngest son had been a choirboy at St. Thomas's, and his tragic death proved a hard blow to his choirmates. The full choir sang at his funeral ser- vice in St. Thomas's in the afternoon. His mother and brother were borne to the church beside him. The three hearses standing in front of the church attracted the regular Sunday afternoon paraders on Fifth avenue, many of whom entered the church for the services. One chapter of the tragedy had its setting in Har- lem, at an undertaking establishment. Mrs. Dunn and Miss Irwin had been identified with the Harlem branch of the Salvation Army. Colonel Milce and Captain Green conducted the services over their dead bodies in the morning. The undertaker's room could not hold all the mourners, who overflowed on to the sidewalk, where the police kept them segregated from a vast throng of 138 FUNERALS ATTENDED BY SOBBING THOUSANDS. curiosity seekers. Of a party of eleven on the excur- sion, only three survived. Miss Mary Abendschein was buried from her home. She was assistant superintendent of St. Mark's Sunday- school, and had been one of the promoters of the excur- sion. It is said she gave up her life in endeavoring to save some of her youthful charges. W. H. Pullman, treasurer of the parish, was buried from his home, a few doors away. There was no music at either service. A member of the church said that the choir had been practically exterminated. The last funeral did not leave the Manhattan end of the bridge until dusk. CHAPTER VII. THE PULPITS RING WITH INDIGNATION. IN practically every church in Greater New York trie "Slocuni" disaster was made the theme of the Sunday morning or evening sermon, and the universal grief over the great loss of life was expressed, coupled in many in- stances with outspoken denunciation of the Knicker- bocker Steamboat Company and the officials who were charged with the responsibility of insuring perfect life saving appliances on the ill-fated steamboat. In accordance with the instructions of Bishop Potter, a special prayer for the victims was said in all the Epis- copal churches. There was particular pathos in the message of sympathy which was adopted by the Sunday school of the People's Methodist Episcopal Church, in East Sixty- first street. Children's Day was observed there and by a rising vote, the young people of the church, at the after- noon session, adopted resolutions of sympathy for the sister church which was almost completely depopulated of its Sunday school children by the burning of the "Gen- eral Slocum." Rev. Dr. James Oliver Wilson, of the Nostrand Avenue Methodist Church, Brooklyn, severely rebuked the steamboat company. "Sin did it," said Dr. Wilson, "sin in the individual, and sin in the corporation. But for sin in the Knicker- bocker Steamboat Company, the sin of greed and covet- 139 140 THE PULPITS RING WITH INDIGNATION. ousness, the boat would not have been burned. Four firemen properly stationed with hose that was not rotten could have extinguished any fire that might have broken out. But these four firemen would have cost the com- pany $10 a day and that would have affected the profits and dividends and must not be thought of. " What if nine hundred souls do perish — we must not imperil the dividends. Thus the sin of greed in the company overreached itself and destroyed nine hundred lives. " And hundreds of rotton life preservers are charge- able to the same sin. A FEARLESS CHARGE. " I charge this appalling disaster, these rotton life- preservers and rotton hose and lack of firemen, not to God's account, but to the Knickerbocker Steamboat Com- pany. And if this be not enough, then bring in the steamboat inspectors for their shameful share in this slaughter of the innocents. Sin in the corporation, sin in the inspectors and sin in the cowardly crew occasioned this awful tragedy." Rev. Dr. John Lloyd Lee, at the Westminster Pres- byterian Church in West Twent3^-third street, also made the "Slocuni" disaster a text for his sermon. Dr. Lee dwelt especially upon two points — the responsibility that attaches to individuals, and the instances of heroic self- sacrifice that were observed at the time of the catastrophe. " With the growth of corporations," said he, "there is a tendency to eliminate the individuals, so that no one person can be held responsible when something goes wrong. A special effort should be made to meet the circumstances growing out of this situation, and those THE PULPITS RING WITH INDIGNATION. 141 who should see to it that steamboats are in proper con- dition should be held to a strict accountability." St. James Lutheran Church, at Seventy-third street and Madison avenue, half a score of whose members perished in the disaster, also extended sympathy to St. Mark's Church the pastor, Rev. Dr. J. B. Remensnyder, who is also president of the Lutheran Synod of Xew York, delivering a sermon, in the course of which he said: " Our first thought in this dreadful calamity should be for the sufferers. Pity for those who were lost, grati- tude to God that they were Christian people, and trust that they were not unprepared for the instantaneous leap into eternity. Practical sympathy and charity to those who survive, prayers for the orphans that God will raise up friends and helpers for them. Prayers for all that their wounds may be gently bound up and their grief assuaged by a Heavenly hand. And then we should take to our heart this lesson of our text, ' Surely there is but a step between us and death.' " SOLEMN MEMORIAL SERVICE. In the Middle Dutch Church, Second avenue, near Sixth street, from among whose members or their rela- tives seventy-three were lost in the " Slocum " disaster, the morning's service was made a memorial for the victims. Before attending the service the pastor, Rev. John C. Fagg, officiated at a number of funerals in the neigh- borhood, being assisted in the melancholy task by Rev. Alfred Myers, of the Marble Collegiate Church ; Rev. E. G. W. Meury, of the Knox Memorial Church, and Rev. Edward Niles, of the Dutch Reformed Church of Bush wick, L. I. 142 THE PULPITS RING WITH INDIGNATION. There was no prelude on the pipe organ, and the usual anthem by the choir was omitted, the choir singing softly the hymn, "A Few More Years Shall Roll." Before beginning his sermon the pastor read the names of those of the church who perished. From the Sunday school six were dead and five missing. From the Industrial School of the church ten were dead and three missing. Forty-one children connected with the school went on the excursion, and of these twenty-four were lost. Rev. Mr. Fagg delivered a sermon of touching sym- pathy for those who went down in the wreck. CASE OF CRIMINAL FAULT. Rev. Merle St. Croix Wright, preaching at the Lenox Avenue Unitarian Church, on " Interpretations of Providence in the Face of Disaster," said, in part: " It seems to be an issue between man and his Maker. But this is not entirely so. This has not been misfortune only ; the fault lies elsewhere. It is fault, abominable fault of a third party. Did the simple, inno- cent people who went to their destruction have any hand in it ? Did God have a hand in it ? Yes, He has in everthing. But the culpability lies with those who failed of their antecedent duty, who slacked and skimped what they should have done. " This thing was long gathering. It was not the work of an instant. We can find in this an indictment in which all are concerned to some extent, though not equally. Society is responsible at least through its agents and inspectors in view of the fact that it was necessary to be waked out of its miserable, sleepy negli- gence by an appalling horror." THE PULPITS RING WITH INDIGNATION. 1 13 At the Little Church Around the Corner Rev. Dr. Houghton asked for prayers for the victims of the dis- aster and their families. Rev. Dr. C. D. Case, of the Hanson Place Baptist Church, Brooklyn, said during the course of a sermon on the "Slocum" affair: " There never was a time when so much individual responsibility rested upon men. The complexity of civi- lization demands greater responsibility, and every man amounts to much in a crisis. There never was a time when we demanded so much unselfishness as now. ABSENCE OF ALL CONSCIENCE. " And there never was a time when society needed so much conscience in business. We wonder at times whether many a corporation does not do the least possible and not the most for the good of the people. If a cor- poration can prove that it simply obeyed the law, it feels morally free." Rev. Dr. Huntington, of Grace Church, in his sermon on the disaster, said : " It has been by such bitter experiences as this that we have learned of self-protection against the violence of nature. These poor sufferers have not died in vain if fol- lowing upon their dreadful pains there come better ship- building regulations, more rigid inspection of steam vessels and stricter discipline aboard vessels carrying human life." As a result of the loss of the "Slocuni," Calvary Presbyterian Church, Fourth avenue and Twenty-first street, abandoned the excursion planned for July 20. " The first idea," said Superintendent Newton, "was of sympathy for the stricken congregation of St. Mark's Church. Then the committee felt unwilling to accept 114 THE PULPITS RING WITH INDIGNATION. the great responsibility involved in taking children out in steamboats evidently not safe." By direction of Archbishop Farley, masses for all those who lost their lives on the " Slocnm " were said in all the Catholic Churches in the city. On Wednesday a meeting of the vicar-generals throughout the Archdiocese was to be held with a view of adding to the relief fund for the benefit of the victims of the disaster. All day long enormous crowds thronged the Morgue. At one time it was estimated that fully ten thousand persons waited outside the building for a chance to view the bodies within. From North Brother Island thirty- eight bodies were brought to the pier at the end of East Twenty-sixth street, and many of these were identified before they had been long in the building. SCENE IN TEMPORARY MORGUE. Nothing could have given a clearer impression of the vast extent of the catastrophe than the scene in the improvised Morgue. Although four days had elapsed, the stream of friends and relatives looking for their dead was almost as great as on the first days, while the crowd of morbidly curious visitors called forth was greater than has ever been seen on an occasion of any sort at the Morgue. It was believed by Dr. Darlington, of the Health Board, that fully 1,200 lives were lost on the "Slocum," and he feared that hundreds of these would never be re- covered. He pointed out that thirty-eight bodies brought to the Morgue had fallen into a depression ; he added that hundreds had undoubtedly been swept away by the tide. "I am certain that fully as many bodies are strewn THE PULPITS RING WITH INDIGNATION. 14ft along the bottom of the river," he said. "So far we have recovered only those that fell or were thrown into the water while the boat was moving and that the falling of the hurricane deck and the breaking of the after deck rail precipitated into the river all in that part of the boat. "Many of the women and children who were thrown into the river while the boat was rushing for Ricker's Island, were clad in heavy clothes, and their bodies will not come to the surface for several days yet. Until the river and Sound begin to give up their dead v/e can have no adequate idea of the total loss, and even then only a comparatively small part of the total number will be re- covered. GONE, WITH NONE TO MOURN. "It must also be remembered that at least a hundred of those will never be reported. They have dropped out of sight with none to mourn them or to report them as missing. They are the girls who have been in this country but a short time who were living as domestics, occupying furnished rooms, and with no close personal friendships. In many cases husbands and wives with no children, living alone in furnished rooms, have also disappeared, and no report has been made of their ab- sence. " Divers were finding bodies in all parts of the wreck, and the full extent of the horror was just beginning to be appreciated. The crowd at the pier began to gather before the doors were opened at 6 o'clock in the morning. Toward noon the report reached the Morgue that sixteen more bodies had been recovered and the crowd waited outside N.Y. 10 146 THE PULPITS RING WITH INDIGNATION. until these bodies reached the pier at 2 o'clock in the afternoon, and the long procession again moved through the doors in the same dreary parade. Some waited until nearly eight o'clock when the "Fidelity 1 ' arrived, bring- ing twenty-two coffined corpses. At one time 10,000 gathered outside the Morgue, while at least 3,000 are believed to have been in the building in one body. Several of the men who had been haunting the place had become mentally unbalanced, and it was believed in their grief and intense suffering had made false identifications, although fully convinced that they had at last recovered the bodies of their lost ones. INSANE THROUGH GRIEF. Several affecting scenes marked the identifications. Charles Timm, who went temporarily insane through grief, was one of the first at the Morgue, and when told he would have to take his place in line became violent and attacked the policeman who tried to keep him out. The captain of the precinct, who was personally in charge of the police on guard at the Morgue, recognized him as a man who had lost his entire family and gave him a card admitting him to the pier at any time ahead of all others. A policeman was also detailed to accompany him. He identified among the bodies that of his daughter Hedwig, eleven years old, and became frantic with grief when he saw her. His wife and two other children were still miss- ing. Gustave Burfiend, whose entire family in a party of ten died in the disaster of Wednesday, also became mentally deranged while examining the bodies in the Morgue and a policeman was also detailed to accompany him. THE PULPITS RING WITH INDIGNATION. 1 17 Alfonse Ebeling also gave way to his despair to an extent that left him insane during the greater part of the day until he found the body of his wife Emma. When he identified her body from the jewelry taken from it he fell headlong across the coffin in a dead faint and nearly an hour was required to bring him back to consciousness. His screams when he finally recognized his wife shocked a number of women into hysteria, and the Morgue officials began to realize that now that the over- strained nerves of the seekers of the dead had begun to give way their work would be much harder than before. CAPTAIN'S SWORN STATEMENT. In the following sworn statement of Captain Wil- liam Van Schaick he declares that those in the pilot house first learned of the fire when the " Slocum " was half way between the Sunken Meadows buoy and North Brother Island. The total distance is fourteen city blocks between these points. Assistant Pilot Weaver pointed out to the officials a point one city block north of the buoy as the place the boat was when the danger signal came. To the United States Local Inspectors of Steam Vessels, Gentlemen : I hereby report that upon the 15th day of June, at about 9.33 A. M., I left East Third street, East River, j, with the steamer "General Slocum," of which I am master, bound for Locust Grove, Long Island. I am informed that the ticket indicator showed that there were 982 adult persons on board the ''General Slocum." Besides the adult persons were four or five hundred children, under the age of twelve years. 148 THE PULPITS RING WITH INDIGNATION. The " General Slocum," I am informed, was char- tered b3^ the St. Mark's Lutheran Church Society, and that and the Sunday school connected with the church, and their friends were aboard. Locust Grove is on Huntington Bay about forty miles from New York. The wind was southeast, moderate breeze and a flood tide. After leaving the above pier the course of the " General Slocum " was shaped up the East River to the westward of Blackwell's Island. The first and second pilot and myself were in the pilot house ; the mate was below, on the main deck. All the members of the crew were on board. The " General Slocum " carries a crew of twenty-three, besides the two police officers who were on board, and who usually attend excursions of this kind. BOAT WAS ON FIRE. Nothing unusual occurred until the " Slocum " was nearly half way between the red buoy, upon the southerly side of the reef known as Sunken Meadows, and North Brother Island, when the mate informed me through the speaking tube that the boat was on fire. At this time the "Slocum" was making about twelve knots through the water, and on account of a flood tide was making probably fiften miles over the land. Immediately I conferred with the two pilots, relative to what course we should pursue under the circumstances. As we were heading for North Brother Island we agreed that the best and only course to pursue was to beach her on the north side of North Brother Island. I gave orders to Mr. Van Wart, the first pilot, to THE PULPITS RING WITH INDIGNATION. 1 19 hold his course, as he was going directly for the beach, and I left the pilot house to go downstairs and investi- gate the fire. Immediately upon receiving word through the tube that there was a fire below the first pilot gave the fire signal, summoning all the crew to the regular stations, and immediately after giving the fire signals, alarm sig- nals also were given by the second pilot, by the whistle of the " General Slocum." INTENSE EXCITEMENT AND PANIC. On the promenade deck I found the whole forward part of the " Slocum" afire, and found it impossible to go there or any further in that direction, toward the main deck. There was intense excitement and a great panic among all the passengers, and I saw that the only course that was left was to beach the boat as soon as possible, in order that the passengers might escape to the shore, and so went back immediately to the pilot house to see that the boat was put in the best possible shape upon the shore for the escape of the passengers. When the " General Slocum " reached a point abreast of the North Brother Island dock a slow bell was given and then a bell to stop, and she grounded immedi- ately after. Just to the eastward of the North Brother Island dock there is a beach, free of any large rocks, which would permit the " Slocum " to get close to the shore. The "Slocum" grounded sideways to the shore. At this time the hurricane deck had fallen in, about midships, and the whole boat was entirely ablaze, with the exception of some distance from the stem toward the forward gangway, as near as I could observe. The pilot house was so hot it was impossible to re- 150 THE PULPITS RING WITH INDIGNATION. main in there, and the first and second pilots jumped out of the windows on the starboard side and rushed forward to the bow of the boat on the starboard side and jumped into the water. I jumped overboard from the hurricane deck, on the starboard side, through the flames and got ashore. I am informed that of the crew one fireman, the steward, Michael McGran, and the barkeeper were lost. During the Spring the " General Slocum " was put in first-class condition, and, in my judgment, was in every way seaworthy ; the bottom had been recaulked, the decks recaulked, new life preservers had been put aboard ; all the life preservers had been overhauled and put in good condition. The boats aud life rafts likewise were in good condition. A great many lives were lost, how many it is im- possible for me to say. I am disabled at the Lebanon Hospital, and have been imable to make any investiga- tion as to the origin of the fire, or as to the number of persons that have lost their lives. I am informed that immediately after the discovery of the fire streams of water were played upon the fire, without success. The fire hose upon the " General Slo- cum" was good, of first quality, and some of it was pur- chased this Spring. Whatever aid it is within my power to render to you in your investigation of this calamity I will render willingly. Respectfully submitted, W. H. Van Schaick, Master. Sworn to before me this 18th day of June, 1904. J. K. SymmerS, Notary Public, New York County. THE PULPITS RING WITH INDIGNATION. 151 Edward Van Wart, the first pilot of the steamer u General Slocuni," states that he has read the above statement of Captain William H. Van Schaick, and knows of his own knowledge the facts therein stated to be true, except those stated to have occurred during the absence from the pilot house of Captain Van Schaick. Edward Van Wart. Sworn to before me this 18th day of June, 1904. J, K. Symmers, Notary Public, New York County. From the depths of the water off North Brother Island there was drawn by a grappling hook a section of the upper railing of the " General Slocum," thirty feet in length, to which four women were clinging, their fingers gripping the interlaced wire roping between the upper and lower brace bars of the rail proper. RAILING SNAPPED AND FELL. These women, just before the steamer was beached, were clinging to the railing, and a sudden surge of the crowd, caused by a spurt of flame, forced the railing to bend outward and then with a snap fall into the water. Holding desperately to the netting, the women were carried down into the water and drowned with scarcely a struggle. Survivors of the wreck have told how in the excitement of the fire the upper railing of the steamer gave way and 100 were precipitated into the water. The work of the recovery of bodies commenced at 6 o'clock. In an hour thirteen bodies had been found. Of the thirteen there was one man, six women, two boys three girls and one baby. Three of these bodies were found floating. 152 THE PULPITS RING WITH INDIGNATION. Locked in each other's arms and telling a story extremely pathetic a woman of thirty and a girl of eleven years were brought up to the surface of the water by George Start. Soon his line became taut again and when he pulled it up he found the bodies of a boy nine years old and a girl of eight in each other's arms. From eleven o'clock to four o'clock twenty-three bodies were recovered, making a total for Sunday up to that hour of thirty-six. Nine more bodies were found by nightfall, making the total for the day forty-five. Three bodies were found in the wreck by divers. They were the bodies of a woman, a girl and a boy, all burned beyond recognition. From their investigations the divers were able to state positively that there were many more bodies in the wreck. CROWDED ON SHORE SIDE. Nineteen bodies were found on the beach running from the island down to the channel. The finding, of the railing of the boat, with bodies attached, so far inshore, pointed out the fact that the people had crowded on the shore side of the boat. S. I. Berg, who was working the improvised grapple, said that when he first saw the white railing coming up he was preparing to release it, thinking that it was simply a piece of driftwood. Just before sunset the crew of the four-oared barge of the Metropolitan Rowing Club, near Riker's Island, found a body. A passing launch took the rowing boat in tow and the body in turn was pulled along by a line from the boat. The strange procession attracted much atten- tion on the way to North Brother Island. The body was that of a woman between forty and THE PULPITS RING WITH INDIGNATION. 153 forty-five years of age. A diamond breastpin and four rings were on the body. All day long the river was crowded with excursion steamers, boats and launches filled with curious people. On Sunday for the first time the big steamers passing up the river slowed down and the divers underneath the water were able to work without danger to their lives. William B. Leeds' big steam yacht went by at a snail's pace, with flag lowered at half mast. Early in the day, however, the yacht "Helenita" went by without any appar- ent slackening of speed. In the basement of St. Mark's Lutheran Church, since the edifice was erected in 1847, there has been con- ducted a primary school and kindergarten for the young children of the parish. John Holthusen has been princi- pal of the school for the last twenty-seven years. He taught the upper class, while an assistant had charge of the kindergarten. Being fifty-eight years old, he decided, a few months ago, that he would retire at the end of the present school year. He went on the ill-fated excursion of the church, intending that the trip should end his career as an official of the parish. SCHOOL BLOTTED OUT. " There is no need for me to resign now," said the veteran schoolmaster that night at his home. "My school is no more. I had thirty-one pupils on the roll of the upper class, and the average attendance was about twenty- five. Nineteen of my boys and girls are dead. In the kindergarten we had twenty-six little children, and and nearly all of them I perished in the wreck of the 4 General Slocum.' " The two classes comprised all the young children 154 THE PULPITS RING WITH INDIGNATION. of the parish, and there are none to take their places. The school is dead, and I am afraid the chnrch itself will be wiped out." A leading journal discussed the disaster as follows : " In hundreds of churches echoes of the ' General Slocum ' disaster will be heard. Many preachers will make it the basis of their sermons, while others will be quick to use its obvious lessons. In most worshiping congregations prayers will be made for the bereaved. One consideration which makes Christian people pecu- liarly sympathetic is that the victims of the terrible acci- dent were representing a church when overtaken by the dread calamity. WHY GOD PERMITTED IT. "This horror, with its slaughter of innocent babes, prattling children and defenseless women, has stirred many questionings in people's minds. ' Why did God permit such an awful fate to befall this light-hearted company of His friends? ' men and women are asked one another. Some are writing the same query to news- papers. Divine accountability is undoubtedly troubling many. A visitation upon offenders against moral prin- ciples would be more easily explicable, but this causes an undefined feeling of reproach against the Infinite to spring up in many hearts. These dead were the professed friends and followers of the Almighty ; why, then, did He not guard them from harm ? "The question is one with the great riddle of life. Philosophers have wrestled for centuries over the prob- lem of the existence of evil. About the nearest they have come to the solution is that human quality is more desirable than human comfort. It is better to have a race THE PULPITS RING WITH INDIGNATION. 155 of men made strong by self-dependence and conrageons conflict with evil than to have one composed of character- less creatures safe from struggle. Man's sin and man's blunders are the price he pays for his manhood. " It seems a terrible thing that by the incompetence, carelessness or cowardice of a few men the lives of hun- dreds should be sacrificed. Yet only thus can men learn the lesson of responsibility. Fearful as is the price paid for man's independence, the latter is worth the price. HEAD YIELDS TO THE HEART. "But the present concern is not to find a solution of the vexing problems presented by life's great tragedies. This is an hour when the head yields to the heart. The sorrows of the bereaved are not to be philosophized over, but to be comforted. And it is undeniable that the pres- ent calamity will have only the effect of turning the afflicted ones more trustingly to the consolations of religion. ' ' The human heart, in all its deepest experiences, instinctively looks up to the Power beyond itself. St. Mark's Lutheran Church, New York, will be crowded with men and women whose search is not for light upon intel- lectual perplexities, but for balm for bruised and bleeding spirits. The i Slocum ' disaster will not create infidels ; on the contrary, it will intensify the religious nature of the people most bereaved." Many and terrible as have been the tragedies attend- ing life at sea within the limits of recorded history, there have been few exceeding in horror that of the " General Slocum," which shocked the entire country. Some of the most famous marine disasters and loss of life are here recorded : 156 THE PULPITS RING WITH INDIGNATION. Prince George, Apr. 13, 1758, 400; Royal George, Aug. 29, 1782, 600; Halsewell, Jan. 6, 1786, 386; La Tribune, Nov. 16, 1797, 300 ; Sceptre, Nov. 5, 1799, 291; Abergarenny, Feb. 6, 1805, 300 ; Acenas, Oct. 23, 340; Athenian, Oct. 27, 1806, 374 ; Minotaur, Dec. 22, 1810, 360; Saldanna, Dec. 4, 1811, 300; St. George, Defence, Hero, Dec. 24, 1811, 2000; Seahorse, Jan. 30, 1816, 365; Harpooner, Nov. 10, 1816, 200; Lady Sherbrooke, Aug. 19, 1831, 273 ; Exmouth, Feb. 19, 1847, 240; Avenger, Dec. 20, 1847, 200 5 R°y a l Adelaide, Mar. 30, 1850, 400; Birkenhead, Feb. 26, 1852, 454 ; Anne Jane, Sept. 29, 1853, 348 ; Tayleur, Jan. 20, 1854, 380 ; Favourite, Apr. 29, 1854, 201; Lady Nugent, May, 1854,400; City of Glasgow, summer, 1854, 480; Arctic, summer, 1854, 562; John, May 1, 1855, 200 ; Pacific, 1856, 200 ; Le Lyonnais, 1856, 260 ; Central America, 1857, 427 ; Austria, Sept. 13, 1858, 475; Pomona, 1859, 400; Royal Charter, 1859, 446; Hungarian, i860, 206; Anglo-Saxon, Apr. 27, 1863, 237 ; London, Jan. 11, 1868, 220; Cambria, 1870, 296 ; Northfleet, Jan. 22, 1873, 300 ; Halifax, 1873, 564 ; Atlantic, Apr. 18, 1873, 560; Ville de Houre, 1873, 230; Cospatrick, Dec. 6, 1874, 471 ; Great Queensland, Aug. 1876, 569 ; Eurydice, Mar. 24, 1878, 300 ; Princess Alice, Sept. 3, 1878, 600; Victoria, May 24, 1881, 300; Teuton, Aug. 30, 1881, 200; Kapunda, Mar. 29, 1887, 293; Shanghai^ Dec. 25, 1890, 300; City of Columbus, 1884, 100; Cimbria, 1883, 421; Utopia, Mar. 1S91, 564; Nam- chow, Jan. 14, 1891, 509; Naronic, 1893, 93; H. M. S. Victoria, June 23, 1893, 400: Elbe, Jan. 1895, 3^° 5 La Bourgoyne, July 4, 1898, 550; Portland, Nov. 27, 1898, 129; Stella, Mar. 30, 1899, 75; General Slocum,June 15, 1904, more than 1000. CHAPTER VIII. HEROES SAVE MANY LIVES. DEEDS of heroism and devotion by the hundred fol- lowed upon the disaster. Of the few hundred who were saved most owed their preservation to the courage of unselfish men and women. Boys and girls scarcely more than children themselves bore their parts nobly, as witness the youthful apprentice who saved twenty-two lives and the nurse girl intrusted with two babes who swam for the first time in her life and brought her charges safely to the shore. Hell Gate had a Jim Bludso of its own, who risked his life and all that he had, a smoky little tug. There were experienced pilots and captains who went about the work of rescue like trained life savers ; firemen leaped into the waters in their heavy clothing and policemen from stations far and near rowed in what- ever boats they could find to help in the work of rescue. Heroes in every Avalk of life may be found on the roll, and the record of the darkest day in the histor}- of New York harbor is brightened by golden letters which tell of high courage and supreme devotion. Twenty-two lives saved is written opposite the name of Charles Schwartz, Jr., machinist's apprentice, eighteen years old. His rescues were performed, too, with a breaking heart, for he knew that while he was aid- ing others his mother and grandmother were lying dead on the beach of North Brother Island. Schwartz is light of frame, yet his skill in swimming has made him well known throughout the East Side. 157 158 HEROES SAVE MANY LIVES. i " There was not much time to think," said he, "and as soon as I saw what was up I did what I could. I was on the hurricane deck of the ' General Slocum ' and when I knew that there was a fire the first thing I did was to put a life preserver around my little brother Louis, who is ten years old, and I got him to stand by me. Then I | saw that there was going to be a panic and I thought that in the water was the best chance for him, so I threw him overboard. Louis is all right. " I made a trip down below to see if I could be of any help, but I saw that the fire was beyond control and that nobody would work in any kind of system. I noticed that two or three boats were coming, and I backed up against the rail calling out that there was a good chance and pleading with the passengers to keep cool and not shove. The rail went, though, and I tumbled over back- ward into the water. LOST MOTHER AND GRANDMOTHER. " The first person that I saw was Mrs. Addicks, who keeps a candy store, and she called me by name and I went over and helped her by keeping her chin above water and towering her a little. She got to shore all right and was not much hurt. She threw her arms around my neck and kissed me. I got into the water again and helped Miss Emma Haas, the sister of the pastor, until a boat came to take her, and then I saw my mother and grandmother. They were floating face down- ward. I got them both ashore and helped the doctors with them on the lawn. ' It's no use,' said the doctors 4 we can't do anything for your people, my boy.' "I felt as though my heart would break, and then I looked out upon the water and saw that there were yet HEROES SAVE MANY LIVES. 159 men, women and children who might be saved. A man came along in a little boat and I swam out to him and worked with him. I went overboard whenever I could and swam tip with people and helped them into the boat. Many of them grabbed at me, but I was able to keep off enough to prevent being dragged down. I felt hands way down in the water holding at my feet. Hands caught me everywhere, and above me was the fire raging and roaring. I wish that I had been stronger and could have done more. " The stranger in the boat and I brought four or five ashore at a time and took them upon the beach. I had my clothes off and was able to swim easily, for I kept as cool as I could and saved my strength. I learned to swim in the public baths, and if it had not been for the practice that I got there I would not have been able to do anything. BOY SAVED TWENTY-TWO. "We brought ashore many bodies, too, and not until there was no chance of saving anybody did I quit. Counting those I either got into the boat or swam out for I saved twenty-two. If I had been a stronger fellow I might have done a good deal more, but I'm light. I weigh only 123 stripped. Rather too light, don't you think? " Hero ? Oh, I'm nothing like that. I happened to have the knack of swimming a little better than some other persons and so I thought it was my duty to do the best I could. Besides, I'm not thinking much of that kind of thing with my mother and grandmother lying there in the room. I did all I could for them, but the 100 HEROES SAVE MANY LIVES. smoke must have suffocated them before they were iu the water. Another medal which will serve as a companion piece to the one received last year will perhaps be awarded to Fireman Joseph J. Mooney, who nearly lost Ids life in saving a woman. Mooney attracted the attention of the public on June 6, 1903, when he received the William L. Strong- gold medal for saving the life of a little girl, Gertrude Schwenneger, at a fire at Madison avenue and Sixtieth street. Mayor low presented the medal while the child stood by the side of the gallant fireman. MOONEY'S VALIANT EFFORT. Mooney was transferred to the fireboat " Zophar Mills," and when she steamed up into the East River, dotted with the drowning, Mooney could not devote his energies to using lines and boat hooks. He went into the water and brought two women to the side of the "Zophar Mills." In effecting the rescue of the third woman, who weighed two hundred pounds and was all the more un- manageable on account of her heavy, water-soaked cloth- ing. Mooney made a valiant effort to reach the side of the fireboat. His plight was noticed by the other fire- men, who threw a rope to him. Mooney had strength enough to hold it and was drawn over the side of the vessel. Restoratives were administered both to the woman and her rescuer. Mooney was able in the course of a few minutes to resume his duties, but he did not again ven- ture into the water. George Lawlor, another fireman, saved a woman by swimming after her. Only four living HEROES SAVE MANY LIVES. 1GI persons were taken on board the "Zophar Mills." There were seventeen dead bodies on her deck. Firemen attached to Bronx fire companies took an active part in saving the drowning, and many cases were reported of their leaping into the water without removing any clothing, so eager were they to be of assistance. Policemen from all stations aided in the rescue when the opportunity offered and many of them rowed out to the vessel in whatever boats they could obtain. Efficient service was rendered by the charities boat the"Massasoit,"of which Captain Frederick W. Parkinson is the commander. The captain was trained under his uncle, Captain Henry Rick, a veteran Hell Gate pilot. Not only did he direct the work of rescue from his post, where it was so hot from the flames of the burning wreck that it was almost impossible to remain there, but he helped bring the helpless aboard when opportunity offered. Whenever he could leave the wheel he sat in the loop of rope swung over the side of the "Massasoit," aiding in drawing up those who were struggling in the water. PLAYED HOSE ON HIM. The captain speaks in terms of highest praise of the conduct of his crew, mentioning especially his mate, James J. Duane, and Albert Rappaport. Duane went out in the lifeboat to within a few feet of the burning u Slo- cum" and was able to work because the captain ordered hose to be constantly played on him. He brought in ten persons in all. He was in constant danger, owing to the possibility of portions of the burning superstructure falling upon him. Rappaport went over the side of the " Massasoit" and at great personal risk saved seven persons. He N.Y. 11 102 HEROES SAVE MANY LIVES. brought tlieni to the side of the steamboat and they were lifted aboard by the engineer and deck hands. "The first one I got, " said Rappaport, " was a boy who clung to me after I got back on board, begging that I would not leave him. He said he did not know where to go as his mother was drowned. " I was clad only in underclothes, and in a struggle to save another boy about thirteen years of age my cloth- ing fell about my feet and it was with great difficulty that I was able to get within reach of a heaving line." HER FIGHT WITH FIRE. Everywhere on the "Massasoit" were the evidences of her fight with fire. The paint on the upper works of the vessel was sadly blistered and the windows of the pilot house cracked. The " Massasoit " saved in all forty persons. No account of the work of rescue can be complete without the story of the deeds done by the modest cap- tain of the "Franklin. Edson." Not content with directing the efforts of his crew while he stood in a scorching pilot house, he went overboard after a woman and nearly lost his life in doing so. Henry Rick is his name, and for thirty years he has held a pilot's license. All of that time has been spent in the service of the city, either in the Health Department or the Department of Charities. The captain is now fifty-eight years old, but he looks like a man of forty-five. "It is difficult to tell what to do in such an emer- gency as that which confronted us in the "Slocum" dis- aster," he said. " I had just left the "Edson," which had come in at the Board of Health pier at 13 2d street, when I heard five whistles from my boat. I was down there in HEROES SAVE MANY LIVES. 163 a moment, and as I was going across to the "Slocum" the engineer yelled np the tube that he had water in three lines of hose. We soon saw that water wasn't needed, but quick work to save lives. Everything in the way of the life-preservers we had went overboard and then the heaving lines. "Fifty feet was as near as I thought it safe to go, for although the windows of the pilot house were down in their frames I could hear them cracking and the paint was blistering on the woodwork. DIED AFTER DRAWN FROM WATER. "It was hard work in many cases,* for there were several large and heavy women, whose weight was in- creased by their water-soaked garments. We got all those who came our way. Some may think that we ought to have taken the rescued ashore right away for medical attention, but I considered it best to save as many as we could. I think that we got about twenty- five in all. As to how many lived, I don't know yet ; ten I am certain of, anyway. Six died after we got them aboard, although we did what we could to revive them. My crew did splendid work." " How about the woman for whom you went over- board ? " "She was dead when I got her aboard, as near as I can make out. Too bad. I was rather tired out by the time she was landed, but I think that she had been suffo- cated before she got into the water. What I was able to do was no more than any city employee should gladly do. I don't want any rewards or any medals. I am too old for that kind of thing. Once, when I was young maybe, I thought of fame, but with the city's boats 164 HEROES SAVE MANY LIVES. the picking up of persons in distress is part of the business." Many were the expedients which quick-witted res- cuers had to bring into play in order to save the panic- stricken passengers on the "Slocum." Policeman Hubert C. Farrell, who saved eight persons, is a subject of a report to police headquarters. He is attached to the Alexander avenue station. Farrell and James Collins, a special policeman, obtained the yawl of the schooner " Bayliss," which was at the foot of East 137th street. Olaf Jansen and Samuel Patchen. the negro steward, went in the boat with them to the burning wreck. They found several persons hang- ing to the paddle wheel. NEAR A FURNACE OF FLAME. "I will never forget that sight," said Farrell, "for above us was a furnace of name. There were passengers who had been leaning against the paddle box on the upper part who began to fall off as the fire ate through at their backs. Above us was the fire, and the heat was so intense that we could scarcely remain there. " Clinging to one of the paddles I saw an old man whose head was just above water. I could see that his life was almost gone. On either shoulder was a little child. They were clinging to his neck. I got out into the paddle wheel, finding a footing in the paddles, and . standing in that way up to my waist in water I leaned forward and first took one child and then the other into the boat. The old man could not be drawn up as I had done with the children. I braced myself with, my feet and grabbed him by the collar. Then with a quick movement I dislodged his hands* He fought and Strug- HEROES SAVE MANY LIVES. 165 gled with all his feeble strength, I believe that he thought I was trying to drown him. Down he went under the water. Then I got him up through the wheel and he was placed in the boat. 11 It was hotter about that wreck than I ever believed it possible to be." Women on North Brother Island, matron, nurses, a telephone operator, patients, helpers, performed many acts of heroism and daring. The sight of helpless babies in the stream nerved them with almost superhuman strength. Several who could not swim at all learned how that day for the first time, so intent were they on errands of mercy. None took a more active part in the work of rescue than did Pauline Pelz, who was in the employ of Dr. Watson, one of the physicians on the island. She di- vested herself of her outer skirt and shoes and swam out to the vessel. It seemed as if she had the strength of ten. She made five trips into the water, returning each time with a woman or a child. She started to go a sixth time, but was so weak from her exertions that she found it impossible to leave the beach, and was com- pelled to give up, GIRL A GOOD SWIMMER. Miss Lulu McGibbon, a telephone operator, after she had been relieved from her duties in the administration building on the island hurried down to the beach. She swam out twice to the vessel and brought back on each trip a child. One of the babies was about a year and a half old and the other about three years of age, "I often go bathing in the summer time off the island," said she, "and the nurses are also accustomed 166 HEROES SAVE MANY LIVES. to swimming. That gave us some practice for such an emergency as this," Several of the nurses clad in their white uniforms waded out into the water or assisted in placing ladders and poles within reach of the passengers of the "Slocuni," and saved many lives. One of the most remarkable instances of the power of devotion to duty over bodily fear is the act of Louise Gailing, a nurse girl from Nutley, N, J., who was on the excursion with two babies, one two years old and the other three, the daughters of Mrs, Erkling, of Hoboken. NEVER SWAM BEFORE. u I had no thought," said she, "of what might hap- pen to me, I had never swum a stroke in my life, and I didn't know the slightest thing about how I should begin. I only knew one thing, and that was that I must save the babies. So I took one in each arm and jumped overboard and kicked out with my feet, and held them up as best I could. I did not care whether I could swim or not. I only knew that if I didn't, I would not save the children. I struggled on through the water and got to the shore. I didn't know how, and I guess I never will, but I saved the babies." No story of the " Slocum " disaster is complete with- out that of the Unknown Hero who was everywhere. The roll of those who did the best they could under circumstances which made it impossible to do what they would is a long one. Tugboat men speak of a man who was seen struggling near the shore of North Brother Island with three women clinging to him. He had a life preserver, and he was doing all that he could to keep those who clung to him afloat. As he was nearing the HEROES SAVE MANY LIVES. 107 shore a fourth woman grabbed him and he slowly began to sink with his three charges. " Don't ! " he cried. "Don't. There isn't a chance for us if you do that. I can't swim." The woman increased her hold. "All right," he replied, "we'll do the best we can. We will all die together." They were picked up and brought to the shore. SAVED BY A GRIMY TUG. His act was on a par with the deeds of scores of others performed about the shores of North Brother Island on that day. There were men who released their hold on floating wreckage to give women a chance, and young girls who calmed themselves in the frenzy of fright to tear life preservers from their own bodies to bind them about babies whose cries touched their hearts in that awful hour. Many a wharf rat whose name will never be known did heroic work, and fishermen who came and went in light skiffs, leaving no record of valorous deeds, will not figure in the books of those who reward heroism with medals and with praise. He weren't no saint — them engineers Is all pretty much alike. Sanctity is not the strong card of James L. Wade, owner and engineer of the "Wade," the blackest and dirt- iest little tug in all the river, yet nearly a hundred per- sons, and more, would hail this man of grime, in overalls once blue, as an angel of light. He ran the savings of ten years, represented in his tug, ashore and used her as a bridge for the "Slocum's" passengers. * " Damn the tug ! " said he. " Let her burn ! " For, JG8 HEROES SAVE MANY LIVES. like Jim Bludso, Wade does not stop to pick language. " Let her stay where she is. What's a tugboat to a human life ? " Wade goes up and down the East River something after the manner of a cruising cabman on land, doing odd maritime jobs here and there. He was at North Brother Island when he saw the "General Slocum" draw into view with a mass of fire shooting from her forward deck. He dived into the engine room and told the pilot of the little tug, Captain Fitzgerald, to make for the burning steamboat. BRIDGE THAT SAVED MANY. On the deck were Edward Carroll, better known as "Reddy," and Antonio Marcetti, otherwise "Tony." The "Wade" went to the starboard side of the " Slocum," get- ting in between the shore and the steamer. Her propel- ler was fouled by a rope, and manoeuvring was out of the question. Wade ordered that she be run aground, and over this bridge seventy-eight persons found their way to safety. The heat blistered the sides of the deck- house of the tug and only by throwing water over the woodwork occasionally with buckets, was the pilot house saved from burning. Carroll and Marcetti spent little time aboard, for they \ were in the water most of the time. Carroll saved three *old women, and Marcetti a girl. The Irishman was almost exhausted in bringing the third woman to the side of the tug, but he was finally pulled on board by the captain and the engineer. Not being able to use his lifeboat Wade presented it to the first volunteer life saver he saw. "That's a small matter," he said. "What does a HEROES SAVE MANY LIVES. L69 man care for a little thing like a lifeboat ? Anybody who needed it was welcome. I didn't expect to be walk- ing about on this ttig. I think that I'm lucky." Several well known lumber merchants were discuss- ing the raising of funds to repair the "Wade." Two women who were saved through the gallantry of Mr. Wade, Mrs. Elusca, and Mrs. Anna Sackman, wrote that they would like to see a fund started to replace the tug's lifeboat, life preservers and other fittings which they un- derstood were lost. They declared the owner remained at his post until the tug was nearly on fire and that his own arms were severely scorched. Captain Fitzgerald, who was in the pilot house of the "Wade," also did effective work at the Hoboken fire. The "Wade" was pulled off by the tug "Golden Rod" while the streams of water played by the fireboat "Zophar Mills" kept her from being destroyed. HE COURTED DEATH. Brief was the official record of John A. Scheuning, a policeman attached to the Alexander avenue station, who saved the lives of five. There is time, though, to go be- yond the plain tale of the blotter, aud to relate how he risked his life and courted death under the lee of the burning "Slocum." Scheuning saw the burning steamboat while on duty near the water front at 138th street. He commanded a soda water wagon, in which he was driven to the foot of East 141st street, where he cut out a boat and pushed into the stream. The "Slocum" was swinging off North Brother Island a floating Tophet, and fanned by the off- shore wind the flames swept far out from the port side. 170 HEROES SAVE MANY LIVES. Scheuning rowed directly toward the side of trie steamer, although the tugboatmen called to hirn that he was going to his death. The heat was so intense when he came within a hundred feet of the vessel that he felt the skin blister on his face and hands. Burning brands fell about him, and dead ahead towered the paddle box, from which the flames were bursting as out of the top of a blast furnace. Scheuning stopped for a moment, and removing his blouse soaked it in the water. He threw the garment about his neck and shoulders, thus gaining protection from the heat. At the same time Scheuning kept his arms closely to his side as he rowed, so as to protect his body as much as possible from the glow of the fire. Above him the flames were swept out in a sheet which at any time might have been turned downward by a change of the wind, while the falling of blazing timbers were re- minders that at any moment the structure above might crash down upon him. VOICES CALL FOR HELP. " There were five faces under that paddle box," said Scheuning in telling his story, " that told me that it was my duty to go in there. I heard voices calling out, 'Mr. Policeman, save us!' and I rowed riglt up to it, al- though I felt my back blistering and had to stop and throw water over my back to keep from scorching. Once I got right up there, though, the heat wasn't so bad, although the way things were falling showed there was no time to be lost." Scheuning ran the small boat alongside the paddle box, which was well out of the water, and he was able by placing one foot in the boat and the other on a paddle to HEROES SAVE MANY LIVES. 171 lift into the skiff five persons. They grasped the sides of the small boat at first and nearly swamped it, but Scheuning, by skilful balancing, was able to save three women and two men, whom he rowed in safety to a barge. Scheuning, "in the line of police duty," then brought ashore thirteen bodies and devoted the rest of the day to assisting the Coroner in tagging 171 of the dead. His exploit of going so close to the u Slocuin " was the cause of others venturing to the aid of the distressed, despite the intense heat. ONE OF THE CREW A HERO. Those who have seen many brave deeds performed in the waters of New York Harbor say that the courage and devotion of at least one member of the crew of the "General Slocum " exceeded anything which they ever beheld. William R. Trembly was his name, and for a few weeks he had been a deckhand on the vessel. He was not accustomed to the water and he had back of him no experience in the harbor, such as had the veterans of the Hell Gate fleet that did such efficient service. " I've seen many courageous and devoted acts done in my time," said Captain Parkinson, of the " Mas- sasoit," in speaking of the conduct of the deckhand of the "Slocum," "but the way that man acted should entitle him to all the medals which may be coming his way. The first thing that I saw was his leap from the side of the ' Slocum ' right out of a nest of flames. He swam ashore again and again with women, and the way he saved his strength and the cool manner in which he acted were such as to win the admiration of every man who say him. "There wasn't much time either to watch others. 172 HEROES SAVE MANY LIVES. His last exploit was to bring in three children at a time. How he did it I'm snre I don't know. He had two in his arms and a woman lowered a third to him, "He swam with one child in his teeth, steadying himself and gowing slowly to save his strength. I could see that he was pretty nearly gone, and when I got another glimpse of him he was coming into the shore. FELL LIKE A DEAD MAN. " A woman clutched at him as he went past and he seemed to be saying something to her. He got the three children to safety and then I saw him staggering on the shore. The woman was still pleading. He was un- steady on his pins by that time and he barely had the strength to stand ; but he was still game. He started toward her ; then his hands went up and he fell over backward on the beach like a dead man. He had worked to the very limit. I saw him afterward stretched out on the lawn on the North Brother Island and he was about as near a corpse as a man can well be and be alive." Trembly was then taken later to the Alexander ave- nue police station, where he told his story and then went to sleep on the station house floor. He said that he heard the first outcry of fire and did all that he could to allay the panic. Finally, seeing that nothing more could be done, he placed life preservers about two children and started with them to the shore. A woman on the upper deck tore her skirts into strips and with the rope which she hastily improvised lowered her child to him, begging that he take it to shore. Children unable to reach life preservers above their heads and in many cases left without any older person HEROES SAVE MANY LIVES. 