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About The Sunday Oregonian. (Portland, Ore.) 1881-current | View Entire Issue (July 25, 1915)
6 TIIE SUNDAY OREGOXIAX, PORTLAND, JULY 2., 1015. CATASTROPHE LAID I TO CARELESSNESS : Insufficient Ballast With Old ; List and Method of Han I dling Crowds Blamed. PASSENGER LIMIT DOUBTED Immense Weight on Superstructure ; 'With Vessel High in "Water r - Leaves Little Stability Below. Crew of 75 Carried by Craft. Carelessness was responsible for the i sinking of the speedy lake steamer J Eastland at Chicago yesterday, with its ' appalling loss of life, in the opinion of i Portlanders familiar with that type. of vessel and in handling such a, crowd of passengers. It is argued that, as the Eastland 1 was admittedly "tender," having listed badly eight years ago in South Haven harbor when crowded, at a time when , her ballast tanks were being filled, m every precaution should have been I taken yesterday wnen, so it was re x ported, the water ballast tanks were " empty, as it was intended to All them ' and trim ship after fine had steamed - into deep water. ' Lacking sufficient ballast, the vessel - was topheavy when so many travelers were assembled on one side, say steuro . boatmen, who aver that always, when 'there is a large crowd going aboard a steamer, the inclination of a big ma ' jority is to crowd along the rails on the dock or land side, watching for - friends to arrive or through curiosity, so a. tremendous weight is added that a would not be the case when she is ' under way, unless some attraction such '"a a a vessel passing, an accident or -other incident out of the ordinary might prompt most of the passengers so race to one side. v' ' Danger Leas With Ballast. With ballast tanks filled, it is in sisted, there would be . less danger in the latter case than with a vessel lying at her berth not having sufficient bal last and subject to the strain of many, crowding one side and the added weight and motion of others moving aboard from the dock. As to the Eastland having been over- crowded, there is a division of opinion. teamshtpmen say that there are virtu- ally no uniform regulations governing the number of passengers a vessel shall be allowed. On ocean-going steamers the limit is fixed as a gen eral rule by the number of berths :the boatage in the way of lifeboats and Jiferafts and the allotment of a life preserver to each passenger and mem ber, of the crew. On lake, bay and sound vessels a different system is fol lowed, also in the case of rivers. Special excursion steamers having several decks, especially promenade ' decks, draw numerous passengers above " to get away from the crowded condi- - tions below and to "see the sights." With a vessel high out of water and tier superstructure carrying Immense 'weight of that character, marlnemen -say that there is really little stability "remaining below, so that should a ship ' take a heavy list the only thing to be done is try and distribute the pas- sengers more evenly to overcome it. '-That Is possible when a vessel has enough draft to assist In overcoming There are no steamers here of the same type as the Eastland, but her di mensions being 265 feet long, 38.2 feet .beam and 18.5 feet depth of hold, it is reasoned along the waterfront that she ;would have sufficient draft, and Chi .cago advices place that at 23 feet, "which is more than vessels of the Beaver and Bear model draw and about Jhe draft of the Great Northern and Northern Pacific when loaded. . Passenger Allowance 25O0. The Eastland was of 1S61 tone gross and 1218 tons net register. Her to tat passenger allowance, say Chicago ex .perta. was 2500 persons. S.ie carried crew of 75. The same vessel, operat ing on an ocean run, would have had ihe number allowed to be carried cut down to those who could be accom modated in berths, which would mean in staterooms and steerage or outside , sections. . If operated in the Willam . stte and Columbia alone, under the ; system in vogue here, she would fhave i carried not more than 196t passen ! gers. The Bear and the Beaver of the "Big Three" fleet, when used for I short excursion runs to St. Helens at I night, as was done with the latter a short time ago, are allowed only , 1000 passengers. ' The steamer Bailey Gatert, operating , on a daylight