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About The Sunday Oregonian. (Portland, Ore.) 1881-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 17, 1916)
6 THE SUNT) AT OREGONIAT. POItTLATJ, SEPTEMBER IT, 1916. REDFIELD FAILS TO FIX DISASTER CAUSE Eastland Tragedy Investiga tion Dropped After Farci cal Probe. WHITEWASH FREELY USED Only Government Inquiry Is for Purpose of Preventing Punish ment of Federal Officers Whom Coroner's Jury Blamed. (Continued From Tlrat Page. were not biased, but who were com petent. Public sentiment, backed by Federal Judge Kenesaw Landis, finally drove Secretary Redfleld from Chicago, but when he departed, the Federal Inquiry was dropped, and It has never been re sumed. Secretary Redfleld, after, re turning to Washington, promised a "searching investigation into the entire steamboat inspection service," but that promise has not been fulfilled. All that came of the Redfleld Inves tigation was a report which, summed up, says: "Not having completed our investigation, we are not prepared at this time to express an opinion as to who is to blame, nor what agencies contributed to 'the capsizing of the steamer Eastland." The Redfleld board. wnicn made tnat report, nas never neia another meeting; there is no prospect that It will again be failed together. In that one sentence ia given the full result of what the President promised would be an investigation "thorough enough to satisfy everybody." an in vestigation that would "bring forth all the facts and fix the responsibility." Some Changes Recommended. It is true the Redfield board did rec ommend certain changes in the steam boat Inspection laws changes that would, if authorized, tend to avert similar disasters In the- future. But neither Secretary Redfleld nor Presi dent Wilson pressed that legislation be fore Congress during the extraordina rily long session of Congress, Just closed; they forgot about It, and the steamboat inspection laws are today Just what they were when the Eastland turned over at her dock. The seaman's law has since become operative, but that law was passed months before the Eastland sank. There has been no new legislation since then, and so far as the law Is concerned, there Is no adequate Federal safeguard today to protect the public from a repe tition of the Chicago horror. Yet Sec retary Redfleld. in defending his In spectors, said "they had done all they were required to do under the law." If that be true, then Secretary Redfield, above all other officers, was In duty bound to urge upon Congress the amendment and modification of the law. This he did not do, save In his annual report Secretary Redfield, since the Eastland disaster passed into history, has been engaged almost wholly in playing politics; he has completely for gotten or Ignored the Eastland case and Its lessons. Responsibility Never Fixed. The Eastland went down more than ft year aso; to this day .no competent board has determined the causes; the responsibility has never been fixed; the sruilty have not been punished; the ac cused Government Inspectors are still on the Government payroll, and Secre tary Redfield continues to enjoy the confidence and support of President Wilson. But the Eastland disaster has not been forgotten. It was on Saturday morning, July M. that more than 2500 happy women and children swarmed aboard the East land as she lay at her dock in the Chi cago River. They had no fear, for the vessel had been many times inspected by Government officials and pro nounced both safe and seaworthy. Among chipping men the Eastland was known to be unsafe; on the waterfront the was known as the "Crank of the Lakes." But the publio knew naught of this; the Government Inspectors, presumed to look after their safety, had pronounced the vessel safe and sound, otherwise ehe would have had no license to carry passengers. As the crowds on that fatal morning boarded the Eastland the ship began to lean toward midstream; as the crowds on her decks increased ehe leaned more and more; her toppling was ob served by river men. and was recorded in her engine-room; It could not have gone unnotloed by her officers then on duty. But no effective effort was made to right her; half her water-baliast compartments had long since been abandoned by the crew because the valves could be operated only with great difficulty. And so. in the pres ence of her full oomplement of offl . cers the Eastland leaned and leaned, until she lost her balance, and toppled over on her side, precipitating Into the Chicago River those of her passengers who were not trapped between decks. Out o the 2500 who were aboard only 1500 escaped; the other 1000 were drowned in the heart of the great me tropolis of the Middle West. Department Often Warned. When the Eastland disaster occurred Secretary Redfleld was in Northern New York on his vacation. Assistant Pecretary Sweet was in charge of the Department of Commerce in Washing ton. Secretary Sweet ordered to Chi cago tho head of the Steamboat Inspec tion Service, and sent the steamboat Inspectors of the Chicago and Milwau kee districts. He ordered them to make an Immediate Investigation, and tele graphed Secretary Redfield suggesting that he go to Chicago to take charge of the investigation While tbls was going on at Washing ton District Attorney Hoyne, Coroner Hoffman and United