173 near them were active in helping not only those younger than themselves but even went to the aid of their elders. There, for instance, was Peter Wingerter, a boy of thirteen. He found on the upper deck four babies which had been deserted by their parents. He remained on board the boat, although scores were dropping into the water all about him, and with his own hands passed the two babies to the deck of a tugboat. Then, with two infants under his left arm the boy slid down a stanchion to the main deck, where he passed his charges to men in a rowboat. A woman threw her baby into the stream and the boy dived overboard after it. As he was going under the water a man who sup- posed that the boy was drowning pulled him out. Win- gerter fought with his rescuer, who restrained him from again risking his life. SAVED THE LITTLE ONE. Then there is William McCaffrey, fourteen years old, who tossed a dazed girl aboard a tug and swam to the shore himself. On reaching North Brother Island he went out again into the water and rescued three exhausted men who were about to drown, in the shallows. Among children who are mentioned on the roll of honor which illumines a dark day of tragedy is Arthur Link. On the upper deck a frightened woman was about to leap into the water with her baby. 11 If you can't swim," said he, "give me that baby." She passed the child over to him and j urnped. The boy placed the child on a camp chair, which he braced against a stanchion to keep the infant from being crushed. When he felt that the deck beneath his feet was giving way he tucked the baby under his arm and 174 HEROES SAVE MANY LIVES. struck out for the shore, keeping himself afloat with one hand. His burden was too much for his strength and he was about to go under when a man in a skiff relieved him of the child. "Don't mind me," called the boy. " I can keep up all right. Take care of the baby ! " Two policemen of the Harbor Squad, Van Tassell and Kelk, who were trained under Elbert O. Smith, the present inspector, who was formerly in command of the marine department of the police force, did valorous work on the day of the " Slocum " disaster. They had been detailed to look after the safety of passengers, and although the conditions were beyond all control, they acted as though they were in command. PICKED UP UNCONSCIOUS. Van Tassell was disabled, and Kelk was among the last to leave the doomed vessel. The two men stood on the second deck. They are strong, and their muscles were well trained by rowing in the harbor. From their position they threw women and children into the tugs which braved the danger and the blistering heat. Van Tassell was knocked unconscious when the hurricane deck fell, for the body of a woman struck him on the head. He was picked lip unconscious from the stream by a mason employed on North Brother Island. As soon as * he had recovered the use of his senses Van Tassell, who was in great pain owing to the bruising of the muscles of neck and head, returned to the work of rescue, and later helped in bringing in the dead. Kelk remained on board the " Slocum," although his hair was singed and his mustache was nearly burned from his lip. HEROES SAVE MANY LIVES. 176 He lost no opportunity to give aid. He placed life- preservers upon children and threw them into the flood ; he directed the work of tugboatmen who approached the vessel and kept back the panic-stricken who tried to jump into the water when boats which were approaching to their aid were only a few feet away. Though the flames burned his clothing and blistered his skin, Kelk was as calm as though he were on parade. "As I was standing there, 7 said Kelk, in speaking of the experience of the day, " a woman came rushing to me with her skirts in a blaze. There was a baby car- riage standing near, in which there was a heavy blanket. I seized the blanket, threw it arountr-the woman and rolled heron the deck until the flames were extinguished. She jumped overboard then, and whether she was saved or not I do not know." That was only one incident which shows how quickly things were done on that day. CHAPTER IX. STARTLING FACTS AT THE INQUEST. UNDER the guidance of an unlicensed first mate with a very hazy notion of his duties, members of the crew of the steamer "General Slocum " admitted hesitatingly that they had proved almost useless in the great disaster. They insisted that there had not been a fire drill on the boat this season and agreed that they had been unable to use the hose after the flames were discovered. There was some conflict about the reason that the hose would not work. Some of the men said it had burst when the water got to the kinks, but an explanation which was made for the first time in public was that no water at all could reach the fire hose on account of a false washer of solid rubber or leather placed in the standpipe that supplied it. The small rubber hose used for cleans- ing the decks was usually attached to hydrants on piers, but when this was not convenient salt water was obtained from the standpipes. To prevent any of this water from reaching the can- vas fire hose and rotting it the washer had been inserted. To get water into the fire hose would have involved un- fastening it first and removing the washer, an idea that did not seem to enter the heads of any of the men. These and other revelations were made at the inquest begun before Coroner Joseph I. Berry and a jury. Edward Flanagan, the mate, seemed dazed when he faced the crowd that had gathered, and he constantly avoided answering direct testimony by pleading that he did not remember. Assistant District Attorney Francis P. Gar- van, who examined him at length, wrung from him many 176 STARTLING FACTS AT THE INQUEST. 177 facts that would serve as a basis for future proceedings. Flanagan was mate of the " General Slocum" at the time of the official visit of the United States inspectors the month before. The inspection of the life-preservers, so far as it came under his personal observation, consisted of walking down the line and poking the canvas covers here and there with a cane or ruler. From ten to twenty of the preservers subjected to this test broke, and the inspector condemned them and directed that they be removed forthwith. • Flanagan squirmed and faltered, but concluded by announcing that all the life-preservers that he had seen on the boat were stamped with the original date of inspection in 1891, the year that the "Slocum" was launched. FIRE STARTED IN FORWARD CABIN. The origin of the fire was placed definitely in the forward cabin where a miscellaneous lot of inflammable material was stored, including oil for the lanterns. Men sent to this place to look for materials were in the habit of lighting matches instead of taking lanterns. There was a wide divergence of opinion about the location of the " Slocum " at the time the captain was notified of the fire. Before questioning the mate and the deck hands Mr. Garvan had examined two of the officers of the ^ Knickerbocker Steamship Company, Frank A. Barnaby, the president, and James K. Atkinson, the secretary. Mr. Barnaby said that before the " Slocum " had been put in commission this year he had given instructions to have her put in as fine condition as oossible and about $12,000 had been spent. n.y. 12 178 STARTLING FACTS AT THE INQUEST. He had been requested to bring to the inquest the company's books showing all expenditures for life sav- ing apparatus on the u Slocum." Instead of doing so he had had abstracts made from his ledger and had brought five original bills, running back to the spring of 1902, showing that the company had purchased 350 life-preservers this year. Mr. Garvan's first glance at the bills led him to infer that an attempt had been made to alter them. They had been made out to the steamer " Grand Repub- lic ;" the ink of this name had been faded and u General Slocum " had been written above the name of the other boat. The papers indicated that some acid had been used. BARNABY'S WEAK EXPLANATION. Mr. Barnaby said he had received the bills in his office exactly as they then were. He explained that supplies for the two boats were ordered by the captain of the " Grand Republic " and were later charged sepa- rately on the company's books. Mr. Atkinson could not give any additional information. Mr. Garvan announced that he wished to have the company's bookkeeper appear at once with the original ledgers. The promise was given that the bookkeeper would appear in the afternoon. It was shortly after twelve o'clock that this notice was given, but when an adjournment was taken at five o'clock the bookkeeper had not appeared with the books. " It is very curious that the bookkeeper has not been able to get here in all this time," commented the Assistant District Attorney to the Coroner. " I was particularly anxious to have the books marked in evi- dence to-dav." STARTLING FACTS AT THE INQUEST. 171) Mr. Baruaby was the first witness. After he had been sworn Mr. Garvan asked the Coroner to exclude from the court all witnesses except injured passengers and relatives of those who lost their lives. The motion was granted, and half of the men who had been present moved into a rear room, leaving most of the seats to women and children clad in deep mourning, many of them with bandages about their heads to cover in- juries. Mr. Barnaby said he had been President of the Knickerbocker company for twenty years. The company owned the " Grand Republic," built about twenty 3 r ears ago, and the " General Slocum," built in Brooklyn in 1891. Mr. Barnaby was a stockholder when the "Slo- cum" was built, and he became a director about ten years before, but took no active part in the management until he was made president. THE CAPTAIN A STOCKHOLDER. He and Mr. Atkinson conduct the executive depart- ment of the business. Mr. Atkinson has charge of the traffic department, and Captain John Pease, of the "Grand Republic," is at the head of the operating department. Under the system bills go to Captain Pease, who passes on them and forwards them to the office. Captain Pease is a stockholder and owns some of the company's bonds. The "Slocum" was put in commission in 1904 on May 6 or 7. Mr. Barnaby did not make any examina- tion of her before that time, nor had he been aboard of her since then. It was Captain Pease who made the ap- plication for inspection. He had not said anything to Mr. Barnaby specially about either the life preservers or 180 STARTLING FACTS AT THE INQUEST. the fire hose, but the president had been informed gener- ally that the " Slocum" was in a better condition than last year and was in as good condition as when she was built. All that Mr. Barnaby knew about the lifeboats was what the inspectors had reported. Edward Flanagan, the mate, was kept on the witness stand during the greater part of the afternoon. He seemed depressed and frequently spoke of the ordeal which had completely unnerved him. STEAMBOAT MASTER IN SUMMER. He said he was twenty-seven years old. He de- scribed himself as a steamboat master in summer and a mechanic in a foundry in winter. This was his second season as first mate of the " Slocum." It was he who had hired the seven deck hands for the steamer. In the forward cabin, which came under his charge, were stored boards, lines and blinds. The porter often went there to clean the lamps. Q. How many barrels of oil were there ? A. One, to my knowledge, containing mineral sperm ; we had it three weeks. Q. Any kerosene ? A. Not to my knowledge. Q. How many barrels did you see ? A. I don't know. All of them were empty. Q. Any charcoal there ? A. If there was any it was not known to me. We never kept any. Q. What supplies were brought on for the excur- sion ? A. They generally take charge of that themselves. I didn't see what they brought. Q. Whose duty is it to see that they do not bring aboard dangerous articles — fireworks, for instance ? A. I don't recollect. STARTLING FACTS AT THE INQUEST. 181 Flanagan thought that the excursionists had brought aboard bananas and it seemed likely to him that these had been packed in hay, though he was not certain. He did not see any barrels of glasses. He said the door of the forward cabin was always left open. He did no 1 know of any arrangements for turning steam into th< cabin in case of fire. There were two standpipes, one aft and one forward. The forward pipe was sometimes utilized for washing the deck, but so far as he knew the fire hose had never been taken for that purpose. CONCERNING PROVISION AGAINST FIRE. Q. When the standpipe was used how was the water stopped from entering the fire hose ? A. I don't know. Q. Did you ever see a false washer there ? A. No, sir. Q. How was the hose kept ? A. All rolled up small. I don't know who rolled it. Q. Was the nozzle inside ? A. I think it was out- side, but I am not sure. Flanagan looked sadly about and exclaimed: — "I can't sleep. I imagine I see everything in front of me. A man who has gone through what I went through that day" Mr. Garvan interrupted him and put further ques- tions about the fire hose. Flanagan did not know whether or not this had been taken down when the stand- pipe was used for washing the decks. He said he had been standing watching two deck hands reeling off a new line at the midship gangway when Coakley ran to- ward him. He had just noticed the smoke himself and he put up his hand to warn the man to keep quiet. He walked 182 STARTLING FACTS AT THE INQUEST, forward and locked down and then returned and called up the tube, " Captain, we're all afire forward !" He did not remember the Captain's reply. He went to the en- gine room and spoke to the chief engineer, asking the second engineer then to turn on the water for him. When the hose was cut down it was full of kinks. Some of the men turned one way, some another. " Gauene said 'Turn the water on,'" continued Flanagan. " Between kinks and everything the hose burst and the coupling blew off, besides I think all this happened together as soon as the water was turned on. I didn't see anyone take out a false washer." "What did you do next ? " pursued Mr. Garvan. " I told the men to get out the boats or to assist the people." COULD NOT REACH STANDPIPE. Flanagan said he had not seen the Captain below at all, and he himself had not gone up to the bridge. He had not been able to get to the other standpipe, although he had tried. He declared that he did not know hew far the "Slocum " had gone when the fire occurred. Q. Did the " Slocum " have any new life-preservers this vear ? A, I don't know, I was sick and then this happened, Q. When you got back after being sick did you notice any new ones ? A, I did not notice and I did not ask. Q. Were there any in the stateroom ? A. Yes ; some bad ones and some good ones. They were extra ones that we had on the boat. Q, How many were there ? A. I never counted them and I do not know. STARTLING PACTS AT THE INQUEST. 183 Mr. Garvan reverted to the official inspection. Flanagan said he had not been around all the time with the inspectors. He was confused, and Mr. McManus, to encourage him, said : " Don't be frightened. There is nothing to conceal." " I am not frightened," returned Flanagan, in a low tone. " Then talk up frankly," exclaimed Coroner Berry sharply. " I am trying to," muttered the mate. He said so far as he knew between ten and twenty life preservers had been rejected by the inspector. EXAMINED WITH A CANE, " Did you not tell me in my office that the inspector went around with a ruler in his hand and poked some of the life preservers in sight ? " asked Mr. Garvan. Flan- agan answered feebly, " I don't know whether it was a ruler or a cane," "Did you not say that in ten or twenty of them he poked right through the canvas and he made you take them down? " " He told me to throw them away." " Did he take down any others ? " " I don't know, sir," "Did he take down all?" " I took down only those he said were no good." " Were any new ones put up in place of those you removed?" " I can't say, sir ; I wasn't there all the time." " When the inspector came was the fire hose attached to the standpipe ? " " I couldn't say." 184 STARTLING FACTS AT THE INQUEST, "Was there any test of it ? " "Not to my memory." " As a matter of fact did you ever see a life-preserver on the ' General Slocum' that was not stamped 'In- spected, September 28, 1891 ? ' " "No, sir." Flanagan said the "Slocuni" was beached when he jumped from the main deck, amidship, starboard side. He did not know whether the rubber hose had been used after the bursting of the fire hose, but he thought that a deckhand had tried to use it. LIGHTED MATCHES IN CABIN. He admitted, when the Coroner questioned him, that he had lighted matches in the forward cabin, but he did not believe that it had been necessary for others to do so, and he had heard no complaints on that score. He had not seen the porter on the morning of the fire. He did not know that any of the life preserver racks had been empty, and he had not heard that children had pulled down one rack and that the former contents had been taken to the store room. John J. Coakley, a deck hand, and the first of the "General Slocum' s" crew to see the fire, told a story different in many particulars from the testimony he had previously given before the Coroner. He said he had been employed on the boat eighteen days prior to the fire and received $6.25 a week and his board. He had also worked on the " General Slocum " as deck hand in 1890. " Have you ever seen any fire drill on the " Genemi Slocum ? " asked Mr. Garvan. "No, sir," he answered. STARTLING FACTS AT THE INQUEST. 185 " Were you at anytime instructed what to do in case of fire?" " No, never at any time," Coakley had been detailed to stand at the gangplank and count the excursionists as they went aboard the boat at the foot of East Third street, and said that he counted 982 grown persons and estimated that there were chil- dren enough to bring the total number up to 1100, "I had a counting machine," he said, u and counted all children under fourteen two for one. The best esti- mate I could make gave about 1100 persons all told. There were 982 grown persons and children enough to make up 1100." He then described various parts of the ship and said the fire started in a locker forward, in which was kept oil, the ship's lamps, pieces of canvas and other articles that would belong in a general store room. LAMP KEPT BURNING. This room was never locked. A lamp was usually kept burning inside. Because of the heat in the room, members of the crew usually put their wet clothes in there to dry. It was a hot place, because it was near the boiler room. It was also near the bar, and Coakley stood at the bar drinking a glass of beer when a small boy ran up to him and tugged at his sleeve and said, " Mister, look at the smoke ; I guess the boat's on fire." Mr. Garvan required the witness to describe all that took place after the boat left Third street until she was beached on North Brother Island. " After leaving Third street," said Coakley, "I was in different parts of the ship trying to keep the children from climbing over the rail. I got two police officers and 186 STARTLING FACTS AT THE INQUEST. went with them to the hurricane deck and told them how to watch the children. Then I went to the main deck." He then described how the boy went up to him and called his attention to the smoke. " The smoke came up to about three feet from where T stood," he said, "and out of the forward cabin. I ran to the stairs and saw the room was full of smoke. I went in and tried to get a piece of canvass to smother it, but could not tear it loose. Then I tried to smother it with a bag of charcoal, but the smoke and heat drove me away. "I couldn't tell exactly where the fire was, there was so much smoke. Then I called three other deck hands and I think they went back with me, but they say they did not. After that I took my knife and cut away the fastenings that held the coil of fire hose." BURST IN SEVERAL PLACES. " Had you ever seen water put through that hose ? " asked Mr. Garvan. "No, sir," he said. "After I let down the hose it all kinked up, and when the water was turned on it burst in several places at once." Coakley explained that the hose was not laid flat in a pile on a shelf, but was in a coil suspended and in such shape that when it was drawn out it curled and kinked in many places. He said the two hundred feet of hose was uncoiled in a space of thirty feet, and there was no time or chance to straighten out the kinks. "Wasn't the hose forced off the standpipe when the water was turned on ? " was asked. He said it was not, but other witnesses testified that it was. He said that STARTLING FACTS AT THE INQUEST. 187 no effort was made to connect the smaller rubber hose used in washing the decks after the fire hose burst. " The people jammed about us so," he continued, "that we could not do anything. Women grabbed me and the other deck hands, and we went to the upper decks. One of the deck hands thrust a baby into my arms and said, c You better save this child,' and I went into the water," The witness tried to relate his experience in the water, but Mr, Garvan stopped him and asked him why he did not make greater effort to save the passengers before jumping overboard. WILD JAM OF PEOPLE " The people lost their heads," he said, "and jammed about us so we could do very little. We got down a great many life preservers and one boat was lowered. It was filled with people and was swamped near the bow. (Later witnesses testified that no boats were lowered.) " The life preservers that I saw were in good condi- tion, none of them being ripped, and I saw a great many persons putting them on." " Was any effort made to put out the fire after the hose burst?" asked Coroner Berry. " No, sir; none that I saw." " Were any fire extinguishers, water buckets or any other fire-fighting apparatus aside from the hose used when the fire was first discovered or at any time? " " No, sir." Coakley could not locate exactly where the " General Slocum " was when the fire started, but said it was shortly after they had passed the Blackwell's Island beacon light. In answer to questions put by the Assist- 188 STARTLING FACTS AT THE INQUEST. ant District Attorney, Coakley said he had taken several drinks on the day of the accident, had taken several the day before and several each day since then. At the close of the hearing Coakley was committed to the House of Detention by order of the Coroner. All other members of the crew were taken back to the Lebanon Hospital tinder police escort. Thomas Collins, another deck hand, was called after Coakley. He had been employed on the " General Slocum " only four days prior to the accident. He had worked one day on her four years ago. NO FIRE INSTRUCTIONS GIVEN. "Did you ever receive any instructions on the * General Slocum ' as to what to do in case of fire, or did you ever see any fire drill on the boat?" was asked, "No, sir," he said. Collins stated that he was detailed to stand by the lines, and was near the forward gangway on the main deck when the fire started. His attention was first attracted by the screams of women. He told of his part of the work in getting down the fire hose and said he ran with the nozzle to the door of the locker, but when the water was turned on the hose burst and then all hands ran to the upper deck. "Did you see any life boats lowered ? " " I did not." " Did you see any life preservers taken down by the crew ? " "Yes, several ; but I didn't see any of them tear or rip." Both Coakley and Collins were questioned concern- STARTLING FACTS AT THE INQUEST. 180 ing a rubber washer that was placed over the mouth of the standpipe to prevent water from dripping down into the fire hose and rotting it. It was said this washer greatly impeded the work of the men in coupling the hose, but neither of them knew anything about it. Other witnesses described it fully, Collins said the panic was so great that it was difficult for anyone to remember just what happened. He admitted that he was greatly excited, but said he did not jump until the boat was beached. After handing to Mr. Garvan the bills for fire fight- ing apparatus, Mr. Barnaby said he understood that all the articles had been bought for the " Slocuin," though he had no personal knowledge on the subject. WORDS RUBBED OUT, Q. I wish to show you one of the bills and to ask you who rubbed out the words " Grand Republic ? " A. I don't know. While the accounts were kept in the name of the " Grand Republic,'' the supplies were taken in the other boat when needed. Q. I notice that the bills are made out to the " Grand Republic," and that on all but one an effort has been made to erase the name ; can you tell me anything about this ? A. I know nothing about what is on the bills. Q. Didn't you tell me that there were separate accounts for the two steamers ? A. Yes, on our books. The bills may have been marked for one or for the other by the sellers. Q. I understand that life-preservers must bear the name of the ship ; who marks them ? A. I do not know whether the manufacturer does or the steamboat com- pany. 190 STARTLING FACTS AT THE INQUEST. Mr. Barnaby did not know whether he conld obtain a list of the company's expenditures for life-preservers since 1891, but he said he would try to get it. Many of the old ledgers were in storage in Brooklyn. A certified copy of the government inspection, dated May 6, 1904, was put in evidence, with a roster of the crews. The ^Slocum" was built from specifications made by Captain Pease. Captain Van Schaick was not a stockholdet in the Knickerbocker company. In answer to Mr. Dittenhoefer's questions, Mr. Barnaby said he had business outside of the steamboat company which occupies most of his time. He does not pretend to be a steamboat man or to have any knowl- edge of boat building. He relied implicitly upon the reports of the government inspectors and upon informa- tion he obtained from Captains Pease and Van Schaick. If any defects had been called to his attention he would have remedied them at once. NOT IN SAFE CONDITION. Q. (by Mr. McManus). What conversation did you have with Captain Pease about repairs to the "Slocum?" A. He called on me in February and told me that the " General Slocuin " was not in first-class condition, and she was not as popular as he would like to see her. I said : u Put her in as fine a condition as you can make her." That's all I said. Q. What was the cost of the repairs ? A. About $12,000, or more. Q. What was the value of the " Slocuin," and how much insurance did you carry ? A. I think she cost $165,000. Our insurance was $70,000. Mr. Barnaby said the "Slocum " was considered by STARTLING FACTS AT THE INQUEST. 191 insurance men a good risk, and lie was assured that the rates were the lowest possible, four per cent., less a dis- count and less a rebate. He was then excused and Mr. Atkinson was questioned briefly. He said that as secretary he had charge of the com- pany's books, but not of the equipment. Captain Van Schaick had charge of this branch of work for the u Slo- cum," but under the supervision of Captain Pease. Miss Hall, the company's bookkeeper, had handed to him the bills introduced as exhibits, and he had turned them over to Mr. Barnaby. He had not applied acid to them, nor had he altered them in any other manner. He had not even examined them. He had made the arrangements for the excursion of the St. Mark's Lutheran Church Sunday School with William H. Pulman. CHARGE FOR DAY'S USE. There was a written contract which was burned with the boat. Mr. Pulman had chartered the " Sloe u in " out- right for the day at the rate of $350. This arrangement carried with it the right to supply refreshments. One of the stewards asked Mr. Atkinson on Wednesday morn- ing if the Sunday school party would require anything and was informed that nothing had been said on the sub- ject. " Has the company paid any dividends in recent years ? " inquired Mr. McManus. " It has not paid a dividend in the seven years that I have been connected with it,'' was the reply. Promising to send Miss Hall to the armor}' imme- diately, Air. Atkinson hurried away. James Corcoran came to the witness stand in his shirt sleeves. For four years he had worked as a deck 192 STARTLING FACTS AT THE INQUEST. hand in summer and driven newspaper delivery wagons in winter. He was the head deck hand on the " Slocum," coming directly after the mate. Q. Did yon have any fire drills on the "Slocum" ? A. No, sir, not this season. Q. What time did you leave the Third street dock last Wednesday ? A. About twenty minutes to ten. Q. Where were you when the fire occurred ? A. I was on the midship gangway, port side. Q. How far was that from the forward cabin ? A. About twenty-five feet. I could see it. The first I knew some one yelled, "Fire!" and I tried to go down, but there was no chance, as it was all blazing. HOSE BADLY TWISTED. Another deck hand ran by and yelled to the mate and then Corcoran and others returned to stretch the hose. By this time the fire covered the entire front of the forward cabin. The hose had been coiled with the nozzle in the centre. The mate seized the nozzle and pulled ; it came out, but the hose after it was badly twisted and with kinks everywhere. Q. Did any water come through ? A. Yes, quite a little stream, till the hose " busted." Q. How long was that after the water came ? A. About iive minutes. Q. Do you mean to say water ran in spite of the kinks ? A. Yes, but it had no pressure. It was like water from a faucet, and carried, I should judge, ten feet. When the burst came the men left and I started to pull down life preservers. Q. Did you close the door of the forward cabin when you left ? A. Yes ; sir, I closed that door and two others. STARTLING FACTS AT THE INQUEST. 193 Corcoran said he had started for the hurricane deck, hut he had not been able to get beyond the promen- ade deck on account of the crowd about the door. He was positive that no boats had been lowered. He thought that the " Slocum " was then opposite 105th or 106th street, but he was not quite certain, although he is familiar with the river. He did not know whether any new life preservers had been placed on the " Slocum " this year. He said a false washer of solid rubber had been placed in the stand pipe in front of the nozzle supplying the fire hose. This had been done to prevent the hose from rotting, and to get water to the fire hose would have involved uncoupling the hose and removing the washer. This was not not done, so far as he knew. The decks were usually washed by a rubber hose connected with pumps on docks, but when this was not convenient salt water was drawn through the stand pipe and the washer protected the fire hose. There had been some talk about using the little rubber hose on the fire, but it was then too late and nothing was done. FIRST SUIT FOR DAMAGES. In the first of the suits for damages which have been brought against the Knickerbocker Steamboat Company for loss of life on the M General Slocum" the interesting point has been raised that as the disaster occurred on in- land waters the United States statute limiting the liability of owners to the value of the vessel does not appl\\ Jacob Friedman, a lawyer, counsel for Mrs. Kate Mattler, who lost four children on the ill-fated "Slocum," began an action in her behalf for the recovery of $50,000. " I expect to obtain judgment against the owners on •N.Y..1:; 194 STARTLING FACTS AT THE INQUEST. the ground that they failed to provide proper life pre- servers and proper means to extinguish fire, and that the officers failed to stop the boat so that the passengers could be saved. Section No. 4,283 of the United States Revised Statutes, which has been referred to frequently since the disaster, will not avail the company in seek- ing to evade financial responsibility, for two reasons : first, the accident happened on an inland stream and Section No. 4,289, of the Revised Statutes provides that Section 4,283 does not apply to accidents on inland streams; second, officers of the company owning the vessel had knowledge or in law will be deemed to have had knowl- edge of the deficient equipment of the boat." PLAIN VIOLATION OF LAW. "In addition it has been decided in cases brought under the State law that officers of a company may be held for violations of law when the violations are due to acts or omissions of acts which they are charged by law to perform. " I intend also to sue the president of the company individually, as the State law holds an officer liable when a corporation fails to observe the law." After an examination of the standpipe and hose taken from the wreck of the "Slocum," Coroner O' Gor- man declared that he was convinced that absolutely no attempt was made by the crew of the burned steamer to fight the flames. "The stand pipe," said the Coroner, " had not been unscrewed, and as for the hose, it is all burned on a flat edge. That is to say, it is not burned all around, as it would have been had it been strung out and put in ser- vice. Instead, there is a long streak of black along the STARTLING FACTS AT THE INQUEST. 195 edges, showing that the flames scorched it as it lay coiled up and flattened. " Most of this hose, I find, is made of the cheapest material, and while capable of carrying water, a stream must be run through it for about ten minutes before any effective work can be done with it. It was absolutely useless for an emergency such as that which arose." Regarding the life ring, which was found at the bottom of the river with four women clinging to it, Coroner O' Gorman said : "That is the finest anchor I ever saw. Why, it is incapable of sustaining even its own weight above water." " There is no use reinspecting the steamboats in the harbor," said a steamboat inspector who was among wit- nesses at the inquest. He spoke plainly, but requested that his name should not be disclosed. INSPECTORS PASS THE BOATS. "This order is all rot," he continued, "and every steamboat man knows it. Every boat will be prepared for the inspection, and of course the inspectors will have to give them the O. K. mark. " We have a pretty tough time of it, as an experi- ence I had the day after the "Slocum" disaster will show. I was going over a boat and hauled down a couple of life- preservers to see what condition they were in. They didn't look right, and I told the owner and captain that all of them would have to come down. They both kicked. "I tore the covering off one of the preservers despite the protests of the captain. I then told the owner he would have to get new ones. He insisted that they were 196 STARTLING FACTS AT THE INQUEST. good enough, and I said lie could do as he pleased about it, but I was going to condemn them all. " The fire hose was nicely coiled up with a highly polished brass nozzle and looked fine. But when I unreeled the hose I found it was rotten. In case of fire it would have been absolutely useless. I ordered them to get new hose, and I am going back there to see that they do it. " These so-called fire drills on excursion steamers are farces. I know what I am talking about, for I have worked on boats for years. They have fire drills on the big passenger steamers that run the year round, but on these excursion steamers the crew is changing all the time and they never have drills. The only part of the crew that has any permanency is in the pilot house and engine room. The deck crew is changed two and three times a week, the captain picking up any one he' can get. You know they don't pay much. TWO RIGID RULES. " There are two points to the "Slocum " disaster to which attention ought to be called. One is that no pas- senger steamboat should be built with wooden stanchions, If the stanchions on the " Slocum " had been of iron the deck would not have fallen and many lives would have been saved. And if the life preservers were made of solid cork, instead of granulated cork, it would make no difference if the covering was torn. The life preserver would still do its work," The following statement was made by a responsible journal : — " The John D, Rockefeller millions have come to the aid of the sufferers from the " Slocum " disaster. It was STARTLING FACTS AT THE INQUEST. 197 learned that a contribution was received which was not reg- istered, but which places the fund upon a foundation of solid rock. It leaked out that a telephone message had been received from the offices of the Standard Oil Com- pany that the great fortune of the richest man in the world was at its disposal to be drawn upon for any deficiency in the fund which might remain after other donations had ceased to come in. " This renders easy and practicable the plan of the committee to resolve itself into a permanent organization for the future maintenance of the children who have been left orphans and the dependents who have been left with- out support. It was decided at the meeting of the com- mittee at the St. Mark's Lutheran Church that a per- manent organization should be effected, that incorpora- tion papers should be taken out and that a legal name should be adopted in order that the committee might be- come legal guardians of the children and dependents de- prived of their support by the disaster. LOOKING AFTER ORPHANS. " It was decided that when the immediate necessities of the sufferers had all been met and the exact dimensions of the fund definitely ascertained an appropriation should be made for each orphan and dependent, to be kept in trust for that child or dependent as long as he or she might need it. " It was announced that $5,000 had been pledged to undertakers for funeral expenses, and $500 expended for drugs, medical attendance, food and mourning clothing, and that the most pressing necessities of the sufferers had been largely cleared away." The question arose as to how the captains and pilots 198 STARTLING FACTS AT THE INQUEST. of the steamboats in the harbor are licensed. General Dumont, the local United States Steamboat Inspector, said: " These men receive their certificates from this office after rigid examination. They have to prove them- selves thoroughly competent before the certificates are granted." It appears, therefore, that the Federal officials may be held responsible not only for the condition of the " Slocuni " and its apparatus, but also for the ability of its captain and pilots. While Captain Van Schaick was spoken of in highest terms by his confreres on the river front, it was generally acknowledged that the captain of an excursion boat acts largely as a fiscal agent for the owners, and has to keep a keen eye upon money matters. Under the law he is compelled to remain in the pilot house only while passing Hell Gate or other such dangerous points, but for the remainder of the time is expected to stay on the deck. CHAPTER X. NEW HORRORS SHOCK THE PUBLIC. HENRY LUNDBERG, Assistant Inspector of Steam- boats, was committed to the House of Detention by Coroner Joseph I. Berry, of the Bronx, when an ad- journment was taken in the inquest into the death of the victims of the " General Slocum " disaster. Lundberg seemed nonplussed and stared about helplessly while his lawyer made a vain plea in his behalf. Coroner Berry refused to permit the Federal official to leave the court- room in the custody of his counsel. Assistant District Attorney, Francis P. Garvan, who had applied for the commitment of the inspector, said he would not object to having bail set at a sum that seemed to him most reasonable — $500. Mr. Lundberg gave a sigh of relief when the Coroner acquiesced. After a slight delay the bail bond was signed and the inspector left the court. Mr. Garvan had described Mr. Lundberg' s actions on the witness stand as a "disgraceful spectacle on the part of a United States official." The inspector, by ad- vice of his counsel, had refused to answer almost every question put to him on the plea that anything he said might tend to incriminate him. Investigation was resumed of the bills for life pre- servers sent to the Knickerbocker Steamboat Company which were produced at the inquest on Monday, June 20th, by Frank A. Barnaby, president of the company. In four out of five of these bills the name of the steamer 199 200 NEW HORRORS SHOCK THE PUBLIC. "Grand Republic " had been clumsily erased by means of acid and the words " General Slocum " had been written in its place. Miss M. C. Hall, who had charge of the company's books, was called upon for an explanation. She said she had been in the habit for some years of making erasures in her books with acid, instead of drawing her pen through an entry. All bills from the firm that sold the life preservers were addressed to the "Grand Republic. " She did not enter them in her books at once but kept them until they were paid. To be able to enter them properly she marked some of them for the "General Slocum's " account. CHANGED NAMES ON BILLS. Closely questioned she admitted that she had changed the name on some of these bills for safety ap- pliances without knowing to which of the companj^'s boats they had been consigned, but she insisted that she had not altered the bills since the accident. There was nothing brought out in the testimony to show that one of the 350 life preservers purchased by the company this year had been placed aboard the " Slo- cum.'' All had been consigned to the " Grand Republic," and none of the "Slocum's " crew had seen any of them. Three of the crew had been examined and agreed that no fire drill had been held on the "Slocum" this year. Several radical defects of the boat were brought to notice. Henry Lundberg, Assistant United States Inspector of Hulls, who made the inspection of the life preservers and other equipments of the " General Slocum " had no sooner seated himself in the witness chair than his per- sonal counsel addressed the Coroner in his behalf. NEW HORRORS SHOCK THE PUBLIC. i< 1 c ' In a great disaster of this kind/' he said, " the pub- lic Looks for some one upon whom may be placed the re- spoasibility, and, unfortunately for Mr. Lundberg; there seems to be indications that he is the man selected. The press, the District Attorney and others appear to be point- ing toward Mr. Lundberg, and therefore we feel that wc anust refuse to answer all questions at this time on the ground that it might tend to incriminate him." Coroner Berry struck the table with his gavel, " I must resent the insinuation that any injustice is to be done in this court," he said. WITNESS NOTHING TO FEAR. " I also resent these insinuations," said Mr. Garvan. 14 This witness has nothing to fear. The refusal to answer questions is only for the protection of criminals, and I want this witness to understand that his refusal puts him in a bad light. The spectacle of a United States officer taking this ground is not a pleasing one, If he has done but his duty he has nothing to fear." Former Judge Dittenhoefer, representing the presi- dent of the Knickerbocker Steamboat Company, and Mr. McManus, representing the company generally, said they had no objection to the witness answering any and all questions. There was a long wrangle among the lawyers, and Coroner Berry reserved his decision as to whether or not the witness should be required to answer. Meanwhile Mr. Garvan proceeded with the examination. To the first preliminary questions Lundberg an- swered that he was thirty-four years old, lived in Brook- lyn, was appointed January 13, 1904, from the Civil Ser- vice list by James A. Dumont, and received a salary of $2,000 a year. 202 NEW HORRORS SHOCK THE PUBLIC. " How many ships have you examined this year?" was Mr. Garvan's next question. "*I refuse to answer," said the witness. " On what grounds ? n " That it would tend to incriminate me." " Were you the inspector of the hull of the l Gen- eral Slocum ' ? " " I must refuse to answer," again muttered Lund- berg in low tones. " On what grounds ? " " That it would tend to incriminate me." " Did you examine the ( General Slocum ' on May 6, 1904 ? " " I refuse to answer any questions because I don't know what date it was and it might incriminate me." Mr. Garvan stepped nearer to the witness and again asked : QUESTIONS NOT ANSWERED. " Did you examine the l General Slocum ? ' " " Yes, sir. I sent my report to the office, and that's all I've got to say." 1 Did you report that there were 2,550 good life pre- servers on that boat ? " " I refuse to answer on the ground that it might incriminate me." " Will you tell this jury what your examination of that boat was like ? " (Same answer.) 11 Did you, sir, perform an honest inspection of the ' General Slocum ? ' " (Same answer.) Failing to get but the one answer from Lundberg Mr. Garvan turned to the Coroner and said : " That is NEW HORRORS SHOCK THE PUBLIC. 203 all, but I think this witness should be detained in the House of Detention." " I'll place him there," said Coroner Berry. "I would ask that you place him in my custody," said his lawyer. "No; I shall send him to the House of Detention/ said the Coroner. Mr. Gilbert then asked that he be ad- milted to bail. " Fix the bail at $500," said the Assistant District Attorney, and Mr. Gilbert protested. u This man will not run away," he said. "It is unfair and unprecedented to treat a public officer in this way." "He maybe a public officer now," broke in Mr. Garvan, " but I hardly believe he will be when it is known that he has refused to answer these questions." Lundberg was detained in the custody of a policeman to await the arrival of a bondsman. CREW NEVER DRILLED. When Daniel O'Neil was called to the stand as the first witness at the Coroner's inquest, the temporary court room in the Second Battery's armory, at Bathgate avenue and 177th street, was well filled. O'Neil is twenty-four years old. He said he had never worked on a boat until last April, when he ob- tained employment as a deck hand on the " Slocum." He had never seen a fire drill, and nothing had ever been done in his presence with the life boats or the fire hose. At the time of Inspector Lundberg' s visit to the boat he had seen a man using a tape measure on the hurricane deck, but had not noticed that any of the life preservers were removed from their places. Mr. Garvan had received a communication declaring 204 NEW HORRORS SHOCK THE PUBLIC. that there had been a fire in the forward cabin of the "Slocum " on the day before the accident, bnt none of the crew questioned had any knowledge of it. O'Neil said he had not been in the forward cabin at all on Wednes- day morning, the day of the accident. He had helped fci carry five barrels of glasses aboard the evening before, but he did not know where they had been placed. He saw one of them on Wednesday under a keg of beer. In the forward cabin, O'Neil said, were stored stools, old rope, awning, wood, oil, paint, some life preservers, charcoal and canvas. There was no regular light in the place but the door was left open. O'Neil was on the port gangway amidship when he heard a shout and saw dense smoke. The mate, Flana- gan, came up yelling. O'Niel helped to take down the hose, and after handing the nozzle to another deck hand turned on the water. He then saw the water rushing from the pipe and heard Flanagan call for another hose. COUPLING DID NOT FIT. The rubber deck hose was brought, but it could not be used, as the coupling did not fit on the standpipe. At the time the fire was discovered he believed that the boat was through Hell Gate. Q. What did you do when the rubber hose was put aside? A. With Corcoran, I waved my hat to a tug pass- ing with lighters. Then I tried to pacify the crowd. I saw a rowboat coming to our assistance and I jumped to help the man in it. Q. Did you capsize the rowboat ? A. It capsized and I swam ashore. Q. Did you wear a life preserver ? A. No. NEW HORRORS SHOCK THE PUBLIC. 206 Q. Before you jumped didn't you hear the man in the boat cry that he had enough aboard? A. I heard him, but I wanted to help him. Q. You are an expert swimmer ? A. I don't think so. Everett Brandow, assistant engineer, testified that he had worked six seasons on the "Slocum." There was on the boat a valve by which steam could be turned into the fire room, but there were no arrangements for turn- ing on steam elsewhere. The "Slocurn" left the Third street pier at about twenty minutes to ten, and it was about half-past ten when mate Flanagan reported the fire. FULL SPEED THROUGH HELL GATE. He said the boat always ran at full speed through Hell Gate. Before the alarm he had been told that the excursionists did not wish to reach their destination until one o'clock, and the pilot, Van Wart, gave the signal "slow." He inferred that the "Slocurn " had passed Hell Gate. After the fire signal, there came an order for full speed, then one sounded to stop, and later one to go ahead. The next order was to "slow,'' the final one was "full speed," These directions were so fast that they al- most came together. Brandow believed the interval be- tween each one had been four or five seconds. When the boat beached he stopped the machinery. Conklin, the chief engineer, started for the donkey engine room on the first alarm, the witness said, and Brandow next saw him on North Brother Island. Brandow jumped just forward of the wheel. The passengers were massed aft, where there was no fire at 206 NEW HORRORS SHOCK THE PUBLIC. that time, as the flames were all forward. The assistant engineer said he had helped to pull out of the shallow water a little girl who was drowning. Edwin N. Weaver, second pilot, testified that he had been a licensed pilot since Ma}^, 1900 ; that he had served five or six years on the " General Slocum," . but had never seen any fire drill on the boat ; did not know that any new life preservers had been placed on the ves- sel during his service and had no knowledge of any ap- paratus or equipment for turning steam into the hold in case of fire. "As the second pilot of the 'General Slocum/ asked Mr. Garvan, "did you know of any signals giving the order to turn steam into the hold of the ship in case of fire?" " I never heard of such signals on the boat," he said. NO CHANCE TO TURN ON STEAM. Q. Was there any apparatus for turning steam into the hold ? A. Not to my knowledge, sir. Q. Did you ever see any fire drill on the boat ? A. No, sir. Q. Do you think the Captain could have had such a drill without your knowledge ? A. No, sir. The witness described the hose in use on the u Slo- cuin" and said that at the opening of the season he was sent to purchase 100 feet of hose for the after main deck and bought it in Park Place, paying 16 cents a foot. The first knowledge of the fire came to him when he was standing in the pilot house with Van Wert, the first pilot, and Captain Van Schaick. "We were just three lengths past the Sunken Mead- NEW HORRORS SHOCK THE PUBLIC. 2(17 ows," he said, "when Mate Flanagan called up the tube, 1 The ship's on fire forward.' We were then going at full speed. The Captain said, Til go down and see about it,' and within a minute he came back and said, Tut her on North Brother Island as quick as you can.' I grabbed the whistle and kept it blowing for help and Van Wert rang the fire alarm bells on the decks. In a very short time the flames and smoke were rolling up over the hur- ricane decks and into the pilot house. I had closed the windows to keep the flames out." Q. Did you see any effort made to get the lifeboats loose ? A.I did not. Q. Did you see any of the crew on the hurricane deck ? A. No, sir. Coroner Berry then asked : — " If you had been in charge of the vessel, where, in your judgment was the best place to beach her ? " BEACHED IN BEST PLACE. " The exact spot where she was put," he said with much emphasis." "Don't you think Locust Point, at 129th street, would have been a better place for the passengers ? " " No sir. She was running at full speed with the flood tide and to have turned her there would have re- quired from five to eight minutes and not a soul would have been alive to tell the tale. By going to North Brother we turned gradually and gave the passengers a better chance to escape. " The 'General Slocum' was the best equipped boat of the kind I was ever on." When Miss M. C. Hall was summoned as a witness several bulky bundles of ledgers were brought forward 208 NEW HORRORS SHOCK THE PUBLIC. by court attendants. She began her testimony in so low a voice that persons close to her could not hear. She has been employed by the Knickerbocker Steamboat Com- pany since 1890. She has been sole bookkeeper since 1895. She now acts as bookkeeper, stenographer and 1 cashier. She said she had handed several papers to the secre- tary of the company for Mr. Barnaby on Monday morn- ing. She had done nothing to any of them since she was told to get them on Saturday. She remembered that some time before she had erased the name of the "Grand Republic. " SEPARATE ACCOUNTS OF STEAMERS. Q. Why did you do that ? A. I tried to keep the accounts of the two steamers separate and to avoid mak- ing any mistakes, so when I believed that supplies for the "Slocum" were billed to the " Grand Republic" I changed the name to keep right. Q. Is that true ? A, (with spirit) Yes, it is true, Q. How long is it since you changed these bills ? A, I do not remember. It has been a common occur- rence for me to change the bills. Q. Did you make these changes within two months? A. I do not know. Q. How did you find out to which boat the charges should be made ? A, By consulting one of the captains, preferably Captain Pease. Miss Hall became confused when she was asked for details. She had kept separate accounts for the steam- ers, she said, yet when her books were produced she de- clared that there was no way for her to tell whether any life preservers had been charged to the account of the NEW HORRORS SHOCK THE PUBLIC. 209 "General Slocum" since 1902. Tier system of book- keeping, she then explained, only gives the total amounts for repairs by months. By searching through the books she found two or three places where she had used acid to erase entries. She was able to find in her ledger charges against the ''Grand Republic" for life preservers in 1902 and 1903 covering the amounts of the bills that she had altered. This year's purchases have not been posted in her books, as she only enters them either when the bills are paid or else at the end of the season. She expressed herself as certain that she had not altered the bills since the "Gen- eral Slocum" disaster. WHY BILLS WERE CHANGED. Q. Now, will you tell me why you changed these last bills ? A, For my personal assistance when the time came to enter the bills. All purchases from the firm of David Kahnweiler & Co. were billed to the "Grand Republic." I wished to enter them right after speaking to the captains, Q. But why did you insert the name of the " Slo- cum ? " A, I intended to find out later. I have not in- quired yet, because the bills were not paid. Q. And not knowing for which boat the life preserv- ers were intended, you changed the name on a bill dated May 19 ? A. Well, you see, when I wanted to make a change I was accustomed to use acid. I did so as a mat- ter of convenience in this case, so I should not charge all to the "Grand Republic." Q. Do not all bills for supplies give the name of the ship for which they are intended ? Yes, but often incor- rectly. ~N.Y. 14. 