schedule, has an excur- slon permit for 642 passengers, as she 5 is of (42 tons gross, and her permit on a night run would be little more than half of that. , Inspectors of the Steamboat Inspec- tion Service take the stand that they , can insist on rules of the department being carried out and all masters are informed of even the most inconse- quential. also they are on hand when r excursions are run officially to check , the number of passengers going aboard t and when the limit Is on, others are , stopped, but as to there being suf ; ficient water ballast and such safe- guards they cannot be aboard all ves j eels to insist on them and must hold masters and engineers responsible. 5 Passenger steamers, besides , being given their annual Inspection, are In J vestlgated during the season three , times when carrying excursionists, the Federal officers being bound to ascer , Tu paiJj-BO S jusuidinba jra i uiti .in, place, boat and fire drills are car- ried out efficiently and similar re i sponslbllltles attended to. " The steamer General Slocum. which . caught. -fire and sank In New York har. ior June 15, 1904, carried between 2000 find 2500 persons, though she was -not , much larger In general dimensions vthan the steamer T. J. Potter, now "operated between Portland and Megler which Is allowed an excursion license cf tit, her gross tonnage. On Puget .Sound and at San Francisco, where .different models are ' operated, more 'passengers are allotted and It Is gen- erally a custom to- fix the capacity on -conditions of different waters, as well as taking Into consideration llfesavlng Equipment and accommodations. r.BAY CITY J30Y DROWNED '.Attack of Heart Trouble Fatal .to vr Ralph McCIew at Ocean Lake. OCEAN LAKE. Or, July 24. fSpe- rClal.) Ralph, aged 14,. only son of Will J'lam A. McCIew. of Bay City, was '-drowned here today while swimming in i the lake. He was overcome by an at- tack of heart failure and after calling for help sank. , " Kenneth Rountree and Milton Boz lorth dived 20 times in a vain effort t to give assistance. Mrs. P. K. Egbert drove to Bar View 'for Coast Guards, making' the dis - tanca of six miles In eight minutes. .The body was recovered . promptly, but fan hour's - effort to restore resplra- . tlon was unavailing. The parents and three sisters inr " yivo. - VESSELS Us .- - ' '. --- 1 1 -" n.itttu, Httk: T tfT-: , ' ' B : -- I ZA?J-4lsr , -v 1 jSI TP ' Steamer Theodore Roosevelt. Which Was at Scene When Kantland Turned Otrr and VhL!i AkaUted In Itearue Work. (Klchtt Scetluaal Street Map, Showing Portion of Uke Front and Chicago Hirer. Arrow Points Exact Scene of Disaster. Where Clark Street laicrscrts Chlcaau Hlvcr. .11 Id die Llfesavlnsr Station on Lake Front, Which Sent Men to Reocae. Below (Left! Scene on Chlcaso Waterfront Hkowlit Tiro Eninlu Sluuni ol Type Similar to Kaatland.. (Hlaht Haacnlo Brldse at tccne of Ulaaater, Showlac Uravr Open to Admit I'ouogt of i:xcnraion Steamers. SPEED PERIL SHOWN Sacrifice of Safety in Craft ' Suspected by Workman. ROYALTY OFFER RECALLED Lee Scarth, in tngiiu-ci-ing Depart ment of Shipbuilding Company at Time Katland's Construction,. Thinks Strain Too Heavy. WhenVthe steamship Eastland made her mafden trip in July. 1SJ2. Just 13 years ago, she was the speediest ex cursion boat on the Great Lakes, and the element of safety was probably sacrificed In some degree to speed, ac cording to Lee Kcarth, of 447 Cast Twelfth street North, who was In the engineering department of the Jenks Shipbuilding Company at Fort Huron. Mich., when the ICastland was built. A heavy royalty was offered by the ship 'company at the time, remembers Mr. Scarth, for every mile more than 21 an hour that the boat would be able to make. Upon completion the steam, ship easily made 23 miles. That the strain of fast speed could be withstood, the ship was equipped with the heaviest boiler plate of any boat known at that time, said Mr. Scarth last night. It had twin screws. a compound engine and worked under forced draft. When completed, the Eastland ws considered a fine boat. "There was not enough beam to the vessel, with all the excursionists crowded on one side of the top deck," aid Mr. Scarth. speaking of the acci dent. "As I understand there was an other boat coming to take off some of the crowd, and the men and women were