210 NEW HORRORS SHOCK THE PUBLIC. Miss Hall declared, with some display of agitation, that she did not know that the 350 life-preservers bought this year had been correctly charged to the " Grand Re- public," for which they were intended. She found that her books showed that the "Grand Republic" had received all the life-preservers bought in 1902 and 1903. " Can you now tell us the reason why you took the. name of the "Grand Republic" from the bill dated May 19, 1904?" pressed Mr. Garvan. "I couldn't give any," replied Miss Hall. vShe denied that he had received instructions from any person to alter the bills. She had used acid for erasures since 1891 or 1892. Mr. Barnaby, she said, examined her books very rarely and did not interfere with her system. Even if she changed the title it made no difference, as all went into one account at the end of the season. Several of the jurors questioned Miss Hall. She promised to look for other bills with acid erasures, and left the court room. LIFE PRESERVERS DELIVERED. Miss Reba Goldberg, bookkeeper for the firm of David Kahnweiler & Co,, was the next witness. She testified that she had made out the bills offered in evi- dence and that she had written "'Grand Republic" where u General Slocuin" had been substituted. The order for ' the life-preservers had been given by Captain J. A. Pease, of the "Grand Republic," and the receipt showed that they had been delivered on his boat. Oscar Kahnweiler, a member of the firm, said he had sold about 2,250 life-preservers for use on the "Slo- cuin" in 1 89 1. He was quite positive that he had billed none to the boat since 1895. Before selling life-preservers NEW HORRORS SHOCK THE PUBLIC. I'll they must have the government inspector's stamp. Life- preservers that are kept properly may last twenty years. He had seen some on the steamer "Dean Richmond" in good condition after twenty-eight or thirty years' service. Mr. Garvan brought from a back room a wretched specimen of a life-preserver, with the canvas torn in a dozen places and the granulated cork stuffing falling out whenever it was moved. It was one of those taken from the " Slocum." " Do you think that this life-preserver's life is over?" he inquired, showing it to the witness. Mr. Kahnweiler examined it critically and said: — 11 1 would be willing to trust to that in the water now with my arms and feet tied together." OLD, ROTTEN LIFE PRESERVERS. " But you could float with your hands and feet tied without this?" suggested Mr. Garvan, tearing an end of the strap. " Oh! yes," was the reply. " Then you mean that this would not sink you ?" " I would not float with it, but go into the water face downward." Mr. Kahnweiler expressed confidence that such life- preservers would be sufficient to support persons in the water. After explaining the regulation test he was excused. From daylight until midnight the East River con- tinued to give up victims of the disaster. At times the smaller patrol boats were so heavily laden with those re- covered that they had difficulty in making the shore. At six o'clock i n bodies had been taken from the water. Explosives were used freely in bringing the bodies NEW HORRORS SHOCK THE PUBLIC. to the surface. Heavy charges of dynamite were set off all around the wreck of the " General Slocum," and in addition to this two field guns from the Second Battery were taken out on a float at eleven o'clock and fired at frequent intervals along part of the path of the ill-fated vessel. Launches and other boats followed the float closely, and at times the entire fleet was unable to take care of the bodies as fast as they appeared. Shortly after noon the guns fired several shots near the wreck of the " Slocum " and sixteen bodies rose to the surface. They had been lying in a deep hole near the sunken hull. Thirteen bodies were found along the shores of College Point. More were found at Whitestone. Most of the bodies recovered were those of women and children. BODIES IN PADDLE BOXES. The bodies of two women were chopped out of the paddle boxes of the " General Slocum " during the after noon and the hulk was raised to the surface and towed to City Island during the night. Coroner Berry found it necessary to issue a new order for the identification of the dead in order to prevent ghouls from obtaining possession of bodies or the pur- pose of getting valuables which belonged to them. The Coroner admitted that in several instances efforts had been made to steal the tags from the bodies and in that way get their hands on the jewelry that be- longed to these bodies. "Because of this," said he, "I have instituted a system by which every person who claims a body must himself be satisfactorily identified. We now have at least $250,000 worth of jewelry and valuables taken from the bodies." NEW HORRORS SHOCK THE PUBLIC. 213 Orders were received at North Brother Island at night that all bodies recovered thereafter should be placed in metallic coffins and sent at once to the Lutheran Cem- etery and buried in the plot set apart for the unknown dead. The location where each body is buried would be carefullv marked, so that if bodies could be afterward identified from the clothing or effects, which would be kept and numbered, the bodies could be disinterred and buried elsewhere if the relatives so desired. Her wedding ring led to the identification of Mrs. Henry Schmidt, whose body was found floating off Col- lege Point- There was no clew to her identity except in the inscription " H. S- to E- E-, 1903," engraved in the ring, no woman of her description having been re- ported missing. LOOKING UP RECORDS. At the suggestion of the Rev. Mr. Fieldman, who was in constant attendance at St. Mark's Church, appli- cation was made to the Bureau of Vital Statistics, and it was there ascertained that the only persons married during the year 1903 having the initials found in the ring were Henry Schmidt and Emma Eckhardt, who were married on March 15 in that year by the Rev. Dr. J. Geyer. Detective Ross, of Inspector Schmittberger's staff, who obtained the report, found Henry Schmidt, a grocer. Mr. Schmidt said his wife had gone on the picnic and her body had not been found. He had not reported the matter and his wife's name was therefore not on the list of the missing. ''President Roosevelt sent a contribution of $500 to 214 NEW HORRORS SHOCK THE PUBLIC. the Relief Fund," Mr. Herman Ridder announced after a meeting of the Relief Committee, "and Archbishop Farley sent $100." In regard to the sum that Mr. Rockefeller was to give, Mr. Ridder stated that no definite promise had been made by him. "We wish to have it well understood," he added, " that no one is authorized to make collections for this committee. The public is warned not to give money to any one except Mr. Shiff. " We are having considerable difficulty in learning where need exists. Persons who have been sorely afflict- ed and who have never asked for aid suffer in silence. They will not let us know of their condition. We have asked the police and public school teachers to help us in discovering needy cases, and we wish to make a public appeal that all such cases be reported at the church, or by telegraph or telephone, at our expense." STUFFED WITH BULLRUSHES. Life preservers made of bullrushes which the Brook- lyn police believed were a part of the equipment of the " General Slocum " were picked up along the Brooklyn waterfront. Several of the preservers were seen drift- ing down the river and some were fished out of the water. The men were surprised when they opened one of them and saw that instead of cork the so-called pre- servers was made up of nothing but rushes. The canvas was rotten. The rushes or sea grass were a little larger in diameter than a lead pencil, and the interior was filled with a porous matter, which apparently absorbs water like a sponge, for the water could be squeezed out of the ends. Iu memory of the "Slocum's" victims the Alder- NEW HORRORS SHOCK THE PUBLIC. 216 manic Chamber was draped with mourning, and orders were given to drape the entire City Hall. That the administration at Washington was deter- mined not only to probe the official responsibility for the 41 Slocuin " disaster but so to improve the steamship in- spection laws that such calamities would be avoided in the future was shown in a statement issued at the De- partment of Commerce and Labor. The subject of the disaster and the revision of the laws was the most im- portant topic discussed at the Cabinet meeting. The statement is in part as follows : " In response to Secretary Cortelyou's request, the President directed the assignment of an officer of the army and an officer of the navy to the commission to investigate the disaster to the l General Slocum.' LAW REQUIRES INVESTIGATION. " The investigation by the local Board of In- spectors, is not made under the order of the Secretary, but it is absolutely compulsory by Section 4,450 of the Revised Statutes, and this investigation is directed solely at the question of revocation of the licenses of the vessel's officers. " Persons have confused this investigation with the one to be made by the commission just appointed and have supposed that the investigation by the local Board was ordered by the Secretary and intended to cover the whole subject. " The difference between these two investigations, and the fact that the one by the local Board is required by statute, should be made clear." A letter from Secretary Cortelyou to Mayor Mc- C lei Ian regarding the Mayor's request for a reinspec* 216 NEW HORRORS SHOCK THE PUBLIC. tion was made public. The Secretary said, "I had already ordered a reinspection," and called attention in that connection to general orders sent to collectors and inspectors on May 23 directing rigid inspections of ex- cursion boats, particularly just before holidays, when there are many excursions. In conclusion, the department made public a letter signed by Secretary Cortelyou declaring that this in- vestigation would be made thorough and the Federal officers held to strict accountability. The following was communicated by the Associated Press of Philadelphia: LETTER FROM ADMIRAL MELVILLE. " Filed away in the archives at Washington is a let- ter written by the then chief of engineers of the navy, Rear Admiral George W. Melville, that is interesting reading in view of the disaster on the i General Slo- cum.' It is couched in vigorous language and without mincing words, declares the entire system of inspection, the laws and the manner of enforcing such laws loose to such a degree as to be a menace to life. As a result of this letter a commission was appointed to make a thorough investigation. "Rear Admiral Melville was asked if he would point out where the laws and their enforcement are so inade- quate. He smiled grimly. { I guess I had better not,' he said : ( there will be courts of inquiry and coroners' inquests and investigations enough without my getting into a controversy.' " " Do the defects that existed then exist to-day ? " was asked. "Certainly," was the repl} 7 . NEW HORRORS SHOCK THE PUBLIC. 217 11 Are the defects existing due to the law or its manner of enforcement? " wt They are due to a defective law and a non-enforce- ment of that law. The department to-day has an in- sufficient number of reliable, responsible inspectors." A New York newspaper commented as follows on the terrible calamity: " Bullrush life-preservers and fire hose at sixteen cents a foot formed part of the life-saving and fire-fight- ing equipment of the ' General Slocum ' and explains in some slight degree the fearful loss of life. PRICE OF FIRE HOSE. " The bullrush life-preservers were not placed in evidence at the inquest held by Coroner Berry in the Armory of the Second Battery, N. Y. N. G., at Bathgate avenue and One Hundred and Seventy-seventh street, in The Bronx, but a bill from the New York Belting and Packing Company showed that the fire hose had been bought at forty cents a foot, with 60 per cent. off. The lives of the passengers upon the 'Slocum J are thus shown to have depended upon fire hose that cost less than the cheapest garden hose, and was far more worth- less. " This and the strange spectacle of a United States Inspector refusing to answer the questions asked him for fear th^y might incriminate him formed the most striking feature of the inques^. M Inspector Lundberg, by advice of his lawyer, re- fused to answed the questions of Mr. Garvan, and vol- untarily placed himself in the position of a defendant. He was placed under arrest as a witness, and ordered detained in the House of Detention for witnesses, but was 218 NEW HORRORS SHOCK THE PUBtlC. later released oil $500 bail. By the investigation was developed fully the fact that there had never been a fire drill on the ' Slocum.' "A picked up crew of truck drivers, dock laborers, housesiniths and land workers of all classes were en- trusted with the lives of thousands of woman and chil- dren daily, li Not one of them had ever been instructed in a fire drill, or had ever learned the station he was to take or the duties he was to perform in case of fire or panic. Only a few of them were in any way familiar with the boat. Not one of them saved a human life when the ' Slocum ' burned. DAMAGING TESTIMONY. " One, a land laborer, a few days on the boat, testified that he leaped into the lifeboat when it was lowered and swamped it. The captain, according to the testimony of the second pilot, Edwin Weaver, was not in the pilot house at any time after the fire was reported. The engineer, according to the testimony of the assistant engineer, Brandow, was not in the engine room after the fire was reported. "The mate, Edward Flanagan, a housesmith, acting as mate without a license, in violation of law, did noth- ing toward marshalling the crew and instructing them as to what they should do after the fake fire hose, at six- teen cents a foot, had burst, and their first futile, senseless effort to use the hose without taking out the false washer had failed of effect. He made no attempt to use the hose attached to the other standpipe forty feet aft of the for- ward standpipe, and on the starboard side, clear of all flames, according to the testimony of all the witnesses. NEW HORRORS SHOCK THE PUBLIC. 219 11 Rvcry member of the crew lias sworn that the flames spread along the port side. The after starboard standpipe was clear and there were no flames in that sec- tion, and yet the demoralized, panic-stricken crew made no effort to use it, but fled wildly to other parts of the ship, and either leaped into the water or jumped into the only boat lowered and swamped it, drowning a score of women and children. " And added to these evidences of criminal economy was the unpleasant spectacle of the United States Steam- boat Inspector responsible for the condition of the appa- ratus on board the 'Slocum' deliberately refusing to tes- tify or in any manner aid the Coroner and the Assistant District- Attorney in ascertaining the facts connected with the frightful catastrophe. EXPERT ON LIFE PRESERVERS. " In this attitude he is supported apparently by his superior, Robert S. Rodie, Supervising Steamboat In- spector of this division. Mr. Rodie has refused to make any statement whatever concerning the 'Slocum' disas- ter. He spent niuch time examining life preservers and in preparing to qualify as an expert concerning them. "That the fire on the ' Slocum ' must be regarded as a national calamity was shown by the appointment of a commission of investigation by Secretary Cortelyou of the Department of Commerce and Labor. The investi- gation will be entirely independent of that of the local board of steamboat inspectors. The Second Battery of the National Guard fired cannon across the waters near the wreck and thus brought up many bodies." CHAPTER XI. THE STEAMBOAT A DEATH TRAP. A T the Coroner's inquest on the second day an **• important part of the testimony related to the por- ter's visit to the storeroom with a lighted lamp. This room was filled with inflammable stuff and it is supposed that in or near it the fire originated. Testimony regarding the inadequacy of protection against fire existing on the vessel and the age and poor condition of the life-preser- vers was corroborative of what had already been brought out. While life-preservers that were falling to pieces were being taken from the racks of the steamer " General Slocum " from time to time, no effort was made to replace them and those that were condemned were merely thrown into the forward cabin or under the bunks in the forecastle. Formal admission was made by the Knicker- bocker Steamboat Company at the inquest before Coroner Joseph I! Berry, in The Bronx, that no new life-preservers had been bought for the steamer since 1895. Assistant District Attorney Francis P. Garvan, who examined all the witnesses, showed that the mate of the boat, Edward Flanagan, has never seen a life-preserver aboard bearing a later date of inspection than 1891, the year that the " Slocum " was launched. Mr. Garvan insisted in the Coroner's court that the bills for life-preservers introduced by Frank A. Barnaby, president of the steamboat company, had been presented in bad faith. Mr. Barnaby was recalled to the witness 220 THE STEAMBOAT A DEATH TRAP. 221 stand, and he modified his original statements, not hav- ing been able to show that any of the fire fighting appa- ratus purchased has been placed aboard the "Slocum" for its safety. In addition to the occasion when a few life-preser- vers were condemned by United States Inspector Lund- berg, at the time of his official visit, in May, when the inspector had poked a cane through several and instructed the mate to remove them, the attention of the mate had been directed by a deck hand before the disaster to a life- belt that was falling apart in the rack. This man pulled down some of the life-preservers at the time of the dis- aster and noticed holes in them. PRISONER'S BAIL CONTINUED. Lundberg, who had been held in $500 bail as a wit- ness, was not recalled during the day. His bail was continued, so that he would be kept on hand until the inquest was concluded. Evidence was multiplied that the ' 'General Slocum" was not equipped in any way for fighting a fire. Cheap new fire hose had been provided this year, but it had not been tested in any way, either by the inspectors or the officers of the boat. When the emergency arose, the hose could not be used ; it was kinked and twisted, the coupling to the standpipe slid off and the nozzle could not be attached . According to the testimony of the mate this hose cost sixteen cents a foot. The commodore of the Knicker- bocker fleet, Captain J. A. Pease, who had not heard this figure given, declared with emphasis that good hose could not be bought at that price. Great progress was made during the day, and at the 222 THE STEAMBOAT A DEATH TRAP. conclusion of the session Mr. Garvan said lie hoped to bring the inquest to an end next day. The Rev. Julius Schultz, pastor of St. Luke's Lutheran Church, of Erie, Pa., was called to the witness stand when the inquest opened. He told a graphic story of the panic on the " Slocum " on June 15. He had attended the excursion, and his first warning was the sight of flames shooting out of a gangway. There had been up to that time no alarms and no signals, and the children were romping about. Many of them were on the promenade deck, playing bean bag and j limping rope. He saw the wife of the Rev. George Haas advancing, apparently in great excitement, and he went aft, where there was the greatest crowd, to see if he could render any assistance. CALLED LOUDLY FOR HELP. " My first apprehension of real danger," continued Mr. Schultz, " was when I saw a deck hand come running from the cabin. Women and children rushed to him and called to him for help. He brushed them aside and answered their appeals gruffly. He pushed through the crowd, mounted the rail and jumped overboard. Several little children then jumped into the water. I held one girl back and told her to wait for a tug, which was approaching. "I pulled down a life preserver and as the strap broke with the weight, I thought it was useless and threw it down. All were strapped to the ceiling beyond the reach of the women. I saw but one deck hand besides the one who jumped; this one had a hose, but no water was coming from it." Benjamin F. Conklin, for twelve years chief engi- THE STEAMBOAT A DEATH TRAP. neer of the "Slocum," made several important admissions. He said the only steam pipe leaving the engine room led to the fire room, and there was no valve by which steam could be forced into the forward cabin in case of the out- break of fire. Q. Do you know that the law required steam pipes to each compartment in the hold ? A. No, sir ; I never heard of it. Q. Were there any hand pumps on board ? A. Yes, two, forward and aft ? Q. Were they worked in the fire ? A. Not that I know of. RUNNING VERY SLOWLY. He said the " Slocum" had been running very slowly up the river at a rate of about six miles an hour, and had been stopped several times on account of passing vessels. The speed was not increased going through Hell Gate. He was notified by Flanagan that there was a fire for- ward, but nothing was said about pumps. He told the assistant engineer to take charge of the engine. He then went to the donkey engine to connect it with the pump, and he remained there until he was driven away by the smoke. He had no notice that the pumps were not working. Q. Was the hose attached to the standpipe? A. We always kept it so. Q. Could you tell if the hose was being used ? A. That was my impression. Q. Isn't it a fact that as soon as you had turned on the water 3-011 jumped on a passing tug? A. No, sir. Q. What did 3^011 do after you deserted your post ? A. I tried to assist some passengers ; some of them after- 221 THE STEAMBOAT A DEATH TRAP. ward picked me up and carried me over to a tug or some other vessel. Q. That was before the " Slocum " reached North Brother Island ? A. No ; it was after she had struck. Q. Do you know if any fire drills were held on the " Slocum " this year? A, I do not. In answer to questions of jurors, Conklin said he had not seen or heard of Captain Van Schaick after the fire began. The nozzle of the fire hose was i y& inches ; he had not been sufficiently interested to test if the hose and pipe could stand the pressure. He was certain that United States inspectors had not tested the hose. While he had not examined the hose, he knew that it was similar to that used on other steamers. DECLARES IT WAS GOOD. " How did the fire apparatus on the " General Slo- cum " compare with that on other river boats ?" asked Terence J. McManus, counsel for the Knickerbocker Steamboat Company. "It was as good as any I ever saw on any boat I was ever on," replied Conklin. " Do you think the same of the crew ?" inquired Mr. Garvan, with a sarcastic smile. "So far as I know," was the non-committal answer. Conklin thought that this year's boiler inspection had been extremely careful and rigid. When he had concluded Mr. McManus, on behalf of the steamboat com- pany, made the admission that no new life preservers had been placed on the "Slocum" since 1895. Former Judge A. J. Dittenhoefer, personal counsel for Mr. Barnaby, THE STEAMBOAT A DEATH TRAP, 225 president of the company, said he would make no ad- mission, as he had no personal knowledge. Miss, M, C. Hall, bookkeeper, stenographer and cash- ier of the company, seemed distressed when she was again placed on the witness stand to submit to questions about the erasure of the name of the "Grand Republic " from bills for life preservers, Mr. McManus declared that there was no necessity for examining her, in view of his admission, 41 It looks as though the officers were trying to shirk responsibility and to place it on the corporation,'' com- mented Coroner Berry. "We are not attempting to shirk," cried Mr, Ditten- hoefer. " We are standing on our rights." "Any officer of any corporation could be placed in this same position," interjected Mr, McManus. GETTING AT THE TRUTH. "We wish to get to the truth,'' continued Mr, EKtten- hoefer, "and the Court should not show animus." Miss Hall had to answer the questions. She said she had been unable to find other original bills from which she had erased the name of an individual boat. Q. Tell why you made the alteration. A. I took the name off because I am very busy in July and August and I am apt to make a mistake by charging every tiling to one vessel, so I removed the name to find out what portion should be charged to the "Grand Republic. " Q. (By a juror). How came you to take off the name before you found out ? A. I understood that part of the life-preservers were for the "Slocum." Q. How did you understand it? A. I suppose frpm something Captain Pease said. N.v. ir> 226 THE STEAMBOAT A DEATH TRAP. Miss Hall said she believed Captain Pease had said the " Slocum " needed life-preservers. Then she saw him holding a sample and he said he would buy some. " How do yon get your accounts straight by guess- ing ? " asked a juror. " They are not always straight," Miss Hall replied helplessly. She could say only that she had understood from Captain Pease that some of the life-preservers were to go to the " Slocum." She had not learned to the con- trary until last. It merely had not suited her con- venience to alter the names on other bills. She could not explain why she had just told Mr. Garvan that all the alterations had been made more than a year before, while one of the bills was dated May 9th: CALLED ON TO EXPLAIN. James K. Atkinson, secretary of the company, was recalled. At the outset he did not wish to identify a list of stockholders which he had prepared, saying : "It has been in other hands since it left mine and I wouldn't want to take any chances now, as there have been so many suggestions made." Mr. Barnaby was then called upon for explanations of his original testimony. On Monday he said he had been informed by " everybody connected with the boat" that the life-preservers represented by the five bills in evidence had been bought for the " Slocum." With great hesitation he declared that he had not obtained the information from everybody. Q. Who told you? A. (After a pause). I was told by Miss Hall first Q. By any one else ? A, Yes, by some one who THE STEAMBOAT A DEATH TRAP 227 had seen Captain Van Schaick. I think it was Mr- Parks. He said Van Schaick had spoken to him about having new life-preservers on the boat. Q. Can yon tell us anyone else? A. Miss Hall said they had all been bought, Mr. Dittenhoefer advised his client not to answer further questions and not to be bulldozed, but Mr. Bar- naby continued in the same strain. He had not said originally that only part of the life-preservers had been placed on the "Slocum." His understanding had been that all were intended for that boat. a On what did you found your understanding?" pursued Mr. Garvan. "My advice is not to answer," exclaimed Mr. Dit- tenhoefer. DOING HIS LEVEL BEST. Mr. Barnaby seem distressed. Mr. Garvan stuck to this line, saying he had asked for the books and had obtained instead these bills, which Miss Hall had under- stood to represent in part material for the u Slocum," and which the president had asserted to be wholly for the "Slocum," until there was proof that all had gone to the "Grand Republic." Mr. Barnaby declared, "I am doing my level best to find out." M Don't you know that men from my office went to the 'Grand Republic' the other night and counted every one of the new life-preservers represented by these bills ? " asked Mr. Garvan. While Mr. Barnaby was answering in the negative, Air. Me Man us said : "Your men also stole our log book." Mr. Garvan seemed annoyed as he retorted: "I 228 THE STEAMBOAT A DEATH TRAP. say that this man came here in bad faith and tried to prove that life preservers bonght for the " Grand Repub- lic" had been placed on the "Slocum." To a juror Mr. Barnaby said he understood his responsibilities, but he had left the purchase of supplies to the captains of the two boats. " Did you understand that sixteen cent hose would not fight fire? " was Mr. Garvan's last question. " I know little about hose," was the reply. " There's something doing up forward," was a remark Charles A. Lang overheard on the deck as the boat was passing Fifty-seventh street, but he told the Coroner he didn't see any fire until Ninety-fourth street, and he couldn't be sure that the remark had any real signifi- cance. He was the first of the passengers on the excur- sion to be placed on the stand. He said he saw no effort on the part of any of the crew to lower the boats or do anything toward protecting life. FUEL IN THE STOREROOM. Oil, paint, hay, charcoal, lamps and other inflamma- ble material were kept in the storeroom forward, where many persons believed the fire originated, and the door was not kept locked. This was the testimony of Walter Paine, a negro porter. He filled two dozen lamps in the storeroom while the steamer was at the Third street pier. He said that he then brought up his shoe-cleaning para- phernalia, and was standing near the forward gangway with the mate when someone notified Flanagan that there was something wrong in the hold forward. Roth men ran forward and were driven back by the smoke. "The mate shouted through 'La tube to the pilot house," said Paine, "and then I saw him at the hose. It i in. m EAMBOAT A DEATH TRAP. 229 was twisted up and I tried to get the kinks out of it. The water only got three or four feet through the hose when it burst loose from the standpipe. The water was run- ning all over the deck, so I ran to the standpipe to shut it off.' ' Paine said he pulled down three or four rows of life preservers and distributed them. He couldn't swim, but he didn't put on a life preserver. He was rescued while clinging to the paddle wheel. PROBING THE FIRES ORIGIN. He said in the storeroom were two dozen lamps, three barrels of oil, one of machine, one of cylinder and one of mineral sperm oil, two or three barrels of glasses packed in soft hay, half a dozen empty barrels, some charcoal, some old life preservers, old canvas and other things he never examined. This room he said was kept closed but not locked. Two or three other men were in there on that Wednesday morning, but he couldn't give their names. He said he lighted a lantern in the storeroom to see to clean his lamps, but he was sure that he put out the match before he threw it away. Thomas Ryan, who worked at the chowder counter, said he had pulled down life preservers after hearing of the fire. He placed one on the steward of the boat, who was carrying a big bag of money. The steward was drowned. Ryan said he had helped a boy ashore. George Owens, who had charge of the chowder coun- ter, said he had not seen any member of the crew after they had failed to make the hose work. Airs, Maria Behrends, of No. 88 Third street, was the first woman sufferer called upon to testify. She said 230 THE STEAMBOAT A DEATH TRAP. the "Slocum" had just passed Blackwell's Island when there was a cry of "Fire!" followed by a panic. The officers and employees of the boat did nothing for the passengers, she said, She tried to find her children. She held herself on the rail until a tug came and rescued her. One of her daughters was saved ; two others lost their lives, CHAPTER XII. WORTHLESS LIFE PRESERVERS. WILLIAM W, TREMBLY testified that he had been engaged as a deck hand on the "Slocum" on May 20. Before that he was a waiter. There had been no fire drills on the boat. When his attention was called to the fire he helped the assistant engineer to pull down the hose, which was in a spiral. He tried to attach the nozzle, but could not, and no water flowed. All he knew about the location of the "Slocum" was that she had passed Blackwell's Island, No attempt was made to launch the lifeboats, A, S, Gilbert, counsel for Inspector Lundberg, drew out some very damaging facts about the condition of the life preservers. Trembly said he had pulled thirty or forty lifebelts from the racks and thrown them to passengers. He noticed holes in several of them, and he believed with the vibration of the boat the rusty wires had cut through the canvas. Before the disaster he had called Mate Flanagan's attention to one preserver in a particularly torn condition, and he had been told to remove it. He had not reported other damaged preservers that he had seen, because it had not been his business. He could not help seeing the holes when he had handled the life preservers. Captain John A. Pease, who is quite deaf, said he had sailed on the " Grand Republic" since she was built in 1878. He superintended the building of the k \Slo- 281 232 WORTHLESS LIFE PRESERVERS. cum" and had her put in order this spring. He had nothing to do with the life preservers on board, and he did not know whether any of them were stuffed with bull- rushes. He had obtained three hundred and fifty new life preservers for the "Grand Republic" this year. Captain Pease said he overhauled the "Slocum" this spring, but supervised only the hull and machinery. Captain Van Schaick, he said, looked after the life saving and fire apparatus. He said positively he never had any talk with Miss Hall about life preservers for the " Slo- cum," thus contradicting the bookkeeper. Captain Pease said he never bought any fire hose for the "Slocuni," and when Mr. Garvan asked him, "Did vou ever buy any good fire hose for sixteen cents a foot?" he replied: CANNOT BE BOUGHT, ' k No, I don't think anybody can." Sixteen cents was the price paid for the " Slocum's" hose, according to the mate, but a hose which was used every day to fill the tanks was bought at a list of $1.50 a foot with fifty and ten off, according to former Fire Mar- shal Freel. Thomas Henry Barrett, United States Inspector of Boilers for the Port of New York, made the positive statement in the opening of his testimony that the " General Slocum" had no hold, and that consequently the provisions in the United States statutes providing for valves to every compartment in a steamer's hold to flood it with steam in the event of fire did not apply. He said John W. Fleming, subordinate to him, made an in- spection of the " Slocum" boilers this spring. WORTHLESS LIFE PRESERVERS. 2:;:; " The Slocum" in my opinion, had no hold," said the witness. (J. Will you show us anything in the law which says that steamers of this kind have no hold ? A. I can- not. Henry A. Wise, Assistant United States District Attorney, took the witness in hand first. " Here is a ship drawing seven feet of water, with the engines on the main deck," he said. " Would you say the rooms forward and aft of the fire room underneath the engines were cabin or hold ?" He enumerated the rooms — kitchen, dining room, storage room. Mr. Barrett said what he considered the hold of a ship is the part that the cargo is put in and it is sealed by hatches. WOULD HAVE BEEN A GOOD THING. Representative Goulden, one of the jurors, asked Barrett what would have been the objection to putting a pipe in that storeroom. wl Xone at all," said the witness, and he admitted that it would have been a good thing. Robert Jacob, a shipbuilder, who was one of the jury, then took the witness in hand and caused Mr. Barrett to admit that there was no such thing as a ship without a hold. Q. By Mr. Jacob: — This vessel carried barrels of glasses and other supplies for her excursions. Where do you put these things ? Wouldn't you put them down in the hold? A. Well, I don't know where I'd put them. Q. Did you ever see a ship without a hold, Colonel ? A. No, sir. Following his chief John W. Fleming, the United States boiler inspector who inspected the " Slocum" at 234 WORTHLESS LIFE PRESERVERS. the same time as Lundberg came on the stand and an- nounced that he was very deaf. He said he and Lund- berg worked separately. He tested the boilers and engines and found everything in first class condition. Q. Did you put pressure on the fire hose with the donkey engine ? A. No. " Didn't you find any forward compartment in your inspection ?" asked the lawyer. " I didn't go there at all," admitted the witness. " I don't know what is forward of the engine room or aft. I didn't go there." "Did the 'Slocum' have any arrangement of valves leading from the boiler to any part of the ship to flood it in case of fire?" asked Mr. Garvan. "No, sir," answered Fleming, his voice rising to a shout, "because if she did it would be a mistake. She didn't need them." PITIABLE CONDITION OF THE CAPTAIN. Crippled for life, his nerves shattered and his mental anguish so great that he could scarcely contain himself at any mention of the disaster to his steamboat, Captain William Van Schaick, of the "General Slocum," was in a pitiable condition at the Lebanon Hospital. He was still confined to his bed, and the surgeons regarded his condition as serious. The veteran river and harbor nagivator, who had been in command of the "Slocum" from the day she was launched, had made all his arrangements to retire from sea life at the close of this season. His record had been unrnarred up to the day of the great disaster. He had carried 1,500,000 passengers in safety up and down the river during his long service. WORTHLESS LIFE PRESERVERS. Captain Vau Schaick had invested all his savings in a small farm near Troy, and there he had planned to make his home at the close of navigation next fall, to remain until the end of his days. Police Commissioner McAdoo received and made public reports from thirty-six precinct captains as to the general provisions for the safe handling of excursion crowds at the piers in as many precincts. The reports stated that general conditions were good, but in some instances sharp criticism was made of the narrow stairways on excursion boats and of the class of employes on many of the vessels. Captain Dean, of the harbor police, recommended that the carrying capacity of many boats be cut down and that storerooms for oil, paints and other inflammable materials, as well as the boiler rooms and galleys, be lined with fireproof material. A TON OF DYNAMITE. Great charges of dynamite — a ton in all — exploded under the surface of the East River in the vicinity of North Brother Island kept the water churned into a yeasty mass for hours, and brought a few bodies to the surface, although not so quickly as in the case of the cannon fired across the surface of the river the day before. In all thirty-six bodies were found. As soon as re- covered they were placed in metal coffins, hermetically sealed and these will not be opened again. All identi- fications were now made from the clothing and jewelry of the dead. The method designed by Police Commissioner McAdoo for ascertaining the names of those still missing as well as all those who have lost friends or relatives by the "Slocum" disaster was put into effect. A force of one 236 WORTHLESS LIFE PRESERVERS. hundred policemen, all of whom spoke German, were sent through St. Mark's parish with instructions to make a house to house canvass and to obtain the names of all who were on board the "Slocum" the day she burned. A complete roll would, it was believed, be obtained in this way. Several wrangles marked the inquest on the second day. Counsel for the Knickerbocker Steamboat Com- pany started the trouble by saying : " The officers of this company are trying to shirk responsibility and place it on the corporation." Counsel for President Barnaby : " There is no at- tempt to shirk any responsibility." Coroner Berry : " It looks that way." ALL ANIMUS DENIED. Counsel for Mr. Barnaby: u The presiding officer should not show his animus as he has done continuously since this inquest began." Coroner Berry : " There is no animus, but we want the truth here, and I am giving you every possible op- portunity to bring out the truth. It is for the jury to fix the responsibility." Driven to desperation by the manner in which As- sistant District- Attorney Garvan swept aside the trivial and futile attempts of the officers of the company to show that five different sets of life preservers had been bought for the " General Slocum " in and since the year 1892, the lawyers representing President Barnaby, of the Knickerbocker Steamboat Company, those representing the corporation in its interests as distinguished from those of the officers, and the lawyer representing the Government inspector responsible for the condition W0R1 HLESS LIFE PRESERVERS. of the life saving appliances, fought bitterly among themselves and in united array against the Assistant- District Attorney. The scenes witnessed at the inquest into the u Slo- cuni " disaster differed from anything of the sort ever seen in New York before. The lawyers who were present, except Mr. Garvan and the representative of the United States District Attorney, were there by courtesy, but their attitude became insolently aggressive, and on several occa- sions the resulting wrangles were unseemly and decidedly unusual, culminating in the criticism of Coroner Berry by Judge Dittenhoeffer after a series of attacks of like- sort upon the Assistant District Attorney. BITTER AND WITTY RETORTS. The Coroner acted with great temperance of demeanor and a vast consideration for the " lawyers for the de- fence," as they are clearly to be considered by their atti- tude. But Assistant District Attorney Garvan pelted his opponents with retorts bitterly witty at times and always effective. He was not swayed for a moment from the line of investigation he began, although hampered at every step by the exasperating and filibustering methods of the opposing lawyers, who were evidently attempting to draw the inquest out to a great length. The reason back of the efforts of the lawyer repre- senting the corporation to prevent the evasion of respon- sibility by the legal representative of President Barnabv is simple. Should it be shown that the burning of the " Slo- cum" was due to negligence on the part of the owners before the ship left her pier on Wednesday, June 15, or 238 WORTHLESS LIFE PRESERVERS. that any lives were lost because of that negligence prior to the boat's departure, the company would be responsi- ble and the entire property of the company could be attached, as well as the assets of the stockholders. It was for this reason that the lawyer representing the company fenced at the inquest to prevent any " shirking of responsibility " by the president. In turn they were not unwilling that the entire re- sponsibility should be thrown upon the inspector, as this would free the company from responsibility and save them from financial disaster. ALL INVOLVED IN A WRANGLE. The attorney of the inspector watched with hawklike vigilance any attempt on the part of either of the lawyers to shift the burden his way, and the result was a constant bickering which reached a climax when all became in- volved in a wrangle which lasted for several minutes. Some skilful generalship was required under such circumstances to lead a combined attack upon the Dis- trict Attorney's representative, but this was frequently accomplished. The representative of the Knickerbocker Steamboat Company was forced to admit that no life preservers had been bought for the "Slocum" since 1895. This was done in order to save Miss M. C. Hall from further torture upon the witness stand. When she ap- peared she confessed that she had been unable to find any other bills altered by erasures and substitution of names such as had been shown in the bills for life preservers made out in the name of the "Grand Republic," and afterward changed to the " General Slocuin." It had become evident that any further questioning WORTHLESS LIFE PRESERVERS* 289 of the witness would serve only to deepen the impression already made, and the aetion of the counsel for the com- pany in admitting that no life preservers had been bought since 1S95 saved Miss Hall further examination. Religious questions entered largely into the disas- ter, as may be seen from the following discussion by one of our prominent journals : " Very naturally, the question of the origin of evil, brought anew to the front by the awful disaster to a Sun- day school party, interests many of our correspondents. It has interested and has puzzled men from the begin- ning of their reasoning faculty ; yet they are no nearer to the solution of it than was the earliest savage who sought to conciliate the mysterious Power over the uni- verse. LUNATICS ASKING QUESTIONS. " In times past men have gone mad in their search for the key to the mystery, and even now the lunatic asylums contain many men and women who imagine that they have cleared away the mystery, and that is why they are there. " Some of our correspondents complain that in writ- ing of the subject a few days ago we gave up the question, as undeniably we did, and as everybody outside of a mad- house must give it up, if he does not want to get inside. " For example, a sharp broker of the Cotton Ex- change, though good enough to contribute to us ' the possession of ability and intelect,' questions our ' exer- cise of both or either ' in what he said. He infers that we dodged the question in a pusillanimous fashion : 11 l Did you in that editorial, simply say all you dared to say, or did your comments describe your actual and honest comprehension and belief of the subject matter? 240 WORTHLESS LIFE PRESERVERS. " ' Did you withhold anything that may have been impressed upon you by your best and broadest think- ing ? ' » " Certainly, we dared to say no more. We give up the question of the origin of evil. We withhold nothing, for we frankly acknowledged ignorance. The critical broker's 'best and broadest thinking' ma} 7 go far and dive very deep ; but, no more than we, can he get to the bottom of that mystery by any process of reasoning. DULL PLACE WITHOUT CHILDREN. " Mr. John Cadman, of Brooklyn, says, very reason- ably, that so far as concerns the question of the merciful- ness of a personal God there is no difference l between a thousand innocent children being burned to death or drowned by the burning of a steamboat, and the same number of equally innocent children dying on that day in a thousand different homes all over the world.' With- out children, continues Mr. Cadman, 'heaven would seem to most of us a dull, uninteresting place where few would care to go.' " Besides, he argues, if the children on the 'Slocum ' had been permitted to live to old age or middle life, who can tell how many of them would have been led into sins and been a cause of greater grief to their parents than was their destruction in that disaster ? But if they had never existed at all they would have been saved from torture on that burning boat. If they were more fortun- ate than others in being saved from the sin of the others, where is justice ? The mystery remains. "A, New York correspondent argues that as God gives us ' intelligence and free will we are ourselves re- sponsible for the neglect of the precautions which would WORTHLESS LIFE PRESERVERS. 241 have prevented the catastrophe. God could not do more unless He suspended all laws to make up for the gross carelessness of the owners, the captain, the crew and the inspectors.' But it was not the negligent who perished. The children burned and drowned had no such responsi- bility. But, says our pious friend, ' they escaped all the other pains and evils of life,' and the lawful catastrophe may save the rest of us from ' greater evil from another accident.' Is not that rather a selfish view to take of the destruction of hundreds of poor children ? DUE TO CARELESSNESS. " 4 God,' says a new York dogmatist, ' .wills no evil, and causes no evil ; evil comes from human disobedience of God's commandments.' 'The real cause' he attributes 'to the one man who smoked in the lamp room.' Assum- ing that he is correct in this, is it consistent with our human idea of justice that the careless and disobedient smoker should escape and hundreds of women and child- ren who did not smoke should be burned as a punish- ment for his misdoing ? That is substantially the question scores of our sceptical correspondents are asking us. "The theory of one reader is that l God in taking away the lives of those on the 'Slocum,' chose those who were, no doubt, jewels in His crown' and there- by used His own to warn those who ought to be living better.' A Kingston correspondent takes the directly contrary view that, ' horrible as the ' Slocum ' disaster was, its iconoclastic side is immense ' — that is, it tends to destroy in men belief in ' the personal God whom the superstitious had set up and of whom they expect interference in the affairs of the world at their asking.' N.Y. 10 242 WORTHLESS LIFE PRESERVERS. " Finally, asks a Brooklyn correspondent, i as none of these dear little children under the age of responsi- bility will be lost, is it not good of God to call to a lost eternity men and women who have entirely ignored God's invitation to accept Christ as their Saviour?' Besides children, it must be remembered, very many adults were lost in the disaster. " We give these opinions from among scores which we are receiving on this subject. After all is said, do they leave the mystery any the less impenetrable by man ? Either you must take the dogmatic theological explanation, purely on faith, or you must make inexo- rable natural law the ruler of man's destiny." The cry of man's anguish went up unto God : "Lord, take away pain ! The shadow that darkens the world Thou hast made, The close coiling chain That strangles the heart ; the burden that weighs On the wings that would soar — God, take away pain from the world Thou hast made, That it love Thee the more !" Then answered the Lord to the cry of the world - "Shall I take away pain, And with it the power of the world to endure, Made strong by the strain ? Shall I take away pity that knits heart to heart And sacrifice high ? Will ye lose all your heroes that lift from the fire White brows to the sky ? Shall I take away love that redeems with a price And smiles at its loss ? Can ye spare from your lives that would climb unto mine The Christ on the Cross ? " CHAPTER XIII. VALOROUS DEEDS BY RESCUERS. IMPORTANT disclosures were made again during the Coroner's inquest regarding the conduct of the crew of the " General Slocum " at the time of the fire and the measures taken by those in control of the vessel to save passengers. Wreckers raised the hulk of the " Slocum n and towed it to flats, where it was beached. Several bodies were recovered and the work of identification proceeded slowly. Nothing was reported to change materially the estimate of the total loss of life that appeared to be over 1,000. Mr. Jacob H. Schiff, in announcing that the relief fund was now about $90,000, gave his opinion that sufficient money had been contributed to carry out the purposes of the fund. Mem- bers of the jury selected by Coroner Joseph I. Berry, of The Bronx, to investigate the " Slocum " disaster de- clared that the evidence already before them would enable them to determine the responsibility for the accident. Captain William Van Schaick, commander of the u Slocum," was carried into the Coroner's temporary court room, at the corner of Bathgate avenue and 177th street. He was on a stretcher and was in great pain from his fractured heel, and Assistant District Attorney Francis P. Garvan did not put a question to him, but had him carried back to the Lebanon Hospital after a short delay. Martin Cragh, the first witness, was a deck hand on the " Slocum." He said he had never been through a 243 244 VALOROUS DEEDS BY RESCUERS. fire drill and he had not recognized the fire alarm when he had heard it. He had tried to prevent a panic, but as soon as the boat was beached he had jumped over- board. James Collins, a policeman, attached to the " Mor- risania district, testified that he had seen the "Slocum" afire off the foot of 13 2d street. The boat was then blazing fiercely, and he called up Police Headquarters and asked to have a fireboat sent at once. He found a rowboat and followed the " Slocum " to rescue the women and children. When he reached the excursion steamer she was ablaze from stem to stern, on all three decks. "Did you see any life-preservers?" asked Mr. Gar- van. "Yes, sir," was the reply. "Almost all of them were torn and cork was dropping out of them." MAY HAVE LOST HIS HEAD. Collins said he thought the "Slocum" should have been beached on the west side of the river some distance below North Brother Island. " Then the captain beached her in the wrong place on purpose?" suggested Terence J. McManus, counsel for the Knickerbocker Steamboat Company. " I don't say that," replied the witness, "but he may have lost his head." Policeman Herbert C. Farrell, who accompanied Collins, agreed that a mistake had been made in not beaching the "Slocum " earlier. There was a good mud bank to run into at 129th street, he said, with mud flats extending fully fifty or sixty feet from shore. The depth made that location specially desirable, and Farrell insisted that if he had been the captain, that VALOROUS DEEDS BY RESCUERS. 246 would have been the place that he would have landed. Farrell has had experience in sailing small boats in the East River for twenty years. Captain John Van Gilder was called as an expert. He is in the employ of the New York, New Haven cc Hartford Railroad Company, and he has been a pilot for twenty-seven years, having had charge of several of the big excursion boats in New York harbor. After the disaster he went over the route taken by the " Slo- cum" with E. N. Weaver, pilot of the wrecked steamer. He was informed by Weaver that the first alarm of fire had come when the "Slocum" was about three lengths north of the Black Spar buoy, on the sunken meadows. Weaver had told him that there was a strong flood tide. WOULD HAVE LANDED ELSEWHERE. " What course would you have taken if you had commanded the 'Slocum,' "inquired Mr. Garvan. " I should have gone from two to two and a half points west," replied Captain Van Gilder, M and I should have landed at Port Morris, about the foot of 130th street, either with the port or the starboard side ashore." Captain Van Gilder's conclusion was that if the " Slocuni " had been beached at that point, with the port side on the bank, the fire would have been driven by the wind forward and ashore and the steamer would have not have been consumed so quickly. In response to questions put by jurors, Captain Van Gilder said fire drills were necessary on a passenger boat, and that they should be held every day at first. Local inspectors are primarily responsible for all safety appliances, though there must be a general supervision by the master of the boat. 246 VALOROUS DEEDS BY RESCUERS. Q. If you sent a mate to buy fire hose and lie made the purchase at the rate of sixteen cents a foot, would you assume that it was good without a test ? A. I never heard of good fire hose at sixteen cents a foot. Q. Would you receive sixteen cent hose on your boat ? A. Not without a protest. Q. Would you disregard an order from an assistant United States inspector and appeal to his official superior ? A. Oh, no. I would obey any order, as I could not get a license if I did not. COVERS EASILY MILDEWED. The captain agreed with a juror that nine-tenths of the life preservers when exposed to dampness have their covers mildewed in one season. With care a preserver may last in good condition for many years, and the ordi- nary life of one should be seven or eight years. He was surprised to hear that there was any question that all portions of a vessel below the main deck were the hold, although he said the government officials were liable to 11 find almost anything." Ruben A. Tudor, captain of a sloop, who followed the " Slocum " and who saved several lives, said he saw many women and children wearing life preservers sink the moment that they struck the water. Captain Edward Van Woert, first pilot on the " Slo- cum," admitted with evident reluctance in reply to Mr. Garvan's questions, that the life preservers on the " Slo- cum" dated back to 1891, when the steamer was launched. When the disaster occurred the lifeboats were not lowered. He did not recall having seen any fire drills. Captain Van Schaick had given orders to beach the " Slocum " at North Brother Island when the fire was VALOROUS DEEDS BY RESCUERS. 247 raging and had then disappeared from the pilot house. The pilot had himself ordered the destruction of about fifty life preservers this year when he saw that they were in a bad condition. He thought that the course taken had been the best one possible. Mrs. H. W. Turner, of No. 2649 Eighth avenue, testified that she had been in the "Slocum " disaster and had tried to use three life preservers, and each of them had torn and she had to throw them away. She jumped to a tug, holding her child in her arms. Her nephew and her sister died. RIVER STREWN WITH GRANULATED CORK, Miss Lulu McKibben, who had charge of the tele- phone at North Brother Island, and who without instruc- tions gave timely orders to hospitals in New York, was called as a witness to establish the bad condition of the life preservers. She said she had seen the river strewn with granulated cork when the "Slocum" was burning. She waded out into the water and saved two persons. Joseph S. Gaffney, chief engineer at North Brother Island, said he had seen the burning steamer approach- ing, and he had brought out the island hose to fight the flames. When the " Slocum " beached, blazing nearly from stem to stern, he devoted himself to life saving, wading deep into the water, and using a long fire hook to drag in persons who were afloat. He helped to rescue four or five. " I went to save a woman," he said. " She was wear- ing a life preserver, and I saw it break in the middle and float away from her. She was saved." Capt. Henry Wallabar, chief clerk on North Brother 248 VALOROUS DEEDS OF RESCUERS. Island, said he had seized a life preserver around a woman to pull her out of the water and it had torn into two pieces, leaving in his hand what he first believed to be sawdust, but which proved to be granulated cork. The woman was almost dead, but was revived after long efforts. The shore was lined with cork from the life pre- servers. Paul Liebenow, with his head swathed in bandages and his hands badly burned, said he had tried in vain to pull down life preservers at the time of the disaster. He knew that others had implored the captain to beach the "Slocum" at the sunken meadows. He heard of the fire when he was between Ninetieth and Ninety-second streets. Among those killed were two of his children, a sister, a sister-in-law, a niece and a nephew. PULLED DOWN BY LIFE PRESERVER. Henry Hordkopf, of No. 343 Rivington street, whose mother was lost, said he had noticed the fire as the " Slocum" passed the northern end of Blackwell's Island. Miss Annie Kip, of No, 1894 Third avenue, said she had gone on the excursion with a cousin, who was drowned. She obtained a life preserver but found in the water that it pulled her down, and she clung to one of the " Slo- cum' s" paddles until she was saved. John L. Wade, engineer aboard the tug "J. W. Wade," which he owns, told with the utmost modesty the story of the rescue of many lives at the time of the dis- aster. He followed the " Slocum," picking up many who dropped overboard, and he beached his tug under the " Slocum' s " stern, so as to pick up as many as possible. He did not stop to consider the risk he ran or the dam- age to his boat. His instructions to his men were to VALOROUS DEEDS BY RESCUERS. 249 look out for the living and not to bother with the dead. He felt certain that one of the engineers had stuck to his post to the end and that the captain and one of the pilots had been among the last to jump. When he tried to pull aboard a young woman a life preserver that she wore broke into four pieces, though it kept her afloat. He went out of his way to say that the mate of the "Slocum," Edward Flanagan, had done noth- ing to help anybody. He thought that Captain Van Schaick had beached the boat in the best place possible. CHEAP PRICE MEANS CHEAP HOSE. One of the jurors questioned Captain Wade about sixteen cent fire hose. He said he had never heard of good hose at that price. The best he had been able to do for his own boat was to obtain a length of fifty feet for $25. Mary McCann, a bright looking girl of seventeen, was the next witness. She was convalescing from scarlet fever on June 15, when she saw the burning boat beached. She swam out five times and brought in six little children in her arms. The last time she started her skirt had been torn off, and as she was near shore she lost consciousness, and she, too, had to be rescued. Edwin Robinson, a negro, said he had been assistant cook on the "Slocum." He had been specially warned not to light matches in the forward cabin where the fire occurred. All he did when the boat was beached was to save himself. The following statement from a well-known news- paper will be of interest to the reader. It is dated June 25th, 1904 : " The Federal Grand Jury has been called for Thurs- 250 VALOROUS DEEDS BY RESCUERS. day (June 30th) to consider the " Slocum " disaster and to fix the criminal responsibility. Representatives of the government have watched the developments during the Coroner's inquest and are familiar with all the testimony. The hull of the burned vessel was inspected yesterday by representatives of the local and federal government. Conditions disclosed bore out the testimony as to useless fire hose and life preservers. "One body was found in the hull, and evidence that many were completely incinerated was found in the shape of melted jewelry. The Coroner's jury has heard suf- ficient evidence, and is ready to fix the responsibility for the disaster. It will visit the wreck on Monday. RELIEF FUND SUFFICIENT. "Contributions still continued to come in from sym- pathizers, notwithstanding the statement of Mr. Jacob H. SchifFthat the relief fund was already sufficient. "After a long conference with District Attorney Jerome, Assistant District Attorney Francis P. Garvan and United States District Attorney Burnett, Coroner Joseph I. Berry, of the Bronx, announced that the plan to close the inquest on Monday in the case of the victims on the ( General Slocum ! had been abandoned. Instead of completing the testimony at that time the jurors will spend the day in making a personal inspection of the hulk of the burned steamer. "The jurors were instructed to assemble at eleven o'clock on Monday in the armory of the Second Battery, at 177th street and Bathgate avenue, where the Coroner has been holding court. Several automobiles will be provided to take the jurors to a ferry boat, which will land them close to where the hulk of the ' Slocum ' now VALOROUS DEEDS BY RESCUERS. 251 lies. The witnesses subpoenaed for Monday will have to appear on the following day, when the final testimony will be taken and the case will go to the jury. " Coroner Berry does not believe that much more testimony need be given at the inquest. Substantially all the survivors of the crew have told their stories, pas- sengers have described the cowardice of those from whom they expected aid, scores have explained the condition of the fire fighting apparatus on the boat, and experts have discussed Captain William Van Schaick's actions after the discovery of the fire had been reported to him. Mr. Garvan had a reason for wishing to have the stories of the deckhands all placed on record, but neither he nor Coroner Berry thinks it worth while to pile up cumula- tive testimony from other sources. CAN FIX RESPONSIBILITY. "All of the Jurors are men of recognized ability and the Coroner is convinced that they have heard enough to place the responsibility where it belongs. If they deter- mine that the deaths of the victims were due to the care- lessness of anybody criminal proceedings must *ollow. As the disaster happened on a steamer the Federal court must act. A session of the United States Grand Jury has been called for next Thursday to consider the case, under section 5,344 of the Revised Statutes of the United States, which reads : — "Every captain, engineer, pilot or other person employed on any steamboat or vessel by whose miscon- duct, negligence or inattention to his duties on such ves- sel the life of any person is destroyed, and every owner, inspector or other public officer through whose fault, connivance, misconduct or violation of law the life of 252 VALOROUS DEEDS BY RESCUERS. any person is destroyed, shall be deemed gnilty of man- slaughter and, upon conviction thereof before any Cir- cuit Court of the United States shall be sentenced to confinement at hard labor for a period of not more than ten years. " As the United States District Attorney has had a representative at the Coroner's inquest, the testimony already taken will form the basis of the evidence to be submitted to the federal Grand Jury for indictment. The officials believe that the record of the inquest up to date warrants the indictment of many of those who have been called upon to testify and who have not thus far appeared in the role of defendants. STILL IN THE HOSPITAL. " Capta A n Van Schaick, who has been under deten- tion as a witness since the day of the accident, has not yet been called to the stand in the Coroner's court on account of his physical condition. He is still under subpoena and he will be examined on Tuesday if he im- proves to the extent that the physicians say .he would sustain no injury by the effort and excitement. He is a patient in the Lebanon Hospital, and while he is said to be progressing favorably he is very weak as a result of his broken heel and his burns. If he continues in the precarious state he has been in throughout this week the inquest will be closed without his testimony. " Members of the Coroner's jury have not hesitated to say they believe themselves fully conversant with the j facts at present, and they are willing to place the respon- sibility without hearing anything further. They are thoroughly familiar with the condition of the life-saving apparatus on the * Slocum,' and with the circumstances VALOROUS DEEDS BY RESCUERS. 263 attending its inspection before the steamer was put in commission last month. 44 Frank A. Barnaby, president of the Knickerbocker Steamboat Company, which owned the 'Slocum,' re- ferred all inquiries yesterday to his counsel, former Judge A. J. Dittenhoefer, who declared that the evidence as it now stands acquits his client of all blame. 14 4 Mr. Barnaby is a very busy man,' said Mr. Dit- tenhoefer. 4 He is connected with various corporations besides having large real estate interests. He must necessarily depend entirely upon his agents and upon the certificate of the United States inspectors. When the United States inspectors certified to Mr. Barnaby that the 'Slocurn' was all right he had a perfect right to conclude that everything was in proper condition, especially as he had no expert knowledge on the subject. The testimony shows that whenever his attention was called to any requirements he had them attended to immediately. He had not been aboard of the ( Slocum ' this season, and I believe that he had been on the boat very few times since she was built. He trusted the officers of the boat.' " HEARD OF IT BY ACCIDENT, It was hardly thought that there was any person within many miles of New York who had not heard of the " Slocum" disaster, but those in charge of the Information Bureau at the church learned of one man whose wife was among the victims. Frederick Seelig lives at Dundee Lake, Bergen county, N. J. He visited the country store and picked up an old copy of a news- paper. In it, for the first time, he learned of the disaster and hastened to the city to locate his wife. 254 VALOROUS DEEDS BY RESCUERS. He told those at the information bureau that about ten days before he gave his wife money to come to the city and open a delicatessen store. At the same time he gave her two tickets for the excursion, Seelig having been formerly a member of St. Mark's Church. He said his wife opened the store somewhere on the East side and undoubtedly was among the excursionists. At the Mor- gue he found samples of her clothing which he identified beyond doubt. NOT PROPERLY EQUIPPED. Rotten timbers, useless fire hose, crumbling life preservers and other evidences of the "General Slocum's" condition were found, when, from the first time water was pumped from her hold and an examination below the main deck was possible. Sections of the timbers, pieces of the hose and other exhibits were procured by Coroner Berry. It was also discovered that the storeroom below the main deck, in which the fire started, had not been very badly burned and that all parts of the ship below were in fairly good condition. In the storeroom were seven barrels, all full, and supposed to contain oil. In the room were also many camp chairs, some life preservers and dishes. Near the door the floor was considerably charred, showing that the fire had started in the room and had blazed out of the open door, where the flames were caught in the wind and quickly sucked up the hatchways to the upper deck. When the hull was lifted above the surface of the water the main deck revealed many evidences of the calamity. In a half dozen places were the tangled iron- work of baby carriages. Mixed with the mud and ashes were hairpins, occasional fragments of clothing, metal VALOROUS DEEDS BY RESCUERS. 255 buttons and many articles of jewelry. Melted watch cases were found in several places. All told, the police carried away nearly a half-bushel of sealed and numbered envelopes containing melted gold and bits of jewelry. A child's body was found near the starboard paddle box. Coroner O' Gorman believed that many bodies were completely incinerated on the deck. He was also con- vinced that there were still bodies somewhere in the hold of the ship hidden in the debris. VISITING THE WRECK. Commander C. McR. Winslow, of the United States Navy, detailed by the United States Government to look after the work of investigation, visited the wreck in com- pany with Inspector General George Uhler, of the Steam- boat Inspection Bureau, and Assistant Inspector Robert Rodie, of the New York district, and spent some time looking over the hull. They would make no comment upon what they saw. Frank A. Barnaby, president of the Knickerbocker Company, which owned the " General Slocuru," his secretary, and Charles Hills, one of the directors of the company, visited the wreck while the work of inspection was in progress. "It is my opinion there should be a fleet of ten fire- boats to protect the water front of this city," said Fire Commissioner Hayes. " The Brooklyn water front should have three fireboats at least. At present the u Hewitt" is devoted to the protection of that district, but one boat is by no means enough. Staten Island at present has none and there should be at least one placed there. The New York front requires at least six, and we have only five for that section. Since October last the Low and Moody have been out of commission, badly handicapping the 256 VALOROUS DEEDS BY RESCUERS. situation. We hope to have the "Low" ready for service in two weeks. In my opinion she should have been sold last October and a new boat built. It has cost the city $35,000 to accomplish the necessary repairs, and the boat will not be as good as a completely modern one, which could have been obtained for an additional $45,000. "It is my intention to bend all my efforts toward obtaining from the Board of Estimate and Apportionment an appropriation of a quarter of a million of dollars to better the Fire Department in this city. Were the people of New York wholly cognizant of the present fire alarm system, which is wofully behind the times, they would be at once astounded and alarmed. NEED MORE FIRE BOATS. U I want to say I am wholly in favor of the stand for more fire boats, and I think the time will come when the people will become so aroused they will demand the ser- vice that is their due in a city of this size and wealth. For the firemen I have only words of praise. They are a reliable set of men, and always do their best with the means in their power to extinguish fires and save lives." More than three thousand dollars was realized at a benefit given for the surviving sufferers of the " Slocum " disaster at the Grand Opera House, Every seat and all the boxes were sold at advance rates. Beethoven Hall, at 431 East Sixth street, was packed to the doors when the funeral of Mrs. Sophia Schueffler, sixty-three years old, of No. 338 East Sixth street, took place. She was known as the " grandmother'' to the whole of St. Mark's colony. Mrs. Schueffler weighed about four hundred pounds in life, and the funeral could not be held in the house as it was impossible to get the VALOROUS DEEDS BY RESCUERS. 267 especially built coffin into the building. The hall was heavily draped with black. Following the services in the hall, which were con- ducted by the Rev. Mr. Krueska, one of the German Lutheran volunteer ministers, twenty-one carriages fol- lowed the hearse to First avenue, to Seventh street, to Second avenue and then through Sixth street and past St. Mark's Church on the final stretch of the route to the Williamsburg Bridge. Practically every child in the neighborhood waited patiently to see the hearse and carriage pass by. It was the custom of Mrs. Schueffler to take the families of her two daughters and three sons on the an- nual St. Mark's excursions. This year she went alone for the first time. She said she had grown too old and too stout to take the responsibility of caring for so many children. n.y. 17 CHAPTER XIV. SWIFT JUSTICE DEMANDED. IT was testified before the Coroner's jury that mem- 1 bers of the crew of the " Slocum " did nothing to save lives. All of the crew except one was saved, and he was drowned trying to save a bag containing about $1,000 in coin. Testimony was given before the Coroner's jury that no fire drills were held on the "Slocum " this year; that no life preservers had been bought since 1895, and that there was no valve in the compartment in which the fire started from which steam could be turned in in case of fire. These are all violations of the Revised Statutes of the United States. As for the inspection of the steamer, one United States inspector refused to tell what he did by way of inspection on the ground that the testimony might tend to incriminate him. It was said at the Federal Building that few tighter cinched cases had ever been turned over to a Federal Grand Jury, and the prediction was made that the num- ber of indictments that would be returned would jolt some persons. Gen. Burnett was particularly pleased with the state in which he found the case. That which pleased him most was the fact that the witnesses to be called to testify "before the Federal Grand Jury were all on record before the Coroner, and they could not get away from that re- cord without causing themselves some embarrassment. There were some 800 pages of testimony to hold up be- fore any witness possessed of the inclination to duck. 258 SWIFT JUSTICE DEMANDED. 250 The new turn which the case took made it possible to tell the story of a pretty bit of legal finesse. It was told in the Federal Building by a person who had been familiar with the case from the beginning. He said : " Now that this case has been delivered into the hands of the United States, it can do no harm to say that the delivery was the result of a carefully worked out plan and, so far, not a detail miscarried. 11 When the news of the disaster reached Washing- ton Secretary Cortelyou of the Department of Commerce and Labor, after consulting with the President, started for New York and laid plans to find out whether any- body was criminally responsible for the awful loss of life. ORDERS FROM WASHINGTON. "Gen, Burnett was posted from Washington as to what would be expected of him. Meanwhile Mayor Mc- Clellan had got to work and ordered the wrecked " Slo- cum " raised. Coroners Berry and O' Gorman were work- ing hard, and District Attorney Jerome stood by to give the Coroners all the legal advice they needed. "As soon as Cortelyou arrived, and while some of the newspapers were printing stories about ill feeling between State and Federal authorities, Cortelyou and the Mayor, who are old friends, and Gen. Burnett and Jerome all got together, and a thorough understanding was arrived at. There was, as a matter of fact, no clash any- where. "Jerome pointed out that a Federal investigation must, of necessity, be long drawn out before even the stepping stone testimony would be adduced. He said there was no doubt that it was a case for the United States Courts ; but he reminded the others that a Coro- 260 SWIFT JUSTICE DEMANDED. ner's inquest would have to be held, and he showed that that was the quickest way to bring out the preliminary facts and get evidence, without any delay, on which the Government could proceed. He added that his office was at once at the Government's disposal. 14 Gen. Burnett agreed with Jerome. Now, see how prettily Jerome's plan worked out. The inquest was started on Monday. Assistant District Attorney Gar- van was instructed to get to the bottom of the business. In four days he got on record a pretty comprehensive story of how the crew of the " Slocum " acted after the fire was discovered ; how the steamer was equipped, and how the general business of the company owning the boat was conducted. PUSHING THE INVESTIGATION. 44 Meanwhile Mayor McClellan was carrying out his part of the plan. On Thursday the wreck was raised and ready for the inspection of the Coroner's jury, the Federal Grand Jury, or anybody else. The case will go to the Coroner's jury on Monday, and, unless I am much mistaken, within two weeks from the time the investiga- tion was begun somebody will be indicted for something. 44 That something is very serious. Before Garvan had got far into the case he found out that there was much better chance of meting out adequate punishment to the guilty, should guilt be legally determined, under Federal than under State laws. Should anybody be indicted and tried on the charge of manslaughter in the State courts the jury might find the defendant guilty of either one of two degrees of the crime. " But there is no dodging the Federal law. If the defendants, whoever they may be, are convicted of crimi- SWIFT JUSTICE DEMANDED. 261 nal negligence the jury must find them guilty of man- slaughter, the prescribed penalty for which is confinement at hard labor for ten years." The work of collecting additional evidence was con- tinued with unabated vigor when, by the raising of the charred hull of the " Slocum," the first opportunity to make a thorough inspection of the hold was presented. The steamer was shoved further up on the mud flat of Flushing Bay at high tide, and at noon two rotary pumps with a combined capacity of 8,000 gallons a minute began drawing the flooded hold. The shattered hulk rose three inches in the first five minutes and two hours later the steamer was practically floated. GHASTLY FINDINGS ON DECK. Earlier in the day two bodies, those of a girl of about twelve and a boy of seven were found back of the pad- dle-box. Inspector Albertson found on the main deck the leg of an adult, and the foot and ankle of a child. Word that the hull had been raised brought to the scene late in the afternoon many persons prominently connected with the investigation. President Barnaby and his counsel, Lawyer McManus, made their first inspec- tion of the hull. They called attention to the presence in the forward cabin, where the fire is said to have started, of seven oil barrels and a bag of charcoal which had apparently not been touched by the flames. The jute bag was still intact, in spite of its inflammable con- tents^ and the oil barrels were little more than blackened by the cinders from the burned deck above. u This would seem to be conclusive proof," Mr. McManus said, " that the fire did not start in the forward cabin, as has been the accepted theory up to this time. 262 SWIFT JUSTICE DEMANDED. The origin of the fire would therefore seem to be a mystery." The discovery of this condition seemed to afford President Barnaby and his counsel particular satisfac- tion. President Barnaby waved aside all questioners with the remark : " I am here to work, not to talk." Commander Cameron Winslow, U. S. N., of the commission appointed by President Roosevelt to investi- gate the disaster, accompanied by Inspector-General Uhler and Mr. Rodie, inspected the hull. They refused to say anything concerning the results of their inspec- tion, but announced that they would make another visit. SAFE BROKEN OPEN. Coroner O' Gorman made a search of the main deck and found a considerable quantity of valuables, includ- ing three gold watches and a wedding ring bearing the inscription, a To my wife." He ordered Sergt. Postoff to break open the safe. While this was being done with crowbars and sledge hammers an excited little group gathered. When the steel door was raised and Sergt. Postoff drew forth two canvas bags whose contents jingled there was an excited murmur. The bags proved to be filled with brass checks used by the waiters and bar- tenders on the steamer. Nothing of value was discovered in the safe. Darkness fell before a thorough search of the hold for bodies could be made. Coroner O' Gorman penetrated the rear hold as far as possible and because of the odor said he was convinced that more bodies would be re- covered as soon as the debris could be removed. It was evident from the position of the life boats that no effort had been made by either crew or passen- SWIFT JUSTICE DEMANDED. 268 gers to employ them to escape. Their metal hulls had dropped from the davits to the deck. Coroner O'Gorman took away with him a section of the " 16-ceut " fire hose, which he discovered in the debris. The body of Gertrude Haas, the sixteen-year-old daughter of the pastor of St. Mark's Church, it was dis- covered, had been buried in the grave with a number of other unidentified dead. The fact was established by parts of the clothing that had been saved at the Morgue. Arrangements will be made to disinter the body and have it reburied in the family piot. PASTOR PREACHES TO HIS FLOCK. Pastor Haas nerved himself for his sad duties and preached to his flock on Sunday. He said : " Why, my beloved, has this thing come to us ? We know it, and we cannot deny it. It was due to negli- gence, carelessness and greed and that worship of Mam- mon which looks only for profit and sends thousands of souls into eternity." With all the strength that he could put into his voice, the Rev. George C, F. Haas made this declaration in his sermon before his afflicted congregation in St. Mark's Lutheran Church, in Sixth street. The little church was crowded to the doors with friends and relatives of the unfortunates who were lost in the " General Slocuni" disaster, and more than once throughout his sermon the pastor's voice was drowned by the sobs that came from every side. There were many who wondered that the Rev. Mr. Haas was able to preach at all. He had endeavored to address the Sunday School an hour before, but collapsed ere he had hardly begun. He was pale and trembling 264 SWIFT JUSTICE DEMANDED. when lie entered the pulpit, but with a great effort, he seemed to strengthen himself for the ordeal, and pres- ently his faltering tones gave way to distinctness and eloquence. Only once did he seem to lose control of himself, 1 and that was when he referred to the many evidences of sympathy which he had received from all over the world. There were about eight hundred persons present, mostly in mourning. The Rev. Mr, Haas took his text from St. Paul's Epistle to the Corinthians, xiii., 13 — " And now abideth faith, hope and love, and the greatest of these is love." "I have sat by many a casket within the last few days and preached consolation," began the pastor; "I have attended many a funeral and tried to brush the tears away, but never in my life have I felt such deep sorrow as I do to-day, and never before have I felt so anxious to say a few words to you. Let God give me strength to preach that word and to reach your hearts in this dark hour. OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. "I can hear the words of many who say : — ' What cause have you now for faith in God ? Why did God let such things come to you ? ' And yet even while this has come, I still believe and say it is not God who has done this, but negligence, carelessness and greed. It was due to those who hold life cheap, who look for profit only and whose only God is Mammon. It was due to officers who did not do their duty and to their careless and in- competent agents. "However, forgive me if I throw stones on this occasion. ' Judge not, that ye be not judged.' We, too, SWIFT JUSTICE DEMANDED. 265 are to blame. Had we not always been silent, but lifted our voices and cried out against this gross negligence and greed, things would have been different. We are all more or less to blame for it all. " Yet, see what God teaches us. For a time careless- ness and greed and the worship of Mammon may abide, for a time it may flourish and prosper, but after all there sits a God iu heaven whose laws and commandments you cannot throw aside. He is always there, and when a calamity like this comes, we feel His power, we see where we have sinned, and we can thank Him for the great lesson taught us. " But I hear you ask : — ' But if this is all so, why then should we poor God-loving people have such a thing come upon us, and why take away these innocent chil- dren ? Why does it not come upon the evil and sinful ? ' And I answer even then you can still believe in Him. The ways of God are past our understanding." VISITATION A MYSTERY. The pastor dwelt upon the " mystery " of such a visitation falling upon a congregation of God-fearing men and women at the hands of a just and loving Master. He said throughout all that happened his faith in God had not been shaken, although, in spite of the many experien- ces he had passed through in the past ten days, it had often been difficult for him to bear up under his burden. u What is to console us now? " he asked. " What can we do ? Shall we continue in our work or give up ? Answering for myself, and I am sure for the great majority of my people, I can say we will go on. This blow has given me greater strength. 266 SWIFT JUSTICE DEMANDED. # " Negligence, carelessness and greed are responsible for this awful disaster. I thank God that it has opened the eyes of our whole city and the whole country to what is required to save thousands of others from a like fate. No one on that fatal boat died in vain. The laws of God cannot be violated, even if human laws are. " My people, I call upon you to put your faith in God and to bear up, even though many of our loved ones are gone. Love still lives. Love cannot be killed. We can keep our love and with it the memories of our loved ones who have gone before. In this, our darkest hour, with all our burdens and afflictions still fresh upon us, let us look up to God. What is now an awful calamity may in time prove a blessing. Our cross is heavy, but, thank God, it is not too heavy.' ' A HEARTFELT TRIBUTE. Tears dimmed the pastor's eyes and he frequently choked when he paid a glowing tribute to the officers of the church and Sunday school who had lost their lives. When he spoke of his wife and daughter he was near the point of collapse. It took only two hours for the big pumps of the Merritt-Chapman company to pump dry the hull of the " General Slocum " as. she lay on the flats at low tide off Riker's Island. When the tide rose the "Slocum" floated off, and as she lay in the Sound all the afternoon she was the object of great interest to all passing craft. As finally raised, there is nothing above her main deck save parts of her machinery and the two paddle boxes. While the hull was found intact, it was revealed that the fire had burned all through the inside from stem to stern. Chief Wrecker Tom Kivlin said that the hull might be SWIFT JUSTICE DEMANDED. 2G7 converted into a coal barge, but that it could be put to no other use. The engines are only old iron. One body and the fragments of another, together with considerable jewelry, were found in the hull when a systematic search was made. Some of the jewelry was noticed when the vessel lay on the flat the night before and this led to an order from Inspector Albertson that no one should be allowed on the vessel. What was wrongly construed by some to be a clash between the Federal and the local authorities oc- curred as a result of this order, for when Roundsman Klute and two patrolmen of the Harbor Squad attempted to go aboard the hull in the morning to get a body which rested on the deck Assistant Inspector Foster, attached to the Federal inspection bureau, ordered them off the vessel. BODY WITH JEWELRY FOUND. Inspector-General Uhler happened to be there at the time, and when he was appealed to he said that the mat- ter was for the chief wrecker to decide. Captain Kivlin, the master wrecker, decided that the police could get the body, and after some delay it was removed. It was the charred body of a young boy and was aft of the port pad- dle box. When the hull had been entirely emptied, a squad of police under Sergeant Posthoff made a careful search of the deck and parts of the hull that was not filled with debris. They found near the stern an ankle bone and a foot of a child. Next day with flags at half mast on all the river craft and on the wharves and big factories on the East River water front the hulk of the u General Slocum" was 268 SWIFT JUSTICE DEMANDED. towed from Flushing flats to Robbins' Dock, in the Erie Basin. The passage down the river was impressive, and there was a dramatic scene when the hulk of the steamer passed the Third street recreation pier, from which eleven days before she had sailed, with flags flying, a band play- ing and about fifteen hundred passengers, most of whom met death. Nearly two thousand persons thronged the pier. " Hats off," cried Policeman Essig, of the Union Market station, who was on duty at the pier. His order was obeyed, and men, women and children stood there with bowed heads as the wreck passed by. Similar scenes were repeated at the other recreation piers on the Man- hattan and Brooklyn shores. WRECK TOWED AWAY. With the tugboats " Hustler" and "Champion" lashed respectively on her port and starboard side, the "Slocum" was towed from the Flushing flats shortly after eight o'clock in the morning. She was drawn down the river by the tugs "Unique" and "Briggs," whose hawsers stretched back about one hundred yards to the floating wreck. When the little flotilla passed the point where the steamer sank while burning, the flags were dipped. The course was taken through the west channel, passing be- tween North Brother Island and the Bronx shore. The police steamer " Patrol " and the Dock Department launch " Queens," which had Inspector Albertson on board, took the lead to clear the river and act as an escort. With the hull well up in the water, but listing slightly to port, the wrecked craft slowly passed North SWIFT JUSTICE DEMANDED. 269 Brother Island. Part of the starboard wheelhouse was standing, but the port wheelhouse was gone. At the Market street recreation pier and on the Brooklyn Bridge crowds uncovered their heads as the " Slocum " passed. Just as the flotilla was turning into Buttermilk Channel on the way to the Erie Basin, the u Slocum's" sister vessel, the " Grand Republic,'' with flags flying at half mast and carrying about a thousand excursionists, cast off from her Battery pier bound for Newburg. Inspector Albertson arrived at Robbins' Dock at eleven o'clock. He received word later that the hull was sinking and sent the police boat " Patrol " to her assist- ance. The " Patrol," however, found that she had only about a foot of water in her hold. CORONER AGAIN AT WORK. Coroner O' Gorman was again busily at work at North Brother Island. His infected finger was lanced and treated by Dr. Horowitz, who said the Coroner was in no present danger. Only one body was recovered from the river during the day. It was that of a woman about thirty-five years old and was found off the foot of East Fifty-second street. Committees representing more than one hundred labor unions and lodges attended the funeral services of Richard Gerstenberger and his wife who lost their lives on the "General Slocum." The services were held in Central Hall, No. 147 West Thirty-second street, of which Gerstenberger was a member. Chief among developments in the investigation to fix the responsibility for the burning of the " General Slocum " was the fact that Captain Van Schaick, worn 270 SWIFT JUSTICE DEMANDED. by the ordeal of his trip to the Coroner's Court Thursday, had contracted a high fever. So serious was his con- dition that his nurse after examining his spine, which was injured in his jump from the pilot house, de- clared he might never be able to appear in court and might die before he could again be summoned before any tribunal. It was stated that if Captain Van Schaick suc- cumbed before he could tell his side of the tragedy in a court of record, it might so hamper the investigation that most of those who are actually responsible would escape. Coroner Berry was prepared, if necessary, to take an ante-mortem statement. CAPTAIN DEFENDS HIMSELF. Although so weak he could scarcely talk above a whisper, the captain spoke briefly to a reporter. The captain was informed that after a consultation of the authorities it had been decided that the District Attorney's ofHce, by reason of legal procedure, would be compelled practically to withdraw from the case, and that all against whom the evidence taken pointed probably would be in- dicted by the United States Grand Jury. " Well, I can't help what they do. I did my best with the 'Slocum,' " he replied. He was reminded that in his first statement he had declared the "Slocum" to be half way between the Sunken Meadows and North Brother Island, while Weaver, assistant pilot, declared they were at One Hun- dred and Twenty-eighth street. The captain's statement would place the boat at One Hundred and Thirty-second street. " Weaver told the truth," he said. " We were at One SWIFT JUSTICE DEMANDED. 271 Hundred and Twenty-eighth street, and it was not possi- ble for nie to beach her at One Hundred and Twenty- ninth street, as they say I should have done." f< But how do you reconcile your two statements ? " " I'm not going to. Not now, at any rate. If they ever get me into court I'll be able to clear that up." 11 What have you to say about the statement that a boy told you when off Blackwell's Island that the boai was afire." " Nothing. How could a boy speak to me when I was up in the pilot house with a locked door between us ? " RUMORS OF ANOTHER FIRE. " It is stated by a number of people that there was a fire on the ' Slocuin ' the day before the disaster. Was there?" "That is an absolute lie. We had no fire. They say that the blaze was smouldering over night. When the boat started going she was a wreck in a half hour. That doesn't look much like a smouldering fire." By this time the captain was so weak his hands hung at his side and his nurse insisted that no more questions be asked of him. " If it becomes a necessity the Coroner can take his statement, but he is in so serious a condition now that I will not risk his life." While Coroner O'Gorman and Fire Marshal Freel were at work on the hulk of the "Slocuni," finding new evidence of criminality, Coroner Berry had a long consul- tation with Mr. Jerome and Assistant District Attorney Garvan. All testimony adduced at the inquest was sum- marized and'weighed. It was decided that on the strength of this evidence a number of criminal prosecutions could 272 SWIFT JUSTICE DEMANDED. be started successfully, but the question of jurisdiction resulted in United States District Attorney Burnett being called into the conference. Mr. Burnett's assistant, Mr. Wise, attended the in- quest, and he was able to advise his chief, who then said : "I have ordered the Federal Grand Jury to assem- ble, and at the first practicable moment I shall lay all the facts of the disaster before them. I must decline to discuss the evidence or to say against whom it points, but I will say that I shall ask for the indictment of every guilty person." MIGHT HAVE BEEN AVOIDED. Although the Federal authorities would not com- mit themselves, Coroner Berry, after his consultation with them, declared emphatically that it had been deter- mined beyond all doubt that the catastrophe could have been avoided, and that criminal prosecutions certainly would follow. Late in the day he was informed that his associate Coroner had found in the hulk of the " Slo- cum" seven barrels which had contained oil. He was greatly surprised by this, as the witnesses connected with the steamboat had made sworn statements before him that there were only three oil barrels aboard and that they were part of the boat's equipment. Fire Marshal Freel, who with Coroner O' Gorman located these barrels in the storeroom, considered the find of vast importance, inasmuch as it is another indi- cation of the recklessness of the officers of the " Slo- cum." Near these barrels were portions of four bodies, which apparently had been blown to atoms by an explo- sion, while there were indications that in the hold were a number of more bodies. The divers were not able to SWIFT JUSTICE DEMANDED. 27A penetrate far into the debris in the hold, but they said there was a deep hole in the river bottom near the wreck, in which they thought bodies would be found. Among the newspaper discussions of the disaster was the following : "The Coroner's inquest upon the New York excur- sion horror, in which a thousand people were lost, makes it clear that the death of a large number, if not of all, of the victims was due wholly or in part to official and com- mercial rottenness and American recklessness. It is plain that the Federal law, which pays the steamboat inspectors according to the number of inspections they make, is a barbarous and ridiculous statute, worthy of the darkness of Korea or Mindanao. The method of bringing about lax inspection is to pass a law just like the one in force. LIFE PRESERVERS WERE OLD. "The evidence before the Coroner shows that no new life-preservers had been bought by the company since 1895; that the preservers were rotton, and that the fire hose was of the flimsiest and most worthless sort — 16-cent hose ; the kind that burst and was worth- less when put to the test. And the actual fire seems to have been the first real test to which the boat was put — the boat which was daily freighted with hundreds of human beings. " These are all very remarkable facts to be learned about the steamboat business, but they are not so strik- ing and horrible as the testimony given by the chief engineer of the i Slocum,' to the effect that he had never heard of such a thing as a fire drill aboard his own boat. " There is little more to be said after that. One of 18 N.Y. 274 SWIFT JUSTICE DEMANDED. the inspectors has said that political l pull ' prevented adequate inspection of excursion boats, and the record of the ' Slocum ' will incline many people to believe the most terrible stories of the rottenness of the system. It is a record of inefficiency^, of greed, of carelessness, of bad laws and incompetent officials, and of American reckless- ness and disregard for human life." Another journal contains the following: — " Two different systems of law are involved in the loss of nearly a thousand lives on the steamer i General Slocum.' Federal law provides for the inspection and de- termines the character of life-preservers, boats, engine and hull. State law holds all within its jurisdiction responsible for carelessness or gross neglect where human life is con- cerned, EACH SYSTEM DEFECTIVE. " Between these two, accident after accident happens because neither system is complete and efficient. But the chief cause for the loss of life in the case of the ' Slocum ' is due simply and solely to the fact that Federal law looks to the seaworthiness of a craft and not to its safety from fire. "The Coroner's inquest in New York has made perfectly clear the responsibility both of owners and of inspectors for the condition of life preservers and boats on the steamer as far as Federal law is concerned. Life- preservers were old, rotten, full of granulated cork, dead- ly instead of life-saving. The inspectors had passed them without examination. The owners had used them under knowledge that age rendered them useless. There was no fire drill If the boats could not have been lowered, they were dangerously near this condition. This was a SWIFT JUSTICE DEMANDED. 275 violation of both systems of law — of the Federal inspec- tion law and of the State laws protecting human life. "Serious as both these violations are, however, they do not reach the root of the matter. The frightful loss of life on the ' General Slocnm ' is due to the fact that while its hull was perfectly seaworthy, so far as any risks of navigation to which it was exposed was concerned, its superstructure was a light, three-story affair, on pillars made of pine, saturated with paint, built like a bonfire, and certain to burn like one the instant it was lighted. Nothing, no precautions, no life-preservers, no "lifeboats, could prevent a terrible loss of life if such a vessel was crowded when it took fire. "Yet this construction was permitted by Federal law. It is accepted by public opinion. Says that com- petent authority, ' The Engineering News } : — NO WORSE THAN OTHERS. " c Further than this — and we know not how to em- phasize this too strongly — the ' General Slocuni ' was no worse a fire risk than the average river or sound or har- bor passenger steamer, in use all over the United States. She was a fair representation of the prevailing type. The same disaster that befel her may befall to-morrow any one of the thousands of such craft plying on Ameri- can inland waters, and we do not except from this the so-called finest examples of the steamboat builder's art plying on the Sound or the Hudson River.' " Of this there can be no doubt. Unless Congress prohibits the use of wooden excursion boats and requires a slow burning construction for all their upper works, such disasters will come periodically, criminally, as long as the law permits "ii c sort of a fire trap to be filled with 276 SWIFT JUSTICE DEMANDED. human beings ; no one can be held responsible for this particular character of disaster, but it is the basal, funda- mental reason for the loss of life. Until it is removed, these disasters will always come, whenever one of these boats catches fire. Congress must act, and Congress alone can act, and the only action which will be effective is the prohibiton of these light wood superstructures. This killed ; all else was but accessory before and after the fact." CHAPTER XV: ORPHANS CAST UPON THE WORLD. IN the neat tenements of the stricken parish of St. Mark's Lutheran Church little girls took upon them- selves housewifely cares ; upon young boys were thrust mature duties and responsibilities, and bereaved husbands and fathers clasping their hands to their heads, strove in helpless confusion to plan life anew. Some of the Sun- day school children who left their homes with such gleeful anticipation on the morning of June 15, came back within a few hours with hope turned to bitterest despair, fatherless and motherless. In more cases the father had remained in the city at work and consequently the children were only half orphaned, the mother being lost in many instances try- ing to save her children. Thus the number of the East Side's " little mothers" was greatly increased. They are of a patient, sturdy race, most of the children afflicted by the disaster, and they weep and work by turns. As the days pass the weeping lessens, because there is more work that must be done, and the German boys and girls, however sore their hearts, will not shirk. In addition to the household responsibility and the care of younger children laid upon them the motherless girls were deeply con- cerned about clothes. Not for the world would one of them ignore the ceremonial of " going into mourning." When the meals are done, therefore, the dishes washed, the floors swept 277 278 ORPHANS CAST UPON THE WORLD. and everything in order as mother would have had it, the girls sit down to work on the black garments with which they show to the world their grief. The east side German district is a revelation to those who have been fairly familiar with other tenement dis- tricts. There is no sign of squalor, nothing but neatness and inviting comfort. There is poverty, but it is not hideous. One is impressed that here is a plain people with the simple virtues and self respect. In house-to- house visits amoug these German Lutherans there will not be found any sign of slatternliness or vice in one case out of fifty. The oilcloth-covered floors, even when worn, are scrupulously clean. There is no dust on the furniture. Cupboards are neatly curtained, the cooking stove shines and the beds are clean and neatly made. The public halls bear evidence that the janitress does her full duty. NOTED FOR INDEPENDENCE. In these rooms that bear the stamp of home, however few in number and limited in size, there exists a whole- some family life. For that very reason the grief conse- quent upon the broken circles is the more acute. So im- bued are they with the feeling of independence and self respect that with the entire city ready to empty its pockets in token of sympathy, it has been extremely diffi- cult to gain the consent to accept financial aid. Mr. Ridder, chairman of the Relief Committee, was in despair early in the week. The Committee was meet- ing daily and its chief business developed into, not trying to meet demands as might have been expected, but in trying to find people who would take the money. "Ask the public," Mr. Ridder said to the newspaper ORPHANS CAST UPON THE WORLD. 279 representatives, " to send us word of the needy. They won't come to us." School teachers and the police were pressed into ser- vice to scour the neighborhood and report where aid was needed, when tactful emissaries were sent to see that it was bestowed in such fashion that there should be no sting of patronage or charity. Where young children have had no parent to resent the efforts of help, an aged grandmother, as poor as they, would come forward and forbid it, " No, no," cried one, " it would be thrown up to them always that they had taken charity. It must not be." " I had enough saved to pay for one funeral," said another, "but I did not think to have five at one time. I will pay it, though, if it takes me two or three years." CHURCH OFFICERS LOST. In the shrinking from outside aid lay one of the reasons for the delay in determining the exact proportions of the disaster, the definite numbers of the dead, injured and orphaned or otherwise dependent persons. Another serious handicap was the loss of so many of the officers of the church and Sunday school. The officers of the Middle Collegiate Church, more than seventy of whose children were on the excursion, were able to get their list in shape at once and rendered great assistance to their afflicted neighbors. The appearance of the children indicated more clearly than 'anything else their orphaned state. Under the burden of responsibilities they grew years older within a few days. The plan of the committee in dealing with the afflicted was made with regard to the self-respect and 280 ORPHANS CAST UPON THE WORLD. the sensitiveness of the class of persons with whom they had to deal. Such measure of help was given in each case as the circumstances required, but in no cir- cumstances are children to be placed in institutions. As nearly as possible they are to have such homes provided for them as they would have had had their parents lived. Where relatives are able and willing to care for the children, but are unable to assume the expense of their support, they will be paid for «*.. ORPHANS TO BE PROVIDED FOR. If there is none of kin to undertake the responsibility families of as near the same grade as the orphans' as can be found will be asked to undertake the charge and will be suitably paid. Arrangements will be made for all chil- dren to remain in school until they are sixteen years of age. The general relief committee has only vaguely out- lined conditions, their efforts being directed chiefly to- ward emergency work. A special permanent committee will be formed, the Mayor being a member ex-officio, to handle the funds collected and apply them as is deemed necessary. Emphasis will be laid upon the money being a free gift of the people to meet conditions for which the recip- ients were in no way at fault. The school teachers were of the greatest assistance in dealing with this difficult problem. They know the cir- cumstances of most of the children, and they receive confidence that would not be given to others. Many of the children who have lost members of their families belong to the old Fifth street school and the entire teach- ing body of that school has formed itself into a volun- teer relief committee, upon which the official relief ORPHANS CAST UPON THE WORLD. 281 committee has leaned heavily. In addition to their prac- tical work in aiding the sufferers, the teachers have given unusual latitude to all of the pupils who have been sor- rowing in sympathy with their afflicted little friends. Classes have been excused day by day to attend the funerals of classmates or to carry flowers. Instead of the usual graduating exercises in the girl's department an affecting memorial service was held and there is to be a similar one for the boys. Money which was to have been used for class festivities was given to the relief committee. THOUGHTFUL DONATION. It is the custom of each outgoing class to present the school with a picture, and this year's class had ordered one before the calamity. Mr. Williams, a Fifth avenue dealer, of which it had been purchased, refused to take the money, about $35, and it was given in the name of the class for the benefit of pupils of the school who were in need. Members of the Health Protective Association and other organizations of women considered a proposition to establish a neighborhood house where relief of all kinds could be given sufferers from the disaster. "The men need women to get the children ready lor school, to cook the dinners and to keep their homes together," said a member of the committee that had the matter in hand. U I think we should take a house in that part of town and see if graduate nurses will not come there to live and give their services in return for their board. Nothing will be done by the women, how- ever, without the sanction and advice of the Rev. Mr. Haas, of St. Mark's Church." 282 ORPHANS CAST UPON THE WORLD. Only a few doors away the Pottlebaums were gather- ing ready to move. " There are three of ns boys left," explained Charlie. " That's because we didn't go on the excursion. Our father and mother and brother are all lost. We can't keep house alone, so we are going to Brooklyn to board." " We must be liberal with these people," said Mr, Julius Harburger, of the relief committee. "I stand for that. This money has been raised to help these people, and they should have all they need," EXAMPLES OF THRIFT. The number of children who were left without father and mother, according to police returns was only fifteen, but those who lost one parent were numbered by the hun- dreds. In a small tenement on a top floor lived the Richer family. Mr. Richer died several years ago, leaving seven children for his widow to rear. Day and night the woman worked, washing, cleaning offices, doing whatever she could and keeping her children in school as long as she was able. "Her hands were hard, but her children were always clean," said a neighbor. In a back tenement on the top floor of the next house lived her mother, Mrs. Henning, whom she sup- ported, sending her meals to her up the stairs and over the roof. The old lady could not stand the noise of the children and that was why she had a separate tenement. Three of Mrs. Richer' s children had begun to work, and she could see her way to taking life a little more easy. When the excursion was planned the entire family, with the exception of one boy, decided to take advantage ORPHANS CAST UPON THE WORLD. 