naturally on the lake side of the boat, watching for Its arrival. Be ins long and narrow, with not enough ballast below to stand the strain of its overcrowded condition, the boat, cap sized, lor with one side ol the upper deck so. overloaded, there was .much danger. "For its -purpose, the boat was ex cellent and stood up well for 13 years. but it was not built to stand the heavy strain placed upon it today." The Eastland was constructed In the shipbuilding yards on the Black River at Fort Huron and made her trial trip on Lake Huron. BERLIN MAY MODIFY VIEW " (Continued From First Pre.) cumstances. and in effect demanded by the President. Germany merely will have to give official notice that it has adopted as permanent the policy now in practice. There is reason to believe that Count von Bernstorff during his re cent "conversation" with Secretary of .State Lansing gave the latter to understand ' that It was the purpose of Germany to persist in its policy, but at the vame time to exercise the dis cretion demanded by the United States in conducting its marine campaign against England. It Is generally accepted that there already exists a tacit understanding between the United States and the Kaiser's diplomatic representative speaking with the authority of his government, that Instructions have been given by the German Admiralty to commanders of its warships and sub marine flotillas to observe the prin ciples of international warfare offi cially sunseribed , to by the German Foreign Minister and demanded by the United States. The knowledge that such an under standing has been reached, while not publicly proclaimed by the German government, furnishes justification for the belief that an announcement to this effect will be forthcoming shortly from Berlin. XOTE EXPECTED TO SATISFY Reference to Attacks on Escaping Vessels Regarded as Concession. WASHINGTON. July 24. Count von Bernstorff, the German Ambassador, left Washington today to remain away from the capital until Instructions from his government . or new developments make it necessary for him to confer again with officials here. It was learned In. German circles here tonight that the German interpre tation of the statement in the last American note, that the lives of non combatants may sot be out in Jeopardy AND PLACES FIGURING. ITSTEAMS . 7U!1"..V ' unless a vessel resists or seeks to escape,- was expected to satisfy the Ger man military authorities of the fact that the United States has not insisted on a complete abandonment of, subma rine warfare as such. It is believed that this point would be considered as a concession and would add weight to that element of official and public opinion In Germany which is urging a more Conciliatory attitude toward the United states. Conflicting reports reachei'. the Ger man embassy today as to what occurred in the Orduna case. According to statements made by some of the pas senRers of the ship no torpedo was f I red by the German submarine from which the liner escaped. They'saw only the shell tire at the ship. I.ackins any offi cial statement from Berlin, embassy officials would not discuss the Orduna incident. RESCUE WORK IS PROMPT (Continued "From First rir. of the dead, injured and rescued, the divers in the heart of the sunken vessel sent up an almost constant stream of corpses from the submerged d'ks. First It was a (tally dressed girl in her teens .who had been caught be tween a pile of chairs and the cabin wall. Next it was a boy, gathered from the lifeless arms of his father. Then followed an old woman, who hard gone aboard the ship to watch her grandchildren, or a little arlrl with bare legs and boots, with gay ribbons sodden against the lace of her holiday gown. One thrill passed through the crowd as word came from the steamer that a girl baby had been found alive among the hundreds of dead in the ship. The child was discovered In a starboard stateroom, where she bad bt :a held from the water by a chair that jammed against the berth. . The baby only half awakened as It was carried to land. Its mother could not be found. Two women were found alive in an other stateroom on the protruding side of the Eastland, but that -nded the hopes that any number had escaped death in the death trap itself. There were still at least U0 persons In the bold when these three persons were taken out alive, and lae explorers of the hulk said that all were dead. Yet amid all the horror and heartache, offi cials of various departments attended to pressing duties of disposition of the dead and injured, tracing of the miss ing, inquiry into the cause of the dis aster and precautions against disease from sunken bodies and the drifting of corpses through the city towards canal locks. More Boys Arrested for Rioting. 