283 of it The tired mother with six children went aboard the pleasure boat. Six bodies were buried later, Frances, the ten-year-old-girl, who was saved, walked hand in hand with her brother, who had not gone. The boy is only fifteen, but he acts like a grown man. The day after the funeral he went back to his work in a com- mission house down town, but his employer said to him in kindly fashion : — " Take the week off ; come back next Monday." " I was glad," said the boy simply as he came home and took off his coat, " for now I can get the moving done." With a little help he moved over what furniture would be needed from their own tenement to that of his grandmother. The children will live with her for the present. " She oughtn't to be left alone," explained the boy. "I will have to take care of her and my little sister. Well, I don't know just how I'm going to do it, but I'll man- age it somehow. There isn't any one else to do it." HOW THEY WERE SAVED. Frances told how she was saved : — " I couldn't swim, but I tried not to swallow any water. They taught us that in school, you know. And pretty soon I caught hold of a boat that was turned upside down." " Then Charlie Trowbridge — he lives down our street — came and saved her," put in her brother, "He saved her and Louisa Motzer, that lives across the street, and two others. He was trying to save the fifth, but his hands gave out and he couldn't. His hands are bad yet. They were all burned." Arthur Wurmstich lost his father, mother and 284 ORPHANS CAST UPON THE WORLD. brother. He has left only his old grandmother, with whom he lives. "I got ashore all right," he said, simply, when asked about his experience. Others have told how he seized two life preservers as he went overboard, but, seeing two wo- men struggling for life without any, he gave them up and took his chances. A little later he was picked up by a boat. Mr. Roberts, the principal of the Fifth street school, attests that Arthur is not only a brave boy, but a bright one. He stands high in this year's graduating class, of which he is a member, although not fourteen years of age. The boy is ambitious and hopes to enter the high school in the fall. BAND LEADER LOST. His father was for several years the leader of the band that played for excursion parties on the " Grand Republic," the " General Slocum's " twin. Recently he had not been well and he went with his family in the hope that the day's outing would benefit him. Alone in the world also is John Klenck. His father died some time ago and he went on the picnic with his mother and two brothers, one older and one younger than himself. " My mother tried to put life preservers on us, but the straps broke," exclaimed John. M I don't know how I got»ashore. Somebody pulled me out, I think. I don't know where I'm going to live, I haven't any home now. I'll go up town with my aunt awhile, I don't know where I'll go after that." On the same street lived the Reuthingers, thrifty folk, whose home is broken up by death. Mrs. Reuth- ORPHANS CAST UPON THE WORLD. 285 inger perished with three of her children. " My mother could have saved herself if it hadn't been for us children," exclaimed Elsie, one of the two who were saved, " but she threw me in a boat, and my brother, too, and then she didn't have any more strength." There are four orphan boys at one house, George, William, Harry and Louis Weiss, the oldest twenty-one years of age and the youngest three. Their father died about a year ago of consumption and their mother was lost on the " Slocum." A similar case is the Lanns, the oldest boy being only nineteen years of age. Two little Meyer boys, eight and nine years of age respectively, are left without father or mother. "SUCH A GOOD MOTHER." In spotless rooms lived the Rosenagel family, hus- band and wife, their little daughters, Lucy and Grace, and the old grandmother. Mrs, Rosenagel had promised to take the little girls on the Sunday school excursion if the day was fine. When the panic came on the boat she was separated from her daughters and was lost. "She was such a good mother," the little girls lamented, " always making nice things for us and giving us pleasure." As an evidence of her thoughtfulness the confirma- tion dress that she had made for the older girl was pointed out with the remark, " That's all hand work ; she did it." " Ach, yes," moaned the aged mother of the dead woman. " I have had thirteen strong children and I have lived to see them all die but one. Who will take care of me now she is dead ? " Across the street from the Rosenagels lived the 286 ORPHANS CAST UPON THE WORLD. Abesser family. Mr. Abesser is an electrical bell banger and has a little shop on the street floor. All day and into the evening he sits there with a face of haunting sadness. He can hardly speak even to those who come to him on business. His wife and only son were lost and he sent his motherless little girls to friends in Brooklyn. The Middle Church sent them to the country to give the distracted father a chance to recover and make some permanent plan. " I had to send my little Hattie away," said Mr. Felzke, who lost his wife and two children. " She is all I have left, but she couldn't go out on the street because every one would talk to her about the boat and she couldn't stay in the house with nobody to take care of her. I would be in the river if it wasn't for her. For years we struggled and struggled, and we got things piece by piece. One month ago we moved in here. I think it must have been for the funerals. My month is up now and I will have to go — I don't know where. There is no one to make a home for me and my Hattie, Here is a letter from her." The child wrote a bright letter, evidentl}' designed to cheer her sorrowing father. Next door, another little girl, Josephine Diehl, was bereft of her mother, two sisters and a grandmother, and came near losing her own life. She was caught in the crowd and carried under the boat. Luckily she was rescued, but her arm was broken and she was otherwise injured. She is being cared for by relatives in the Bronx. U I swam ashore," said Fred Schmidt. " Edward Matzerath and I swam together and got to North Brother Island. The swimming was all right just as soon as you got out of the tangle of the bodies. My mother couldn't ORPHANS CAST UPON THE WORLD. 287 swim and she and my sister Anna and the baby were drowned." Another happy home that has been broken up by the tragedy is that of the Manheimers. Little Lillie Manheimer lost her father and brother and heraunt, for whom she was named. Mr. Manheimer had taken the little girl and gone to live with relatives. In another Manheimer family the mother and her three oldest chil- dren were lost, leaving only an eight-year-old boy, Otto. u We tried to do all the things the school teacher told us," said Mamie Armhurst, who, with her sister, Florrie, was saved. Her mother and her little sister, Edna, perished. " We tried to take strokes and keep our heads up and not swallow any water. We were awfully glad, though, when a boat came up and took us in, espe- cially Florrie, because she was burned. They took her to the hospital, but she's all right now." LOADED IN WITH THE DEAD. Little Louise Beusch was so badly burned that she did not know how she was saved. Her mother was lost. Clara Hartman, the eleven-year-old girl who was brought to the Alexander avenue police station with a load of dead persons, recovered rapidly after being taken to the Lin- coln Hospital for treatment, but when she got over the shock of her own experience she found she had lost her mother and sister. There were three motherless children left in the pretty home of Bernhard Mueller, where the father, after losing his wife and baby, was lying at the point of death from pneumonia, the result of exposure and anxiety during his search for his loved ones. Grover, twelve years old ; Walter, nine, and Arthur, six, are being cared for by 288 cyRPHANS CAST UPON THE WORLD. their / randmother, Mrs. Hager. "I wish I'd gone with them/' said the grandmother. "I'd have been willing to give iny life for that of my daughter." When the catastrophe occurred Mr. Mueller and his family were on the upper deck. They had seen the fire in A ime to prepare themselves for the panic. The father at once began pulling out all the life preservers within reach. One he placed on his wife, who held the three- y ear-old baby, Edgar, in her arms. He then fastened 1 hem successively on the three other boys and handed mt others to frantic women. NEVER SEEN AGAIN. There was none left for Mr. Mueller himself when the time came for all of them to jump into the water. The mother went first with the baby. It is thought that her life preserver was useless, for, although she was a good swimmer, she was never seen alive again. Mueller lost sight of his wife and children as soon as they went overboard. He arrived at his home at half- past twelve o'clock, drenched to the skin, inquiring frantically for news of his wife and children. He refused to take time to put on dry clothes, but at once started back to search for his family. Grover, Walter and Arthur had all been picked up separately by rescuers. They were snugly tucked away in cots in Lincoln Hospital when their father found them. All were unharmed except Arthur, the youngest, who was burned about the head. Little Ernst Mueller, eight years old, who lives in a neat little home, lost his mother, brother Henry and baby sister Mary in the disaster. " We were all on the deck together," said Ernst, ORPHANS CAST UPON THE WORLD. 2S9 "only papa was downstairs. Then everything broke down all around us. I rolled over on to a tug boat. That's all I know." Ernst's father, George, who was on the main deck, made desperate attempts to reach his family on the hur- ricane deck. The deck collapsed before he could reach them, however. " I don't care about myself," he said, " but some- thing ought to be done for a lot of poor folk. So long as I am healthy I can work and take care of my boy." Everything in the neat rooms gave evidence of the care and industry of the mother who is gone. In spite of his words, the father seemed quite lost as he sat there holding his little boy on his knee. FOUR MOTHERLESS CHILDREN, Another family in which the mother is sorely missed is that of the Schnitzerlings. Four children were left motherless there, while two children were lost. Conrad, the father, was in despair, not knowing how to divide his time between his work and the management of his little brood. Freddie and Annie Schnitzerling, respectively five and ten years old, evidently did not realize the terror of the experience through which they had passed. 11 We tumbled off the boat," said Freddie. The rail- ing broke, you know, and there we was in the water. I didn't like it a bit, but somebody fished me out, just as if I was a big fish, with a big hook on the end of a pole. And somebody else picked Annie up. We didn't see mamma again." Eleven year old Johnny McCarthy lost his mother and ten-year-old brother Jerry. When found in a hos- pital his hair had partly turned gray. 19 N.Y. 290 ORPHANS CAST UPON THE WORLD. " Mother and I took down life preservers, but they all fell apart,' ' said the boy, who is being cared for by relatives. " I jumped into a rowboat when the fire came near, but mother and Jerry were lost." In the family of Henry Heinz, the mother and two daughters were lost. Two boys, Henry, twelve, and George, sixteen years old, were saved after an exciting experiencee. Little Henry lost the power of speech for three days after the death of his mother. Always a quiet and re- served youngster and inclined to be shy, Henry only burst into tears whenever he was questioned. He told his father how he climbed a pole to the hurricane deck and then fell with the wrecked deck into the water. He was picked up by men in a rowboat. DIVED FROM THE DECK. George made a leap from the hurricane deck into the water. He struck bottom head foremost, but was unin- jured, and swam ashore. Thirteen-year-old Arthur Link, the son of a widow, is looked upon as a hero by the Link family's neighbors, in avenue A. When the panic came the boy didn't lose his presence of mind, and, surrounded by a screaming throng of women and children, he determined to try to save another life besides his own. With his sister, Lottie, eight years old, and his brother, Edward, eleven, Arthur had gone on the excur- tion with Mrs. Heckert, and the latter' s four children. Mrs. Heckert had in her arms her six months old baby, Julia. Arthur snatched the baby from its fright- ened mother and made a wild jump for the deck of a tug- boat that came alongside. ORPHANS CAST UPON THE WORLD. 291 "They all came jumping on top of me when I fell," said Arthur, u I don't know what happended afterward, 'cause when I came to I was in the pilot house. I'd got unconscious an' the baby wasn't with me any more." Little Julia was picked up on another part of the deck, badly hurt, and she died soon after, in spite of the boy's plucky effort to save her. Mrs. Heckert is in a serious condition at her home from burns and injuries. Two of her children were saved. YOUNG IRISH IMMIGRANT. Mrs. Lena Link is naturally proud of young Arthur. Her two other children, Lottie and Edward, lost their lives. When a recapitulation is made of the deeds of hero- ism that attended upon the " Slocum " disaster and praise is bestowed with a judgment made clear by reflec- tion, few who then dared death for others will be found more worthy of a monument than Mary McCann, Irish immigrant, seventeen years old. So conspicuous was her bravery and so unusual the circumstances surrounding her self-sacrifice that the girl, who is poor, won the interest of Assistant District Attor- ney, Francis P. Garvan, who provided for her a home where she will be cared for and will receive an education. Responsible persons who have been thrilled by the recital of her unselfish daring will call the attention of Andrew Carnegie to her deeds, and it is therefore not improbable that she will be benefited by the hero fund he has established. There was much printed during the following ten days oi the heroism of those who rescued imperilled ex- cursionists from the waters around North Brother Island. 292 ORPHANS CAST UPON THE WORLD. Men who were in boats and brought many to shore re- ceived deserved praise. Policemen, accustomed to risk their lives, plunged from skiffs and saved those who were drowning. A nurse girl swam for the first time in her life, and, never deserting the baby she held, brought it and herself in safety to shallow water. In the rush of these things the story of Mary Mc- Cann was almost forgotton. A newspaper on the day following the disaster told of the girl saving a child's life. After that she seemed to have disappeared. There was no one that knew anything of her or her deeds who vol- unteered information, and her own modesty so cloaked her that the true story of her heroism when the " Slo- cum" burned and sank with the dead might never have been known had she not been an essential witness for the Coroner's inquest. In that way she came under the at- tention of Mr. Garvan, HEROINE ON THE WITNESS STAND She took the witness stand for a few moments, and an effort was made to have her tell what she had done. But the girl who had been so bold when men faltered and failed became shy, her voice sank to a whisper and she answered only in monosyllables, spoken in such a low tone that those a few feet away could not hear what she said. When she had concluded her testimony she went back to the hospital, where she rapidly recovered from her exposure on the day the "Slocum" was burned. Mary McCann came to this country from Ireland on May 1 1. She had no sooner landed than she was stricken with scarlet fever and was quickly hustled away to the hospital for contagious diseases on North Brother Island. ORPHANS CAST UPON THE WORLD. 298 The pest house was almost her only knowledge of America until the day of the disaster. She fought through the crucial stages of the disease and was almost out of danger on June 15, when the alarm ran through the hospital and over the island that a steamboat afire was coming up the river. Doctors, nurses, those patients who could move, engineers, and nearly every one ran to the beach toward which the doomed vessel was coming. DID NOBLE WORK. There is another story of a heroism somewhat differ- ent from Mary McCann's that might be told here. It is of the young telephone operator, Miss Lulu McKibben, who remained at her post. Uninstructed, advised by no superior, she realized the kind of help that would be needed and she telephoned to the hospitals in the city to send doctors and ambulances and what other aid they could for those on the " Slocum." In all that excitement she calmly stayed behind to do her duty, and when that was done she went to the beach and saved lives ; but that is still another story. With the doctors and nurses ran Mary McCann. She was weakened from the long fever. She had learned to swim in her native land and before the fever had been strong and active. When she reached the shore a multi- tude of men, women and children had thrown themselves into the water to escape the flames. The young girl at once leaped into the swift current and with a few strokes was at the side of a sinking child. She fought off the hands that grabbed at her and bore her burden back to shore. Giving the child into the care of others, she plunged in again. This time her ob- 294 ORPHANS CAST UPON THE WORLD. ject was further out and she was in greater danger; but she seized a little girl by the arm, bore her safely to where waiting arms received her, and was back again in the current fighting for another life. A boy not far away had just disappeared, but the girl's hand seized him and he too was borne back to safety by Mary McCann. All this time she had been seized by others as she passed and sometimes dragged under water. On her fourth trip she had caught a child when frantic hands below the surface clutched her skirt. Other hands seized her feet and she sank, but did not relinquish her burden. Under water she fought. Her skirt was torn from her, and with the waist of her dress in shreds she came to the surface, still holding the child. HAD TO BE SAVED HERSELF. She was very weak when she gained the shore this time, but she turned again to the dying. Again she breasted the current and was soon in shallow water with the fifth child that she saved that day. She was near the shore with this child when the strain told upon her weakened condition. She sank with her burden still in her arms and her head went below the water, although it was not more than four feet deep at that place. She would have drowned had not an assistant of Joseph S. Gaffney, engineer on North Brother Island, been watching. He leaped to her side and picked her up, and with the girl in one arm and the child she had saved in another waded ashore. Mary McCann was unconscious. She was taken back to the hospital, and even after she had been revived the surgeon shook his head doubtfully, for such exposure would naturally mean a great deal to a convalescent. ORPHANS CAST UPON THE WORLD. 295 But she did not die. She got well, or very nearly well. And to no one did she tell of her adventures except briefly and as one tells of things that are done as a matter of duty and not for praise. But the surgeon saw and Gaff- ney's assistant saw, and others saw, and so the young immigrant girl became a valuable witness for the Coro- ner, And now she may learn of another side of America. CHAPTER XVI. SLAUGHTER CAUSED BY GREED. A CORRESPONDENT of a metropolitan journal sent the following sharp letter which attracted the at- tention and received the approval of a multitude of readers : " Of what use to investigate the cause of the " Gen- eral Slocum" horror? There have been others, and pub- lic indignation availed nothing. Will it avail now ? Why should we murmur ? Only twelve hundred of the common herd were lost. It was merely a rather sudden thinning out— disagreeable, of course, because of the loss of the boat and all those fine life preservers. But the herd is still large. " What matter that the aged, after a life of useful- ness, met such a death ; that hundreds of mothers of the middle class, which produces the glorious brain and brawn that makes America what she is, went down in a furnace of fire ; that the cruel waters of the East River were a daisy field of baby faces, framed with tossing golden, brown, and raven locks ? What matter hearts are broken and reason is dethroned ? " But there is so much to be thankful for it were folly to note such disagreeable episodes. Think how really horrible it would have been had a wife, mother, or child of one of the owners of the " General Slocum " gone down in flame or wave ; think of our carefully constructed and sumptuous ocean liners, satin padded and ponderously luxurious for their precious cabin ^96 SLAUGHTER CAUSED BY GREED. 297 freight ; think of the libraries the suffering public is get- ting, and the priceless tapestries we are receiving. 44 Think of some of our Bible class instructors, men of millions, who hold the Bible in one hand and figure out the next week's grab with the other. Think of the j splendid speed records of automobiles. If our fine apart- •ment houses go up like Jack's beanstalk, and, perchance, one falls, let us not get fussy about it. 14 It is said there are no tears in heaven — is it possi- ble St. Peter's hand did not tremble when he flung wide the gates of gold to admit the army of flame-scorched and water-stained murdered innocents, and could the angels receive them unmoved ? CRIMINAL SELFISHNESS AND GREED. 44 We regard with horror the bloody Juggernaut of India — is it any worse than our own Juggernauts ? Our blood chills when we contemplate the deeds of high- binders and the Mafia, but how about our own broad- clothed stranglers ? "In the name of reason and humanity, let us turn the Constitution to the wall, haul down Old Glory, fling off" our garb and mien of sanctity, and put away our Bible until we purge ourselves of criminal selfishness and greed that renders us unfit to touch them." Another correspondent wrote as follows : "The letter which appeared in to-day's issue of yotH* paper entitled 'The Sin of Man, Not the Hand of God,' reminds me of an editorial which appeared in a Western paper not long ago. It began something like this : 1 When are we going to stop accusing God of killing people,' and went on to criticise the use of the following in resolutions of respect : i Whereas, it has pleased our 298 SLAUGHTER CAUSED BY GREED. Heavenly Father to remove from our midst a beloved brother, etc.' "It is very evident to me that one of two things must be true, either God is always responsible for all deaths whether from disease or disaster, or He is respon- sible for none. If He plans such things as the burning of the * Slocum,' can inspection or non-inspection change the divine plan ? " If so, why punish men for neglect ? If in accord- ance with the divine plan, could it be changed by fire drill and apparatus or the caretaking of men ? Or ought we to wish to change it ? " What does this mean : ' Like as a father pitieth his children so the Lord pitieth them that fear Him ? ' CAN LOVE CHANGE? "Would the most brutal human father cause his child to suffer as in the ' Slocum ' disaster hundreds of innocents suffered? And, again, 'God is love' and unchangeable. Can He who is infinite Life change His nature and cause death ? - " This is a vital question and one which we should not fear to look squarely in the face. Surely we want to know the truth of this matter in justice to Him, 'who doeth all things well/ 'is the same yesterday, to-day, and forever/ and 'is no respecter of persons.' " The newspaper commented as follows : " As might have been expected, the fearful disaster has resulted in a perfect deluge of correspondence upon the subject of the 'Problem of Evil.' This newspaper, and probably every other one in the city, has been flooded with letters, long and short, good, bad and indifferent, filled with questions that no man can answer. SLAUGHTER CAUSED BY GREED. 299 " The problem of evil is one which, up to date, is Still a loug way from being settled. A bright man can make a very plausible argument for the existence of evil in the world of an all wise, all powerful and all merciful God, and another man, equally bright, can demolish the argument in a trice, " For thousands of years the ablest minds on earth have been seesawing back and forth upon the recondite theme, and from present indications the seesawing is likely to continue for an indefinite period. The world is a very large affair, and man, like the fly on St, Peter's dome, can see but a little way around himself. SOME THINGS ARE CLEAR. " In this great universe there is room for ' boundless better ' as well as for ( boundless worse,' and it were well for us not to be too blatantly dogmatical, one way or the other. In the meantime, some things are as clear as a Colorado sky. We have but to open our eyes to see in Nature certain plain facts which one does not need to be a theologian in order to understand. "One of the facts that we see in Nature is that of her absolute and unswerving democracy. Nature has no favorites. Her sunshine and rain fall alike upon the good and the evil, the just and the unjust. Her storms and floods, her pains and pestilences, sweep down with equa 1 fury upon saint and sinner, millionaire and pauper. In her dealings with us there is no partiality shown to any one. She treats us all alike. Before her high tribunal we all are equal. "From the cradle to the grave we all are subjects to the same laws, and, according to our action, receive the same treatment. If it cannot be affirmed that Nature 300 SLAUGHTER CAUSED BY GREED. has ' charity for all,' it certainly cannot be denied that she has ' malice toward none/ " Another fact abont Natnre is her thoroughgoing honesty. We can depend upon her. She never lies to us. If you pay her price she delivers to you the goods as ad- vertised. Her yea is yea ; her nay is nay ; and she never deceives us. " You can plant corn with the absolute certainty of conviction that you will reap corn and not something else. You can launch your ship upon the waters know- ing that if it is properly built it will float. You can mix your chemicals with the perfect assurance that certain combinations will always result in certain effects. You can inflate your balloon with hydrogen gas and feel perfectly sure that when the rope is cut it will rise. You can trust Nature all along the line with the very com- fortable feeling in the meantime that the trust will not be betrayed. WHERE BLAME BELONGS. " And this brings us to the main thought of this article — the utter senility of trying to lay the blame of such things as the ' Slocum ' disaster upon God. We are sufficiently well acquainted with the ways of God, as those ways are outlined in the economy of Nature not to be delivered into any fatal disregard of the same. " We know that water will drown us and that fire will burn us, and it is our bounden duty to govern our- selves accordingly. We are not ' dumb, unreasoning brutes.' We are gifted with reason ; we are intelligent beings ; and it is our own fault if, with wide-open eyes, we walk to destruction. 4 'We know enough about the laws of Nature to figure SLAUGHTER CAUSED BY GREED. 30i on what will happen if we do certain things, or fail to do them ; and it is as unjust as it is idiotic to lay the blame of our foolishness upon God. It is high time that all the silly talk about what God does or does not do, per- mits or does not permit, had forever ceased. It means nothing at all. " We must come nearer home. It is ourselves who do or fail to do, who permit or do not permit. If the " General Slocuni " had been a fireproof boat, or if, being a wooden boat, the proper thing had been done when the fire was discovered, there would have been no calamity. We may theorize as much as we like, but such is the plain truth in the case. LAWS OF NATURE VIOLATED. "This great calamity will not have fallen upon us in vain, therefore, if it serves to give us a real serious realization of the truth that ' God helps those who help themselves,' and that very much of the so-called ' Mys- tery of Providence ' is nothing more or less than the mystery of our own unaccountable carelessness of the laws of Nature," The burning of the handsome steamer, " General Slocum," in the East River, New York, with over 1,500 excursionists on board, will take place in history as one of the saddest and most pitiable disasters on record. It lacked no element of either pathos or horror. It was an occasion of festivity suddenly transformed into anguish and ghastly death. No premonition of the awful holo- caust entered the minds of the light-hearted mothers, relieved for the day of all domestic care, as they watched their bright-faced children romping the decks in sheer delight. 302 SLAUGHTER CAUSED BY GREED. All bright and bannered the gay ship swung into the stream, and to the strains of delicions music, threaded its way throngh river-craft, between great cities, past green islands, with no dream of its destiny. Suddenly the cry of " fire" rang through the startled throngs and the laughter of the children was quenched in the wild panic that followed and the frantic shrieks of parents calling for their little ones. It was a scene of horror which memory would willingly forget, but which will linger with the survivors while life lasts. SCENE OF FIRE AND SMOKE. In some way, not yet officially determined, the fire originated in the hold of the vessel and spread with in- comprehensible rapidity. As the steamer was swept with smoke and flame, many leaped into the river, choosing Jleath by drowning rather than by fire. Hundreds were iriven by the intense heat to the after deck, where the railing gave way and were precipitated, a living, scream- ing cataract into the cold and pitiless river. Others rushed for life-preservers only to find them "rotten" and worthless. Before the vessel could be beached the appal- ling disaster was complete. Many of the bodies recovered were burned beyond all recognition. Death was no respecter of persons. With unrelenting hand it seized upon old and youug. Compassionate motherhood and innocent infancy were alike victims of its fury. Its hand of fire spared neither. The maiden's dream and the lover's hope went out to- gether. Jeweled wealth and pathetic poverty faced death by fire hand and hand, or went down to their graves in the river side by side. ^ears and prayers and maternal affection were alike SLAUGHTER CAUSED BY GREED. 303 unavailing ; and while the blackened ruins of the wrecked ship rise out of the water a pall of gloom hangs over the great city, where countless homes are filled with incon- solable grief. The public will pass judgment as to where the re- sponsibility for this fearful crime against humanity lies. Most searching investigations are in progress and in due time the accountability will be officially determined. But no one can forget in the presence of a disaster such as this how closely our highest joy treads upon the heels of our deepest sorrow, or that the day of anticipated delight may hold for us only desolation and anguish of heart. HIS FOOTSTEPS UNKNOWN. Where we look for light we may find only darkness so deep that not a star seems shining, and the only sounds we hear are the rending of heartstrings and the sob- bings of bowed heads that, like Rachel weeping for her children, will not be comforted. What the passing hour may bring to us no one may positively know. It is with God, in Whose hands we all are. His way is in the sea and His path is in the great waters, but His footsteps are not known. On the charred deck of the steamboat " General Slo- cum, " at Erie Basin, the Coroner's jury engaged in in- vestigating the disaster, to determine the responsibility for the loss of life, heard positive testimony that the fire had originated inside a partly consumed barrel which they saw on top of a pile of rubbish. While almost every vestige of the wooden super- structure of the big excursion boat had disappeared, leav- ing the huge walking beam, the boilers and some gnarled pipes and iron stairs standing alone, the forward cabin, 304 SLAUGHTER CAUSED BY GREED. where the blaze started, was damaged to a comparatively small extent. Barrels filled with oil within a few feet of the barrel originally aflame were removed from the hold absolutely intact. Camp stools, hay, life preservers, canvas, paint and other inflammable material removed from the cabin gave no external evidence of having been scorched, though tugs that were taken near the " General Slocum" on June 15 were blistered and caught fire. The explana- tion given is that the flames rose through the forward hatchway and were wafted aft by the wind, but did not spread below the main deck. JURY VIEW THE COURSE. Arrangements were made by Coroner Joseph I. Berry, of the Bronx, to take the jury over the course taken by the " General Slocum " on the day of the fire. The jurors went from the improvised courtroom to the Second Battery Armory, Bathgate avenue and 177th street, in automobiles to Clausen's Point, where they stopped for luncheon. Coroner Berry had arranged to hold a session in his courtroom in the afternoon and had subpoenaed several witnesses to be there at two o'clock, including Captain William Van Schaick. But the captain and others were dismissed until next morning without explanation, as the Coroner was unable to return in time to hear them, Jurors who started over the scene of the disaster with the Coroner, on the police boat " Patrol " were anxious to see the raised hull, and so the trip was extended far beyond the limits originally set. In the Erie Basin the men had to climb over a tramp steamship and over several rickety boards into the black- SLAUGHTER CAUSED BY GREED. 305 ened embers of trie ill-fated vessel. Coroner Berry, who had led the way, assembled the jury about an opening on the deck down which there had formerly been stairs. On one side were piled musty life preservers with long rents through which granulated cork had escaped, bar- rels, boxes of bottles, casks and rubbish of all kinds, in- cluding some salt meadow hay, such as is used for pack- ing glasses. Thomas F. Freel, former fire marshal, working on the case as an expert for the District Attorney, was sworn as a witness. Standing in the glare of the sun, he said he had made an examination of the hull after it had been raised, and had found forward the debris that now littered that portion of the deck. BEGAN IN A BARREL, " Where did the fire originate?" inquired the Coroner. " Inside of this barrel," replied Mr, Freel, indicat- ing one by his side. It had contained hay, he said, and the evidence was clear that the flames had started inside and burned upward. The boards were charred from within. Some of the staves had been burned right through and had evidently fallen blazing upon hay scattered on the floor. From that point the fire had leaped to the stairs and had done more damage to the upper portion of the cabin than it had to the material piled around the barrel. Under cross-examination Mr. Freel said the boat had been under water for eight days before he made his examination, and he could not tell what had drifted into the cabin. On the return of the jury up the river Captain N.Y.20 306 SLAUGHTER CAUSED BY GREED. Edward Van Woert first pilot on the " Slocum," took the wheel of the " Patrol," going over as nearly as possible the same conrse that he had taken on the day of the disaster. He thought the " Slocum " was then going at approximately the same speed that the "Patrol" had reached at that point. He insisted that, to his mind, Captain Van Schaick had adopted the best possible course in running the " Slocum " as close as possible to the North Brother Island dock and then beaching her just beyond on the northwest side of the island. JURY HAVE AN OPINION. Many of the jurors present did not hesitate to express the opinion that a grave mistake in judgment had been made by Captain Van Schaick in not beaching the boat on the New York shore at some point between the entrance to the Great Kill and the south shore of North Brother Island. Assistant District Attorney Francis P. Garvan was especially anxious to obtain confirmation of rumors that reached him that there was a fire in the forward cabin of the u General Slocum " on the afternoon of June 14th, All of the members of the crew of the "Slocum" told Mr. Garvan that they did not know of any fire that occurred on June 14th. At a special meeting of the Mayor's Relief Committee named to look after the survivors of "General Slocum" disaster announcement was made by Jacob H. SchifT, chairman of the Relief Committee, that $108,504.04 had been received, and that this sum was considered ample to meet all demands. The subscription list has been closed, and it was stated that the $50,000 offered by the city in case of emergency will not be needed. CHAPTER XVII. STEAMBOAT DIRECTORS ARRESTED. ON June 28th, the Coroner's jury brought in its ver- dict. In consequence of the verdict, Coroner Berry of The Bronx issued warrants, charging man- slaughter in the second degree, for President Barnaby and the whole board of directors of the Knickerbocker Steamboat Company, which owned the " General Slo- cum," also for the " Slocum's" captain, Van Schaick ; for Mate Edward Flanagan, for Commodore Pease of the Knickerbocker fleet and for United States Steamboat Inspector Henry Lundberg. Lundberg was surrendered by his counsel as soon as the issuing of the warrants was announced. He was admitted to bail in $1,000. Mate Flanagan, who had been detained in a room in the Second Battery's armory, where the inquest was held, was brought in and arrested. His bail was set at $1,000, which he furnished. Presi- dent Barnaby was brought uptown by his counsel and after submitting to arrest was released in $5,000 bail. The jury came into court at quarter to 9 o'clock at night. Coroner Berry asked if a verdict had been reached. Foreman Thorn was so hoarse that he was unable to read aloud the typewritten document he car- ried. He handed it to a fellow-juryman to read for him. The verdict rehearsed the history of the " Slocum's " trip up toward the Sound until she was destroyed. The jury expressed its belief that the boat was not equipped 307 308 STEAMBOAT DIRECTORS ARRESTED. with proper life-saving or fire-fighting appliances, and that her crew was neither efficient nor well drilled. It was held that President Barnaby and his associates as directors, especially James K. Atkinson, who was asso- ciated with Mr. Barnaby as managing director, were responsible for the lack of provision for disaster on the " Slocnm ; " Captain Van Schaick was charged with criminal neglect of duty for permitting the boat to be in an unsafe condition, so was Captain Pease, commodore of the company's fleet ; Mate Flanagan was described as a coward, and attention was drawn to the fact that he had no license ; Inspector Lundberg was charged with not having made a proper inspection of the " Slocum." CHARGED WITH CRIMINAL NEGLIGENCE. The jury charged all the persons it named with crim- inal negligence. The Federal prosecuting officers were asked to get after Lundberg, Secretary Cortelyou was asked to take steps to make future inspections of vessels in this harbor "efficient and honest." As soon as the reading of the verdict was over, Assistant District Attorney Garvan got up and asked the Coroner to issue warrants for the arrest of the persons against whom the jury's verdict had made charges, TerrenceJ. McManus and ex-Judge Dittenhoefer, counsel for the Knickerbocker directors, jumped into the air with a storm of objections, "It would be an outrage," said Mr. McManus, " to arrest these men to-night. They can be found to-mor- row without any trouble. They are substantial business men. They are not going to run away from this thing." "I don't see," said Mr. Garvan, who spoke in a tone which showed the weariness caused by his work of the STEAMBOAT DIRECTORS ARRESTED. 309 last two weeks over the case, " I don't see why these two men should be treated any better or any worse; or in any way differently from any other men charged with man- slaughter in the second degree," "Oh, I don't know!" sneered Mr. McManus. "I can't remember that there was any such haste to arrest the New York Central directors when a Coroner's jury brought in a verdict against them. The District At- torney seems to see why some people should be treated differently from others." Mr. Garvan started to make an emphatic reply but was restrained by Coroner Berry, who said that he would issue the warrants at once. OFFICIALS PLACED UNDER BAIL. Former Justice Julius Mayer of the Court of Special Sessions rose to say that he represented Inspector Lund- berg, who was present and desired to surrender himself and give bail. The Coroner admitted him to bail in $1,000. Mr. Mayer suggested during the proceedings that he doubted whether the local authorities had any jurisdiction over Lundberg anyway, but he said he would not bring up the question at the moment. Mate Flanagan was brought in. Mr. Garvan said he would be satisfied with $1,000 bail for him. The Coroner said he would fix the bail at $5,000. Mr. Mc- Manus asked why the Coroner wanted more bail than the District Attorney, and the bail was finally fixed at $1,000. Mr. McManus and Mr. Dittenhoefer said that they would go out and try to find as many of their clients as possible. At half-past 10 they appeared with Frank Barnaby between them. Coroner Berry fixed Barnaby's 310 STEAMBOAT DIRECTORS ARRESTED. bail at $5,000, and it was furnished. It was announced that Assistant Engineer Brandow and Deckhands Coak- ley and Twombly would be committed to the House of Detention as witnesses. The Coroner left the Armory at a little after 11 o'clock. No more prisoners were brought in up to that time, The unserved warrants were turned over to Capt. Ferris, of the Bathgate avenue station. He was informed that all the officers of the company would surrender themselves at Coroner Berry's office next day. It was understood that the case is not likely to be prosecuted in the courts of New York county, and would go before the Federal Grand Jury. CAPTAIN ON WITNESS STAND. Capt, Van Schaick was the first witness of the day. He was brought to court from Lebanon Hospital in an ambulance, attended by a hospital physician. He was carried to the court room in a wheel chair, and on it lifted to the witness stand. The captain's right heel was broken by jumping on the rocks after the steamer was beached, his spine was injured, and his hands and face were burned. The injured foot was in a plaster cast and the leg in a sling. In answer to preliminary questions, he said he was 53 years old. Then he corrected himself and said he was 63. He said he had been a pilot forty years, licensed master thirty years, and had been captain of the " Slo- cum" since she was built. Almost at the outset Terrence J. McManus, attorney for the Knickerbocker Steamboat Company, interrupted. " This witness is under arrest. It is the desire of the District Attorney' to get him to testify to things on STF.AMBOAT DIRECTORS ARRESTT. . jll which a possible indictment may be predicated. I have advised him to refuse to answer all questions, but it should be distinctly understood that he does not refuse to answer on the ground that it would incriminate or de- grade him." 11 The witness is not under arrest," said Coroner Berry. " He is only, technically speaking, in the House of Detention. The witness must either testify or refuse to do so because he believes his answers would tend to incriminate or degrade him." A long wrangle ensued and when Mr. Garvan got back to the witness Captain Van Schaick declined to answer whether he had ever had anything to do with the fire apparatus or not. The examination went on : NUMBER OF PASSENGERS ALLOWED. Q. How many life preservers were bought for the "Slocuni " since she was launched ? A. From 200 to 300. She was first allowed to carry 2,500 passengers. In 1895 she got a permit to carry 2,750, and at that time the new life preservers were bought. Q. Since 1891 have any life preservers been con- demned by the United States steamboat inspectors ? A. Maybe four or five. Q, Have you condemned any since 1891 ? A. Maybe fifteen or twenty. Q. Were any of the life preservers bought since 1891 ? A. No, but something like 300 were repaired by sewing on new straps. The witness said that he had never discussed the equipment of the u Slocum" with Frank A. Barnaby, president of the Knickerbocker Steamboat Company or with any other of the company's officers, except Secretary 312 STEAMBOAT DIRECTORS ARRESTED. Atkinson. Captain Van Schaick said that Mr. Atkinson was aboard the "Slocum" before the excursion started and remarked that the boat was in fine shape. Mr, Gar- van asked if Mr. Barnaby or any of 'the other officers, ex- cept Mr. Atkinson, had ever made any inquiry as to the equipment of the boat. The captain replied that no such inquiries had ever been made. " Did Lundberg reject any of your life-preservers ? " asked Mr. Garvan. " I believe he rejected one. He said it looked dirty." This reply brought out laughter all over the court room. " How long had the hose nearest the compartment where the fire started been 'in use ? " asked Mr. Garvan. OLD HOSE LONG IN USE. " All that hose had been in use since the boat was built," was the reply. "Did Lundberg make any tests of the hose ? " " No, sir ; not so far as I saw." The witness stated that he had not tested the life- boats or life rafts this year, and seemed to be surprised that Mr. Garvan should ask such a foolish question. He insisted, however, in contradiction of all the other wit- nesses, that there had been fire drills on the "Slocum" this season. There had been as many as three or four fire drills. This followed : Q. Well, what did they consist of? A. Oh, run- ning water through the hose and showing the crew about the life preservers. Q. Can't you give any more details ? A. No, I can't go into details, and am getting very tired. Capt. Van Schaick was permitted to take a rest for STEAMBOAT DIRECTORS ARRESTED. 813 an hour and was then recalled. When he took the stand again he was asked where he was when the fire was dis- covered. In answer to that question and to others that followed it the captain said : "When I first heard of the fire I was in the pilot • house. We were then about three lengths north of the Sunken Meadows. I ordered that she be sent ahead at full speed and then went down to see what the fire amounted to. I got part way down and the fire drove me back. It was sweeping up from below like a tornado. I saw that I could do nothing there, so I rushed back to the pilot house and said to Capt. Van Woert : ORDERS TO BEACH THE BOAT. " l Capt. Ed., she is gone. Beach her on North Brother Island as soon as you can. Skin the dock at the island and put her on the beach starboard side toward the island, so that the people can get off away from the fire.' " Then I took a position about fifteen feet forward of the pilot house and directed the work of beaching the boat. After she was beached I jumped overboard and injured myself and got ashore as best I could." " Did you see any of the crew ? " " No, they were two decks below me." "Were the boats lowered? " 11 Why, no. There was not time for anything like that." Judge Dittenhoefer asked Capt. Van Schaick how many passengers he had carried in the course of his career as a river captain. "Well," replied the witness, " I figured up three or four years ago that up to that time I had carried about 314 STEAMBOAT DIRECTORS ARRESTED. 30,000,000 people, and not one of them received injury of any kind while they were in my charge." Jacob S. Jacobs, the candy man, and August Lntjens, cashier of the bar aboard the "Slocum," were called when Captain Van Schaick was permitted to leave the stand to take a rest. Jacobs said that he had great difficulty in pulling down the life-preservers, that there was none of the crew around to give any help and that he didn't see the captain from the time the fire was discovered until the boat was beached. Lutjens said that he saw the captain soon after the steamer started, and Van Schaick said: " Lutjens, don't give my men too much to drink to-day." SMOKE FROM FORWARD CABIN. Lutjens said that he saw smoke coming out of the forward cabin when the "Slocum" was about off Nine- tieth street. He fixed that point, because a moment afterward he noticed the Ninety-second street ferry. Ho said he saw the men uncoiling hose, but that no water came through it. They worked at the hose a short time and then j umped overboard. Frank Perditzki, an unusually bright lad of four- teen, who went on the excursion with his mother, told about the clearest stor}^ of the fire that was told during the inquest. He said: " I was near the pilot house and saw smoke coming up from below. The captain was in the pilot house and I shouted to him that there was a fire on board. He shouted back: " ( Shut up and mind your business !' " " The boat was then opposite East Eighty-third street. I went down on the main deck to find my mother, STEAMBOAT DIRECTORS ARRESTED. 315 but when I couldn't I jumped overboard and swam ashore on North Brother Island. 7 ' " How do you know the boat was off East Eighty- third street when you first saw the fire ?" asked Mr. Garvan, " I know," answered the lad, " because I saw the East River Park, which is there, and I know that park well. James A. Dumont, United States local inspector of hulls at New York and formerly supervising inspector- general of the United States Steamboat Inspection Ser- vice, was called. He said it had never been the practice to license mates, except on oceangoing vessels, unless captains insisted on it. Then a license was issued if the applicant showed he knew how to stow cargo. Mr. Du- mont said that it had been the invariable ruling of the Board of United States Steamboat Inspectors that river vessels, unless cargo-carrying boats, had no hold. There- fore, the "Slocum" had no hold. INSPECTORS TAUGHT BUSINESS. Then Mr. Dumont told how assistant inspectors of hulls, like Henry Lundberg, who inspected the "Slo- cum," were taught their business. A probationer was sent out with experienced inspectors for three weeks and told to watch what they did. Then they were sent out by themselves. He said it was no part of Lundberg's duty to further inspect life-preservers than to see that they contained no large holes and that the straps were on. The quality of all life-preservers is passed on and they are stamped where they are made. That they are stamped is prima facie evidence to an assistant inspector that they are all right. Life-preservers, with proper care, 316 STEAMBOAT DIRECTORS ARRESTED. the witness said, might be serviceable for ioo years. It was not the business of an assistant inspector to test pre- servers in the water or take from the boat life belts he had condemned. Former Justice Julius Mayer, chief counsel for Lund- berg, was in court for the first time. Dumont's testi- mony was so altogether favorable to Lundberg that Mr. Mayer sprung a surprise by calling his man to the stand as Dumont stepped down. Then Mr. Mayer said : REFUSED TO TESTIFY. " I have had to be out of town for several days. When I left I gave directions to Lundberg to refuse to testify on the ground that it might incriminate or de- grade him. I took that precaution because I didn't know what might happen. But Mr. Dumont has substantiated the story told to me by my client respecting his duties in every particular. Lundberg has been anxious to tell his story, and now he'll have his chance. Lundberg, go ahead and tell the jury what you did by way of inspect- ing the 'Slocum.' " The young man went on and told a straight story of what he did, and when asked by this or that juror why he wasn't more thorough in this or that particular he said he'd never been taught to do more than he had done. That which he had done was just what Dumont said was required of an assistant inspector of hulls. When neither Mr. Garvan nor any of the jury was able to shake Lund- berg, Juror Cabot asked : " What's it worth to you to inspect a boat ? " Judge Mayer was on his feet in a jiffy and said : " If the Court please, I object to the question, and I resent the insult which it implies. Furthermore, I chal- STEAMBOAT DIRECTORS ARRESTED. 317 2er»^e, here and now, the right of that jnror to sit longer in this case. That question proves that he has forfeited all rights to sit in judgment here." "I think," said Coroner Berry, " that the juror meant no insult. I think he intended to ask what salary Lundberg gets. If, Mr. Cabot, you meant what Judge Mayer thinks you meant, you should have never said it and you must withdraw it." Cabot jumped into the opening which the Coroner had made and said he referred to salary. Lundberg said he got $2,000 a year. After James K. Atkinson, secre- tary of the Knickerbocker Steamboat Company, had pro- duced the minutes of the company's meetings, Coroner Berry charged the jury, in part, as follows : STRONG LANGUAGE OF CORONER. u A fortnight ago it was inconceivable that the ap- palling disaster we have just finished investigating could occur in waters about our city. People had the utmost confidence that they were safeguarded on pleasure trips of the character of the St. Mark's Lutheran Sunday school excursion. " Yet, within an hour after the ' General Slocum ' left the Third street pier she was a burned wreck, and nearly 1,000 of her passengers were either burned or drowned. It is your duty to determine whether these deaths, or any of them, were due to the criminal negli- gence of any other person or persons. " The law requires a carrier of passengers to exercise the strictest vigilance in receiving a passenger, convey- ing him to his destination and setting him down in safety. A passenger cannot know, nor is he presumed to know, anything about the machinery of a ship or its T 318 STEAMBOAT DIRECTORS ARRESTED. equipment or appliances. He has paid his passage and is wholly passive in the hands of and is at the mercy of the vessel, their agents and employees. "The highest court of this State— the Court of Ap- peals — has held that the rule requires no such particular precaution as became apparent after a disaster, which might have prevented its consequences, but such precau- tions as would be dictated by the utmost care and pru- dence of a very cautious person before the disaster, and without knowledge that it was to occur. MATTERS TO BE CONSIDERED. "You should consider the business in which the vessel was employed, the character of the excursion parties it was expected to carry, the number of passen- gers it carried, and also the fact that as a rule such ex- cursions were made up largely of women and children. The care that might be sufficient to guard the safety of ablebodied men might not be sufficient for others physi- cally less able to take care of themselves. " The first question, therefore, for you to determine is whether or not such care and prudence to guard against the catastrophe was employed in the fire equipment and the life-saving appliances of the ' General Slocum,' as a cautious man, mindful of the dangers and possibilities of the business in which the vessel was employed, would have exercised. " Now, the directors of a corporation are its manag- ing officers. Their authority and powers in the aggre- gate are co-extensive with the corporation itself. In this respect they are not only the agent, as I have said, but practically the corporation itself, and their duties &n$ liabilities are. the same as thos* of natural persons, STEAMBOAT DIRECTORS ARRESTED. 