'Two more boys were arrested "last night for alleged participation In the riot at Lincoln playgrounds Thursday night. Those arrested were William Kaylor. 16. and Will Hahn. 15. This makes a total of 11 arrests on account of the riot. All the boys will be tried in the Juvenile Court. t tMwsmiiniiwiiii iiiiiiissiiaBisiriiPiiMhsasMissr c ; II 1 I t- t , i . j I , 1 1 i.i - J ,.n i B ni 1 k. ' I I r i LAKE EXCURSION STEAMER WHOSE CAPSIZING CAUSED J.V '-e ' . . . 4S .r. -4.--: ij4i L Sr . ' ' , i HIP DISASTER ON CHICAGO WATERFRONT1. H DRIVEN ID Girl Fights Attendants in Hos pital While They Aid Her.' DIVER IS MADE INSANE Man Who Is Rescued With W iTe nnd Daughter and Taken to Hospital Reads Son's Name at Top of List of Dead. K.tSTLAXn ONE OP" FASTKST K.ClHSIII HO ATS 0. LAKE. CHICAGO. July 24. The East land, which was one of the fastest excursion boats on the Great Lakes, narrowly escaped capsizing eight years ago at South liaven, Mich. She was saved by the action of the offi cers In driving the passengers to the other side of the vessel. The Eastland was built In 1903 and was owned by the Eaxtland Navigation Company, of Cleve land. She was 26S feet lontr. 38 feet wide and had a draft of 23 feet, with a net tonnage of 1218. She was brought to Chicago in 190 4 and was used in the ex cursion business to South Haven, Mich., for several years. Later she was taken to Cleve land and placed in the excursion service there. This. Spring the boat was remodeled. She was then brought to Chicago and put on the run to St. Joseph. Mich. She had a speed, of 21 miles an hour. CHICAGO. July 34. fSpeclaL) Shrieking and sobbing women, mothers who called in anguish for their babies, and strong men driven mad by the sights they had seen, filled the Iro quois Memorial Hospital today, 10 minutes after the steamer Eastland overturned In the river. A young girl, hysterical, fought with the attendants who tried to care for her. "My sister! My sister, poor little sister!" she crlad. "She is dead. Oh. is dead, my poor little sister." Nearby stood a sad-faced woman with folded hands. " "My husband I left him in the r.; KASTLAM) LAKE MICHIGAN. '.-t - t-- water." she said as la a daxe. "My little girl: I thought she would be here: she "Isn't. May God hav mercy on them. She said her name was Mrs. Jose phine Bchnke. Haaband and Dugktet Do ot Cone, Mrs, Anna Parmlnter peered eagerly at each new arrival for tus face of her hurband and daughter. In each case she turned away sorro wtully too Bri"t-strlcken even for tears. Mrs. Anna Peterson turned to leave the hospital, partly dressed, and go In search of her son. Charles K.. n years Old. She was restrained by her daugh ter. Anna r Petersen. Men engaged In the rescue work collapsed under the strain. Sora. weeping and hysterical, were brought to shore.' Others, working In a dale. continued to roll up the sad scroll of the city's list of dead. diver who had been at work all day at me grewsome ihsk or recover Ins; bodies Iron the Eastland, sud denly went insane. Four policemen were necMn- to subdue htm. He was removed to the Detention Hot pltnL Son's Name Klrst on List. There are Individual tragedies that stnnd out In bold relief even In a ca tastrophe where hundreds die. Here is one of them: Chester" Lallne. wlt'i his wife and daughter, Anna, were rescued whe tne .asuand capsized. Thry were taken to the Eye, Ear and Nova Hos pital for treatment. A son. Chester. years old. was unaccounted for. A reporter rushec into the hospital with a copy of the first "extra" In his pocket. Lallne grasped for the paper. "My boy, my boy."x he cried. "What or him?" , His eye caught a meager list of Identified victims. The first name was that of his son. "I die with him." Lallne shouted. The father beat off the Internes who rushed to restrain him and bolted from the bulldinv. disappearing In the throng which llnd the riverfront. Policemen followed and restrained him. 10CO DROWN ON VESSEL (Contlnud Krom First Pte.l their blinding glare while hundreds of men searched for more bodies. Under the glare of searchlights to night scores of men worked in the huTl of "the vessel to roach the bodies. The steamer lay on the bottom of the river. one half of its side protruding from the water. The cause of the capsizing had not been determined tonight, but Federal, city and state officers were con ducting investigations to determine whether the ship was top-heavy from faulty designing, was improperly bal LOSS OF 1000 LIVES. i : A- i i lasted, or wrs poorly handled in warp ing from the wharf.- Marine archi tects asserted that the. Eastland was faulty in design, that the top deck had been removed because of the' tendency of the vessel to list and also pointed to the possibility that the vessel had been unevenly or insuf ficiently ballasted. Water Ballast Perhaps Lacking. The Eastland used water ballast, so that it could pump out some on enter ing shallow lake harbors, and investi gators are working on a theory that the ballast tnks were not filled, and the rushing of passengers to one side of the decks caused it to roll over. The Second Regiment Armory, situ ated in a thickly settled part of the West Side.was surrounded early to night by a great throng. Most of the victims were residents of the Vet Side, and nearly everyelevated train bound for the residence v portions of that section carried its group of weep ing men and women. Many formed in line hours before the great doors were opened, eagerly awaiting a chance to seek the bodies of kin and friends they believed lost. . Under misty skies 7000 woirtn, men and children had wended their way to the wharf to fill five large steamers with holiday mirth In a trip to Mich igan City. The Eastland, brought to Chtcngo from Lake Erie after an un satisfactory career there, was the first to be loaded. Rain began to fall as the wharf su perintendents lifted the gangplank from the. Eastland, declaring that the Government limit of -500 passengers had been reached. hit dresses peeped from raincoats along the shore rails as those aboard waved good-bye to friends on shore waiting to board the other vessels. Then the passengers swarmed to the lrrt side of the ship as the other steamers drew up the river toward the wharf. A tug was hitched to the Eastland, ropes were ordered cast off and the engine began to pump. The Eastland had not budged, however. Rosea Si as Vessel Lnrrb.es. Instead the heavily-laden vessel wa vered sldewise. leaning first toward the river bank. The lurch was so startling til at many passengers joined the large concourse already on the other side of the decks. The ship then heeled back. It turned slowly but steadily toward its left side. Children clutched the skirts of mothers ami sisters to keep from falling. The whole cargo was Impelled toward the falling aide-of the ship. Water besan to enter lower port holes and the ropes snapped off the piles to which the ves sel was tied. Screams from - passengers attracted the attention of fellow excursionists on the wharf awaiting the next steamer. Wharfmen and picnickers soon lined the edge of the embankment, reaching out helplessly toward the wavering vessel. For nearly five minutes the steamer turned before It finally dived under the swift current of the river. 'which, owing to the drainage nl system, tlows from the lake. During the mlghty turning of the ship with Its cargo of humanity lifeboats, chairs and other loose appurtenances on the decks slipped down the i-loping floors, crush ing the passengers toward the rising waters Many Us ! .r to Illse. Then there was a plunge, with a sigh of air escaping from the hold, mingled with the t-ryiog of children and abrleks of women, and ths vessel was on the bottom of ilio river, casting hundreds of lis raanrngers into the water. Many mnk, entanicled with clothing and bun dles, and did not rise, but scores came to the surface, glvlna the river the appearance of a crowded bathing beach. Many aelzed floating chairs snd other objects. Thoss on shore threw out ropes and dragged in those who could hold their lifelines. Employes of commission firms along ths river threw crst. chicken coops and other floatable things into the cur rent, but moat of then were swept away by the stream. Boats were put out. tugs rushed to the scene with shrieking whistles, and many nun snatched oft their coats and sprang Into the rlvero aid the drown ing. With thousands.