319 "If, in tlie couduct of the company's business, an officer or director participates in an act or omission which constitutes a violation of law he is criminally liable therefor in the same way and to the same extent as if he had participated in such act or omission while acting as the agent of an individual. "Nor is it of the slightest importance on the ques- tion of the criminal liability of the Knickerbocker Steamboat Company's officers and directors whether or not the Government Inspectors performed or violated their duty. The duty of the corporation's representa- tives was not affected at all by what the inspectors did or did not do. FIXING THE BLAME. " You will also determine in your verdict and de- clare whether or not the inspectors, and which of the inspectors, if any, were negligent in the performance of their duties or wilfully made a false certificate in regard to the vessel's life-saving equipment." The following is the full text of the verdict of the Coroner's jury : " The said deceased, Henry Warnhose, and upward of 900 other persons came to their death by criminal means and in the following manner : " 1. That the deceased, together with excursionists to the number of 1,500 and upward, a majority of whom were women and young children, were, on the fifteenth day of June, 1904, passengers on board the steamboat called the ' General Slocum,' owned by the Knicker- bocker Steamboat Company, of which Frank A. Barnaby was and is the president, and James K. Atkinson was and is the secretary and general passenger and traffic 320 STEAMBOAT DIRECTORS ARRESTED. manager ; the said Barnaby and Atkinson being also the managing directors of the company and in full charge and control of its business and affairs, and that the said steamboat was in command of William H. Van Schaick, its captain, and was being used in carrying the said ex- cursionists from the pier at the foot of East Third street to a certain landing on Long Island Sound, called Locust Grove, and back again to said dock. INEFFICIENT EQUIPMENT. " 2. That although it was the duty of the said Barn- aby, Atkinson, Van Schaick and also Captain John A. Pease, acknowledged commodore of the fleet, to have seen that the said steamer was provided with, before its depart- ure, a proper and suitable fire equipment and an efficient and well-drilled complement of disciplined men to operate the same in case of emergency, and also to have provided the said steamboat with such number and character of good, efficient and available life preservers and with other life-saving appliances as would best secure the safety of all persons on board the same in case of fire or other dis- aster, they and each of them did not only wholly neglect to do so, but on the contrary furnished and supplied, and had in and on board of the said steamboat, on the said fif- teenth day of June, 1904, a wholly improper and unsuit- able fire extinguishing equipment and a wholly inefficient ' and undrilled complement of men, all of whom were un- disciplined, to operate the same, as well as an insufficient number of good and available life preservers and other life-saving appliances to properly secure the safety of the persons on board the said vessel in case of disaster. " 3. That this same condition of affairs existed when, on the fifth day of May, 1904, Assistant Steamboat In- STEAMBOAT DIRECTORS ARRESTED. 321 spector of Hulls Henry Lundberg, of the United States Steamboat Inspection Service, inspected the vessel and approved of its fire-extinguishing and life-saving equip- ment and appliances. " 4. And while the said steamboat was still in the waters of the East River, within the county of New York, and not having yet reached Long Island Sound, a fire oc- curred in the hold, which, had there been a proper fire- extinguishment equipment and suitable appliances and an efficient and well-drilled complement of men to oper- ate the same, might readily have been extinguished. DRIVEN OVERBOARD BY FLAMES. 11 5. That in consequence of the neglect and failure of the said Barnaby, Atkinson, Van Schaick, Pease and the other directors of the company named below to pro- vide such equipment, appliances and men, and the ineffi- ciency and the incompetency of the latter, and also be- cause of the absence of a licensed and trained mate to command the latter, and direct them, the said fire was not extinguished, and spread to such an extent that the deceased were forced to leave the said vessel in order to escape the flames. " 6. That because of the insufficient number of good and available life preservers and other life saving appa- ratus on board of the said vessel, many of the deceased were forced to jump therefrom into the water without any means of self-preservation, and were drowned. " 7. That the lives of the deceased were destroyed by and through the before-mentioned misconduct of the said Barnaby, Atkinson, Van Schaick, Pease and the other directors. u 8. That acts constituting such misconduct and N.Y. 21 322 STEAMBOAT DIRECTORS ARRESTED. neglect were in flagrant violation of the provisions of the Federal laws to which the vessel was subject.' ' After careful consideration, the jury comes to the following conclusions and makes the following recom- mendations : " I. That the president, Frank A. Barnaby, the secretary, James K. Atkinson, and the Board of Direc- tors of the Knickerbocker Steamboat Company, namely: Frank A. Barnaby, Charles E. Hill, James K. Atkinson, C. Delacy Evans, Robert K. Story, Floyd S. Corbin and Frank G. Dexter, were guilty of criminal negligence in the failure to see to the proper equipment of the ' Gen- eral Slocuin ' in the matter of the fire-fighting and life saving appliances on board said boat. CAPTAIN RESPONSIBLE, " 2. That the captain, William H. Van Schaick, should be held criminally responsible for the accident. u 3. That Captain John A. Pease, the acknowledged commodore of the fleet, be held criminally responsible for his failure to properly equip the i General Slocum ' with the fire fighting and life saving appliances. " 4. That Edward Flanagan, the mate, acted in a cowardly manner, and we recommend that he be held criminally responsible for failure to perform his duty on board the ' General Slocuin ' on the day of the disaster. " 5. That in the opinion of this jury the misconduct of Henry Lundberg, Government Inspector, in failing to report to his superiors the true facts concerning the ves- sel's fire extinguishing and life saving equipment should be brought to the notice of the United States prosecuting officials, and we further hold that said Henry Lundberg be held for criminal negligence by reason of his incom- STEAMBOAT DIRECTORS ARRESTED. 323 petent, careless and indifferent inspection of the 'Gen- eral Slocum's' hull on the 5th day of May, 1904, u The jury are also of the opinion that the system of inspection which prevails in the harbor of New York is very inefficient, and does not properly examine whether the life preserving apparatus and fire appliances on the vessels of this harbor are in proper and suitable condi- tion to prevent loss of life, and we recommend to the Secretary of Commerce and Labor that he issue such instructions for the supervising and local boards of in- spectors as will cause them to efficiently and honestly examine the steamboats plying in and about this harbor." The Aldermen authorized the issue of special reve- nue bonds to the amount of $50,000 to pay for the burial of the unidentified victims of the " General Slocum M dis- aster and to meet the expenses incurred by the Police and Health departments in the work of recovering bodies and caring for the injured. A resolution urging the Fire Department to assign at least two firemen to every excursion steamer of the harbor was referred to the Committee on Laws and Leg- islation. The committee was directed to confer with the Mayor and Fire Commissioner for the purpose of carry- ing the plan into effect if it should be found that the sanction of the Federal authorities is needed. Subscriptions acknowledged raised the total of the relief fund to $109,801.09, Four little children of Public School 116, accompanied by two of their teachers, called on the Mayor and presented to him a purse containing $50 for the relief fund. The money was contributed by the children of the school. The Mayor thanked the children and praised the self-denial they had practised to raise so large an amount a> they did in their school. CHAPTER XVIII. DIRGES FOR THE DEAD* IMPRESSIVE ceremonies that were in the nature of * public obsequies over the " Slocum's " dead were witnessed by an audience that filled the great assembly room of Cooper Union to the utmost limit of its seating capacity. It was the memorial service organized by the Mayor's Relief Committee to give final and formal expression to the sympathy of the people of New York in the terrible sorrow which fell at one blow upon so large a number of their fellow-citizens. Mayor McClellan presided, being introduced by Mr. Julius Harburger, who acted as temporary chairman. A vast majority of the audience, as well as of those who occupied seats on the platform, were of German lineage, and quite half of the audience proper was made up of women. Here and there were persons in mourning, and at times during the evening a number of the women were in tears. But it was evident that comparatively few of those present were from the intimately afflicted families. At the right of the stage and extending in a com- pact, wedge-shaped body were 400 representatives of the United German Singing Societies. They were under the leadership of Carl Hein, and at intervals they chanted two choruses, Silcher's " Schottischer Bardenchor" and Pfael's " Grabgesang." The Metropolitan Opera House orchestra, under the leadership of Nahan Franko, occu- pied all of the right-hand side of the stage. The ceremonies opened with the orchestra playing 324 DIRGES FOR THE DEAD. 325 Beethoven's funeral march, after which Mr. Harburger made a few remarks defining the object of the meeting and called upon the Rev. John J. Heismann to make the opening prayer. At its conclusion Mr. Harburger intro- duced Mayor McClellan, who said : " Nothing that I can say or that you can say, noth- ing that any of us can do, can mitigate the sorrow of those whose loved ones have gone before. "The victims of the 'Slocum' were almost all women and children. They came from the sturdy German race, industrious, self-respecting and frugal, among the best citizens we have, whom we can ill afford to spare. For them home is all in all. Their men work for the love of home and for the wife and children it represents. In a few appalling minutes nearly a thousand families were broken up, nearly a thousand homes destroyed. UNIVERSAL SYMPATHY. "The breadwinners, whose chief incentive in life has been blotted out, whose wives and children are no more, must work on unaided, uncheered and alone, for we cannot help them. But in their hour of trial we can at least show them that we share their sorrow, and assure them that it is the common property of the entire people. " To me the chief pathos of week before last was our utter helplessness in the face of a calamity. The work of destruction was so complete that there was pitifully little that could be done. And yet that little was done so well, and so generously, and so modestly withal, that it makes one proud of American manhood and woman- hood as well that always rise to the occasion and never fail to do their duty. "It would be invidious to single out any one single 826 DIRGES FOR THE DEAD. city department for praise when all, from highest to lowest, from Commissioners down, did their best. The fortitude, the gentleness and the consideration that was shown at North Brother Island and on the Twenty-sixth street pier by city employees and citizens alike was of the kind that asks neither reward nor recognition, for it came spontaneously from the hearts of true men and true women. The dead have been buried and the survivors cared for, and those who were in want have been relieved by the public spirited generosity of our people. PUBLIC EXPRESSION OF GRIEF. " Before the wreck of the * Slocum ' passes into his- tory we have met here this evening to give public ex- pression to the grief of the people of New York over the greatest disaster in her annals, to mourn for those who in God's good time and in God's own way have been called to Him, to join together, regardless of race, sect or creed, in the words of resignation that God in His infinite mercy has taught mankind to say and to mean : Thy will be done." Following the Mayor's address the orchestra played Schumann's u Traeumerei," and then Mayor McClellan introduced George V. von Skal of the editorial staff of the Staats-Zeitung, who made a short address in German, which was followed by a chorus from the singing societies. Mayor McClellan then introduced Judge Morgan J. O'Brien, who, among other things, said : " No philosophy, not even the consolations of re- ligion, can obliterate such grief as that which has come to so many of our fellow citizens. The disaster was the most terrible in the annals of our city, and I feel that it is not wholly inappropriate that I should be called DIRGES FOR THE DEAD. 827 upon to say something on this occasion, for I was born within a few hundred feet of the modest little church to which these good people who are now so sorely stricken belong, " I then came to know the character of the people of that neighborhood and to appreciate the industry and thrift and courage which they put into their life work. Science tells us, those learned in astronomy tell us, that not a star in the heavens, however small it be, could be removed without impairing the equilibrium of the uni- verse. And so I fully believe it is with our social organization, that not a life can be removed from it with- out a tendency to impair the moral equilibrium. SENTIMENTS COMMON TO ALL. " Thank God, the day has passed when differences of race and religion separate people, and that now we begin to understand the rights and the sentiments of others as we do our own. Let a great wrong be done to any body of people, no matter of what race or creed, or how far remote, or let a great sorrow befall, such as has befallen here in New York, and instantly there pulsates throughout all Christendom a sentiment of indignation or pitying sorrow. " So, as we are thus assembled here to-night we are assembled to manifest not only the sympathy of the city of New York with those who are under this afflic- tion, but the sympathy of all the world." The ceremonies closed with a selection by the orchestra at the close of which the audience remained for a space of several minutes sitting with bowed heads and in silence broken here and there by a suppressed sob. 328 DIRGES FOR THE DEAD. During the day a committee representing the French societies of New York City presented to Mayor Mc- Clellan a bronze memorial subscribed for by citizens of French extraction who sympathize with the " Slocum " sufferers. The memorial was in the form of a bronze mural cluster about two feet long and about eighteen inches broad. A transverse piece represents a plank of a wrecked ship and on this is the name of the burned steamer in large capitals. Waves are seen to be wash- ing over the bit of wreckage, while beneath this emblem is the figure of a salamander, typifying fire. Inscribed on the memorial are the words : " ' General Slocum,' Regrets des Francais de New York, Juin, 1^04." MEMORIAL GRATEFULLY ACCEPTED. The memorial was taken to the City Hall by a com- mittee consisting of Louis A. Risse, chairman ; J. B. Martin, vice-chairman ; Antoine La Blanche, A. Siltz and Pierre Feitu. The presentation speech was made by Mr. Risse. He spoke of the sorrow felt by the French- American citizens and told the Mayor that it was their desire that the memorial should be either placed on the proposed monument to the dead or upon the walls of St. Mark's Lutheran Church. In thanking the committee on behalf of the city, the Mayor said before deciding upon the disposition of the bronze he would communicate with the Rev. Mr. Haas. Four Chinamen walked into the outer office of the Mayor's suite shortly afternoon, and laying down before Sergt, Kennel a large package the spokesman of the four said : " Please give this to the Mayor. It is from the Chinamen who want to help the Mayor's fund." DIRGES FOR THE DEAD. Sergeant Kennel opened the package and found that it contained money. He counted $657, the greater part in one dollar bills. The four also handed him a big book in which was written in Chinese characters the names of the subscribers. The book showed in separate columns how much had been given by Pell street, how much by Mott street and how much by other streets com- prising the Chinese district. The bearers of the money were told that the Mayor was not in, but if they were disappointed, they were too polite to givf any sign of it. They merely asked for a receirc for the money, and when they got it they bowed respectfully and started back to Chinatown. The Mayor said afterward that he vas sorry he was not in the hall when the Chinamen came. " I would have liked very much to meet them," he added. MEDAL FOR A HEROINE. Mary McCann, the most modestly unconscious hero- ine who ever risked her life to save others, is to have a reminder of her splendid work in the " Slocum" disaster, which will include both practical significance and signal honor. In the midst of its harrowing work of sifting the facts and fixing the blame the Coroner's jury found one congenial task which it designed to keep a profound secret till its accomplishment. This is the presentation of a gold medal to Miss McCann, along with a generous purse. A special design has been agreed upon, which shall commemorate the terrible occasion, and an inscrip- tion that shall convey the thanks of a city to one of the most recent of her citizens. Mary McCann is an Irish girl who only reached this 330 DIRGES FOR THE DEAD. country on May n, and the attack of scarlet fever which followed soon after her landing was the chance that sent her to North Brother Island, In the absence of her rel- atives the city assumed care of her, She was a convales- cent patient on the day of the "Slocum" fire. Again and again she dashed into the water, dragging out no less than six children, and stopped only when the doc- tors, seeing her exhausted condition, forcibly detained her. Tall and finely built, with her strength scarcely im- pared by her ilness, she gave her efforts to rescue the perishing without a moment's hesitation. And when the jury visited the island the brown-haired blue-eyed girl, who is hardly more than seventeen, was so naively un^ conscious of what she had done that there and then it was resolved to offer her some acknowledgement. HONOR FOR LIFE SAVERS. Coroner Berry said that the plan was the unanimous decision of the jury and had his warmest indorsement. He added that they had hoped to keep it from the public that they might have the added pleasure of surprising Mary McCann. Matron White, the Superintendent at the North Brother Island Hospital, reported Mary progressing rap- idly toward recovery. When told of her good fortune she said heartily : " I am glad to hear it, for she fully deserves it. North Brother Island turned out some wonderful hero- ines on that awful day." Another was Pauline Foote, the waitress, who is an expert swimmer and the possessor of more than one medal for life saving. DIRGES FOR THE DEAD. 881 Secretary Cortelyou of the Department of Commerce and Labor sent the following telegram from Washington to George Uhler, Supervising Inspector-General of the steamboat inspection service at New York : 44 You are hereby directed to begin at once the rein- spection that has been ordered of the passenger-carrying steamboats in New York harbor. Detail the best men in your service for this work, and order that those who made the inspection of any particular boat earlier in the season shall not make the reinspection now. ORDERS FOR INVESTIGATION. "Telegraph the several supervising inspectors in the service, except Captain Birmingham, of San Fran- cisco, who is too far away, and ask if they can spare without detriment to the interests committed to their charge some of their best men to assist in this work. Final judgment upon the character of the inspections heretofore made must properly await the report of the Federal investigation now in progress, but I believe this reinspection should be made. 44 In making the reinspection the regulations and the various circulars that have been issued by the de- partment from time to time for your service affords its officials definite instructions under existing law. 44 Report at once by telegraph the receipt of these instructions." The following is taken from the columns of a leading journal. 14 The promise of rigid investigation and relentless action in the matter of the 4 Slocum ' disaster is being realized. As the result of the action of the Coroner's jury, which has been searching for the causes back of 332 DIRGES FOR THE DEAD. the loss of more than one thousand hninan lives, the president and directors of the Knickerbocker Steamboat Company, owner of the bnrned excursion boat ; the captain and mate of the vessel, the commodore of the Knickerbocker fleet, and the United States inspector concerned, must face charges of manslaughter in the second degree. The extreme penalty of the crime in New York is ten years imprisonment. "The jury found, after painstaking inquiry, that the 'Slocum'was not equipped with proper life-saving or fire-fighting appliances, and that the crew was neither efficient nor well-drilled. In the face of this there was no alternative to charging criminal negligence against every man in any way responsible for the conditions. While it is manifestly improper to prejudge any individ- ual case, it is clear that a state of affairs has been shown in which individual responsibility exists, and to bring it home is a debt owing to both past and future. ACCUSED OF SLAUGHTER. 14 Many persons shrink from following this idea to its logical conclusion. While willing to admit the possi- ble criminality of those whose official positions bring them into active connection with a disaster, there is re- pugnance to charging the death of human beings to men whose complicity in the matter is generally considered negative. 44 In that very repugnance, which is made apparent at every turn, lies the real difficulty of preventing such occurrences as this 4 Slocum ' calamity. Until the people at large realize the truth that a man who, whether from sheer thoughtlessness or desire for gain, permits the use of death-breeding agencies in his business is as deserving DIRGES FOR THE DEAD. 333 of punishment as the man who kills his neighbor with a pistol or poison, that difficulty must remain. " There is too much tendency nowadays to acquiesce in the devil-take-the-hindniost doctrine ; too much will- ingness to regard the old question, in all its varying inflections, 'Am I my brother's keeper?' as a justifiable defence of murderous carelessness. The vital sense of personal responsibility is lacking, often criminally lack- ing, in the walks of everyday life. Yet until that sense of responsibility is restored and made keen we must stand ready to be shocked by horrible 'accidents' again and again. " The verdict of the 'Slocum' jury opens the way to an object lesson of large preventive effect. It should be followed up swiftly and without hesitancy." NEWSPAPER PHILOSOPHY. Another journal gave expression to the public feel- ing in the following terms : "The men who have been pilloried by the Coroner's jury as responsible for the murder of a thousand people on the ' General Slocum ' will protest that it is unfair to single them out from the mass of excursion-boat owners and managers who have been doing the same things that they have done without having the bad luck to be caught. They say that they are no worse than the rest. " Very likely this is true, and that is the very reason why these prosecutions should be relentlessly pushea. We need some examples ( to encourage the others.' It the mercenary wretches who equipped the ' Slocum * with rotten life-preservers and worthless fire-hose to save mo ney, the criminally negligent inspectors who passed 334 DIRGES FOR THE DEAD. her outfit and the cowards who manned her were the only specimens of their kind, they might be left to the lash of their own consciences, if they have any. " But precisely because there are so many others of the same sort it is necessary to visit the utmost rigors of the law upon those we have been able to catch. It has cost a thousand lives to enable us to lay our hands on these ; let us see that the sacrifice shall not have been in vain. "It is often said that passengers by rail would be safer if every locomotive carried a director tied on the pilot. There will be more security on excursion boats if the owners, the managers and the inspectors of the ( Slocum ' are tried, and not only convicted, but physic- ally lodged in the penitentiary. " Such an outcome will be especially gratifying be- cause the men responsible for this disaster seem to have been the only persons unaffected by the horror of it. Sc far as we have observed, no director or official of the Knickerbocker Company has ever been credited with one spontaneous self-forgetful display of human feeling in connection with this calamity, which might have been expected to crush them all with shame, remorse and agonized sympathy . "The company from the first has defiantly taken a 'What are you going to do about it ? ' attitude ; it refused to spend money to raise the hull of the ' Slocum ' and search for the bodies of the people it had murdered ; it has done nothing for the survivors ; it has expressed no regret for its past shortcomings and made no promises of amendment. No expense would ever be borne by this community with more hearty good-will than in giving these men a long season of free board up the Hudson." DIRGES FOR THE DEAD. 835 Investigation of the disaster was begun by the Federal Grand Jury, with David D. Wylie as foreman. Assistant United States District Attorney Henry A. Wise, who was present throughout the inquest, examined several witnesses who had appeared in the former proceed- ing, including Benjamin F. Conklin, chief engineer of the " Slocum ; " Everett Bran do w, second engineer ; Cap- tain Edward Van Woert, first pilot ; Edward Flanagan, mate ; William W. Trembley and T. Collins, deck hands; General T. H. Barrett, United States Inspector of Boil- ers, and J. H. Fleming, an Assistant Inspector. James K. Atkinson, secretary of the Knickerbocker Company, had been subpoenaed as a witness. He went to the Post Office Building, accompanied by his counsel, Terence J, McManus, who had advised him to decline to answer questions, as he was already a defendant. Mr. Wise told Mr. Atkinson that he would not need him. Mr. Atkinson had been directed by a writ of duces tecum to produce some of the company's books. He explained to Mr. Wise that he could not obey the writ, as he had turned over the books to Coroner Joseph I. Berry, in the Bronx. Another session of the Grand Jury was appointed. The witnesses subpoenaed included George Owen, Daniel O'Neill, Thomas Lyon and Walter Payne, who worked on the "Slocum;" the Rev. Julius A. Schultz and Charles A. Lang, who were passengers on the steamer ; Herman Burger, engineer in the gas works at the foot of East 139th street, and John A. Woodman, James Gaffney and Miss Lillie McGibbou, who were on North Brother Island at the time of the beaching there. Captain Van Schaick was not to be called as a wit- ness. It was deemed likely in the Post Office Building 336 DIRGES FOR fhx. DEAD. that in addition to finding several indictments the Grand Jury would hand in a presentment condemning the lax method of steamboat inspection. Herbert K. Smith, one of the commission appointed by Secretary Cortelyou to inquire into the conditions prevailing in this harbor, called on United States District Attorney Burnett, who assigned his assistant, C. S. Houghton, to attend the hearings, which were to be held behind closed doors. It was said Commander C. McR. Winslow, who is on the commission, would make an independent report to the Navy Department, to which, it has frequently been urged, the Bureau of Steamboat Inspection should be transferred. Two of those found responsible for the loss of life on the "Slocuni" surrendered to Coroner Berry. They were Captain John A. Pease, of the " Grand Republic," who is recognized as commodore of the Knickerbocker fleet, and Frank G. Dexter, a director in the company. Captain Pease went to the Coroner's office with his sister, Mrs. Caroline A. Armstrong, of Brooklyn, who signed his bail bond for $5,000. Mr. Dexter gave his address as the Astor House and said he was a jeweller. He produced a receipt showing a deposit of $5,000 cash bail with the City Chamberlain. C. De Lacy Evans, another director, telegraphed from Rye Beach, N. H., that he would appear and furnish bail whenever he was wanted. Coroner Berry replied to appear forthwith. Frank A. Barnaby, president of the Knickerbocker Com- pany, telephoned to Coroner Berry that he understood Robert K. Story was in the North Woods and expected to get in communication with him within a few days. OFFICIAL LIST OF THE NAMES, AGES AND RESIDENCES OF Victims of the Steamboat Horror CAUSED BY THE BURNING OF THE GENERAL SLOCUM. We are able to present the report of Max F. Schmitt- berger, Inspector of the First District of New York. It contains a very careful compilation of the names of the dead and injured by the dreadful calamity. The report is as follows : In compliance with orders to make a careful and thorough investigation, and to ascertain the number of persons " dead," "missing," "injured," or "uninjured," who were in the General Slocum disaster, on June 15th, 1904, I respectfully report that a careful and thorough investigation has been made, and the results obtained, carefully collated and revised, and the accompanying lists of persons, classified as "dead," "missing," "injured," or " uninjured," may be considered as absolutely correct and reliable, so far as the information contained therein could be obtained and verified up to this date. N.Y.22 337 338 LIST OF VICTIMS OF THE GENERAL SLOCUM. For the purpose of this inquiry a force of ten clerical men reported to me at 10 A. m., June 22d, 1904, and at 8 A. M., June 23d, 1904, one hundred patrolmen who were able to speak the German language also re- ported to me at the Fifteenth Precinct Station House for that duty, and where the work has been conducted with- out intermission, and with the least possible delay, under my personal supervision. After recording every name which appeared in the public press and in the published list of "dead," "missing," "injured," or "uninjured," or in the news columns, or obituary notices, in any newspapers published in the city of New York, or re- ported by the friends or relatives, or appearing to be in any manner connected with the disaster, these names, by a system of comparison and elimination, were finally reduced to one consolidated list, and the individual in- quiries were thereupon instituted in each case, and recorded on the proper blanks furnished for that pur- pose. The patrolmen detailed for that purpose were in- structed to be most minute and exact, in obtaining the fullest information, and I believe their work has been faithfully and intelligently performed. I would further state, that the list of persons classi- fied as " missing," and containing the names of ninety- three persons, and who are positively known to have been on board the steamer General Slocum, at the time of the disaster, have not returned to their homes, and can be considered as having also perished, and which number added to the list of names, classified as " dead," would increase the list of "dead" to a total of 1031 persons, and which would probably represent the entire actual mortality of the disaster. LIST OK VICTIMS OF THE GENERAL SLOCUM. RECAPITULATION. Total number of persons dead 938 Total number of persons missing 93 Total number of persons injured 179 Total number of persons uninjured 236 Total number of children made orphans .... 15 Total number of persons who have been reported in the newspapers and from other sources, as having been in the disaster, and which were ascertained by the police not to have been on board, and who are alive 33 Number of unidentified bodies buried by the city : Number drowned 42 Number burned 38 Total 80 Annexed please find detailed list, giving the name, age, and residence of every person, either " dead," " missing," " injured," or " uninjured." In addition to the instructions already given, the patrolmen were also instructed to make inquiries of the survivors as to the knowledge in their possession, having a tendency to aid the District Attorney in the prosecution of persons responsible for the disaster, and this has resulted in the obtaining of some information, and which statements are herewith annexed, and copies of which have been forwarded to the District Attorney. I would further state, that the inquiries also extended to the ascertaining of how many children have been made orphans, by the loss of their parents by the disaster, and all cases of persons in distress and in need of aid and assistance, to enable them to bury the dead, and to assist them in their immediate wants, and which cases are also herewith annexed, and a copy of the same having been 340 LIST OF VICTIMS OF THE GENERAL SLOCUM. forwarded to the Citizens Relief Committee, in order that immediate relief may be given. I would also further state that all the photographs of unidentified bodies taken at the Morgue, by your order, and transmitted to me from your office, have been placed on exhibition at the Fifteenth Precinct Station House, and the friends and relatives of missing persons have been invited to inspect these photographs, and already seven identifications have been made from these photographs. Also, the description of all unidentified bodies, trans- mitted to me from your office, are being compared with the descriptions obtained by the police officers from friends and relatives of missing persons, and recorded by these officers on the Department " Missing Person Blanks," for the purpose of establishing the identity of such iden- tified bodies. The blanks containing the description of all persons missing are herewith respectfully transmitted, together with the blanks especially prepared for the investigation, and properly filled out and signed by the officers detailed to make the inquiry in each case. Respectfully, Inspector First District, New York. LIST OF VICTIMS OF THE GENERAL SLOCUM. 341 MISSING. [Where the city is not named New York is understood.] Name. Age. Bt sidence. Ambrust.Edna 6... 106 E. 10th St. Ansel, Eugene 6... 103 E. 4th St. Abranis, Isaac 25... 10(3 Ave. C. Bahr, Louisa 32. ..424 E. 9th St. Barth.Mary 0...87 Ave. A. Bock, Grace 4... Marcy Ave., cor. S. 1st St., Brooklyn. Boenhardt, Ella 12...322 E. 13th St. Burfiend, Kate 24. ..100 W. 106 St. Brauer, Jeanette 5. ..107 E. 84th St. Baudeow, George 3...84 7thSt. Becker, Mary 61....1157 Lex Ave. Becker, Lilly 27....1157 Lex Ave. Conn, Minnie 28. ..103 E. 4th St. (.'lug, Carolina S4....468 8th Ave. Delhi, Catherine 3. .. 209 E. 5th St. Druse, Henry 7. ..54 E. 4th St. DeLuccia, Nicholas 4. ..54 E. 7th St. Drews, Henry 7. ..54 E. 4th St. Diettrich, George 10....96 Greenwich St. Erhardt, Clara 2....151 E.4th St, Fettig, Elsie 2.. Fisher, Emma 30.. Fittig, Mrs. Peter 52., Fleischer, Henry 15- Frey, Frederick 1.. Fingeragle, Katie 36.. Finglenagle, Clara 7.. Finglenagle, Win 5- Finglenagle, Mary 10.. Groveld, Fritz 12- Grissler, Anna 85.. Greissler, Lillie 7.. Goetz, Albert 2.. Grews, Barbara 36. Geuenwald, Emily 55. Grunning, Helen 10 mo.. Gardner, Mrs. Chas 34.. Galenski, Flora 36.. Graner, Louis 22.. Geissler, Ella 5.. 120 2d Ave. 1031st Ave. ..120 2d Ave. ..322 E. 13th St. ..84 7th St. ..439 6th St. .439 E. 6th St. ..439 E. 6th SL ..439 E. 6th St. ..oii E. 7th. ..439 E. 6th St. ABU K. 6th st. ..801st Ave. ..526 E. 6th St. ..267 Ave. B. .45 E. 7th St. .748 Wtchester av .54 E. 7th St. .100 University pi. .439 6th St. Xante. Age. Harris, Silver 16... Hesterberg, Mrs. B — .. Hansen, Elizabeth 67. Hausel, Eugene 6.. Heinz, Dina 10.. Hlavacek, Annie — .. Just, Jos 6.. Just, Margaret 1. Just, Amelia 38. Koster, Meta 6.. Koster, Anna 9.. Kirschner, John 67... Residence. .242 E. 5th St. .419 E. 5th St. .64 7th St. 108 E. 4th St. SfJ Ave A. 105 E. 8th St. .105 E. 8th St. .105 E. 8th St. 348 Rlvlngton St. 343 Rivington St. 185 Russell S.,B'n. Hensler, Amelia 18....154 1st Ave. Hinkl, Lillie S....227 E. 7th St. Hansen, Margaret 70 . 64 E. 7th st. Liebrnow, Helen 6...1S3 E. 125th St. Marshall, Daniel 14...127 First Ave. Mailer, Elizabeth 6 mo...406 E. 6th St. Moller, Fred 2. ..998 Ave. A. Mundle, Lillian 88...11 7th St. Molito, Jos 6 mo. ..Midland Ave. Yonkers.N. Y. Mailer, Annie 6 mo...406 E. 6th St. Motzer 4...405 E. 6th St. Miller, Mary 7 mo. ..41 First Ave. Nieduhr, Mamie 7...23Ave. B. Oellrich, Minnie 4. ..611 Marcy Ave. t Brooklyn. Oellrich, Lizzie 3. ..611 Marcy Ave., Brooklyn. (Hunger, Andrew 7. ..91 7th St. Ottinger, Arthur 5...917thSt. Oellrich, Fred 6.611 Marcy Ave., Brooklyn. Brawd, Siki Johanna 1...85 E. 3d St. Roth, Jos 13.. .305 5th St. Reiss, Annie 2. ..70 First Ave, Stlehl, Lillie 16.. .55 First Ave. Schmldling, Mary 55. ..119 E. 7th St. Smith, Beatrice 2 mo. ..920 E. 133th St. Schiller, Geo 8 mo.. .45 First Ave. Schmidt Annie 30... 180 Ave. B. 342 LIST OF VICTIMS OF THE GENERAL SLOCUM. Name. Age. Residence. Sackman, Margaret 9. ..341 Rivington St. Schuman, Annie 5. ..118 St. Marks PI- Schoefling, Elsie 3...189 Third Ave. Stick, Minnie 18...337 5th St. Schaefer, Katie 6...32213thSt. Schumaker, Edward 10. ..436 6th St. Tetamore, Herbert 4... 1471 Bushwick Ave., Brooklyn. Thomas, Lydia 6.. .90 Ave. A. Name. Age. Residenct. Vetter, Charles 12...760 6th St. Vassner Johanna 32.. .332 5th St. Weaver, Christina 11. ..304 E. 9th St. Woll, Freda 38...283 Himrod St. Brooklyn. Webber, Frank 7...404 5th St. Zipsie, Sophie 17...335 E. 21st St. Zarges, Marie —...132 E. 93d St. DEAD. Name. Age. Residence. Ambrust, Mrs. Kate 45. ..166 E. 4th St, Armand, Lillian 14 mo...334 E. 6th St. Anger, Rosie 19. ..1365 3d Ave. Ansel, Alfred 4. .. 103 E. 4th St. Ansel, Louisa 28...103 E. 4th St. Abenschein, Mary 34. ..325 E. 18th St. Alfeld, Anna 45. ..399 6th St. Alfeld, Tillie 16....339 6th St. Ackerman, Barbara 30 .406 E. 5th St. Ackerman, Lena 16 mo....406 E. 5th St. Albers, Eva 17...628 E. 138 St. Addicks, John 15. ..49 Ave. A. Addicks, Martha 11. ..49 Ave. A. Anger, Charles A 52...357 E. 62d St. Anger, Mrs. Minnie 29....357 E. 62d St. Abbeser, Amelia 36....128 E. 4th St. Abbesser, Henry 6... 128 E. 4th St. Albrecht.Salvena —...201 E. 10th St. Alnoldi, Ella 11..733 1st Ave. Behrens, Alice 16. ..127 Garden St., Hoboken, N. J. Ballmer, Mary 36....123 1st Ave. Ballmer, Joseph W 16.. .123 1st Ave. Ballmer, Augusta 8. ..123 1st Ave. Burfiend, Dora 23...245 W. 27th St. Burfiend, Margaret 2.. .245 W. 27th St. Burfiend, Dora 2mo...243 W. 27th St. Birmingham, Cather'e..72...79 Mangin St. Baumann, Madelina 30. ..526 6th St. Baumann, Margaret 6...526 6thSt. Baumann, Otto 5. ..526 6th St. Beck, Christina 55...313 E. 9th St. Brown, Mollie 32...233E. 5th St. Brown, Elsie 10...233 E. 5th St. Brown, Willie 6. .. 233 E. 5th St. Brunning, John L 44. ..215 E. 12th St. Brunning, Annie E 43.. . 215 E. 12th St. Brunning, Madelina 12.. .215 E. 12th St. Bretz, Mary 28. ..304 E. 28th St. Bretz, Eda 3. ..304 E. 28th St. Name. Age. Residence. Bretz, Elsie 7 mo...304 E. 28th St. Brosewald, Meta 50. ..269 Monroe St. Benneke, Mary 30... 420 E. 17th St. Belmken, Annie 13...344 E. 48th St. Buchkort, Anna 66. ..141 E. 3d St. Behrens, Henry 6. ..22 St. Mark's Fl. Balser, Amelia 46.. .422 E. 8th St. Burfiend, John 10 mo...l00 W. 106 St. Boenhardt, Otto 14...322E. 13th St. Berg, Lena 45.. .158 Goerck St. Bernhardi, Anna 5. ..43 E. 2d St. Baumle, Margaret 85. ..433 E. 6th St, Baumle, Annie 11. ..433 E. 6th St. Behrendt, Clara 8...88 3dSt. Bauer, Caroline 42. ..31 Beekman Fl. Boerger, Pauline 47...104 1st Ave. Boerger, Philip, J r 9. ..104 1st Ave. Boerger, Pauline 5. ..104 1st Ave. Blohm, Margaret 18...18-20 Jackson St. Blohm, Dora 15...18-20 Jackson St. Blohm, Anna 28. ..573 Central Ave Brooklyn. Bahr, Ida 13...424 E. 9th St. Bahr, Lillian 7.. .424 E. 9th St. Blusch, Kate 25. ..41 Ave. A. Barnhardi, Annie 5. ..614 E. 9th St. Bush, Hilda 8...82 W. 90th St. Beekman, Margaret 23.. .1894 3dAve. Beekman, Margaret...7 mo. ..1894 3d Ave. Bensh, Mary 42...401 5th St. Balserm, Catherine 32.. .137 Ave. B. Bose, Anna 54. ..135 Ave. A. Bose, Emily 19. ..135 Ave. A. Boeger, Susan L ~82... °10 Putnam Ave. Brooklyn. Boeger, William 5. ..910 Putnam Ave., Brooklyn. Boeger, Florence 3. ..910 Putnam Ave., Brooklyn. [ Bozenhardt, Emily 38. ..110 1st Ave. [ Bozenhardt, Lucile 11. ..110 1st Ave. LIST OF VICTIMS OF THE GENERAL SLOCUM. 343 Name. . 1 ge . Res idencc. Behrens, Alice 10... 127 Garden St., lloboken. Baumler, Aunle 43. ..433 E. 6tb St. Baumler, Chas 10...488 E. 6th St. Baumler, Annie 12.. .433 E. 6th St. Bell, Agnus, 16.. .242 E. 5th St. Braun, Molile. 32. ..233 E. 5th St. Brauu, Elsie 10...288 E. 5th St. Braun, Walter (5.. .233 E. 5th St. Boden, Ella 49.. .101 Clymer St., Brooklyn. Buschmlller, Aunle 27.. .7!) Cayler St., B'k. Berdholdt, Mrs. Fred 30.. .41 ad Ave. Brandello, Eliza 29.. .81 7th St. Brandello, Louise 5...84 7thSt. Bentz, Arthur 18.. .333 5th St. Breda, Mamie 25.. .'JO Ave. A. Breda, Minnie 29... 90 Ave. A. Breda, Minnie 18 mo. ..90 Ave. A. Breda, Thomas 9...90Ave. A. Brower, Margaret L 83...107 E. 84th St. Becker, Theodore 2. ..1157 Lexingt'n Av. Benning, Magdellne 12.. .72 \V. 111th St. Buchmiller, Arthur — ...7J Cayler St., Bk. Buchmlller, George 7. ..79 Cayler St., Bk. Brocks, Mary 13.. .51 Ave. A. behrens, Augusta 52.. .127 Garden St., Hoboken. Breda, Minnie, 29.. .150 N. 9th St., Bk. Birmingham, Katie 55.. .79 Mangin St. Berhold, Augusta 30. ..1050 Prospect Av., Brooklyn. Bock, Louisa S9...6B Marcy Ave., Brooklyn. Brown, Alphonse 13. .. 205 E. 5th St. Bock, May 7.. .09 Marcy Av., Bk. Baist, Lillian 13.. .23 Ave. B. Baumler, Amelia 15. .433 E. 6th St. Brandt, Eva 34. ..410 E. 9th St. Curhs, Kate 27. ..70 1st Ave. Curhs, Frida 6. ..70 1st Ave. Curhs, Henry D 1... 70 1st Ave. Cahill, Annie M 22.. .316 E. 6th St. Cibilskl, Kate 18.. .91 Ave. B. Charlotte, May 50. ..275 Ave. D. Clow, Margaret 40. ..54 7th St. Cordes, Meta 52.. .417 E. 16th St. Cordes, Henrietta 22. ..417 E. 16th St. Cordes, Fred 14. ..417 E. 16th st. Christ, Minnie 12.. .144 E. 7th St. Cohrs, Frieda 26. ..106 Ave. A. Duls, Pauline 54. ..in:; \ Dauernheim, Minnie 26. „1 E. 13th St. Hilar. Elsie 16.. .219 E. Lit 1 Eysel, Jennie 9.. .203 Ave. A. S44 LIST OF VICTIMS OF THE GENERAL SLOCUM. Name. Age. Residence. Engelman, Louise 2S...425 E. 12th St. Engelman, William 6...425 E. 12th St. Elk, Adellade 24...306E. 6th St. Elk, Frances 17 mo...806 E. 6th St. Ellig, Lizzie 6...433 5thSt. Ellig, Margaret 4... 433 E. 5th St. Erklin, Theo 6... 1030 Hudson St., Hoboken, N. J. Funk, Michaei 12...83 Ave. A. Fickbohm, Marie 40.. .91 Ave. D. Fickbohm, Earnest 12...91 Ave. D. Fickbohm, Marie 14...91 Ave. D. Foelsing, Amelia.... 34... 1914 3d Ave. Foelsing, Elizabeth 14...1914 3d Ave. Foelsing, George 9. ..1914 3d Ave. Foelsing, Ferdinand 7...1914 3d Ave. Fischler, Herta 7. ..314 E. 9th St. Fischler, Erna 6...314E. 9th St. Froelich, Mrs 23.. .301 W. 96th St. Feldhaus, George 11. ..526 Sixth St. Folke, Annie 51...257 Ave. B. Folke, Dora 76...257Ave. B. Fisher, Edna 6.. .108 1st Ave. Fisher, Lillie 4...108 1st Ave. Feldhausen, Margaret 48...50 W. 8th St. Feldhausen, Nicholas 12...50 W. 8th St. Felske, Gusta 38...211 E. 5th St. Felske, Elizabeth 14...211 E. 5th St. Felske, Herman 8 mo. ..211 E. 5th St. Fritz, Elna 47... 1225 Park Ave. Frese, Annie 20.. .426 E. 15th St. Freck, Charles 14...409 E. 5th St. Fittlg, Peter 48... 120 2d Ave. Feldhausen, George 42. ..50 W. 8th St. Feldhaus, George 11.. .949 E. 137th St. Felmeden, Lizzie 36.. .80 1st Ave. Fresa, Anna 20...426 E. 15th St. Frey, Lillian 34.. .84 7th St. Fettig, Christina 33...120 2d Ave. Gross, Emma 43.. .90 1st Ave. Gross, Bruno 6...90 1st Ave. Grellka, Amelia 48...345 E. 15th St. Grellka, Olga 14...345 E. 15th St. Grellka, Agnes 10...345 E. 15th St. Greisel, Emma 3... 117 E. 2d St. Geissler, Louis 10...489 6th St. Gress, Lillian 10 mo...526 E. 6th St. Gress, George 8. ..526 E. 6th St. Goss, Mary 59...97 7th St. Goss, Gertrude 27. ..97 7th St. Gress, Otto 43...134 7th St. Gress, Eliza 41. ..134 7th St. Gress, Clara 13. ..184 7th St. Name. Age. Residence. Gress, Walter 12.. .134 7th St. Grafting, Lillian 28. ..998 Ave. A. German, Frederica 39. ..315 E. 18th St, German, Catherine F 17...315 E. 18th St. German, Frederica F 15...315 E. 18th St. Grimm, Selma 33...314 E. 9th St. Gillis, Charles 16...512E.5thSt. Gillis, George 13. ..512 E. 5th St. Gassman, Minnie 11. ..128 E. 4th St. Gassman, Frank 8.. .1218 E. 4th St. Gassman, Michael 5.. .128 E. 4th St. Goetz, Catherine 28.. .80 1st Ave. Gerstenderger, Richard..38..,147 W. 32d St. Gerstenberger, Annie 39. .147 W. 32dSt. Gallagher, Veronice 34.. .424 E. 15th St. Gallagher, Walter 9...424 E. 15th St. Gallagher, Agnes 9 mo.. .424 E. 15th St. Gardner, Lizzie 24. ..748 Westchestei Ave. Grunning, Ella 29...45 E. 7th St. Grunning, Henry 5. ..45 E. 7th St. Gibbons, Margaret 13. ..225 E. 5th St. Gibbons, Ela, 11. ..225 E. 5th St. Geisser, Kate 25. ..1225 Park Ave. Gerdes, Christina, 49.. .341 Rivington Sfc Gerdes, Henrietta 47. ..341 Rivington Si. Gruben, Emma, 40. ..402 E. 17th St. Gruben, Caroline, 13.. .420 E. 17th St. Gerdes, Henry, 80.. .430 Kosciusko S*. Gerdes, Mrs. Henry 60. ..430 Kosciusko St. Goettler, Caroline, 6S...233 E. 5th St. Gade, Grace, 16...405 E. 5th St. Geisler, Ida, 19. ..201 Avenue A. Galenski, Helen, 6.. .54 7th St. Galenski, Morris, 3...54 7th St. Goetz, Leona, 12.. .337 5th St. Grewe, Henry, 16. ..54 E. 7th St. Grewe, Frederick, 14. ..54 E. 7th St. Geissman, Lena, 16.. .114 E. 4th St. Grovald, Elsie, 10...56 E. 7th St. Goetz, Edward, 5. ..80 First Ave. Goetz, Albert, 3. ..80 First Ave. Goss, Mary,.... 59. ..27 Stanton St. Goss, Gertrude, :■.... 27. ..27 Stanton St. Grawe, Henry 17.. .54 7th St. Grawe, Frederick, 14. ..54 7th St. Galewsky, Helen, 7. ..54 7th St. Galewsky, Morris 54 7th St. Greenwald, Richard, 5...257 Ave. B. Grunning, Charles, 3...45 7thSt. Hendkamp, John, 54. ..805 6th St. Hendkamp Margaret,. ..11. ..805 6th St. Hendkamp, Frank, 8. ..805 6th St. Hoffman, Celie, 36.. .116 Lake St. J. C. Hoffman, Raymond 5. ..116 LakeSt. J.C. LIST OF VICTIMS OF THE GENERAL SLOCUM. 345 Xame. Age. Residence. Hoffman, Edna, 3...116 LakeSt. J. ('. Hording, Minnie K, 24. ..402 3rd Ave. Heme), Minnie, 5G...801 E. 147St. Haag, Ella, 18...158 1st Ave. llaag, susianna 49. ..158 1st Ave. Ueuer, Dora, 39. ..129 Division St. Heuer, Mary, 17. ..129 Division St. lleuer, Dora, 7. ..129 Division St. ileuer, Herman 9... 129 Division St. Heyrlsob, Katie, 47...423 E. 16th st. Hoffman, Elizabeth, 55. ..170th St. i...S2 W. 90th St. Hettinger, Lizzie, 28... 127 1st Ave. Heagy, Barbara 17. ..108 1st Ave. Herz, Minnie, 32. ..412 - Gth St. Ileins, Erank, 11. ..397 E. 4th St. Hiller, Cbristiua, (iS...404 E. 6th St, lliller, (iodfrey (1(1. ..404 E. 6th St. Holler, Barbara, 50. ..338 E. Oth St. Hoag, William, 14...210 E. Hthst. Hoag, Wilmur, 12. .. 210 E. 14th St. Hoag, Emiua, 9...210 E. 14th St. Hoag, Susianna, 49. ..153 1st Ave. Hoag, Ella 13. ..158 1st Ave. Hell, George, 11. ..55 1st Ave. Hell, Emile 12. ..55 1st Ave. Hell, Fred, 6. ..53 1st Ave. Hartman, Mary, 45. ..309 E. 10th St. Heinz, Johanna, 44. ..97 Ave. A. Heinz, Louisa, 20. ..97 Ave. A. Heidkamper, Maggie,. . 11. .49 Ave. A. Heckert, Annie, 11. ..88 Ave. A. Heckert, Julia, 8 mo. -88 Ave. A. Hotz, George, 5. ..319 5th Bt. Horway, Mrs. Anna, 26. ..313 E. 9th Bt Horway, Karl 1...313 E. 9th Bt Horway, Delia, 6...818 E. s>th st. Heislon, Margaret, .33... 181 Waverly PI, Heislon, George, 3...1S1 Waverly PL Hel, Adelade 15. ..Boston Road and Pelham Pk, Bkn. Hensler, Gussie, 11. .154 1st Ave. Heokman, William 8... 525 E. I2tli st. Hartman, Margaret, 15...908 E. 10th St. Hetteroeb, Elizabeth, 30... JA) E. 151 h st. Name. Age. Residence. Hessel, Wilhelma, &3...801 E. 147th St. Hoffman, Ella, 14...Astor Library. Hardekopf, Meta, 40. ..343 Rlvlngton St. Henry, Sadie 12...225-5th St. Hecken, Lucy, 41...169S. 2dSt.,Bklyn Hecken, Charles 18...169S. 2dSt.,Bklyn Hartung, Louise, 47. ..342 E. 21st St. Hartung, Clara 10.. .342 E. 21st St. Hartung Francis, 13.. .342 E. 21st St. Hartung Amelia, 13. ..342 E. 21st St. Hartung, Elsie, 6. .. 842 E. 21st St. Heins, Anna 29.. .240 - 9th Ave. Hertzenberger, Mrs. H...37. .22 St. Marks PI. Hermann, Catherine 60....437 5th St. Hermann, Elsie 3. ..410 5th St. Hermann, Fred 13 mo...J10 5th St. Holder, Marie 79. ..169 Ave. A. Hermann, Emily 35. ..410 5th St. Hermann, George... .14 mo.. 410 5th St. Hernberg, Arthur 9...79Colyer St.Bkln Hernberg, George 6. ..79 Colyer St.Bkln Hoffman, Sophia 51. ..73 2d St. Hoffman, Mrs. C 37...336 N. Y.Ave.,J.C Hotz, Anna 37...819 E.5th St. Hotz, Bertha 12. ..819 E. 5th St. Hoffman, Edna 2—886 X. Y.Ave.,J.C. Heins Annie 40...300 Eront St. ileins Annie 26...300 Front St. Heins, Ida 14. ..300 Front St. Heins, Etta 10.. .300 Front St. Heins, Margaret 7. ..300 Front st. Heins, Henrietta 10....800 Front St Hetterick, Adolph 8 mo....420 E. 15th St. Hecklin, Katie Heckman, Lillian 6...512 E. 12th St Hauff, Tillie 14...142 E. 3d St. Hertz, Minnie 32....412 6th St. Haas, Gertrude 13. ..64 7th St. Havermeyer, Emma 37. .1499 First Ave. Havermeyer, Willie 7... 1499 First Ave. Irvin, Fannie 33...2112 3d Ave. Iden, Henrietta 10. ..100 E. 4th St. Iden, Minnie 18...100 E. 4th St. Iden, Grace 5. ..100 E. 4th St. Irwin, Julia 24. ..2112 3d Ave. llmar, Fritz 47...1225 Park Ave. Jolmck, Bertha 57...314 E. 9th St Just, Amelia 13. ..406 E. 8th St Just, Etelka 12.. .405 E. 8th St. Just, Leontine 10. ..405 E. 8th St Kreckler, Margaret B_J67 Ave. A. Kruutwrst, Annie 14. ..114 E. 4th St. Kolb, Valentine 58... 743 E. 201st St. 346 LIST OF VICTIMS OF THE GENERAL SLOCUM. Name. Age. Residence. Kolb, Magdaline 72...743 E. 201st St. Klein, Tiena 73...31 Ave. A. Klein, Tillie 10.. .31 Ave. A. Klein, Teina 40. ..31 Ave. A. Klein, Julius 6....31 Ave. A. Krafft, Louisa 30...145 E. 4th St. Kessler, Babette 40.. .203 E. 7th St. Kessler, Augustus 13. ..203 E. 7th St. Kohler, Henry A 40...315 E. 13th St. Kohler, Mary 38. ..815 E. 13th St. Kohler, Henry A., Jr 12...315 E. 13th St. Kopf, Lizzie 32...337 E. 9th St. Kopf, Emeil 10.. .337 E. 9th St. Kopf, Francis 8.. .337 E. 9th St. Kopf, Theodore 5...8S7 E. 9th St. Kopf, Elle 2...3S7 E. 9th St. Kalb, Gussie 22...517 E. 5th St. Klatthaer, Catherine 56.. .506 E. 5th St. Klatthaer, George 14. ..506 E. 5th St. Klennan, Meta 57...1391 Wash. Ave. Kara, Barbara 60...314 E. 6th St. Klein, Emma 25...314 E. 6th St. Klein, Emily 9. .. 314 E. 6th St. Klenck, Bertha 40.. .113 St. Mark's PI. Klenck, William 20.. .113 St. Mark's PI. Klenck, Charles 7. ..113 St. Mark's PI. Kosel, Lillian 5...266 Ave. A. Koster, Margaret 46. ..343 Rivington St. King, Catherine 46.. .314 E. 46th St. Karl, Barbara 60...314 E. 46th St. Kleinhenz, Barbara 14. ..190 Ave. A. Kleinhenz, Lina 11. ..196 Ave. A. Kiessel Lillian 5.. .266 Ave. A. Klein, John 17...391 E. 3d St. Kawezymskix, Teonl 15. ..196 3d Ave. Klamme, Meta 24. ..1391 Washington Avenue. Klamme, May 1...1391 Washington Avenue. Klob, Valentine 68. ..743 Summer St., Bronx. Klob, Magdalena 72.. .743 Summer St., Bronx. Kalk, Augusta 21...84 7th St. Klennen, Ethel 1...1391 Washington Avenue. Kirsher, Catherine 61...185 Russell St., Brooklyn. Kirscher, Margaret 83.. .185 Russell St., Brooklyn. Kircher, Elsie 7.. .185 Russell St., Brooklyn. Kirsher, Karl 3...185 Russell St., Brooklyn. Klennen, Meta 56...1391 Washington Avenue. Name. Age. Residence. Klennen, Ethel 11 mo...l391 Washington Avenue. Keppler, Louis 17...192 First Ave. Keisel, Millie 6. ..266 Ave. A. Klenck, Minnie 19. ..438 6th St, Klenck, Minnie 19...438 6th St. Klein, Mrs. Diana 72. ..29 Ave. A. Klein, Manoi 13...313 Miller Ave.. Brooklyn. Kunze, Gussie 20...417 E. 16th St. Kleseh, Katie 6...800E. 14th St. Keppeler, Irene 12. ..192 First Ave. Kriegler, Margaret 24.. .257 Ave, B. Kreigler, Fred 10. ..257 Ave. B. Kreigler, Annie 7. ..257 Ave. B. Link, Edward 12. ..76 Ave. A. Link, Lottie 8. ..76 Ave. A. Lurin, Xena 17. ..11 E. 4th St. Ludemann, Johanna 45. ..4 Smith St. White Plains Lutgens, Katie 46...101 Clymer St.. Brooklyn. Lutgems, Maggie 18...101 Clymer St.. Brooklyn. Ludwig, George 14...413 E. 17th St. Lang, xVmelia 15. ..154 E. Broadway. Lullman, Carrie 24. ..100 University pi Lambeck, Ernest 9. ..427 E. 9th St. Lambeck, Henry 6. .. 427 E. 9th St. Lambeck, Albert 3...427 E. 9th St. Luderer, Herman 18...312E. 14th St. Lane, Gustav 17.. .227 E. 11th St. Lane, George 14. ..227 E. 11th St. Lahn, Dora 25...1000 Union Avt, Lahn, Clara 20. ..1000 Union Ave, Leffler, Catherine 41. ..9 E. 3d St. Leffler, Louise 9. ..9 E. 3d St. Lieport, Chas 12...412 E. 6th St. Lamm, Amelia 40.. .645 E. 17th St. Lamm, Frank 15... 645 E. 17th St. Lamm, Lillian 7...64S E. 17th St. Lucas, Robert —...540 W. 39th St. Libenow, Anna 3...183E. 125th St. Licome, Minnie 19...83 7th St. Liebnow, Martha 29...404 E. 5th St. Meinhardt, Walde 15...146 E. 4th St. Molke, Lizzie 10...125 First Ave. Mammelkamps, Lizzie..44...130 E. 4th St. Mammelkamps, Stella....l2...130 E. 4th St. Michael, Margarette 41...624 E. 12th St. Michael, Willie 14...624 E. 12th St. Moller, Valesca 27.. .97 2d Ave. Moller, Edgar S...97 2d Ave. LIST OF VICTIMS OF THE GENERAL SLOCUM. 347 Name. Age. nee. Mailer, Annie 24. ..406 F. 6th St. Mailer, llermiue 87...88S Bowery. Mailer, Rose 14. ..368 How try. Muller, Edward 11.. .3(38 Bowery. Mallei, Helen 8...368 Bowery. Muller, Irene 4... 368 Bowery. Mack, Annie 22. ..401 E. 10th St. Mahlstadt, Martin H 22.. .629 E. 146th St. Mecke, Tessie 9...504 E. 16th St. Miller, Flora 26.. .314 E. 46th St. Miller, Florence 28. .. 28 W. 97th St. Muller, Annie 37.. .-11 First Ave. Muller, Annie 13.. .11 First Ave. Muller, Henry 3. ..41 First Ave. Meininger, I.lzzie 29...191 F. 3d St. Meininger, Harry 19mo...l!>l E.3d St. Meyer, France 42. ..134 Hobart Ave, Bayonne N.J. McCarthy, Jeremiah 9. ..134 Hobart Ave., Bayonne, N. J. Mayer, Lizzie 3D. ..88 Ave A. Meyer, Edward 10.. 88 Ave A. Meyer, Kate 7. ..88 Ave A. Meinhardt, Walberger....37...146 E. 4th St. Meinhardt, Rudolph 14.. .143 E. 4tb St. Meyer, Louisa 39. ..430 E. 17th St. Meyer, Elsl 9. ..430 E. 17th St. Motzer, Annie 38. ..404 E. 6th St. Moller, Henry 13...20 St. Mark's PI. Moller, Martha 37. ..20 St. Mark's PI. McLoughlin, Michael 12. ..69 First Ave. Morris, Kate 15...69 First Ave. Math, Annie 62. ..1254 Lex. Ave. Math, Kate 36. ..1254 Lex. Ave. Math, Lizzie 11. ..1254 Lex. Ave. Math, Tennie 8.. .1254 Lex. Ave. Math, Katie 5. ..1254 Lex. Ave. Mescke, Betty 51...508 Robbins Ave. Mescke, Anna M 16. ...508 Robbins Ave. Manheimer, Mamie 36.. .86 7th St. Manhtimer, Walter 11. ..86 7th St. Meyer, Meta 50.. .881 Madison St. Meyer, Lizzie 20.. .381 Madison St. Miller, Annie 21. ..123 7th St. Mattes, Lizzie 21. ..87 Ave. A. Mollter, Margarettc 36...Midlanckv Jerome A vs. Mt. Vernon Midlands Jerome A vs. Mt. Vernon M idlandA Jerome A vs. Mt. Vernon 421 E. 9th St. 421 E. 9th St. Moliter, Eva 8. Moliter, Carl 5. Maurer, Matilda 14 Maurer, George 53. Maurer, Clara 12. ..421 F. 9th St. Mettler, Albert ll...8885th St, Xurne. Age. 'nice. Mettler, Robert 10.. .338 5th St. Mettler, Elsie 15. ..338 5th St. Mettler, Fred 8.. .338 E. 5th St. Muller, Annie 32. ..998 A \ • Muller, Henry 1...9B8 Ave. A. Mai, Charlotte 50.. .601 E. 1st St. Meinhardt, Ruda 19... 146 E. 4th St. Meyer, George 12. ..430 E. 17th St. McGrane, Michael 48.. .2161 8th Ave. Marshall, Henry 11. ..121 1st Ave. Marcellis, Matilda 13. ..394 6tb Ave., Bkn. Mandle, Arthur 8. ..11 7th st. Michael, Caroline 12...171 Ave. A. Miller, Jacob 4 mos...l23 7th St. Meininger, Lizzie 29. ..631 BergenAv.Bx. Meininger, Harry 2. ..631 BergeuAv.Bx. Moeller, Catherine 4. ..45 2d Ave. Miller, Bernhardt 34. .95 2d Ave. Moeller, Edward 5. ..20 St. Marks PI. Miller, Mary 29. ..95 2d Ave. Moeller, Annie 406 E. 6th St. Mattes, Margarette 57. ..87 Ave. A. Norman, Anna 23. ..402 3d Ave. Noll, Kate 40.. .400 E. 5th St. Noll, Theodore 5. ..400 E. 5th St. Neibuhr, Meta 38.. .21 Ave. B. Neibuhr, Lizzie 9...2iAve. B. Ottinger, Kate 38. ..91 7th St. Ottingcr, Emma 15.. .91 7th St. Ottinger, Charles 15.. .91 7th St. Oelrlch, Anna 85.. .611 Marcy Ave., Brooklyn. Oelrich, Helen 9 mo. ..611 Marcy Ave., Brooklyn. Oehler, Anna M 54. ..510 6th St. uehler Freda 14. ..5106th St. Ohl, Emila 11. .. 