- of spectators ready to aid and the wharf within grasp, hundreds went :o death, despite every effort at rescue. FESTIVAL CULLED OFF ILLINOIS HAY AT SAX FRAM'ICU IIM1 UK MOIRMXU. t'hlcaa-o Oay, et for xt Tueaday. lie Devoted to Holding of Memorial Sen Ices for Dead. SAN FRANCISCO, July 2i. Thou sands of present and former lllinollana who had gathered at the l'snama-Fa-ciflc International Exposition today to celebrate "Illinois day" remained to mourn the Eastland tragedy. Thou sands who had gathered at the Illinois state building to participate In cere monies commemorating the greatnegs of the state stood instead with bared heads while the band of the First Reg iment of the Illinois National uard played "Nearer. My Uod. to Thee." With every arrangement made for a 'festival oi-canlon. the. receipt of the newa or ths r;asiana disaster piunsea the Oovernor snd other high officials of the state and fltv who are In this city In sorrow. - Notices were at once sent but that the dinner, reception and ball for tonight were canceled. "Chi cago day." which was set for next Tues day at the exposition, will be devoted to -the holdlns; of memorial services instead of festivity. The afternoon's programme was en tirely cut out, with the exception of the presentation of the commemorative Jewels by the expoxttion to the (lev. frnor. Acknowledging their receipt, th Uovernor saide "In view of the awful calamity that has r.falien the Ftate of Illinois and the City of Chicago, it would be un becoming of me. and I cannot find it In my heart to make a neecii." MOTHER AND'THREE DEAD Husband ami Is-lher Kescued to Find Wliole Family Gone., CHICAGO. July J4. (Special.) Mrs. Paulina Vantak. 44 years old. was among those who perished. Hr three ihildren ere also believed to have ben lost. ,Hnry Vantak. her husband, was rescued snd later Identified the body of his wife, i He paced Uis floor, crying- thst ho had lost all.. ' "My wife is gone snd my three chil dren are gone." he repeated, tears streaming down hla cheeks. "We were standing on the deck together. Suddenly the boat went over. All of us were slifhaed Into the water. I did not see my wife and little ones after that. Some one grabbed me around my neck and kept pulling me. I'retty soon I found myself In a boat. ."The police told me my wife's body would be taken here. I know my chil dren are gone, too," nnnirn mirii niiT Duuito mm uui IN STEADY STREAM Work Goes On in Drizzling Rain, Pausing Only to Wait for More Stretchers. TERROR SHOWN IN FACES Rod ios F-ntwiiicd in Lat ljnbrace of Fear Are TuLen From AVatcr. Overloaded Maiden Vo.vaf-e of Ve?.cl Itcvallcd. BY ARTHl'R M. SV.ASJ. (Jl.cl.il Writer on iha staff of the Ctln Htralil.) CHICAGO. July 14. (Special.) After two hours of wedging through a crowd of humanity which thronged the vicin ity of the Eastland disaster. I reached the river bank. Immediately In front of me loomed what a short hour before had been a boat loaded with people on pleasure bent. Up the slirPry wet side canvas was spread, that those car rying out the bodies might bring out their irtviomc freight at a dog trot and thus empty t:ie overturned boat full of human beings the more quickly. The only time the procession stopped was when the stretchers save out. and we had to sit by and wait for the string of empties to be returned from ths shore line. Many t'allsre,, Amsasr Nuaaber. I wondered why they waited for stretchers at all. All the bodies car ried ptv.-t were so rinid that poles to csrry them by seemed superfluous. The pitiful shortness of most of them and the wet clinging curls that swept ths deck punctured the line so frequently that even the helpers grosned. Chil dren and yet more children, and when it was not a child It was a young girt of IS or so. There were some boys and men. but mostly they were girls. Often the tarpaulin covering would slip aside and reveal has it over been your unhapp lot as a youngster to drown a batch of particularly unwelcome kittens? Or have you ever plunged a wire rat trap in water? Imagine that expression of trapped-anlmal terror transferred to tlie face of a human beinK. and then so firmly stamped by death that tho pattern has set. snd the tarpaulin sheets they were the travesty that put the final keen edee on this ghastllncss. B(tle Locke Tasrtker. After all U poor bodies had been trampled on and then drowned, or drowned and then trampled on. they covered them up with tarpaulin to keep this poor wet earth from getting any wetter. Sometimes they had to put two bod ies on the same strstcher. death had so tightened that cllnalng embrace In dulged In as the Kray river water leaped up to meet those who had left home early, and exclaimed In light hearted satisfaction when they fuunl they were still in time to artier a seat on the shady side of the boat the side that lies burled in the river oose. I stepped aside to lot a heavily-laden stretcher pass. and. as I heard the wall th.il greeted it from ths shoreline, I thought of the Eastland s maiden voy aare, when tho laden upper deoks mads ths boat so top-heavy that the cre-v turned the fire hose on the crowd and forced them below to stifle under bat-tened-down hatches until port was reached; that was several years ago. Line of Bodies Moves Ob. The line of bodies stemed to bs thinning, and with a prayer of thanks 1 stepped over the bow of the tug onto the slippery canvss to mount ths side of the Eastland. How could t know that they were merely waiting for more stretchers? Had I known what I would see I doubt If I could have been driven over thu low railing of the tug. "You can't get through!" The in formation was volunteered from all sides. But 1 did. When I saw the canvas-covered side of the overturned boat up which I was supposed to climb I was intensely sorry I had given such a good bumun imitation of an angle worm. Five times, as I was walking uphill to the gangway that now stared up at the sky a big black hole I was forced to slip aside at a perilous angle to let the human freight that had ths right of way today safely by. I longed for the moment when I should be able to reach forward and grab that hatch way. It w-as at least stationary. Xanea and Doctors There. Nurses were there and bodies and respiration machines and doctors. Ths few that were resuscitated, were des perately nxuseated. of course. Ths hold was frightfully close and tho stream of bodies went slipping by without a break In the line save the time we had to stop and wait fur the stretchers to be emptied and returned. Everything oozed moisture. The bodies drtpped. The policemen and other men carry in-r the stretchers had no free hands to r-ach up and wipe .y the ' perspiration that streamed down their crimson facet. The rain dripped into the hold and down the rubber coats of the rescuers. At times It was so still that the men walking over ths boat's sidt above our heads sounded ss 1f w-s were on the Inside of a big- bass drum. When you were a child havo you ever wished you had feet like a fly and walk on the celling? I never expected to realise that ambition, but as I was walking down what had been the floor proper and stood uprisht on the former side wall and saw ths other living; or cupanta of the doomed boat doing- the same, I kept thinking;. "We're just lika a loi. of flies." As I duly counted ths bodies it seemed that human being: were killed as easily a flies, after all. INCENDIARY FIRES IGNORED State ForeMer Sajs No Money Will He SMit to JlRht Brnatt Blaze. HAL, EM. Or.. July Zi. (Special.) Following receipt today of a telegram from Josephine County by State For ester Elliott, saying that several for est fires had started in that county, the Forester announced that his forces would spend little money in fighting fires which, do not affect thone sec tions of timber coming under the pro iflon.i of the state firs patrol laws. Forester Elliott explained that tht rule applied . only to brush fires In agricultural ronununit lets though In rases of emergency tho rule would be disregarded. "Every year fires are et In certain localities by persona deslrlT.g to rt John fighting ftrefc." Jild the official. "This j ear w e ! not propone to spend a lot of money on lruh fires and people who menace their own homes by setting fires In the timbered sections." Assistant KoreMer beely said that last year $3&00 of the. fiMtO s.nl In Josephine County for fire fighting was expendeil In combstlng the work of "firebugs-"