340 E. 9th St. Ohl, Carl 9...840 E. 9th St. Osborne, Fannie 13...20thst. Marks PI. Oelrich, Fred 6. ..611 Marcy Ave., Brooklyn. Oelrich, Minnie 4. ..611 Marcy Ave. Brooklyn. Oelrich, Lizzie 3. ..611 Marcy Ave. Brooklyn. Osmers, Mildred 6. ..49 E. 88 St. Pfelfer, Lillie 18.. .937 Bedford Ave., Brooklyn. Pullman, William H 49...337 E. 18th St. Piening, Dora 57. ..45 E. 7th St. Potiebaum, Herman 52. ..61 St. Mark's PI. Pottebaum. Eliza 47. ..61 St. Mark's PL 348 LIST OF VICTIMS OF THE GENERAL SLOCUM. Name. Age. Residence. Pottebaum, William 29...61 St. Mark's PI. Probst, Katie 24...515 E. 12th St. Port, Henry 15...88 4th St. Port, Paul C 12...88 4th St. Prawdziki, Annie 15...85 E. 3d St. Prawdziki, Henrietta 13...85 E. 3d St. Prawdziki, Gertrude 3. ..85 E. 3d St. Pauls, Elsie 21. ..26 Ave. A. Pauls, Kate 14...26 Ave. A. Polnish, Olga 14...820 5th St. Ryan, Mamie 5. ..345 E. 15th St. Rosenberger, Mary 46. ..417 E. 16th St. Rosenberger, Lizzie 8...417 E. 16th St. Reuling, Emma 24...424 E. 6th St. Roes, Adele 24...322McDonaghSt. Brooklyn. Routh, Ellen 20.. .310 E. Broadway. Rice, Catherine 74. ..40 Shepard Ave., Brooklyn. Rosenstein, Sophia 21. ..127 1st Ave. Rosenagel, Annie 38.. .129 E. 4th St. Reichter, Lena 25. ..104 1st Ave. Relchter, Tina 11. ..104 1st Ave. Reichter, Lizzie 12.. .104 1st Ave. Reichter, Fred 10.. .104 1st Ave. Rheinfrank, John 75...S43 W. 71st St. Rheinfrank, Catherina..64...343 W. 71st St. Ringer, Clara 37...170 Ave. A. Ringer, Alfred 12...170 Ave. A. Rammelkamp, Augusta 44...130 E. 4th St. Rammelkamp, Stella 18...130 E. 4th St. Ricter, Amelia 47...404 E. 6th St. Ricter, Amelia 20.. .404 E. 6th St. Ricter, Lizzie 19...404 E. 6th St. Ricter, Annie 8...404E. 6th St. Ricter, Ernest 12.. .404 E. 6th St. Ricter, August 14. ..404 E. 6th St. Rothenberger, Annie 19.. .368 Bowery. Roberts, Clara 38.. .198 Guernsey St., Brooklyn. Roberts, Blanche 13...i98 Guernsey St., Brooklyn. Ruthinger, Meta 39. ..47 St. Mark's PI. Ruthinger, Ernest 16.. .47 St. Mark's PI. Roeth, Helen 20.. .310 E. Broadway. Ramus, Frederick 60.. .420 17th St. Ramus, Irving 11. ..420 E. 17th St. Roth, Josephine 42. ..203 E.5th St. Roth, Caroline 17...203 E. 5th St. Rakowski, Manda 10...337 E. 5th St. Roese, Adelin 37. ..Sumner Ave. & McDonagh St., Brooklyn. Rothman, Emily 34...48>£ 7th St. Name. Age. Residence. Rothman, Thomas F 8. ..48% 7th St. Rothman, William 5...48>£ 7th St. Richter, Lena 34... 104 1st Ave. Richter, Lydia 12.. .104 1st Ave. Richter, Christina 9...104 1st Ave. Reiss, Rose 16.. .70 1st Ave. Reiss, Kate 33.. .70 1st Ave. Reiss, Lizzie 7.. .70 1st Ave. Ramus, Frederick 16...420 E. 17th St. Reitz.Tessie 90 1st Ave. Reichenbach.HermanH 2.. .241 Stockholm^, Brooklyn. Roth, Josephine 52.. . 205 E. 5th St. Roth, Lena 17.. .203 E. 5th St. Reuling, Gertrude 22.. .422 2d St. Schnude, Henry C 32...197 Gurnsey St. Brooklyn. Schnude, Mrs. Henry. ...82.. .196 Gurnsey St. Brooklyn. Schnude, Grace 4. ..196 Gurnsey St. Brooklyn. Schnude, Mildred 2.. .109 Gurnsey St. Brooklyn. Schuman, Alfred 7.. .113 St. Marks PI. Sackman Margaret 40...341 Rivington St. Sackman, Herman 7.. .341 Rivington St. Schwartz, Louisa 43...141 E. 3d St. Schoenengut Gottleben.64...118 E. 3d St. Soerichs, Lotie 36.. .425 E. 18th St. Schuesler, Sophie 62...338 6th St. Stenger, Frances 33.. .88 E. 3d St. Stenger, Rose 10...88 E. 3d St. Shoefling, Mary 85. ..189 3d Ave. Siegel, Sophia 24...54 7th St. Schaler Margarette 24...237 E. 10th St. Schaier, Julia 6 mo. ..237 E. 10th St. Smith, Mamie 13...361 E. 10th St.. Schmidt, Goettlieb 34...97E. 4th St. Schmidt, Bertha 10...97 E. 4th St. Schmidt, Emma 25. ..264 1st Ave. Schmidt, Erna 5 mo. ..264 1st Ave. Spring, Mrs. Augusta. ...52. ..90 1st Ave. Siercish, Mrs 3S...425 E. 12th St. Schumacher, Katie 14...436 6th St. Stoehr, Sussie 30. ..340 E. 6th St. Stoehr, Henry 5...340 E. 6th St. Schwartz, Mrs. Charles..45...144 E. 3d St. Staeger, Anna, 13.. .59 1st Ave. Seller, Catherine 73....107 E. 84th St. Stick, Lena 38...837 5th St. Sutman, Henrietta 23....104 1st Ave. Stelz, Bessie 18... 606 E. 15th St. Smith, Martha 28...316E. 18thSt. Sehoett, Josephine 42....98 E. 7th St. Schoett, Christina 19- .98 E. 7th St. LIST OF VICTIMS OF THE GENERAL SLOCUM. 349 iVd7/ic. Age. Residence. Schoett, Carrie 10...98 E. 7th St. Schoett, Helen 5. ..98 E. 7th St. Schmidt, Sophia 36. ..290 E. 2d St. Schmidt, Freda 7. ..290 E. 2d St. Schmidt, Charles 5. ..290 E. 2d St. Schneple, Carrie 15. ..54 Ave. A. Schneider, Katie 8. ..822 Stanhope St., Brooklyn. Slbelsky, Kate 18. ..322 Freeman St., Greenpoiut. Stone, Mamie 48...114 E. 4th St. Schuler, Frederick 19. ..15 Stuyvesant St. Schuler, Charles 15.. .15 Stuyvesant St. Schrumpf, Lizzie 48...208 Ave. B. Schrumpf, John 16.. .208 Ave B. Schrumpf, William 1,1. .208 Ave. B. Smith, Eva 17.. 149 E. 4th St. Schmidt, Emma 54. ..138 E. 7th St. Smith, Anna 25...920 E. 156th St. Smith, Mildred 2...920 E. 156th St. Svoboda, Francis 11...170 E. 4th St. Svoboda, Mamie 8.. .170 E. 4th St. Schafer, E. Fannie 40.. .77 E. Houston St. Schnitzerling, Eliza 86.-123 Ave. A. Schmidt, Catherine 67....418 E. 9th St. Schmidt, Kate 40.. .418 E. 9th St. Schmidt, Arthur 14. ..418 E. 9th St. Schelken, Elsue 8....331 5th St. Schweikert, Catherine....61....216 E. 11th St. Sanders, Helen 13...416E. 16th St. Schruner, Bertha 16....1401st Ave. Schruner, Lena 13....110 1st Ave. Schruner, Willie 9....140 1st Ave. Smith, Sophia 15....341 E. 25th St. Schneider, Tessie 14....90 1st Ave.. Schmidling. Millie 22.. .119 E. Hh St. Schmidling, George 18...119 E. 7th St. Schmidling, Annie 15... 119 E. 7th St. Suden, Margaret 30.. .61 Jackson St. Suden, Herman 4. ..61 Jackson St. Schultz, Dora 38.. .112 E. 4th St. Schultz, Rudolph 14. ..112 E. 4th St. Schultz, Henry G 11.112 E. 4th St. Sclinitzler, Christina 28...10Gouveneur PI. Schnitzler, Kate 5...10Gouveneur PI. Seiferth, Henry 32...215 W. 23d St. Schneider, Eva 42...320 E. 6th St. Schneider, Eva 11. ..326 E. 6th St. Stubrauch, Annie 19. ..303 6th St. Strickroth, Annie 45.. .146 Essex St. Strickroth, Charles 14. ..146 Essex St. Strickroth, Elsie 9... 146 Essex St. Strickroth, Louis 5... 146 Essex St. Smith, Margaret 14. ..383 Monroe St. Selgwart, Phoebe 16. ..225 E. 5th St.. Seigwart, Carrie 9.. .225 E. 5th St. Name. Aye. Residence. Steckman, Augusta 61...22S E. 5th St. Steckman, Annie 21. ..225 E. 5th St. Steckman, Hulrta 17. .225 E. 5th St. Steckman, Augusta 15...22S E. 5th St. Steckman, Louisa 10.. .225 K. 5th St. Schnude, William 61. ..426 E. 17th St. Schnude, Louise 58...428E. 17th St. Shiettinger, Dora 18.. .734 E. 149th St. Shlettinger, Freda 16. ..734 E. 149th St. Schultz, Emma 10... 130 E. Fourth St. Schick, Minnie 21...430E. 15th St. Smith, Annie 3. ..801 E. 117th St. Schelke, Elsie 8. ..331 E. 5th St. Steil, Adelaide 15. ..Boston Rd., Br'x. Seelig, Anna —...Dundee Lk., N. J. Schreiner, Annie 6. ..140 1st Ave. Schneider, Dora 32...322 Stanhope St. Schultz, Dora 7. ..112 4th St. Schuman, Albert —...100 E. 8th St. Stiehl, Llllie 16.. .55 1st Ave. Stoss, Edna 10.. .316 2d Ave. Stoss, Minnie 43. ..316 2d Ave. Tetamore, Sophia 26. ..1471 Bushwick Ave., Brooklyn. Treblng, Mary 6....223 E. 5th St. Trimm, Mary 36....211 E. 5th St. Trimm, Hedwig 11 ,,,,211 E. 5th St. Trimm, Henrietta 9....211 E. 5th St. Trimm, George 11....211 E. 5th St. Turnipot, Freda 27„..198 Guernsey St., Brooklyn. Turnipot, Frances A 4. ...198 Guernsey St., Brooklyn. Turnipot, Charlotte 1J4-198 Guernsey St., Brooklyn. Thorn Suden, Marga te..30....68 Jackson St. Thorn Suden, Herman.... 4. ..68 Jackson St. Troell, Albert 18.. .405 E. 5th St. Tetamore, Mrs. M 30.. .1471 Bushwick Ave., Brooklyn. Thormalen, Mrs 42...100 E. 2d St. Thormalen, Flart 7....100 E.2dSt. Thormalen, Tillie 3....100 E. 2d St. Unger, Kate 54....99 Ave. A. Ullman, Lena 39....409 E. 5th St. lllman, William 14....409 E. 5th St. Uhlendorf, Selma 45....93 3d Ave. Uhleudorf, Louise 8....93 3d Ave. Uehlin, Minnie 43....4165th St. Uehlein, Otto 19....416 5th St. Ulrich, Julia 15....58 Wlllett St. Vassar, John 11—88 5th St. Vaeth, Wm 9....107 E. 4th SU 350 LIST OF VICTIMS OF THE GENERAL SLOCUM. Name. Age. Residence. Vetter, Mary 45....31 Beekman St. Vetter, Mamie 20....730 6th St. Vickhoff, Wm 25....196 2d Ave. Volkhart, Lizzie 42....4B9 5th St. Voilmer, Mary M 7....123 1st Ave. Veit, Lena 26....151 E. 9th St., College Point. Veit, Rosa 15 mo 151 E. 9th St., College Point. Van Duser, Matilda 13....171 E. 4th Si. Westo, Lethis 14... 394 E. 5th St. Workman Jennie, 21. ..116 Lake St., J. C. Webber, Emily 10...404 E. 5th St. Wertenberger, Marg'r"t,22...55 1st Ave. Wertenberger, Lillie, 2. ..55 1st Ave. Weideman, Caroline, 50. ..79 E. Houston St. Weideman, Catharine,...30...79 E. Houston St. Wallace, Rose, 11. ..214 E. 11th St, Weiss, Caroline, 50...216 E. 11th St. Weiss, Emily,.. .. 12...216 E. 11th Si. Weaver, Carrie, 9. ..301 E. 9th St. Weaver, Fred, 36...8M E. 9th St. Weaver, Mamie, 7. .. 304 E. 9th St. Weaver, Ester 5. .. 804 E. 9th St. Weaver, Helen, 5.. .304 E. 9th St. Whitman Anna, 60.. .127 1st Ave. Ward, Walter E 27. ..Fort Lee, N. J. Wernz, Anna, 21. ..426 E. 6th St. Wunner, Caroline, 46. ..524 6th St. Wunner, Lillian 10.. 524 6th St. Wiereiter, Marie, >J3...626 E. 12th St. Walter, Lizzie, 03.. .336 E. 6th St. Wermstich, Albert, 39...413 E. 5th St. Xame. Age. Residence. Wermstich, Barbara, 37. ..413 E. 5th St. Wermstich, Albert, 5...413E.5th St. Weis, Louis, 21...5?2 E. 5th St. Weis, Tillie 44.. .522 E. 5th St. Weis, Fred., 18...522 E. 5th St. Weis, John, Jr., 5 mo.. ..522 E. 5th St Weis, Amelia, 9. ..583 E. 5th St. Weis, Salome, 14.. .533 E. 5th St. Weis, Jacob, 10...533 E. 5th St. Wolt, Freda, 20 mo...283 Himrod St. Brooklyn. Weingarth, Ethel 6. ..409 E. 5th St. Wolf, Lena 64. ..1131 40thSt.Blkyn Woolmar, Catherine 56. ..2425 Jerome Ave. Woolmar, Louise 22. ..2425 Jerome Ave. Werner, Lena 11. ..800 E. 14th St. Wens, Louisa 39. ..421 E. 5th 4t. Wenz, George 11. ..421 E. 5th St, Wenz, Louisa 9. .. 421 E. 5th St. Zundek, Chas 8.. .104 1st Ave. Zanch, Mar5- 28...1518 Webster Ave. Zanch Dora 60.. .1518 Webster Ave. Zimmerman, Augusta. ..15 ..196 2nd Ave, Zimmerman, Hugo 12.. .196 2nd Ave. Zetter, Mary.. 49. ..31 Beekman PI. Zipsie, Mary 17...339 E. 21st St. Ripsie, Louise 11. ..339 E. 21st St.. Zipsie, Albert 9. ..339 E. 21st St. Zipsie, Ellen 4. ..339 E. 21st St. Zahn, Bertha 22.. .69 1st Ave. Zing, Eugene 10...114 E. 4th St. Zidler, Anna 23. ..27 Stanton St Zidler, Ruby 2....27 Stanton St. UNINJURED. Name. Age. Residence. Alt, Harry 13...Astor Library. Armand Staella 8. .. 334 E. 6th St. Ambrust, Florrie 9. ..106 E. 4th St. Ambrust, Mamie 12. ..166 E. 4th St. Abesser, Emma 10... 128 E. 4th St. Abesser, Katie 8... 128 E. 4th St. Amann, Harry 18. ..77 Third Ave. Albrecht, Martha 9. ..201 E. 10th St. Behrens, Fritz 7...22 St. Mark's PI. Brunning, Grace M 14. ..215 E. 12th St. Bose, Henry 14. ..135 Ave. A. Berhens, Fred 8...134 E. 28th St. Broun, Peter 12...233 5th St. Bushong, Henrietta 24. ..1028 Hudson St., Hoboken, N. J. Behrendt, Annie 13...88 E. 3d St. Name. Age. Residence. Baumle, Fred 11. ..433 E. 6th St. Bertraud, Arthur 13. ..730 6th St. Burchbaum, Mrs, L 30.. .1028 Hudson St., Hoboken, N. J. Borst, Lucy 15.. .15 2d Ave. Collins, Thomas 25. ..303 Van Brunt St. Brooklyn. Conkling. Frank 39...Catskill, N. V, Cabilaskiwiz, Mary 19. ..100 E. 4th St. Doering, Edna 6. ..12 State St. Dangler, Hattie 29...123 E. 7th St, Drews, Henry 81. ..54 E. 4th St. DeLuccia, 31. ..54 E. 7th St. DeLuccia, Rose 12. ..54 E. 7th St. LIST OF VICTIMS OF THE GENERAL SLOCIWI. 851 Name. Age. Residence. Engelmann, Edna S...425 E. 12th st. Kell, Mr 87...9B 1st St. Bell, John L 14...981stSt Kell, Paul 18...99 1st .St. Elwanger, Lulu 12...778d Ave. Elllg, Conrad 8...4S8 5th St Krklin, ulto, Mrs 80... 1030 Hudson St., Hobokeu, N. I. Erkllu, Gerirnde S...1030 Hudson si., Hoboken, N. J. Erklln, Stephen ...7 weeks...l030 Hudson St., Hobokeu, N. J. Everett, Brandon 15. .Catsklll, N. V. Plckbohm, Fred '.)... id Ave. D. Felske, Hatl le 12. ..211 E. 5th St. Pllakow, Tony 44...170 E. 4th St. Filskow, Meta 20...170 E. 4th St. Frese, Albert 16.. .426 E. loth St. Pulling, Matilda 28... 110 W. 120th St. Fulling, Edmund 1 ...110 W. 128th St. Flugernagle, Katie 12. ..439 E. Gtb St. Felmeden, I- red 45...80 First Ave. Ferueiseu, Emma .33... 10 E. 7th St. Ferueisen, Henry G 10...40 E. 7th St. Fernelseu, William F 8.. .40 E. 7th St. Fernelsen, Marie 7. ..40 E. 7th St. Gambllcher, Harry 13....404 E. 5th St. Giesler, William 16—201 Ave. A. Gallagher, Katie 11—424 E. 15th St. Gray, George 18— SOS E. 14th St. Greenwald, Albert 13....S26 E. 14th St. Gibbons, Thomas 12....225 E. 5th St. Gibbons, Mary 40....225 E. 5th St. Gibbons, Mary 15....225 E. 5th St. Gibbons, Frank 9....225 E. 5th St, Gibbons, Thomas Jr 7—225 E. 5th St. Gibbons, Catherine 4....225 E. 5th St. Gross, Freda 21....90 First Ave. Gross, George 13....90 First Ave. Gross, Burt 11. ...00 First Ave. Graling, Louise 16.... N alley Ave., N.J. Gringel, Kate 82.. .439 5th St. Galling, Louise 17....30 Hudson St., Hoboken, N. J. Gaffga, Edward J 20....72 Howard Ave., Brooklyn. Grave, Annie 45.. .54 7th St. Hauser, William 49....317 Bowery. Hecken, Lucy, Jr 15....169 8. 2d.St.Bklyn Hartung, Harry 16....342 E. 21st. Herboldt, Annie 75....107 W. 103d St. Holder, Marie 43....169 Ave. A. Hauff, Agnes 11....41 Ave. A. Name. Age. Hener, Adolph 14- Hardekopf, Henry 15.. Ilensler, Jacob 9.. ileckert, Eva ';2.. Heckert, Julia 8 mo.. Heckert. Annie 11.. Heckert, Maggie 9.. Heckert, Cecelia (J.. Haag, Aranka 20.. HoiTman, Fred 21.. Helns, Bertlia 46.. Heins, George ,.15.. Heins, Theo 15.. Hencken, Lucy 15... Hot/, William 8.. Hotz, Fred 37.. Hecken, Lucy 15.. Heil, Andrew 41.. Hartman, Clara 11.. Hartung, Minnie 24.. Holthusen, John 58.. Holthusen, Clara 25.. Hayden, Wilhelmina 28.. Residence. .12!) Division St. .848 Rlvlngton St. .151 First Ave. .88 Ave. a. .8S Ave. A. .88 Ave. A. .88 Ave. A. .88 Ave. A. .158 Fi st Ave. .78 2d St .897 E. lth St. .397 E. 4th St. .397 E. 4th St. 106 s. second St., Brooklyn. .319 E. 5th St. .319 E. 5th St. .395 E. 4th St. .55 First Ave. .808 E. 11th St. .342 E. 21st St. .138 Second Ave. .138 Second Ave. .138 Second Ave. Iden.Flenry A 19...100 4th St. Ideu, Anna 12.. .100 4th St. Karle, Emelia 12. Kaufman, Mildred 2. K render, Marie 28. Kreuder, Anna 18. Klinck, John 12. Kiesel, Anna 25. Kiesel.Theo 27. Kuneth, Margaret 15. Kassebaum, Henry 53. Kelsch, Maggie 82. Kelsch, Elizabeth 8 Klennan, Edmund 1 Kiesel, Edward 28. Klein, Tina 21 Kolb, Albert 22 Krekler, Dora 11 Krekler, Lizzie 2. Kiefer, Louis 19. Kneuster, William 12. ' Koster, Charles 16. Klingert.Tessie 7. Kelsch, George 85. Kastner, Paul IS. Krause, Sadie 17. Kaufman, Mildred 2. Keller, Frank 14. ..56 7th St. ,.425 K. 12th St. .451 West End Ave. ..62 West 97th St. .11.; st. Mark's PI. ..266 Ave. A. ..266 Ave. A. .406 5th St. ..28 Enfield St., Brooklyn. ..800 E. 14th St. ..800 E. 14th St. .110 W. 120th St ..268 Ave. A. . .31 Ave. A. ..743 E. 201st St. .257 Ave. B. .257 Ave. B. .1582 2d Ave. .615 St. Mark's PL .343 Rlvlngton Bt .431 E. 15th St. .800 E. 14th St. .110 1st Ave. .1581st Ave. .121 1st Ave. . 115 Ave. A. 352 LIST OF VICTIMS OF THE GENERAL SLOCUM. Name. Age. Residence. Kircher, Fred 9. ..185 Russell St., Brooklyn. Klingert, Tessie 7. ..331 E. 16th St. Klein, Salome 11. ..191 E. 3d St. Krause, Sadie 17. ..201 W. 111th St. Lyman, Samuel 8. ..72 Ave. B. Luderer, Otto 13... 313 E. 14th St. Ludwig, Fred 11. ..413 E. 17th St. Languth, Martha 11. ..29 Cooper Square. Languth, Louisa 9. ..29 Cooper Square. Lamm, Geo 11. ..645 E. 17th St. Ludemann, Fred 17...N-4 Smith St.,. White Plains. Ludeman, John 16...N-4 Smith St., White Plains. Leimberger, Carrie 30.. .51 St. Mark's PI. Leimberger, Lena 2. ..51 St. Mark's PI. Link, Arthur 14. ..76 Ave. A. Lindemann, William 10...110 Lynch St., Brooklyn. Libbert, Harris 46. ..412 6th St. Meirs, John 9. ..154 Hobart Ave., Bayonne, N. J. Maurer, Minnie 14...626 E. 12th St. Miller, Fred 26.. .28 W.97th St. Muller, Geo 40...41 1st Ave. Muller, Ernest 7. ..41 1st Ave. Matzerath, Edward 13... 330 E. 6th St Moller, Fred 35...998 Ave. A. Mettler, Geo 2.. .333 E. 5th St. Moller, Grover 12. ..95 2d Ave. Moller, Walter 9.. .95 2d Ave. Meinhardt, Otto 8... 146 E. 4th St. Mueller, Louis 11. ..100 St. Mark's PI. Mueller, Herman 9.. .100 St. Mark's PI. Mueller, Minnie 7.. .100 St. Mark's PI- Mammelkampf, Gustav 6. ..130 E. 4th St. Marshall, Geo 16. ..127 1st Ave. Motzer, Louisa 9. ..405 6th St. Muth, Conrad 10. ..1254 Lex Ave. Muth, John 3... 1254 Lex Ave, Mardoj, Annie 20...43E. 2d St. McCarthy, John 11...134 Hobart St., Bayonne, N. J. Olsen, Clara 17...110 W 129th St. O'Neil, Daniel 24...14o Cherry St. Ohl, Elizabeth 36.. .340 E. 9th St. Polnish, Paul 12...320 E. 5th St. Podzuweit, Gus 26. ..682 Warren St., Brooklyn. Prawdski, Frank 12.. .85 E. 3d St. Potar, Joe 17.. .17 Humboldt St., Brooklyn, Name. Age. Residence. Poter, Louis 2S...75 E. 4th St. Port, Wilhelmina 47.. .88 E. 4th St. Plintin, James 22...111 W.26th St. Roes, John 9. ..222 McDonough St., Brooklyn. Raicbenbach, Lena 23. ..241 Stockholm St., Brooklyn. Ruthlnger, Elsie 15...47 St. Mark's PI. Ruthinger, Fred 10. .47 St. Mark's PI. Rosenagle, Lucy 13... 129 E. 4th St. Rosenagle, Grace 14. ..129 E. 4th St. Rumps, Annie 34. ..342 E. 9th St. Reuffer, Arthur F 14. ..109 First Ave. Sirichs, Charles 13...425 E. 12th St. Schmidt, William 13.. .5 Cooper Sq. Schutte, Annie 40.. .41 First Ave. Schiher, Henry 11. ..41 First Ave. Strikroph Henry 16.. .146 Essex St. Schintzerling, Fred 5.. .123 Ave. A. Steckman, Herman 7.. .225 E. 5th St. Sackman, Anna 14. ..341 Rivington St. Schumann, Emma 1...113 St. Mark's PI. Sobilinski, Mary 20...100 E. 4th St. Schultz, Pauline 43.. .130 E. 4th St. Schneider, Fred 12...512 6th St. Strieker, Clara 23...815 E. 9tb St. Strieker, Martha 4. ..315 E. 9th St. Schrimer, Wilhelme 45...140 First Ave. Schriner, Minnie 18. ..140 First Ave. Schneider, August 34. ..322 Stanhope St. Brooklyn. Schneider, Augusta 3. ..322 Stanhope St., Brooklyn. Smith, Owen 14. ..30 Hudson, St., Hoboken, N. J. Smith, Harry 10...30 Hudson St., Hoboken, N. J. Smith, Hartley 7.. .30 Hudson St., Hoboken, N. J. Schaefer, Augusta 36...322E. 18th St. Schaefer, Jos 36.. .322 E. 13th St. Schmidt, Gotlieb 40...97 E. 4th St. Schmidt, Louisa 4. ..69 First Ave. Smith, James 8.. .30 Hudson St., Hoboken, N. J. Smith, August 5...30 Hudson St., Hoboken, N. J. Smith, Henry 38.. .30 Hudson St. Hoboken, N. J. Schoefling, Edna 10.. .189 Third Ave. Schnaff, Fred ..15...645E. 17th St. LIST OF VICTIMS OF TIIF GENERAL SLOCUlvI. 353 Namr. Tisehler, .John 'I nriitr, .\1 ra. llur\ ej Trebling, William ITehlain, Fddie Residence, ..l-i.. .401 E. 5th St. .28. .26498th a ve. ..12...228 E. 5th st. .17. .416 E. 5th st. Voll berg, Bosch. \ titer, Fred i K. 6th St. It; . N. 4 Sinltii St., Uutil White Plains. Xame. Age, Weiss, Geo 15.. Wolff, Mamie 26.. Wels,*atle 24.. W els, Harry 12... Wendelkeu, Lena 80.. Wemlelken, lilebard ».. Wahl, Hermlnla 4.. UedwlR 11.. I nice. i hlrd Ave. '221 E. 88th St. 532 5th st. 6825tfa st. ,200 K. lutb St. 208 B. 10th St. 1 87 Second Aue, l:-T7 Second Ave. Weaver, Edward 50...i2thSt.Troy,N. Y. Wurmstltch, 'Arthur 18...413 E. 5th St. Wull, .Julius.- 30.. .283 Hiinrod St., Brooklyn. Zipeer, William 16... Zausch, Katie 25... Zausch, Mary 4... Zundel, Annie 82... Zlpsie, William 15... 885 E. 21st St. 1518 Webster Ave. 1518 Webster Ave. 104 Eirst Ave. 889 E. 21st St. INJURED. Name. Age. Residence. Armond, Annie 27...334 6th St. Anger, Katie 18.. .1365 3d Ave. Anger, Charles P 29...367 E. 62d St. Addlcks, Ernest 6. ..49 Ave. A. Albrecht, Joseph 52. ..201 E. 10th St. Addlcks, Annie 8. ..49 Ave A. Boengardt, Albin. Balzer, Nicholas.. Bose, Anna Hock, Louisa Balser, Mary 57. Bensh, Lulu 12. Behrendt, Maria 42. Bopp, Dora 66. Bohmer, Anna 59. Bobmer, Emlle 18.. Broswald, Matilda 20. Becker, Amelia 26. Becker, Clara 20.. Breeden, Ellen 16.. Becker, Mary 23. Becker, 20.. ..822 E. 13th St. ..422 E.sth St. ..185 Ave. A. ...Marcy Ave., Brooklyn. ..187 Ave. B. ..4U1 5th st. ..88 I-:, -id St. ..74 1st Ave. ..:;(*; E. DSd st. .806 E. 83d st. ..26!) Monroe St. ..1157 Lex'gtou av. .1157 Lex'gton av. .383 11th St. Br' k'n. .1010 E. 178th St. .1010 E. 178th St. Canfield, Henry .. Cordes, Charles E 17. .421 10th Ave. 18.. .417 E. 16th St. Dorhofler, Barbara 42 Dorhoiler, Mamie 9. Dangler, Harry 6. Diehl, Josephine 11 Dearing, Edna 5. Delvinthal, Sophie 19. Dornhofer, Margaret -...42. Dader, Eliza 46. N.Y. 23 121 Ave. A. 121 Ave. A. .123 7th St. .209 E. 5th St. .12 State St. J81 Madison St. .121 Ave. A. .174 N. V. Ave., Jersey City. Xame. Age. Re et d emee, ; Delvinthal, Mattie 45...381 Madison St. Dietz, Rosie 15. ..438 6th St. Erkliu, Stephen 7 wk...l030 Hudson St., Hoboken, N. J. Engel, Lulu 21...859 W. 47th St. Erklin, Anna 32.. .1028 Hudson St., Hoboken, N, J. Ellig, Mary 40. ..433 5th St. Ell, William 9.. .99 1st St. Flanagan, Edward 26. lickbohm, bred 9. Ereck, William 11. Ereese, Ferdinand 50. Freese, Annie. 1".. Freese, Meta 44. Koike, Ludwig 41.. Freese, Meta 48.. Geisler, Lina 43.. Growe, Anna 54.. Greismann, Christine 47. Greenhagen, Ernest 14. Gassman, Mrs. Mlchael..44.. Hubold, Margaret- 76.. Hartung, Minnie 24.. Hannerman, Susie .54.. Haas, George C. E 50.. Haas, Emma 30.. Hannerman, Caroline. ..56.. Heyrish, Bennie 12.. Hephman, Maurice 38.. Hedekamp, Margaret.. ..50. .445 W. 28th St. .91 Ave. D. .409 E. 5th St. .Mangln and Houston sts. .Mangln and Houston Sts. .509 E.Houston St. .257 Ave. B. 426 E. 15th St. .201 Ave. A. .54 E. 7th St. ..114 E. 4th St. ..176 Lewis St. ..128 E. 4th St. .416 E. 5th St. .342 E. 21st St. .439 E. 5th St. .64 E. 7th St. .64 E. 7th St. .439 5th St. .424 E. 16th St ..640 6th St. .805 6th St. 354 LIST OF VICTIMS OF THE GENERAL SLOCUM. Name. Age. Residence. Heckert, Eva 32.. .88 Ave. A. Heinz, George 17. ..1)7 Ave. A. Heinz, Henry 12.. .97 Ave. A. Heil, George 13.. .Boston Rd. & Pel- ham Parkway, Bronx. Jorden, Catherine 20...87 8d Ave. Jordan, Pauline 15.. .87 3d Ave. Joseph, Margurite 32.. .45 3d Ave. Kreuder, Lena 28...62 W.97th St. Kauffman, Julia 18...425 E. 12th St. Keisel, Edward 3. ..266 Ave. A. Kipp, Anna 17...1894 3d Ave. Klein, Edie H 15...31 Ave. A. Klein, Elsie 16.. .31 Ave. A. Klein, Lucy 4. ..31 Ave A. Klein, Annie 22...331 E. 16th St. Klein, Harry 17...399 Miller Ave., Brooklyn. Kircher, Lizzie S7...185RusselSt., Bk. Kircher, George 13...185RusselSt.,Bk. Kircher, Stacey 7...185RusselSt., Bk. Klein, Annie 22...431 E. 15th St. Kauffman, Julia 21. ..121 1st Ave. Kubera, William 15...375 E. 4th St. Kiesel, Edward 3.. .266 Ave. A. Kassebaum, Nettie 80.. .196 Guernsey St., Brooklyn. Kassebaum, Catherine...52... 196 Guernsey St., Brooklyn. Kaffenberger, Katie 14. ..436 6th St. Kneustner, Mary 46. ..65 St. Mark's PI. Kneustner, Charles 17.. .65 St. Mark's PI. Klein, Hannah 32...444 E. 15th St. Klingert, Tessie 7. ..444 E. 15th St. Klennan, Matilda 29. ..110 W. 129th St. Laubeck, Albertina 33...427 E. 9tb St. Laubeck, Herman 14...427 E. 9th St. Laubeck, Dora 11. ..427 E. 9th St. Lemp, Charles 12.. .108 2d Ave. Lemp, Augusta 10. ..108 2d Ave. Lutz, Lusta 16...Lamerst, N. J. Lutgens, August, Jr., 16.. .101 Clymer St., Brooklyn. Lutz, Gustav 16. ..140 2d Ave. Ludeman, Hannah 19.. .4 Smith St., White Plains. Lutgen, August 46. ..101 Clymer St.. Brooklyn. Liebenow, Paul 33...133 E. 125th St. Liebenow, Annie 33...133 E. 125th St. Licome, Fred 52...83E. 7tb St. Name. Age. Residence. Metier. Kate 32.. .338 E. 5th St. Mettler, William 4. .. 838 E. 5th St. Moller, Arthur 6. ..95 2d Ave. Maurer, Margaret 47.. .421 E.9th St. Muth, John 87. Masterson, William 18. Mundle, Agnes Go. Mahlstadt, Annie R 32. Miller, Simon 71. .1254 Lex'ton Ave. .62 3d Ave. .11 7th St. .629 E. 146th St. Ill Norfolk St. Oellich, Henry 11. ..611 Marcey Ave., Brooklyn. Osmers, Mary 56...402 E. 88rd St. Osmers, Otto 17...402 E. 83rd St. Pullman, Elsie 45.. .837 E. 18th St. Potar, Joseph 17.. .17 Humboldt St., Brooklyn. Perdelitz, Alvina 44...89 E. 10th St. Perdelitz, Carl 15.. .89 E. 10th St. Prawdzikei, Mary 30...85 E. 3rd St. Roth, Louisa 16...1235 3rd Are. Rehand, Kate 47.. .121 Ave. A. Rubenklau, Freda 23 ElnerrtSt.,Bkn Rau, Wilhelmina 52.. .52 7th St. Reina, Kate 47.. .121 Ave. A. Schwartz, Amelia 19, Schwartz, Charles M 18, Schwartz, Anton 16, Schwartz, Lewis 10, Schnitzerling, Annie 10. Schultz, Pauline 43. Smith, Flora 39. Strickhold, Henry 16. Schmidt, Julia 13. Schmidt, Francis 14. Schick, Henry 3. Schultz, Susan 18. Smith, Philipine 27. Schmidt, Fred 9. Stuve, Margaret 65.. Schumann, Mary 80. Schrimer, William 44., Sauer, William 14. Strangfeld, Christiana ...46. Strangfeld, Augusta 12., Schepp, Mary 15. Steil, George C 12.. St., J. ..141 E. 3rd St. ..141 E. 3rd St. ..141 E. 3rd St. ..141 E. 3rd St. ..123 Ave. A. ..130 E. 9th St. ..1028 Hudson Hoboken, N. .144 Essex St. .69 First Ave. .69 First Ave. .430 E. 15th St. ..414 E. 9th St. .149 E. 4th St. .138 7th St. .49 Ave. A. .113 St. Mark's PI. .140 First Ave. .142 E. 2nd St. .1049 Park Ave. .1349 Park Ave. .433 E. 17th St. .Boston Road and Pel ham Ave. Trebing, Margaret 41...223 E. 5th St. Turner, Julia 28.. .2649 8th Ave. LIST OF VICTIMS OF THE GENERAL SLOCUM. 35.5 Name. Age, R rich nee. Tamer, Mary 6...26498th Ave. Trobetz, Edward IS.. .122 Sixth St. Ulrlch, Sophie 70... -11.; \V. list. Velt, Kate 28.. .40o K. 5th St. Velt, Km ma 2. .. 405 K. 5th St. Vassner, William 16... 838 6th St. Yon Schaick, Win. Capt.57... 300 8th Ave. Wlerk, Margaret 21.. .841 E. 65th St. Wlerk, Amelia 15.. .841 E. 55th St. Wesler, Lizzie 32...123 W. 106th St. NVeher, Annie 30...4O4 K. 5th St. Name. Aye. Beeidenee. vVeber, Frank .SI. ..404 K. 5th St. Wyt/.ka, Ida 11... 104 K. 5th St. Wesler, Lizzie 32.. .266 Ave. A. Weiss, Ida M 42... 1285 8d Ave. .Minnie I8...21858d Ave. Weintraub, Karl 19.. .170 Norfolk St. Weiss, Louis 8...6826th8t Walhein, Kmily 13... 82 7th St. Wolf, Margaret SB.. .807 K.l5th St., dead Weisser, Karnestina 55.. .84 Stockholm St., Brooklyn. Zoenegg. Kertha 16.. .245 5th St. Zlinmer, Andrew 17... 18 K. 3d St. Zlpsie, Sophia 40...83B K. 21st St. SWEEPING INDICTMENT IN THE SLOCUM CASE. In order that all those who could in any way be held responsible for the General Slocum disaster might be brought to trial, the Federal grand jurv, on July 29th, returned true bills against Frank A. Barnaby, president of the Knickerbocker Steamboat Company ; E. J. Atkinson, secretary ; W. J. Dexter, treasurer; Captain William Pease, commodore of the company's fleet ; Captain William H. Van Schaick, who commanded the Slocum ; and United States Inspectors Henry Lundberg and W.J. Flemming. An effort was made on the part of counsel for the men indicted to have Judge Thomas, to whom the grand jury reported, set bail for the men charged with responsibility for the disaster, but this the Judge refused to do. Indictments against Captain Van Schaick and the two inspectors have been found under a section of the revised statutes, which reads : u Every captain, engineer, pilot or other person employed on any steamboat or vessel, by whose misconduct, negligence or inattention to his duties on such vessel the life of any person is destroyed, and every owner, inspector or other public officer, through whose fraud, connivance, misconduct or violation of law the life of any person is destroyed, shall be decreed guilty of manslaughter, and upon con- viction thereof before any Circuit Court of the United States shall be sentenced to confinement at hard labor for a period of not more than ten years. " BOOK II. THE GREAT CHICAGO HORROR. INTRODUCTION. TT has been said that disregard of human life is an Amer- * ican characteristic. Visitors from foreign countries are amazed at our indifference to the safety of the public. We appear to take it for granted that a certain number of accidents are bound to happen, and that it is useless to attempt to prevent them, or take any precautions, except such as are convenient. There comes a smash-up on a railroad, scores of per- sons are hurled into eternity, and in a short time the ter- rible calamity is forgotten. Provisions made in other countries for the safety of travellers are not made here, or, if they are, not rigidly enforced. Compared with other nations, the charge has often been made that we hold hu- man life too cheap. The recklessness of which we speak is especially ap- parent in the construction and management of our places of amusement. To call many of them death-traps is but a mild statement of the case. One might think they were simply built and managed to endanger the lives of the public. What does the insane greed of managers care for the people's safety ? Theatres are built solely to make money, and the greater the number of persons that can be packed into them, the more money the managers can make. 35(5 INTRODUCTION. 857 Not only are the seats crowded together, but the nar row aisles add greatly to the difficulty of escapiug, in cas« of fire. Outrages of this description are constantly inflicted upon an innocent public. Theatres are advertised as fire- proof and perfectly safe. Safe, indeed ! The eagerness of managers and owners for big audiences and enormous profits cause them to disregard the fatal risk, and suddenly the world is shocked by a horror like that at the Iroquois theatre of Chicago. This building was nothing more nor less than a fire- trap. What mocker}' to call that place fire-proof! Nar- row isles, fire escapes almost concealed, and doors which led to them fastened, scenery about the stage that was more inflamable than kindling wood, criminal carelessness in the management of the lights and electric appliances. These are some of the ghastly features that enter into this awful calamity. The very thought of that terrible scene is enough to sicken humanity. It makes the blood run cold and fires one's brain with righteous indignation. People say, " What a mysterious providence? Why does God permit such things to happen?" They might better say, " Why does man transgress all natural laws, do the very things that ensure calamity, and then in their folly wonder that it comes?" God did not turn the Iro- quois Theatre into a blazing furnace. Men did that, and the woe is on their heads. If you are going to have man at all, you must have him as a free agent. He can burn down a theatre if he likes, and if he disregards the means of safety, the theatre is liable to burn, and before heaven and earth he stands convicted of the appalling crime. Unhappily this does not assuage the overwhelming loss of life and sorrow. The bolt has fallen and the deed INTRODUCTION. is done. For years to come the shrieks of those six hun- dred victims will rend the air of the great city, and the emblems of death will flutter in the winds. It is the cli- max of fiery destruction, such as the world has never seen before. A building thronged with people, all bent on amuse- ment, all eager for merriment, all without a thought of danger, was swept by a fiery blast. Faces were blanched with terror ; there was a wild rush for the doors ; the means of egress were sadly inefficient ; a mad scramble for safety crazed the multitude; smoke and flame swept down upon hundreds of women and children, and in a moment, as it were, those who were in the full tide of en- joyment were writhing in the hot cauldron of flames. Suddenly the bells rang through the city and the alarm was given. It was too late. The fire-fiend hissed and cracked over his prey, and in his flaming jaws human life was of no more account than as if it were so much chaff. The complete story of the dreadful calamity is told in the following pages with graphic power. The reader has the fiery spectacle before him in all its hideous colors. The great Metropolis of the West was turned into mourn- ing, and staggered under the sudden blow. Immediately in many cities throughout our country there was a rigid examination of places of amusement, many were ordered to provide greater means of exit, and others were entirely closed. A fire, resulting in such terrible destruction of life, was a solemn warning that could not go unheeded. It is to be hoped that never again will such a ghastly disaster have to be recorded. CHICAGO'S APPALLING HORROR. CHAPTER XX. STORY OF THE GREATEST CALAMITY OF RECENT TIMES. r ~PHE Iroquois Theatre of Chicago was packed with a ' merry multitude. Men, women and children were there for amusement and enjoyment. It was a holiday throng bent on pleasure. The entertainment was charm- ing, the spectacle was splendid, and the attention of the multitude was riveted. Not one in the crowded place anticipated danger and death. At the height of the entertainment a flash of fire shot through the crowded auditorium. It increased with startling rapidity. Suddenly shrieks of terror rent the air, and there was a wild rush to escape from the threat- ening fury of the storm of fire. Dumb terror was succeeded by mad efforts to flee from the impending holocaust. Women and children cried aloud with terrible alarm. Men fought like demons. The throng became a seething mass of human beings frantic to escape from an awful doom. Smoke and flame filled the building, hundreds were trampled uuder foot, and in the fiery furnace more than six hundred men, women and children met a hor- rible death. No calamity of modern times can furnish a parallel to the sickening scenes of that fatal day. Chicago was stunned and horrified. The civilized world stood aghast at the frightful news of the direful disaster. Families were 359 360 GREATEST CALAMITY OF RECENT TIMES. riven in twain, friends and loved ones were parted forever, scenes of sorrow cast a pall over the great city, and it seemed to reel and stagger nnder the merciless blow. For generations to come the appalling story will be told and faces will grow pale and hearts will grieve with anguish. The details of the overwhelming disaster will be read with thrilling, tearful interest. PANIC-STRICKEN THRONG. The disaster, the most appalling of the character that ever has befallen Chicago, occurred in the middle of the matinee performance of " Mr. Blue Beard," with fully eighteen hundred people in the audience, a large propor- tion of them women, girls and little children. A calcium light on a stand six feet above the level of the stage exploded, and in a moment a little streak of flame had caught the tinsel of the stage settings, flooding everything back of the footlights in a wave of fire. Eddie Foy, the chief comedian of the company, stood out from the panic-stricken group on the stage to assure the audience that there was no danger. Even as he spoke the great asbestos curtain was let down, caught on one side and failed to work. In another instant smoke burst out from the top arch of the stage and from under the bottom of the curtain, and before a man or woman in the seats could rise the whole roof of the auditorium was in a blaze. Two gas tanks exploded in the flies on the east side of the theatre, and black, choking fumes beat down in a cloud of death from every wall. That was all. Fear, uncontrollable and terrible, reigned. Men and women fought like wild beasts, filled GREATEST CALAMITY OF RECENT TIMES. 361 only with the desire for self-preservation. Little babies slipped from their mothers' uplifted arms and in an instant their lives were crushed under foot. Girls threw themselves from the balconies and lay crushed and dying till suffocation ended their miseries. Over one thousand people in the orchestra seats, with easy access to the doors, gradually made their way to safety, but most of them threw aside wraps, pocketbooks, hats — everything that seemed to burden them in their rush for life and the open air. In spite of the panic, in spite of the suffocation, nearly all of them were saved. UPPER FLOORS DEATH TRAPS. But in the balcony and the gallery the angel of destruction wrought his frightful work at will. The flame and smoke gathering on these upper floors caught the people before they realized the full extent of the danger. It seemed incredible that the little rush of fire could lap the walls so quickly and reach out after them like a stroke of lightning. Then, when the full meaning of the disaster came to them, they fought and battled with one another for safety — battled like stampeded animals, with the deadly smoke curling all about them, everything plunged into absolute darkness, not even a friendly lantern to show them the way out of this dance of death. The classic outlines of the theatre, the beautiful plush hangings, the arched windows with their stained glass, the stately pillars, became a morgue five minutes after the first little ribbon of flame made its way along the stage. Women and girls in the gallery never had a chance for life. They met the end still seated in their theatre chairs, their poor, impotent hands burnt into one commingled cinde* 362 GREATEST CALAMITY OF RECENT TIMES. with the sides of the seats they had grasped when the panic came. Others, who had managed by the strength of terror to get into the aisles, found their awful ending in a mingled doom of smoke and fire and tearing of limbs in the passages and the open space back of the seats. Dozens of others, swept, carried, dragged or thrown out to the stairways, and even beyond them down to the land- ings in actual sight of the daylight that streamed through the big front doors — in sight of the throngs outside, the fire wagons and the smoking horses — died in great masses seven and eight feet high, limbs mingled fearfully together, clothing burnt off and faces caught in their last agonies, all turned toward the doors they could not reach. IMPROVISED MEANS OF ESCAPE. From windows at the north and west ends of the building the victims streamed, blinded by the smoke and crazed beyond any possibility of helping themselves further or of taking advantage of the aid extended to them from the upper floors of buildings facing the theatre. Ladders, planks, ropes, poles, everything that could possi- bly serve to assist these poor creatures in their battle for life, were rigged into bridges, but few got across alive. These things were utilized fifteen minutes after the first alarm to drag the charred bodies across, and over them passed rapidly one blackened corpse after another till every building on the north and west were filled with them. Barely five minutes after the first alarm was turned in firemen were struggling into the theatre, mak- ing their way, in some miraculous manner, through the maddened mob that was pouring out of the auditorium, and doing what little the^ could, not only to check the fire which was fast turning the whole interior shell into a GREATEST CALAMI /Y OF RECENT TIMES. 863 cauldron, but to aid the frantic hundreds in the upper balconies by ladders stretched from the main floor. A few — thirty at most — were rescued in this way, and then, the firemen, after controlling the flames, aban- doned their lengths of hose to go with the fast-gatherin; ; police and manfully reach what waited for them on the upper stairways and in the balcony seats. THE SILENT HEAPS OF DEAD. Here was no more struggling, no more franctic haste. Hundreds, with homes in every part of the city, still showing at their windows Christmas wreaths, still filled with the decorations of the holiday season, lay beyond all thought of worldly things in silent heaps of death. There were no men, even among those accustomed to scenes of destruction and mortality, who could approach these fearful, stilled masses calmly. Time and time again they started toward the upper stairways, caught one another by the arms, and cried like little children, stunned by the horror of it all. And still, outside the main entrance to the building, passers-by, attracted by the presence of the fire engines, had no knowledge of the fearful disaster inside. Hundreds of people passed and repassed within a block without knowing it, even hundreds of men stationed in the road- way, were asking one another if there had been any accident, and if any among the audience had been badly hurt. But when from the inside began to stream a procession of firemen, carrying between them the charred remains of those who a little while before had been happy in the enjoyment of an afternoon's pleasure, the scene without changed as if by magic. 364' GREATEST CALAMITY OF RECENT TIMES. From every business street of the city, men, whose wives and families had gone to the matinee, streamed, with white faces and eyes blinded with half-frozen tears, over to the theatre, and screamed like madmen the names of those they were seeking. Many of them found theii loved ones safe, but still half crazed, in surrounding stores and hotels, others discovered them among the dead, iden- tified by some particle of dress, a half-charred hair ribbon, a shoe, or a locket. Others are still searching and will continue to search before they can finally assure them- selves that the happiness of their lives has gone foreover, MERCY KNOWS NO BOUNDS. Soon from every hospital in the city came ambulances, nurses and physicians ; priests and Sisters of Mercy, stood side by side with surgeons and great bands of women from St. Luke's, the Presbyterian and nearly every other hospital in the city, waiting patiently like soldiers till the moment they should be called on. Down the beautiful staircases, glittering again in the rows of electric lights, the current of which had been readjusted by electricians, came the procession of men carrying the dead and dying. In ten minutes a dozen stores had been converted into hos- pitals and morgues. Two large restuarants, one on Randolph and one on Dearborn street, flung their tables and counters on top of one another and laid out great heaps of table linen to be used for bandages for the wounded and coverings for the dead. All the great State street stores threw their main floors open and sent to the theatre great piles of blankets, rubber cloth — anything and everything that could be utilized. Ambulances were re-enforced by dozens of wagons GREATEST CALAMITY OF RECENT TIMES. 555 from these stores and tes ming establishments and from everywhere willing helpers poured out to do or give what help they could. In a little while, with frantic thousands trying to batter through strong lines of police flung across the corners of Dearborn and State streets, the bodies of the dead came faster and faster, till it seemed as if there was no place to lay them. SIDEWALKS FILLED WITH DEAD. The north sidewalk of Randolph street for a hundred yards was covered with these remains, packed side by side and covered with white blankets and tablecloths. Soon the great entrance was choked with them, and faster than morgue wagons could take them away they were deposited on the sidewalks and in every building in the neighbor- hood. Here and there, men tip in the gallery entrances could hear underneath the tangled masses, a faint moan — the despairing signal of some unfortunate for succor. Then, tearing, struggling at the blackened mass to pene- trate it and effect a rescue, they labored, cursing and crying. Some of the still living victims were rescued and taken out in time to be saved. Others died before they could be lifted from the heap of dead ; others, while they were being carried down the staircases. A flower and seed store directly opposite the theatre, filled with green stuff and beautiful blossoms, was choked with bodies brought there and laid on the floors. The Sherman House, Kohlsaat's and Thompson's restaurants, the Tremont Building, the Borden Block, the Union Restaurant, the lobby of the Garrick Theatre, Marshall Field's store, and all the saloons and cigar stores in the vicinity were filled with the dead and dying. 366 GREATEST CALAMITY OF RECENT TIMES. Ill and out among them wandered incessantly frantic parents, brothers and sisters, looking for their relatives; members of the company, still in their fantastic costumes, staggering half-distracted by the horror from which they had escaped ; doctors and nurses, patient and sympathetic, doing their work rapidly and skillfully, never swerving from the most frightful tasks, if by performing them they could bring relief or beckon back the little life left in those among the mass of poor creatures who still lingered. NOBLE WORK OF SUCCOR. Every drug store in the downtown district was emptied of everything that could possibly be of service, and, often by the light of lanterns and candles, these devoted men and women labored on till far into the night, till some of them dropped from sheer fatigue. At six o'clock the firemen and policemen engaged in the work of bringing out the bodies were still tramping wearily up and down those stairways of death, and still finding work for their hands and mournful burdens to bring down from the upper floors. The following from the pen of a graphic writer will be read with mournful interest : " Where beauty and fashion and the happy amuse- ment seeker thronged the palatial playhouse to fall a few moments later before a deadly blast of smoke and flame sweeping over all with irresistible force, the dawn of the last day of the passing year found confusion, chaos and an all-prevading sense of the awful. It seemed to radiate the chilling, depressing volume from the streaked, grime- covered walls and the flame-licked ceilings overhead. Against this fearful background the few grim firemen 01 GREATEST CALAMITY OF RECENT TIMES. 3G7 police, moving silently about the ruins, searching for overlooked dead or abandoned property, loomed up like fitful ghosts. " The progress of their noiseless and ghastly f £ uest proved one circumstance survivors are too unsettled to realize. With the opening of the stage door to permit the escape of the members of the ' Mr. Bluebeard ' company and the breaking of the skylight above the flue- like scene loft that tops the stage, the latter was con- verted into a furnace through which a tremendous draft poured like a blow pipe, driving billows of flame into the faces of the terrified audience. With exits above the parquet floor simply choked up with the crushed bodies of struggling victims, who made the first rush for safety, the packed hundreds in balcony and gallery faced fire that moved them up in waves. FIRE GREEDILY DEVOURS THE DECORATIONS. " With a swirl that sounded death, the thin bright sheet of fire rolled on from stage to rear wall. It fed on the rich box curtains, seized upon the sparse veneer of subdued red and green decorations spread upon wall, ceiling and balcony facings. It licked the fireproof materials below clean and rolled on with a roar. Over seat tops and plush rail cushions it sped. Then it snuffed out, having practically nothing to feed upon save the tangled mass of wood scene frames, batons and paint- soaked canvas on the stage. " There firemen were directing streams of water that poured over the premises in great cascades, in volume aggregating many tons. A few streams were directed about the body of the house, where vagrant tongues of flame still found material on which to feed. Silence 368 GREATEST CALAMITY OF RECENT TIMES. reigned— the silence of death, but none realized the appaling story behind the awful calm. " The stampede that followed the first alarm, a struggle in which most contestants were women and children, fighting with the desperation of death, ter- minated with the sudden sweep of the sea of flames across the body of the house. The awful battle ended before the irresistible hand of death, which fell upon contestants and those behind alike. Somehow those on the main floor managed to force their way out. Above, where the presence of narrower exits, stairways that precipitated the masses of humanity upon each other and the natural air current for the billows of flame to follow, spelled death to the occupants of the two balconies, the wave of flame, smoke and gas smote the multitude. APPALLING SHRIEKS OF THE VICTIMS. " Dropping where they stood, most of the victims were consumed beyond recognition. Some who were pro- tected from contact with the flames by masses of humanity piled upon them, escaped death, and were dragged out later by rescuers, suffering all manner of injury. The majority, however, who beheld the indescribably terrifying spectacle of the wave of death moving upon them through the air died then and there without a moment for prepara- tion. Few survived to tell the tale. The blood-curdling cry of mingled prayers and curses, of pleas for help and meaningless shrieks of despair died away before the roar of the fire and the silence fell that greeted the firemen upon their entry. " Survivors describe the situation as a parallel of the condition at Martinique, when a wave of gas and fire rolled down the mountain side and destroyed everything GREATEST CALAMITY OF RECENT TIMES. 069 in its path. Here, however, one circumstance was re- versed, for the wave of death leaped from below and smote its victims, springing from the very air beneath them. " In a few minutes it was all over — all but the weep- ing. In those few minutes obscure people had evolved into heroes ; staid business men drove out patrons to convert their stores into temporary hospitals and morgues ; others converted their trucks and delivery wagons into improvised ambulances ; stocks of drugs, oils and blankets were showered upon the police to aid in relief work and a corps of physicians and surgeons sufficient to the needs of an army had organized. MIRACULOUS FEATS OF RESCUE. " Rescues little short of miraculous were accom- plished and life and limb were risked by public servants and citizens with no thought of personal consequences. Public sympathy was thoroughly aroused long before the extent of the horror was known and before the sickening report spread throughout the city that the greatest holo- caust ever known in the history of theatricals had fallen upon Chicago. u While the streets began to crowd for blocks around with weeping and heartbroken persons in mortal terror because of knowledge that loved ones had attended the performance, patrol wagons, ambulances and open wagons hurried the injured to the hospitals. Before long they were called upon to perform the more grewsome task of removing the dead. In wagon loads the latter were carted away. Undertaking establishments both north, south and west of the river threw open their doors. " Piled in windows, in the angles of the stairway, where the second balcony refugees were brought face to N.Y. 24 370 GREATEST CALAMITY OF RECENT TIMES. face and in a death struggle with the occupants of the first balcony, the dead covered a space of fifteen or twenty feet square and nearly seven feet in depth. All were absolutely safe from the fire itself when they met death, having emerged from the theatre proper into the separate building containing the foyer. In this great court there was absolutely nothing to burn and the doors were only a Jew feet away. There the ghastly pile lay, a mute mon- ument to the powers of terror. Above and about towered shimmering columns and facades of polished marble, whose cold and unharmed surfaces kerned to bespeak contempt for human folly. In that portion of the Iro- quois structure the only physical ev ; fences of damages were a few windows broken during the excitement. EXITS WERE CHOKED WITH BODIES. " To that pile of dead is attributed the great loss of life within. The bodies choked up the entrance, barring the egress of those behind. Neither age nor }^outh, sex, qualhy or condition were sacred in the awful battle in the doorway. The gray and aged, rich, poor, young and those obviously invalids in life lay in a tangled mass all on an awful footing of equality in silent annihilation. " Within and above equal terrors were encountered in what at first seemed countless victims. Lights. patience and hard work brought about some semblance of system and at last word was given that the last body had been removed from the charnel house. A large police detail surrounded the place all night, and with the break of day search of the premises was renewed, none being admitted save b} r presentation of a written order from Chief of Police O'Neill. Fire engines pumped away removing the lake of water that flooded the basement to GREATEST CALAMITY OF RECENT TIMES. 37 1 the depth of ten feet. As the flood was lowered it began to be apparent that the basement was free of dead. u Searchers gazing down from the heights of the upper balcony surveyed the scene of death below with horror stamped upon their faces. Fire had left its terrify- ing blight in a colorless, garish monotony that suggests the burned- out crater of an extinct volcano. In the wreckage, the scattered garments and purses, fragments of charred bodies and other debris strewn within thous- ands of bits of brilliantly colored glass, lay as they fell shattered in the fight against the flames. A few skulls were seen. FIND BUSHELS OF PURSES. " Five bushel baskets were filled with women's purses gathered by the police. A huge pile of garments was removed to a near-by saloon, where an officer guarded them pending removal to some more appropriate place. The shoes and overshoes picked up among the seats filled two barrels to overflowing. " The fire manifested itself in the flies above the stage during the second act. The double octette was singing ' In the Pale Moonlight ' when the tragedy swept mirth and music aside, to give way to a more somber and fright- ful performace. Confusion on the stage, panic in the auditorium, phenomenal spread of the incipient blaze, failure of the asbestos fire curtain to fall in place when lowered followed in rapid progress, with the holocaust as the climax." CHAPTER XXI. AWFUL SPECTACLE DESCRIBED BY THE RESCUED. ONE of the most graphic descriptions of the horror was given by Frank Houseman, professional ball player, who, with Charley Dexter, formerly of the West Side baseball team, was occupying an upper box in the theatre when the fire started. Both Houseman and Dexter led in forcing a way out of the theatre, and were active in the work of rescue that followed. Here is Jouseman's story : " Charley Dexter and I were in the front upper box en the right hand side. We had just been talking about the double row of little boys and girls that filled the front balcony seats. The theatre was dark for the second act, -~nd the stage was only partly lighted, too. " Maybe a dozen of the chorus was on singing c I Meet You in the Moon's Pale Light/ when I noticed a little tongue of flame back in the flies on the other side of the stage. It was up just below the bottom of the urop curtain, which was raised, and looked just like some- body shaking a blazing handkerchief. " ' Charley/ I said, ' it's us to the exits. This may not be anything, but you know the dark little hall we had to come through.' a So we moved along quietly before anybody in the audience knew anything was wrong. We hadn't an}' more than got to the next floor when the stage began to get smoky, and you could hear the crowd in the theatre begin to get worried. Just then Eddie Foy came out to the front of the stage, and with the little blazing bits of 372 SPECTACLE DESCRIBED BY THE RESCUED. 373 scenery dropping back of him, he kept saying : * Don't get frightened ; sit still ; it's only a little stage fire.' " By this time the whole theatre was in an uproar. Big chunks of blazing scenery began to fall. The girls on the stage were fainting, and Dexter and I rushed to a couple of exists on the east side. FINDS DOOR SHUT. " ' Open the door,' said I to the usher. u ' Wait till the drop curtain comes down,' he said. " By this time the crowd was getting wild and push- ing against the doors. The stage was blazing and the smoke rolling out into the body of the theatre. " ' For God's sake, open the doors ! ' I shouted. u The usher didn't move. Well, I grabbed the fellow and threw him as far as I could and burst open the door. The minute it gave way the crowd shoved me with a rash and jammed me against a pair of iron doors that were locked. I felt of the latch and found it was like the one on my ice box at home. a ' This is easy,' I said to Dexter, who had broken open another door. We caught hold of the big iron latch, and with a few wrenches pulled it open. At that minute a big sheet of fire came out from the stage with a puff that drove the crowd mad. In a flash I saw Edd} r Foy apparently buried in flames, and before I could catch my breath the crowd caught me and almost threw me clear across the alley leading to State Street. u In that alley was the most awful sight I ever saw. The fire escapes over the alley were packed with strug- gling, screaming people fighting to jump to the ground. They were falling like rain drops and making a pile of dead and dying under the escapes. One man landed or 374 SPECTACLE DESCRIBED BY THE RESCUED. the mass of people and struggled to his knees, when a woman fell on his head and struck him dead. I saw another woman clinging to the outside of the lower fire escape. " ' Jump/ I yelled. ' It's only ten feet.' " As she came down I held out my arms to break her fall, and she struck my shoulder. By this time the smoke was piling out of the door we had broken open, and Dexter and I worked till we were exhausted pulling out women and children who were overcome by the smoke and the horror. " It was terrible. Mothers were calling for their little ones. Little girls were screaming and bewildered. A mass of crazy human beings were almost tearing each other to pieces trying to crowd out of that one small opening that we had made." DEXTER PICTURES HORROR. Dexter's story, too, furnishes an appalling word picture of the terrible stampede. " I can hardly realize that it isn't all a horrible night- mare," he said. c< When Houseman called my attention to the blaze I didn't think there was much to it, but while I looked it seemed to take in the whole side of the stage. " ' You'd better bring out that lady,' said I to a man who was in the same box with us, with a girl. " ' I guess I know my business,' he answered, and he stayed behind. " God help those two, for Houseman and I didn't more than have time to get down stairs before the whole stage was ablaze, with Eddie Foy trying to keep ...:',". i N. Harding Ave, City Wm. T. Daws .». Dawson, Mary Jane 50...Barrtngton, III Housewife Wm. T. Da^ .,„ 410 LIST OF VICTIMS OF THE CHICAGO HORROR. Name. Age. Residence. Occuaation. Identified by. Day, Sarah (Colored)... 55...Delaware, Ohio Dom'tlc Ohio. J. F. Dodd. Decker, Kate K 58...32S7 Groveland Ave., City...Housewife Carl. D. Klnsey. Decker, Mamie K 83...82S7 Groveland Ave., City. ..Housekeep'r.. Richard C. Knox. Decker, Myron A 65. ..8287 Groveland Ave., City. ..Lawyer Carl. D. Kinsey. Dee, Edward 7...8138 Wabash Ave., City Student John Gee. Delee, Viola 23...7822 Union Ave., City...- None M.J. Deelee. De Vine, Clara 80. ..259 La Salle Ave., City _ A. J. Reese. Devine, Margaret 22...95 Kern ball St., City At'd Theatrc.N. Christopher. Dee, Margaret L 2...8188 Wabash Ave., City Wm. Dee. Dickhut, Minnie M 28...Quincy, 111 Milliner Ed. Cooney. Dickie, Edith 619 W.65th Place, City Teacher J.H. Brayton. Diffenderfer, Leander J 16.. .Lincoln, 111 Student Grace Strong. Dingfelder, Winifred E 18...Jonesville, Michigan Student F. Dingfelder. Dixon, Edna H 9...100 Flournoy St., City Student A.Z.Dixon. Dixon, Anna H 48...100 Flournoy St., City Housewife A. Z. Dixoti. Dixon, Leah 16...100 Flournoy St., City Student A. Z. Dixon. Dodd, Mrs. J. F 46... Delaware, Ohio Housewife ....J. F. Dodd. Dodd, Ruth 18... Delaware, Ohio Student. J. F. Dodd. Doerr, Lillian 16...4924 Champlain Ave., City...Student Wm. P. Doerr. Domann.Emma 21...559 LaSalle Ave., City Domestic C. F. Domann. Donaldson, Clara E 42...45S5 Indiana Ave., City.- Housewife F. L. Donaldson. Donohue, Mary E 18...1040 W.Taylor St Student Thos. Donohue. Dotts, Margaret S 82...188 N. Elizabeth St., City Housewife W. A. Dott. Dow,. Florence 17...642 W. 60th St., City Student F. H. Dow. Dowst, Jennie W 44...927Hinman Ave.,Evanston..Housewife B. C.'Blowney. Dreisel, Mrs. Clara 80...N. Robey & Potomac Ave. ..Teacher -Max Wolff. Dreisel, Herman 89 . 697 N. Robey St., City Teacher Max Wolff Driden, Birdie T 28. ..5809 Washington Ave.,City..Housewife John Dryden. Dryden, Taylor 12...5809 Washington Ave., City..Student John Dryden. Duboys, Mrs. Arthur.... 25. ..38% Oregon Ave., City Housewife A. J. M. Nalis. Duval, Mrs. Elizabeth.. 45.. .498 Fullerton Ave., City Dr. H.J. Combs. Duvall, Sarah 9...Zanesville, Ohio Student J. W.Pinkerton. Dyrenforth, Helen 9...Evanston, 111 Student A. Dyrenforth. Dyrenforth, Ruth 14...Evanston, 111 Student A. Dyrenforth. Dawson, Nellie 26...Barrington, 111 Teacher Wm. Dawson. Eisendrath, Natalie 8.*10 Crilly Ct., City Student Jos. A. Berger. Ebbert, John H 48.. .5516 Marshfield Ave., City.. .Shoedealer. ...Harry J. Ebbert. Ebbert, Mrs. J. H 48...5516 Marshfield Ave., City. ..Housewife Harry J. Ebbert. Ebersteln, Elizabeth 43...84 E. 26th St„ City Housewife Jennie Brown. Eberstein, Frank B 19.. .84 E. 26th St., City Carr'geTrmr.J. G. Ebersteln. Edwards, Caroline M...- 42.. .Clinton, Iowa Housewife W. A. Edwards. Edwards, Marjorie 14. ..Clinton, Iowa Student W. A. Edwards. Eger, Miss Sabine 27...8760 Indiana Ave., City Teacher Emil Eger. 'Eisendrath, Ettie 86...10 Crilly Place, City Housewife J. L. Eisendrath. Eisensteadt, Herbert S 16...4549 Forrestville Ave.,City...None M. Eisensteadt. Eldridge, Harry...- - 17...Mattoon, 111 Student H. Messer. Eldridge, Monte 24...6063 Jefferson Ave., City Conductor H. Messer. Elkan, Rose 14.. .3484 So. Park Ave., City Student MarkElkan. Ellis, Annie 45...207 E. 62d St., City Housewife Bert L. Ellis. Ellis, Lottie 26... Grain ville, Mich Clerk J. N. Ellis. Engels, Miss Minnie S6...73 Dawson Ave., City None M. H. Engels. Engels, William 7...7S Dawson Ave., City Student M. H. Engels. Erland, Alma 24...8S2 Judson Ave., Evanston... Servant O.Anderson. Ernst, Rosina 11...202 24th Place, City Student Frieda E. PauL ffspen, Emil 81...190 Osgood St., City Mer. Tailor.. .. W. Lederer. LIST OF VICTIMS OF THE CHICAGO IIO.IROR. 411 Name. Age. Residence. Occupation. IdeiUtjIxl hy. 1 8. M. Eichberg. Espen.Rosa 23-305 Osgood St., City None \W. A. Mentzer. Ifcsig, Tyrone 17—239 W. 66th St., City Student J. P. Prlmley. Evans, Mattle 42...Q,uincy, 111 Housewife. ..-A. J. Keese. Fahey, Mary .25...4860 Kimbark Ave, City Waitress T. H. Fahey. Fair, Ella M -52. ..7564 Bond Ave., City Teacher Geo. A. Fair. Fair, Maria A 55. ..7564 Bond Ave., City Ex-teacher Geo. A. Fair. Falk, Gertrude 20. ..8839 Elmwood Ave., City Housekeeper J. P. Falk. Falkensteln,Gertrude....30...T214 LaFayette Ave., City Teacher H. O. Deuss. Fellman, Herman 37. ..3118 Vernon Ave., City Contractor-.... Adolph Fellmn Fieser, Matie A S8...798 N. Springfield Ave., City.Housewlfe Harry A. Fleser. Finch, Jennie 22...Klrksville, Mo Teacher R. A. Loucks. Fitzgibbon, Anna G 17.. .2954 Michigan Ave., City Student G. J. M'Carnb'ge. Fitzgibbon, John J 18...2954 Michigan Ave., City Student G.J.McCambge Fitzpatrick, Miss G .27. ..525 W.Monroe St., City- Domestic -Geo.E. Ship man Flannagan, Thomas J....24...34th and State Sts., City Machinist Lottie Flanagan Foltz, Helen 14. ..1886 Diversey St., City Student John T. Reedy. Folice, Nellie 22.. .301 Claremont Ave., City Housewife Frank Folice. Folke, Ada E 21...Berwyn, 111 Tel. Op'r Chas. D. Folke. Foltz, Alice 16...1886 Diversey St., City Student John T. Reedy. Foltz, Mrs. Mary 41. ..1886 Diversey St., City Housewife John T. Reedy. Forbes, Mary J 25. ..244 Oakwood Boul., City Domestic Rita Forbes. Foltz, Mrs. Fannie T 38.. .923 Hinman Ave., City Housewife Walter P. Marsh Fort, Phoebe Irene 45...146 36th St., City Principal J. E. Swartz. Fowler, Elva 17...3450 W. 63d PI., City Student Henry J. Smith. Fox, Mrs. F. Morton S6...Winnetka, 111 Housewife (iraeme Stewart Fox, William Hoyt 13... Winnetka, 111 Student Graeme Stewart Fox, Emelie 9... Winnetka, 111 Student GraemeStewart Fox, Geo. S 16... Winnetka, 111 .Student Graeme 8tewart Frady, Leon 10...4356 Forrestvllle Ave,, City-Student J. U. Sprindler, Frady, Lillian M 29. ..4356 Forrestvllle Ave., City..Housewife J. U. Sprindler, Frandsen, Elna 24. ..Winnetka, 111 Servant Geo. Rasmesent Frazier, M D. Holbrook. 35. ..Aurora, 111 -..Housewife C. H. Hobrook. Freckelton, Edith 23....5632 Peoria St., City None Geo. E. Florey. Freckelton, Ella 17....5G.12 Peoria St., City Student Geo. E. Florey. Freer, Jennie E. Christy 53.... Galesburg, 111 Housewife F. A. Freer. Friedrichs, Helen 35—311 Center St., City Housewife Mich.Friedrichs Gahan, Josephine 17....Wentw'th A GarfieldB'ICltyStudent James Clark. Garn, Jr., Frank 11....831 W. Monroe St., City -Student F. H. Wolff. Gam, Mrs. Lucy 831 W. Monroe St., City Housewife F. H. Wolff. Garn, William 9—831 W. Monroe St., City- Student F. H.Wolff. Gartz, Barbara Jane 4....4860 Kimbark Ave., City - R.T. Crane, Jr. Gartz, Mary Dorothea 12.. 4860 Kimbark Ave., City Student R. T. Clane, Jr. Geary, Pauline 25.. .4627 Indiana Ave., City Teacher W. V. Geary. Greenwald, Leroy W 10...533 E. Bryon St., City Student F.R.Greenwald. Geik, Emily, .38—731 Fullerton. Ave., City Dressmaker... L. C. Gelk. Gerow, Mabel Redruth— 34— Winnetka, 111 Companion....R. L. Greeley. Glbbs, Mary W 48—4602 Calumet Ave., Clty_ Boar'h'seKp'rGeo. A.Webber. Goerk, Dora 20—1030 Byron 8t., City _ Dressmaker —Henry G.Goerk. Goolsby, Vera 16...10 Oakland Crescent, City— Student H. A. Badger. Goss, Methilda -35—243 Grace St., City -Housewife Joe. J. Goss. Gould, Benjamin E .S2...Elgin, Hi -Court Clerk ...F. L. Gould. Goold, Pearl .2S-Elgln, 111 Housewife F. L. Gould. Gravfcfc, Clara C 26...T23 W. Chicago Ave,, City Housewlfe^^A. Gendelwl«r. 412 LIST OF VICTIMS OF THE CHICAGO HORROR. Name. Age. Residence. Occupation. Identified by. Graff, Margaret 62....Bloomington, 111 Housewife R. Graff. Greenwald, Lula M 32...533 Byron St., City Housewife F. R. Grcenwald. Gudehus, Sophia 6....S27 N. Ashland Ave., City Student H. F. Gudehus. Guerrieri, Jennie 12....135 N. Sangamon St., City Student Mich. Guerrierl. Gustafson, Alma 10...383 Ave. N, So. Chicago ...Teacher Oscar Wolff. Guthardt, Adelaide 41..J59 118th St., City Housewife John Guthardt. Guthardt, Lidya 15....159 W. 113thSt., City Student John Guthardt. Hall, Emery M 58. Harbaugh, Harriet 84. Harbaugh, Mary E 30. Hanson, Anna B 21. Hansen, Nancy 10 Hart, Elizabeth 22 Hart, Nellie E 84. Hartman, Jobn Steve.. 22. Hayes, Frank B 22 Helms, Otto 87 Hennessey. William.... 14. Henning, Charles 6 Henning, Edwin 11 Henning, Emely J 41 Henning, William 14. Henry, MaryAlda Freer 26. Hensley, Flora A 85 Hensley, Frances M 5 Hensley, Genevieve 10 Herger, Bertha 22. Herich, Mary 18 Herron, Bessie L 20 Hewins, Emery G 61. Hewins, Mrs. Sarah 60. Hickman, Mrs. Charles 24. Higginson, Janette B.... 26. Higginson, Roger G 9. Hippach, L. Archibald.. 12. Hippach, Robert A 14. Hire, Eva M 15. Henning, James 5. Hoffeins, Adeline J. C... 24 Holland, John H 60. Holm, Miss Hulda 24. Holmes, Minnie 53. Hoist, Allan B 12. Hoist, Amy 7 Hoist, Gertrude M 10 Hoist, Mary W 36 Hoyland, Leigh 13 Howard, Helen 17 Howard, Mary E 54. Hrody, Anna 83 Hull,Dwight 7 Hudl, Donald 9 Hull, Helen 10 Hun, Mrs Marianne K, 32, ..Vermont Bldg., 53d & Cot- tage Grove Ave., City Musician Anson L. Bolte. ..6653 Harvard Ave., City L. C. Stafford. ..6653 Harvard Ave., City Teacher L. C. Stafford. ..Gibson City, 111 Teacher Nels. Hanson. ..Granville, Mich Student J. N. Ellis. ..803 Dempster St.,Evanston..Bookkeeper...Charles S. Hart. ..Rock Island, 111 Housewife John English. ..5705 S. Halsted St., City Machinist And. R.Hartman ..Janesville, Wis Merchant Dennis Hayes. ..77 Maple St., City Musician Walter Helm. ..4411 Calumet Ave., City Student William Dollard. ..5743 Prairie Ave., City .Student E. Henning. ..5743 Prairie Ave., City Student E. Henning. ..5743 Prairie Ave., City Housewife M. A. Carpenter. ..5743 Prairie Ave., City Student E. Henning. ..1198 Wilton Ave., City Housewife Guy A. Henry. ..Logansport, Ind Housewife Guy Hensley. ..Logansport. Ind Guy Hensley. ..Logansport, Ind Student Guy Hensley. ..Hammond, Ind Domestic... Mrs. T. Wiedemann ..7540 Lake Ave., City Servant Jan. Svehla. ..Hammond, Ind None J. C. Herron. ..Petersburg, Ind W. S. Moore. ..Petersburg, Ind Housewife W. S. Moore. ..4743 Calumet Ave., City Housewife H. H. Steere.M.D, .. Winnetka, 111 None P. D. Sexton. ..Winnetka, 111 Student Paul D. Sexton. ..2928 Kenmore Ave., City Student A. A. Nachtway. ..2928 Kenmore Ave., City Wm. H. West. ..613 W. 61st PI., City Student Chas. A. Mayo. ..5743 Prairie Ave., City Schoolboy James Henning. ..292 Haddon Ave., City Teacher Peter H. Hoffeins ..Des Moines, Iowa Merchant W. F. Wilson. ..176 Northwestern Av., City..None Percy E. Douglas ..6743 Yale Ave., City Housewife John Holmes. ..2088 W. Van BurenSt., City.Student Wm. M. Hoist. ..2088 W. Van Buren St„ City.Student Wm. M. Hoist. ..2088 W. Van Buren St., City.Student Wm. M. Hoist. ..2088 W. Van Buren St., City.Housewife....Wm. M. Hoist. ..31 Humboldt Boul., City Student J. P. Hoyland. ..6565 Yale Ave., City Student Fred R. Mitchell ..3812 Prairie Ave,, City Housewife Frank Howard. ..1353 S. 40th Ave., City Housewife Jos. F. Halik. ..244 Oakwood Boul., City Student E. S. Gregory. ..244 Oakwood Boul., City Student J. H. MacDonald ..244 Oakwood Boul., City Student J. H. MacDonald ..244 Oakwood Boul., City Housewife .„..E. S. Gregory, LIST OF VICTIMS OF THE CHICAGO HORROR. U3 Name. Age. Bntdenee. upoikm. Tdmtffkd fry. HutcMns, Florence 22...Waukegan, 111 Teacher E. L. Hutchlns. Harbaugh, Harriet K.... 84....Savannab, 111 Teacher L. O. Stafford. Irle, Mabel Wiley 81.. .1240 Lawrence Ave., City Housewife Asher Rossetter Jacobson, Pauline 2S....432 Superior St., City Housewife Alfred Jacobson. .Jackson, Viva R 18....216N.HumboldtBoul.,City ...Student las. ('. .Jackson. James, Charles 1) 41....Davenport, Iowa Chas. B.James. Jones, Mrs. Annie C 36. ..46 E. 53d St., City Housewife Warner E. Jones Kaufman, Alice 5. ..Hammond, Ind Carl Kaufman. Kennedy, Agnes R 28... 6528 Ross Ave., City Teacher John J. Foley. Kennedy, Francis E 31. ..6528 Ross Ave., City Teacher John J. Foley. Kennedy, KatieH 3S...Freeport, 111 Housewife A. C. Kennedy. Kennedy, Margaret B... 21. ..Austin, 111 Housewife D. E. Kennedy. Kercher, Mrs. Francis.. 22. ..489 E. 88th St., City Housewife Schoondermark. Kidwell, Olie 45...Martlnsburg, Ohio Dressmaker.. .J. F. Dodd. Kiely, Harry M 26...St. Loui*, Mo Teacher Jos. Klely. Knapp, Rena, E 19... Harvard, 111 Robert Knapp. Kochems, Augusta 38.. .262 Warren Ave., City Housewife MarkO. Jucknies Kochems, Jacob A 17. ..262 Warren Ave., City F. C Kochems. Koehler, Mamie 15... Washington Heights, 111 Student Albert Polzin. Koll.NoraZ 49. ..496 Ashland Boul., City Housewife Charles Koll. Kranz, Sarah Ann 47... Racine, Wis Housewife .....Herbert E.JillKon Kuebler, Lola B 16.. . 724 E. 50th St., City Student Geo. J. Kuebler. Kulas, Georgina 27. ..349 Chestnut St., City Housewife C. J. Renshaw. Kwasniewski, John 25.. .122 Cleaver St., City A. Kwasniewskl. Lake, Mrs. Alfred 60...278 Belden Ave., City Housewlfr Geo. B. Caufleld. Lange, Agnes 14. ..1632 Barry Ave,, City Student Louis Lan^c. Lange, Herbert H.J 16... 1632 Barry Ave., City Draftsman ....Louis Lange. La Rose, Josephine 1...833 N.Clark St., City student I.N. La Rose. r.a Rose, Laura 12. ..833 N. Clark St., City student W. A. Chipin. La Rose, Matilda 10...833 N. Clark St., City Student I. N. La Rose. Lawrence, Miss Ella W. 28.. .922 S. Sawyer Ave , City Tearber ( ;V F ' ^f^?"" ( Henry rlbblts. Leach, Francis A 51. ..5747 Drexel Ave., City Seamstress ....Leander Maddox Leaton,Fred W 24. ..City Student \\\ Hamburgher. Leavenworth, Mrs. C.F. 45... Decatur, 111 Housewife L. Leavenworth. Lefmann, Mrs. Susie S8...Laporte, Ind Housewife F. M. Burdick. Lehman, Frances M.... 24. .. 525 N. Austin Ave., City Teacher Milo B. Lehman. Lemenager, Jessie 38. ..28 Waveland Ct., City J Lima Graves. » EL Q. Pound. Lemenager, Dorothy M. 13. ..23 Waveland Ct., City student H.V. Lemenager. Lemenager, Wallace.... 8. ..23 Waveland Ct., City Elma Graves. Levenson, Rosle 28.. .268 Ogden Ave., City Housewife W. C. Levenson. Linden, Eleanor E 21. ..4625 Lake Ave., City Student F. W. Linden. Livingston, Daisy E 24...273 Oakwood Boul., City Teacher t'F' Llvln £Stone. 1 Dr. Livingstone Long, Helen 14. ..Geneva, 111 .Student E. P. Luthardt. Long, Katheryne 9. ..Geneva, 111 J3tudent F. H. Blackman. Long, Marion P 12. ..Geneva, 111 .Student E. P. Luthardt. Love, Marguerite M 19. ..Woodstock, 111 Xlerk Chas.A. Ronning. Lowitz, Mildred H 22. ..Keokuk, Iowa ....Housewife Nathan S.Lowlts. Ludwig, Eugene 18...113Clrcle Av.,Norw'd Pk.Ill.Housekeeper.Sarah Jullen. Ludwig, Harry 50.. .Norwood Park, 111 ^Salesman Sarah Jullen. 414 LIST OF VICTIMS OF THE CHICAGO HORROR. Name. Age. Residence. Occupation. Identified by. Ludwig, Lina 14. ..Norwood Park, 111., Student Harry Heller. Ludwlg, Sadie" 40...Norwood Park, 111 Housewife Louis Wilzinskl Lutiger, Eleanor- 65.. .756 Trumbull Ave., City Housekeeper.Geo. Lutiger. ..5029 Indiana Ave., City Geo. Mackay. ..2141 Jackson Boul., City Student Robert Mahler. ..6050 Washington Boul.,City.Housewife J. D. Maloney. ..1388 Washington Boul., City.Teacher Louis T. Mann. ..Oak Park, 111 Student P. B. Martin. Martin, Harold C 14...11 Market Circle,Pulm'n,lll.Student . Mackay Roland S 6. Mahler, Edith L. 8. Maloney, Mrs. Jas. D.... 37. Mann, Miss Emma D... — . Martin, Earl 7 I Calton Hewitt. ...Pullman, 111 Student Dan'l R.Martin, ...6565 Yale Ave., City Student Trumbull White, ...6315 Lexington Ave., City H. H.Steere,M.D, ...Harvard, 111 Real Estate. ..J. B. Lyon, M. D, ..5820 Superior St., Austin Student Geo. V. McClure, ...Pittsburg, Pa Student M. R. K. McGill. ...614 Sawyer Ave,, City Housekeeper.BelleL.Campbell ...Eola, 111 Farmer R. H. Ostrander. ...758 S. Kedzie Ave., City J. L. McKenna. ...758 8. Kidzie Ave., City Housewife J. L. McKenna. ...Delaware, Ohio Student J. L. Gunsaulus. ...2824 N. Hermitage Ave Housewife Frank McMillan, ...Pullman, 111 Student C. C. Hewitt. ...69 Humboldt Boul., City Aug. Marx. ...636 W. 60th St., City Housekeeper.Jno. J. Akins. ...278 Belden Ave., City Clarence Mead. ...Berwyn, 111 Student Clayton B. Mead, ...656 Orchard St., City Teacher Jno. J. Holland. ..5555 Washington Ave., City Housewife Max L. Mendel. (Etta Menzer. <• Frieda E. PauL ...498 Fullerton Ave., City W. C. Ziegler, ...Grossdale, 111 Student Jacob B. Meyer. ...St. Louis, Mo Student Frank C. Reilly. ...369 W. Huron St., City Housewife Aug. Miller. ...4919 Vincennes Ave., City... Stndent B. J. Crandall. ...6263 Jefferson Ave., City Student Ward M. Mills. ..623 Sedgwick St., City.. Housewife Wm. A. Mills. ...5613 Kimbark Ave., City Housewife Ward Mills. / Jas. McGovern. ...Lockport, 111 Teacher 1 W. Fiddyment. ^A. Fiddyment. ...Watertown, Wis Stenograph'r. \ f' Templeton. I H. Pease. ...Watertown, Wis Teacher C. D. Richards. ..307 Benton St., Ottawa, 111. ..Student J. F. Moloney. ..119 W. 59th St., City Machinist Geo. Mackay. ...119 W. 59th St., City Confection' y .Geo. Mackay. ..Hart, Mich Housewife Geo. Mackay. ..125 S. Kedzie Ave., City Widow W. S. Chapin. ..Hart, Mich Student Geo. Mackay. ..Rensselaer, Ind Student Moses Leopold. ..5395th Ave., Milwaukee, Fur Factory...Kate Doellingea ...Milwaukee, Wis, Seamstress {^ rs - "•^ r ° i t ^ I Mrs. E. Grot*. Martin, Robert B 12. McCaughan, Helen 17. McChristie, Miss Anna..27. McClellan, Joseph 30. McClure, Lawrence R 13. McGill, Elizabeth H 12. McGunigle, Mamie 35. McKee, J. W 64 McKenna, Bernard B.... 3. McKenna. Amy J 27. McLaughlin, Wm. L 18. McMillan, Mabel 23. Martin, Robert D 12. Marx, May 19. Matchate, Emla 49. Mead, Mrs. Chas 64. Mead.Lucile 10. Meagher, Maria 30. Mendel, Augusta M 53.. Menzer, Mrs. Annie 46....202 24th Place, City Housewife. Meriam, Fanny G 60. Meyer, ElsaH 10. Middleton, Kathleen 12. Miller, Helen 23. Miller, Willard 9. Mills, Isabella 21. Mills, Clara B 34. Mills, Pearl M 32. Mitchell, Dora 30. Moak, Anna 25. Moak, Lena 51. Moloney, Alicia M 11. Moore, Benjamin 74. Moore, Mrs. Kitty 50. Moore, Mate 35. Moore, Matilda C. H 58. Moore, Sybil 14. Mossier, Pauline 13. Mueller, Ella 23. Mueller, Mrs. Emelia 60. LIST OF VICTIMS OF THE CHICAGO HORROR. 415 Name. Age. Residence. Occupation. Identified by. Muir, Mrs. Eugenia H.J....3U1 Wlnthrop Ave., City Housewife W.s. Moore. Mulr, Jr.,S. A 34...8U1 Wluthrop Ave., City Tr. Salesman.. W. S. Moore. Mulholland, Josephine..^. ..Cedar Kapids, Iowa Teacher Clark Griffith. Murphy, Dewitt James..l8...i:i40 Sheffield Ave., City Student I. D. Murpby. Murray, Charles 0"»...Martlnsburg, Ohio Farmer J. F. Dodd. Muir, Margery F.stelle...30...801 Winthrop Ave., City Stenographr.C. H. Clark. Neumann, Mary 20...1443 s. 42d Ave., City Housekeeper. Jos. F. Halik. Neumann, Anna P :H... West Grossdale, 111 Housewife A. J. Neumann. Newby, Anna Belle 2S...8958 Drexel P.oi-1., City Housewife L. <;. Newby. Norris, Libbie A 50...5124 Dearborn St., City Housewife H. T. Norris. Norrls, Mabel A 17. ..5124 Dearborn St„ City H. T. Norris. Norton, Edith 12.,.Ontonagan, Mich Student J. H. Burke, Jr. Norton, Mattie 18...0ntonagan, Mich Student Slstr M Boniface. Nelms, Blanche May 28.. .5145 Prairie Ave., City Housewife P. E. Cornell. Oakey, Lucile 18. ..515 W. 65th St., City Student D. L. Phillips. Oakey, Marianne 11. .. 515 W. 05th St., City Student D. I,. Phillips. Oakey, Alfred J 40.. . 515 W. 05th St., City Dentist D. L. Phillips. O'Donnell, Louise M 41. ..4029 Woodiawn Ave., City....Housewife J. J. O'Donnell. Olsen, Floy Irene 32. ..835 Walnut St., City Housewife Oscar M. Ol3en. Olson, Augusta 29.. .218 79th PL, City Nurse Alfred Olson. Olson, Elvira 18. ..7010 Stewart Ave., City None B. W. Olson. Owen, Dr. Chas. S 45...\Vheaton, 111 Physician Geo. E. Haley. Owen, Mary 46...\Vheaton, 111 Housewife N. E. Matter. Owen, William 8...Wheaton, HI Student N. E. Matter. Owens, Amy :>3...0241 Kirn bark Ave., City Teacher Roy Owens. Owens, Frances E 60. ..6241 Kimbark Ave., City Housewife Roy Owens. Ox nain, Florence... 17. ..435 Englewood Ave., City Student Arthur J. Lee. Page, Bertha 45. ..05(32 Stewart Ave., City Housewife E.D.Alexander. Page, Harold 12.. .0502 Stewart Ave., City Student E.D.Alexander. Palmer, Howard M 9... 1141 Judsou Av., Evanston... Student Wm. L. Maize. Palmer, Mrs. Katie 88. .. 1141 Judson A v., Evanston. ..Housewife F. P. Maize. Palmer, Richard G 14. ..1141 Judson Av., Evanston. ..Student F. P. Maize. Palmer, William 42. ..1141 Judson A v., Evanston. ..Salesman F. P. Maize. Parrish, Rosamond 19. ..4717 Kimbark Ave., City Student Chas. P. Parrish. Patterson, Crawford J. ..12... 4467 Oakenwald Ave., City. ..Student J. C. Patterson. Patterson, W. Addison. .10.. .4467 Oakenwald Ave., City. ..student J. C. Patterson. Paulman, William 22...37S8 State St., City Pat'n Maker..F.Paulman, Jr. Payne, Mrs. K. F 3S....357 Garfield Boul., City Housewite Jas. H. Payne. Payson, R. Gertrude 15.. .Oak Park, 111 Student Edward Payson. Pease, Mrs. A. W. L 53....Detroit, Mich Widow PercivalS. Pease. Pease, Elizabeth B 6...,5>2 E. 49th St., City Student Percival S. Pease. Pease, Grace E 31....552 E. 49th St., City Housewife Percival s. Pease. Peck, Ethel M 16....2642 N. Hermitage Av.,City..Student \ EJ" i"^ 16 ',? 1 * D ' 1 Hi. G. l urt is. Peck, Willis 13....2642 N. Hermitage Av.,City..Student D. A.Steele, M.D. Pelton, Mrs. Lilian 30...Des Moines, Iowa W. F. Wilson. Persinger, Harriet 40. ..40 Florence Ave., City Housewife H. R. Perslnger. Persinger, Hewitt 10. ..50 Florence Ave., City Student J. W. Harrison. Peterson, Miss T. C 32. ..Fargo, Minn Principal J. D. Maloney. Pierce, Gretchen 10...Plalnwell, Mich Student L. H. Pierce, M.D. Pierce, Mrs. L. H. D 42....Plainwell, Mich Housewife L. H.Pierce, M.D. Pilat, Josephine 13....34 Humboldt Boul.. City student Ignac Pilat. Plnney, Mrs. Belle 27....853S. Leavitt St. City Housewife Harry B. Pinney. 416 LIST OF VICTIMS OF THE CHICAGO HORROR. Name. Age. Residence. Occupation. Identified by. Polzin, Etta }7....Knox, Ind Albert Polzln. Pond, Mrs. Eva 45....:?72 Lyman Av, R'v'ns'd,Ill.Housewife R. W. Rowen. Pond, Helen 7....1272 Lyman Av, R'v'ns'd.lll.Student R. W. Rowen. Pond, Raymond 14....1272Lym«».n Av, R'v'ns'd.lll.Student Robt. W. Rowen Pottlitzer, Jack ll....LaFayette, ind Student Eli B. FelsentbaL Power, Lilly 17....442 W. 70tb St., CUy C. F. Atkinson. Pridmore, Edith S 32....58th St. & Kimball Av, City.None J. E. Pridmore. Quetsch, Jeannette M 34....2596 N. Ashland Ave., City.. .Housewife Win. J. Guetsch. Radcliffe, Annie 43....4604 Calumet Ave., City Teacher Jas. H. Radclifle, Rankin, Louise ll....Zanesville, Ohio Student J. PInkerton, Jr. Rankin, Martha A 36. ..So. Zanesville, Ohio Housewife J.Pinkerton, Jr. Rattey, William A 2I...917N. Artesian Ave., City. ..Machinist Chas. J. Rattey, Reed, Nellie 24... 66 Rush St., City Actress Herman Schultz. Reed, Wm. M 68...Waukegan, 111 Assessor Geo. Larsen Regensburg, Adele 17...Vendome Hotel, City None J.H. Regensburg. Regensburg, Hazel 14...Vendome Hotel, City Student J.H. Regensburg. Reid, Clara E 59...Waukegan, 111 Housewife. T. E. Loveday. Reidy, Anna 27... 614 S. Sawyer Ave., City Teacher Jno. J. Reidy. Reidy, Elonora 20. ..614 S. Sawyer Ave., City Helper Geo. W. Lyon. Reidy, Mary 32. ..614 S. Sawyer Ave., City Housework ...Jno. J. Reidy. Reinhold, Leroy 4. ..939 Northwestern Ave Chas. Reinhold. Reiss, Erna 10.. .4244 Vincennes Ave., City. ...Student Sam.Spielberger. Reiss, Ernest 11. ..4244 Vincennes Ave., City. ...Student Albert Eager. Reiss, Mrs. Marion 35.. .4244 Vincennes Ave., City.. ..Housewife Otto Fautl. Reiter, Mrs. Irene 60.. .3000 Michigan Ave., City None J. J. Keating. Reynolds, Barbara L 28.. . 1286 E. Ravenswood Park Ravenswood, 111 Housewife W. D. Reynolds. Reynolds, Dora Lucille.l4...421 E. 45th St., City Student J.J. Reynolds. Reynolds, Emma J 7. ..1286 E. Ravenswood Ave., Ravenswood, 111 Student W. D. Reynolds. Richardson, Henry L.... 49. ..5737 Drexel Ave., City Student A.H.Richardson. Rimes, Bertha L 38. ..6331 Wentworth Ave., City..Housewife WP\ Rimes. Rimes, Lloyd 5. ..6331 Wentworth Ave., City ..None C. H. Rimes Rimes, Dr. Mervin 38. ..6331 Wentworth Ave., City..Dentist W. S. Pullen. Rimes, Myron L 10. ..6331 Wentworth Ave., City..Student W. S. Pullen. Rimes, T. Martin, 7...6331 Wentworth Ave., City ..Student W. S. Pullen. Rife, Jennie E 31...516E. 46th St., City Housewife W. Rife. Robbins Ruth M 17.. .924 Jenifer St.,Madison,Wis.Student C. H. Robbins Roberts, Charles L 38....279 Drake Ave., City Clergyman ... Roberts, Theodore 44.... Woodford, Ohio Farner C. B. Mead. Robinson, Minnie 15....Edgewater, 111 Attendant W. C. Robinson. Rothe, Lillian 10....7218 LaFayette Ave., City.. ..Student Edmund Duse. Rogers, Rose K 32....1342N. Sawyer Ave., City.. ..Housewife S. B. Rogers. Rubly, Mrs. Louisa 65....S38 Wilson Ave., City Housewife G. H. Rubly. Ruhleman, Clara 63....Detroit, Mich Housekeeper.Arthur Anger. Saville, Warner 12....48 E. 53d St., City Student, R. C. Campbell. Sands, Mrs. Amelia T....50....Tolono, 111 Housewife R. E. Sands. Sands, Jessie 12....Tolono, III Student J. P. Danson. Sayre, Miss Carrie A 30....7646 Bond Ave., City Teacher J. M. Murphy. Schaffner, Minnie H 34....57S E. 45th Place, City Teacher M. J. Schaffner. Seott, Burr 22....Binghampton, N. Y Actor G. B. Williams. Skarupa, Nellie 26....Longwood, Bronx, N. Y Seamstress ...Henry Eds. Schmidt, Rosamond 18....335 W. 61st St., City Student H. G, Schmidt. LIST OF VICTIMS OF THE CHICAGO HORROR. 417 Name. Age. Residence. Occupation. Identified by. Schneider, James 30....157 Roscoe Boul., City Teacher L. Schaefer. Schneider, Dora J 22....157 Roscoe St., City Housewife 1.. Schaefer. Schonbeck, Anna 35....402E. Division St., City Housewife ....Carl Kchonbeelr. Schoubeck, Elvira 8....402 K. Division St., City Carl Schonbec*. Schneider, G. Greiner....21....437 Belden Ave., City student L. A. Beaton. ( E. A.Sehi lener. Schrelner, Arline F (J. ..2188 W. Monroe St., City student J H B S( . urellier . Schrelner, Minnie L 30...2183 W. Monroe St., City None H. B. Schreluer. schreiuer, Irma May... 5. ..2183 W. Monroe St., City H. B. Schrelner. Secrist, Hattle 40. ..2839PaulinaSt.,Ravens'd, 111. Housewife C. D. Hussey. Secrlst, June 8...2889PaulinaSt.,Ravensd,Ill.Student C. D. Hussey. Seymour, Joseph 22...75K VV. Lake St., City Usher Cord. Seymour. Shabad, Myrtle 14. .4441 Indiana Ave., City Student II. M. Shabad. Shabad, Theodore r_ M .... loll Indiana Ave., City School boy \iy. .M. Shu bad. Sheridan, Andrew J 45. .4155 Wentworth Ave., City... Loco.Engln'r.Frank Ctlock. Shiners, Alice 26...48441 oakenwald Ave., City. ..Domestic '1 bos. Grace. Sill, Lucie A 95..J6M Uuiou Ave., city Teacher A. S. Hall. Simpson, Ada ...brush, Colo House v\lfe J as. G. Skinner. Smith, Ruth M 15. ..2177 Washington Boul., City. Student ("has. K. Smith. Smith, Mrs. F. F 85...Desplalnes, III Hou.seuife F. F. Smith. Smith, Maurine W 13...Desplaines, HI Student F. F Smltb. Specht, Fva 12. ..6542 Stewart Ave, City student Clara L. Kinney. Specht, Jane B5...6642 Stewart A\e., City Housewife Clara L. Kinney. Spencer, Josephine 16.. .7110 Princeton Ave., city Student Geo. G. Speucer. Spring, Ellen E 65. .420 Foster Ave., City HOOMVI Ife s. X. Spring. Spring, Edwina C :►>... 420 Foster Ave., City S. N. Spring. Spring, Florence Inez 27. ..657 Fine Grove Ave., City. ...Housewife Uobt. T. Gllmuic. Spring, Sr., W. N 76. .420 Foster Ave., City Retired & .M.S. N . Spring. Spindier, Etta B 33... Lowell, Ind Housewife J. H. Splndier. Spindler, H. Burdette 9... Lowell, lnd Student I. l\ Splndier. Stafford, Bessie M 30...1258 Wilcox Ave., City Housewife F. H. Stafford. Stark, M. N. M 38...Des Moines, Iowa Housewife W. H. Ctt. Stark Minnie G h7...Des Moines, Iowa -Housewife Lynn J. Tuttle. Steinmetz, Emma 50. ..2541 S. Halsted St., City Housewife O.T.P. Stein metz Stern, Martin 80...1385 Congress St., City Clerk Adam Stern. Stillman, Cora .22...Palo Alto, Cal E. H. Mulligan. Stoddard, Donald ll...Minonk, 111 Student F. J. Simater. Stoddard, Zedell 30..Minonk, 111 F. J. Simater. Stratman, Ruth 15...Dodgeville, Ind Student Wm. Ft ting. Strong, Elizabeth 56. ..10 Oakland Crescent, City... Widow H. V. Badger. Strong, Florence May 24. ..10 Oakland Crescent, City... Housewife H. A. Badger. Strawbridge, Mary A. _... 51. .849 Jackson Boul, City Widow Q, M. Hammond. Studley, Geo. W 35. ..3029 Parnell Ave., City Minister W. M. Morrison. Sullivan, Ells 24...Knoxville, Iowa Teacher s. M. Perrlgo. Squire, Olive E 14...942Cuyler Ave., City student Oscar \V. s.juire. Sutton, Harry B 17. ..1595 W. Adams St., City Student P. A. Mallen. Swarts, Marie Bertha ll...Custer Park, 111 Student Mrs.A. A. Taylor. Swayze, Eloise 16...S*. Marys, Ind Student {uto 'v^R^eri Sylvester, Electa A 83... City Bookkeeper ..E. L. Sylvester. Taylor, Emma R 31...1222 Morse Ave., Rogers Pk.Housewife,....H. M. Taylor. Taylor, Flora 16...Evanston, 111 Student Wm. J. Taylor. Taylor, James M 60. ..1222 Morse Ave., Rogers Pk.Real Estate ...Albert A. Taylor. Taylor, Rene Mary 12. ..1222 Morse Ave., Rogers Pk.Student H. M. Taylor. Thacaer, Walter S8...S41 W. 80th PL, City Salesman Francis Thachtr. N.Y. 27 418 LIST OF VICTIMS OF THE CHICAGO HORROR. Name, Age. Residence. Occupation. Identified by. Thomas, Remington H.. 8...62 Woodland Park Student F. H. Thomas. Thompson, Clarence J...22... Kansas City, Mo Tr. Salesman. Vern. Thompson Thompson, Clyde 21. .. Madison, S. Dak Student J. P. Hoyland Thompson, Robert S 70...4347Forrestville Ave., City Vern. Thompson Thoin, Clara 17.. .Lake Geneva, 111 Nurse Maud Parcells. Tobias, Florence 34. ..City Teacher Dr. G. J. Tobias. Torney, Marie E 27... 1292 W.Adams St., City Teacher Austin E.Torney. Trask, Mrs. H. Bates.... 50...228 Clay St., Ottawa, 111 Housewife Julia E. Trask. Trask, Odessa C 14. ..228 Clay St., Otta way, 1 11 Student R. H. Trask Turney, Miss Carrie... . S5...534 E. 50th St., City Milliner C.M.Bennett. Turney, Mrs. Sasan 55...S34 E. 50th St., City Widow C. M. Bennett. Tuttle, Edith, 31...Des Moines, Iowa Housewife Lynn J. Tuttle. Tuttle, Grace 40...18 Wisconsin St„ City Housewife Robt. W. Rowen. Vallely, Berenice 11...858 S. Sawyer Ave., City Student Jno. L. Vallely. Vallely, Edith B S5...858 S. Sawyer Ave., City Housewife Jno. L. Vallely. Van Ingeu, Edward 20. ..Kenosha, Wis Clerk Thos. Hansen. Van Ingen, Elizabeth.... 9. ..358 Park Av., Kenosha, Wis. Student Lulu Trenary. Van Ingen, Grace 22. ..Kenosha, Wis L. E.Kaltenbach. Van Ingen, John 18. ..Kenosha, Wis Student Thos. Hansen. Van Ingen, Margareth. 14. ..Kenosha, Wis Student L. E.Kaltenbach. Wachs, Ella 41. ..La Porte, Ind Saleslady F. C. Flentye. Wagner, Maryanne 43...029 Sedgwick St., City Housewife. ...Chas. S. Wagner. Waldman, Sam 44...608 Milwaukee Ave., City....Dep. Ct. Clk... {"*?£ wmuSSs^" Washington, Frieda 23. ..1847 Melrose St., City Housekeeper Percy L. Barter. Washington, John 10. ..1847 Melrose St., City Student Percy L. Barter. Weber, Mrs. Carrie 49. ..402 Garfield Ave., City Housewife ....Jno. J. Weber. Week, Errick 28. ..504 Garfield Av., Milwaukee Furrier Kate Doellingen. Weiners, Ida 42. ..1970 Kimball Ave., City Housewife ....Geo. H. Rubly. Welnfeld, Hannah 20...3745 Wabash Ave., City Jos. Weinleld. Weiskopf, Irma 15. ..4939 Champlain Ave., City. ..Student D. W. Weiskopf. Wells, Donald 12...1888 Diversey Boul., City Student S. P. Wells, Jr. Welton, Susie Alice 32...C241 Kimbark Ave., City Teacher F. D. Campbell. Wermich, Mary 20. ..841 Center St., City Servant Anna Appel. Wetmore, Francis E 31. ..10619 Drew, Wash. Heights, Librarian M. T. Wetmore. White, Florence 25...437 E. 38th St., City Teacher Jno. F. Meehan. White, Harriet A 27...107th and Drew Sts., Wash- ington Heights, 111 Housewife ....Carlos F. White- Wilcox, Eva M 47...109 S. Leavitt St., City Housewife ....Cha§. H. Wilcox. Witkofsky, Yetta S2...336 W. 12th St., City Housewife ....Morris Witkofsky Williams, Howard J 18.. .218 S. Leavitt St., City Student Geo. P. Blair. Winder, Barry I2...201S. Harvey, Oak Park, 111. Student Thos. Winder. Winder, Paul 17...201 S.Harvey, Oak Park, 111. Student Thos. Winder. Winslow, Chas.E 48. ..Thief River Falls, Minn Asst. Mngr. ...Edward Browne. Wolf, Sadie 2G...Hammond, Ind Leo Wolf. Wolff, Harriot 10...1319 Washington Boul., City Student F. H. Wolff. Woods, Mrs. I. L 49...5S7 63th St., City Housewife ....S. S. Finley. Wunderlich, Helen M. ...10. ..834 Wilson Ave., City Student H. Wunderlich. Wunderlich, L. Perle 36. ..834 Wilson Ave., City Housewife ....Dr. E. N. Elliott. Woltmann, Otto 29...331 E. 43d St., City Baker Adolf Woltmann. Wigfall, Emilie C 57...4467 Oakenwald Ave., City...Milliner «F. T. Selsmer. Zeisler, Walter B 17...8256 Lake Park Ave., City. ..Student Jos. Hyman. Zimmerman, Elizabeth 23...945 St. Louis Ave., City Teacher Jno. F. Craddock CHAPTER XXIV. OTHER APPAUJNG TRAGEDIES CAUSED BY FIRE. CHICAGO is not alone in her great agony. Hers is one of the most awful holocausts of which we have any record, but other communities have been smitten by consuming fire. The pages of history have often been lighted by the lurid glare of flames. Since the time that civilized man first met with fellow man to enjoy the work of the primitive playwright, humanity has paid a toll of human life for its amusements. Oftener than history tells, the tiny flicker of a tongue of flame has thrown a gay, laughing audience into a wild, struggling mob, and instead of the curtain which would have been rung down on the comedy on the stage, a pall of black smoke covered the struggles of the living and dying. Of all the theatre disasters of history, none ever occurred in America equaling the loss of life in the Iroquois fire. But the grand total of persons killed in theatre holocausts is large and the saddest comment on this list is that most of the victims were from holiday audiencto of women and children. To all have been the same accompaniments of panic, futile struggle and suffocation. In the last century with the introduction of the modern style of playhouse, these fatal fires have increased. The annals of the stage are replete with dark pages that cause the tragedy of the mimic drama depicted behind the footlights to pale and shrivel into comparative nothingness. Perhaps it is a fatal legacy from the time when civilized society gathered in its marbled coliseums and 410 120 OTHER TRAGEDIES CAUSED BY FIRE. amphitheaters to witness the mortal combats of human soldiers or the death struggles of Christians waging a vain battle against famished wild beasts. Whatever it may be, death has always stalked as the dread companion of the god of the muse and drama. An English statistician published in 1898 a list of fires at places of public entertainment ill all countries in the preceding century. He showed that there had been 1,100 conflagrations, with 10,000 fatalities, and he apolo- gized for the incompleteness of his figures. Another authority says that in the twelve years from 1876 to 1888 not less than 1,700 were killed in theatre disasters in Brooklyn, Nice, Vienna, Paris, Exeter and Oporto, and that in every case nearly all the victims were dead within ten minutes from the time the smoke and flame from the stage reached the auditorium. As in the Iroquois fire, it was mainly in the balconies and galleries that death held its revels. EARLY THEATRICAL CONFLAGRATIONS. Fire wrought havoc at Rome in the Amphitheater in the year 14 b. c, and the Circus Maximus was similarly destroyed three times in the first century of the Christian era. Three other theatres were razed by flames in the same period, and Pompeii's was burned again almost two centuries later, but the exact loss of life is not recorded in either instance. The Greek playhouses, built of stone in open spaces, were never endangered by fire. No theatres were built on the modern plan until in the sixteenth century in France, and not until in the seventeenth did any catastrophe worthy of record occur. When Shakespeare lived plays were generally produced in temporary structures, sometimes merely raised plat- OTHER TRAGEDIES CAUSED BY FIRE. 42 1 forms in open squares, and it was after his time that scenic effects began to be amplified and the use of illumi- nants increased. Thus it was that dangers, both to players and auditors, were vastly increased. In the Teatro Atarazanas, in Seville, Spain, many people were killed and injured at a fire in 161 5. The first conflagration of this kind in England worth noting hap- pened in 1672, when the Theatre Royal, or Drury Lane, standing on the site of the playhouse in which " Mr. Blue- beard " was produced before it was brought to Chicago, was burned to the ground. Sixty other buildings were destroyed, but no loss of life is recorded. BURNING OF THE PALAIS ROYAL, PARIS. Two hundred and ten people lost their lives and the whole Castle of Amalienborg, in Copenhagen, was laid in ashes in 1689, from a rocket that ignited the scenery in the opera house. Eighteen persons perished at the theatre in the Kaizersgracht, Amsterdam, in 1772, and six years later the Teatro Colisseo, at Saragossa, Spain, went up in flames and seventy-seven lives were lost. The governor of the province was among the victims. Twenty players were suffocated in the burning of the Palais Royal, in Paris, in 1781. In the nineteenth century there were twelve theatre fires marked by great loss of life, and the first of these occurred in the United States. At Richmond, on the day after Christmas in 181 1, a benefit performance of" Agnes and Raymond, or the Bleeding Nun," was being given, and the theatre was filled with a wealthy and fashionable audience. The governor of Virginia, George W. Smith, ex-United States Senator Venable, and other prominent persons were in the audience and were numbered among 422 OTHER TRAGEDIES CAUSED BY FIRE. the seventy victims. The last act was on when the care- less hoisting of a stage chandelier with lighted candles set fire to the scenery. Most of those killed met death in the jam at the doors. The Lehman Theatre and circus in St. Petersburg was the scene of a fire in 1836, in which hundreds of peo- ple perished. A stage lamp hung high ignited the roof, a panic ensued, and there was such a mad rush that most of the people slew each other trying to get out. Those not trampled to death were incinerated by the fire that rapidly enveloped the temporary wooden building. STAMPEDE IN ROYAL THEATRE, QUEBEC. A lighted lamp, upset in a wing, caused a stampede in the Royal Theatre, Quebec, June 12th, 1846, and one hundred people were either burned or crushed into lifeless- ness. The exits were poor and the playhouse was built of combustible material. Less than a year later the Grand Ducal Theatre at Carlsruhe, Baden, Germany, was destroyed by a fire, due to the careless lighting of the gas in the grand ducal box. Most of the one hundred and fifty victims were suffocated. Between fifty and one hun- dred people met a fiery death in the Teatro degli Aqui- dotti at Leghorn, Italy, June 7th, 1857. Fireworks were being used on the stage and a rocket set fire to the scenery. One of the most serious fires, from the standpoint of loss of life, was that in the Jesuit Church at Santiago, South America, in 1863. Fire broke out in the building during service. A panic started and the efforts of the priests to calm the immense crowd and lead them quietly from the edifice were vain. The few doors became jam- med with a struggling mass of men, women and children. OTHER TRAGEDIES CAUSED BY FIRE. ! - I The next day two thousand bodies were taken from the church, most of them suffocated or trampled to death. The Brooklyn Theatre fire was long memorable in this country. Songs, funeral marches and poems without number were written commemorating the sad event. Vastly different from the Iroquois horror, most of the victims oi the Brooklyn Theatre were burned beyond recognition. At Greenwood cemetery, in Brooklyn, there now stands a marble shaft to the unidentified victims of the holocaust. BROOKLYN THEATRE FIRE. Kate Claxton was playing " The Two Orphans " at Conway's Theatre, in Brooklyn, on the night of December 5, 1876. In the last scene of the last act Miss Claxton as Louise, the poor blind girl, had just lain down on hei pallet of straw, when she saw above her in the flies a tiny flame. An actor named Murdoch, on the stage with her, saw it about the same time, and was so excited that he began to stammer his lines. Miss Claxton tried to reassure him and partly succeeded. Then the audience realized that the theatre was on fire, and a movement began. The star, with Mr. Murdoch and Mrs. Farren, joined hands, walked to the footlights and begged the audience to go out in an orderly manner. " You see, we are between you and the fire," said Miss Claxton. The people were proceeding quietly, when a man's voice shouted, " It is time to be out of this," and every one seemed seized with a frenzy. The main entrance doors opened inwardly, and there was such a jam that these could not be manipulated. The crowds from the galleries rushed down the stair- ways and fell or jumped headlong into the struggling mass below. Of the 1000 people in the theatre 297 perished. 424 OTHER TRAGEDIES CAUSED BY FIRE. They were either burned, suffocated or trampled to death. The actor Murdoch was one of the victims. The same year, 1876, a panic resulted in the Chinese theatre of San Francisco from a cry of fire. A lighted cigar, which someone had playfully dropped into a specta- tor's coat pocket, caused a smell of burning wool. The audience became panic stricken and rushed madly for the exits. At the time there were about nine hundred Americans in the auditorium, and of this number one- quarter were seriously injured. The fire itself was of no consequence. RING THEATRE., VIENNA, BURNED. The destruction of the Ring theatre at Vienna, December 8, 1881, remains the greatest horror of the kind in the history of civilization. It was preceded on March 23 of the same year, by the burning of the Muni- cipal theatre in Nice, caused by an explosion of gas, and in which between 150 and 200 people perished miserably, but the magnitude of the Vienna holocaust made the world forget Nice for the time. The feast of the Immacr*- late Conception was being celebrated by the Viennese and Offenbach's " Les Contes d' Hoffman," an opera bouffe, was the play. The audience numbered 2,500. Fire was suddenly observed in the scenery, and wild panic started. An iron curtain, designed for just such emergencies, was forgotten, and the flames, which might thus have been confined to the stage, spread furiously through the entire building. The scene was changed from light-hearted revelry, with gladsome music, to one of lurid horror. The exits from the galleries were long and tortuous and quickly became choked. As in the Iroquois theatre OTHER TRAGEDIES CAUSED BY FIRE. 40J fire, those who had occupied the gallery seats were the ones who lost their lives. But few escaped from the galleries. The great majority of the spectators were burned beyond recognition by their nearest relatives. One hundred and fifty were so charred that they were buried in a common grave, and the city's mourning was shared by all the world. The next fire of this nature to attract the world's atten- tion and sympathy was the destruction of the Circus Ferron, at BerditschefF, Russian Poland. Four hundred and thirty people were killed, and eighty mortally injured. Many children were crushed and suffocated in the jam, and horses and other trained animals perished by the score. This was on January 13, 1883, and the origin of the con- flagration was traced to a stableman who smoked a cigarette while lying in a heap of straw. TWO GREAT HORRORS CAUSED BY FIRE. The burning of the Opera Comique in Paris, May 25, 1887, was a spectacular horror. Here again an iron cur- tain that would have protected the audience was not low- ered. The first act of " Mignon " was on, when the scen- ery was observed to be ablaze. The upper galleries were transformed into infernos, in which men knocked other men and women down and trampled them in their eager- ness to save themselves, while the flames reached out and enveloped them all. Many of the actors and actresses escaped only in their costumes, and some rushed nude into the streets. The scenes in the thoroughfares where men and women in tights and ball dresses and men in gorgeous theatrical robes mingled with the naked, and the dead and dying were strewn about, made a picture fantastically terrible. 426 OTHER TRAGEDIES CAUSED BY FIRE. The official list of dead was seventy-five, but many others died from the fire's effects. The theatre at Exeter, England, burned Sept. 5, 1887, was ignited from gas lights, and so much smoke filled the edifice in a short time that near 200 were suffocated in their seats. They were found sitting there afterward, just as though they were still watching the play. This was the eleventh, and the Oporto fire the twelfth of the big conflagrations of the century. One hundred and sev- enty dead were taken from the ruins of the Portuguese playhouse after the flames which destroyed it on the even- ing of March 31, 1888, had been subdued. Many sailors and marine soldiers in the galleries used knives to kill persons standing in their way, and scores of the victims were found with their throats cut. ANOTHER PARISIAN HORROR. Ten years after the Opera Coniique fire occurred the greatest of all Parisian horrors, the destruction by flames of the charity bazar, May 4, 1897. Members of the no- bility, and even royalty, were among the victims. All of fashionable Paris were under the roof of a temporary wooden edifice known to visitors to the exposition of 1889 as "Old Paris." The annual bazar in the interest of charity had always been one of the most imposing of the spring functions. The wealthy and distinguished, titled and modish were there in larger numbers than on any previous occasion. The fire broke out with a suddenness that so dazed everyone that the small chance of escape from the flimsy structure was made even less. Duchesses, marquises, countesses, baronesses and grand dames joined in the mad rush for the exits. The men present are said to have OTHER TRAGEDIES CAUSED BY FIRE. 4_7 acted in a particularly cowardly manner, knocking down and trampling upon women and children. The death list of more than ioo included the Duchesses d'Aleucon and De St. Didier, the Marquise de Maison, and three barons, three baronesses, one count, eleven countesses, one general, five sisters of charity and one mother superior. The Duchess d'Alencon was the favorite sister of the Empress of Austria and had been a fiance of the mad King Ludwig of Bavaria. The Duchess d'Uzes was badly burned. The shock of the news and the death of his niece, the Duchess d'Alencon, accounted for the death on May 7, of the Due d'Auinale. GREAT HOTEL FIRE IN NEW YORK. The Gaiety Theatre in Milwaukee, on November 5 1869, furnished more than thirty victims to the fire fiend, but only two of these were burned to death. The Central Theatre, in Philadelphia, was destroyed April 28, 1892 and six persons perished. A panic occurred at the Front Street playhouse, in Baltimore, December 27, 1895, among an audience composed entirely of Polish Jews. There was no fire, but a woman who had seen a bright light on the stage thought there was, and her cries caused a stampede that resulted in twenty-four deaths. Two deadly conflagrations occurred in New York in 1900 The first the Windsor hotel fire, which resulted in the death of eighty persons. Fire broke out in the old hotel on Fifth avenue about midnight. With lightning rapidity the flames shot up the light and air shafts, filling the rooms with smoke and making them as light as day. The guests suddenly aroused from sleep became panic stricken. The fire department was unable to throw up ladders and give aid as fast as frightened faces appeared 428 OTHER TRAGEDIES CAUSED BY FIRE. at the windows. The result was that many jnmped to death. They were picked up dead and dying in the streets. Others ran from their rooms iuto the fire-swept hallways and were burned to death. A short time later fire broke out one afternoon on the docks across the river from New York at Hoboken. The fire was on a pier piled high with combustible material. It burned like powder, spreading to the ocean liners tied to the pier and the efforts of the fire depart- ment were not effective in checking it. The cables which held the blazing vessels to the piers burned through and they drifted into the river, carrying fire and death among the shipping. Longshoremen unloading and loading the vessels jumped in panic into the river. Others found themselves cut off from both land and water by the flames on all sides and were burned like rats in a trap. It was estimated that 300 lives were lost. Many bodies were never recovered and others were found miles down the river. PROPERTY AND FINANCIAL LOSSES. Property losses are seldom proportionate to the financial losses from fire. In the Iroquois theatre fire the property loss was almost inconsequential, while at the burning of Moscow by the Russians, Sept. 4, 181 2, the property loss amounted to more than $150,000,000. Constantinople, with its squalid and crowded streets, has always been a fruitful spot for fires. They are of annual occurrence and as the Turkish fire department is a travesty, are usually of considerable magnitude. The great fire of that city was in 1729, when 12,000 houses were destroyed and 7,000 persons burned to death. Aug. 12, 1782, a three days' fire started in which 10,000 OTHER TRAGEDIES CAUSED BY FIRE. j_ houses, 50 corn mills and 100 mosques were burned and 100 lives lost. In February of the same year, 600 bouses were burned, and in June 7,000 more. Fires are the best safeguards for Constantinople's health. Great Britain has had comparatively few fires. In 1598 one at Tiverton destroyed 400 houses and 33 lives. In 1854 50 persons were killed at Gateshead. The great fire of London raged from Sept. 2 to 6, 1666. It began in a wooden building in Pudding Lane and consumed the buildings on 436 acres, blotting out 400 streets, 13,200 houses, St. Paul's and 86 other churches, 58 halls and all public buildings, three of the city gates and four stone bridges. The property loss was $53,652,500, while only six persons were killed. FIRES IN LARGE AMERICAN CITIES. Nearly every large city of the United States has had its great fire. That of Boston was on Nov. 9 and 10, 1872. Fire started at Summer and Kingston streets and 65 acres were burned over. The property loss was about $75,000,000 and there was no loss of life. The great fire in New York began in Merchant street, Dec. 16, 1835. No lives were lost, but the property lost was $15,000,000 and 52 acres were devastated, 530 build- ings being destroyed. Ten years later a much smaller fire in the same district caused the death of 35 persons. July 9, 1850, thirty lives were lost in Philadelphia, and February 8, 1865, twenty persons were killed by an- other fire. Large fires in that city have almost invariably been accompanied by loss of life. As the result of a Fourth of July celebration in 1866, nearly half of Portland, Maine., was swept away by fire. The property loss was $10,000,000, but there was no loss 430 OTHER TRAGEDIES CAUSED BY FIRE. of life. In September and October of 1871, forest fires raged in Wisconsin and Michigan. An immense territory was swept over and more than 1,000 persons lost their lives. The greatest fire of modern times was the one which started in Chicago, October 8, 187 1. A strip through the heart of the city, four miles long and a mile and a half wide, was burned over. The total lost was $196,000,000 and 250 persons lost their lives. By the fire 17,450 build- ings were destroyed and 98,860 persons made homeless. Fires in Chicago attended with loss of life have been of increasing frequency in the past few years. Fire in the Henning & Speed building on Dearborn street, in 1900, caused 4 girls to lose their lives. Since it and before the Iroquois disaster have come : The St. Luke Sanitarium horror, 10 lives lost, 43 injured; the Doremus laundry explosion, 8 lives lost ; the American Glucose Sugar Refinery blaze, 8 killed ; Northwestern boiler explosion, 8 killed; Stock Yards boiler explosion, 18 killed, and about a year ago the Lincoln hotel fire, 14 visiting stock- men suffocated. In view of this terrible array of suffering and death, it would seem that no precaution could be too great to avert future calamities. But although human life is beyond price, it is probable that the world at large will move on very much in the same old way — an arousing and an upheaval of public sentiment for a time after the burned and maimed have been laid away, and then a gradual return of carelessness. It would seem impossible, however, that the United States could forget for many generations the Iroquois disaster, and that it must result in a final reform of all arrangements looking to the safety of theatre goers. OTHER APPALLING TRAGEDIES CAUSED BY FIRE. 431 On February 7, 1904, Baltimore was visited by a catastrophe which is without a parallel in the history of that city. The heart of the business section was devas- tated by fire. Block after block of valuable buildings was swept away by a conflagration which raged with a fierceness and destructiveness that neither the skill nor the courage of the firemen could stay. Millions of property were lost and thousands of persons deprived of employment. It was a cruel blow to the material inter- ests of Baltimore, but not a crushing one ; for the busi- ness men of the city, with undaunted spirit, proved themselves equal to the occasion, stupendous as the dis- aster was, and long as its effects will be felt. HELP HURRIED FROM OTHER PLACES. Starting Sunda}^ morning in the centre of the busi- ness district, the fire ate its way from block to block with a swiftness that was almost inconceivable. The entire fire department was called into service and assistance was requested from other cities. Washington and Philadel- phia responded promptly. The detachment of fire fight- ers from the National Capital received an ovation when ithey reached Baltimore. The aid supplied by other cities to which appeals were sent — the offers of assistance which were tendered voluntarily by others — prove that in the hour of calamity Baltimore had the practical sympathy and friendship of many communities with which it has business and social connections. In connection with the appeal for aid to Washington, President Roosevelt expressed the desire that everything possible should be done by the Wash- ington authorities to help Baltimore. While the fire department made desperate efforts to 432 OTHER APPALLING TRAGEDIES CAUSED BY FIRE. check the progress of the fire, it was impossible to control the flames. The atmospheric conditions were unfavora- ble. A high wind blowing from the time the fire began and continuing throughout two days filled the air with myriads of cinders, which spread the conflagration to un- expected quarters. Dynamite was used frequently, but without satisfactory results. It seemed almost from the first that the firemen were doomed to make a losing fight, despite their brave and vigorous efforts. In the face of such conditions they were utterly helpless. HEROISM DEFEATED. Those who watched the progress of the fire were sick at heart, not because the fire-fighters lacked zeal or courage, but because they felt that the skill and heroism of man were impotent to accomplish results against such overwhelming odds. 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