States District Attorney Charles F. Cllne at Chicago started Investigations of their own. Victor A. Olander, secretary of the Ike Seaman's Union, who was one who had known of the unsafe condi tion of the Eastland, declared that the responsibility for the disaster was chargeable primarily to the Steamboat Inspection 6ervlce, to whose agents he had told the true condition of the Kastland. He said these inspectors and the Department of Commerce at Wash . ington had been warned of the danger, ous condition of the Eastland, but had Ignored the warnings. The day following the overturning of the Eastland Chicago was startled by the revelation that one of the Fed eral steamboat Inspectors who had cer tified to the safety of t Eaetland and had given authority to increase her carrying capacity from 2000 to 2500 had, through his influence with the owners or lessees of the Eastland, secured the appointment of his brother-in-law as chief engineer of the ill fated ship. When this fact became known a protest went up against an Investigation of the Eastland disaster by officials of the Steamboat Inspec tion Service. - Cry Is Unheeded. "Do not let the Government steam boat Inspectors investigate their own service,", was rthe , cry,. But the cry went unheeded." And again Olander came out with the charge "that the men at whose door lay the blame for the Eastland disaster are the men who failed to do their duty and the men who are now flocking to Chicago to investigate themselves and their serv ice." The Federal inspectors who had ex amined and passed the Eastland were Charles H. Westcott, of Detroit, and Robert Reid and Charles C. Eckliff. of the Grand Haven. Mich., district. As late as June 7 and July 12 these In spectors had pronounced the Eastland seaworthy and safe for passengers. It was Inspector Reid, on whose certifi cate the Eastland was permitted to carry 2500 passengers, who secured the appointment of hia son-in-law, J. M. Erickson, as chief engineer of the Eastland. And it was Erickson who presumably was In charge of the water ballast when the ship turned oyer. Soon after he began his probe Dis trict Attorney Hoyne declared the Steamboat Inspection Service was "rot ten." But the Federal officials paid no attention. On the other hand. Inspector-General Uhler, head of the Steamboat Inspection Service, then en route to Chicago, gave out a statement saying the blame for the disaster lay at the doors of Congress, "because, It had failed to provide a sufficient num ber of inspectors." And that explana tion was offered In face of the fact that the Eastland, within a month prior to sinking, had been twice exam ined by two Federal Inspectors, each of whom pronounced her safe, and had done so In face of the fact that they had been warned specifically that she was top heavy and not safe. It was not lack of Inspection that led Up to the Eastland disaster, for few vessels are inspected twice within a month. Advice Not Heeded. When It was evident that the De partment of Commerce Intended itself to investigate, protests went to Wash ington and the demand made that the investigation be conducted by compe tent and disinterested 'Naval officers. Assistant Secretary Sweet approved this suggestion in a public -statement, and transferred the suggestion by wire to Secretary Redfield, then en route to Chicago. The Secretary promised to give the suggestion his "careful consideration," but later, after reach ing Chicago, declared that the opinion of Naval officers would be worthless; that they were not familiar with pas senger ships, and therefore not compe tent to determine the causes of the overturning of the Eastland. He him self would conduct the Investigation and find out all about it. Arriving in Chicago, Secretary Red field found the steamboat inspectors were under attack from all directions; publio sentiment was extremely hostile because of facts brought to light by the local Investigators. He meantime had ordered Solicitor Thurman and As sistant Secretary Sweet, of the depart-, ment, to meet him In Chicago, along with Supervising Inspector Uhler. At this juncture Andrew Furuseth. the real author of the seaman's law, went to Chicago and backed up Olander In his assertion that the Federal in spectors had been warned of the dan gerous condition of the Eastland, and he added the additional charge that in spectors In the Government service were appointed by the President and the Secretary of Commerce on recom mendation of the steamship companies. He further charged that "any inspector who was too smart lost his job." Experts Not In Charge. After viewing the Eastland, as she lay on her side in Chics go River, Sec retary Redfleld summmoned Inspectors Van Patten and Collins from Milwau kee to conduct the investigation he had ordered, but when the investigat ing body convened Secretary Redfleld assumed charge and next In authority were Solicitor Thurman and Assistant Secretary Sweet, none of them ac quainted with steamships and not one of them competent to pass as experts. The other members of the board were Barrett O'Hara. Lieutenant-Governor of Illinois; H. A. Wheeler, Marvin B. Pool, both of Chicago; Philip B. Fouke, of St. LouU, chairman of the committee on the steamboat Inspection service of the United States; Naval Constructor James L. Ackerson. U. S. N.. and E. C. Gillette, superintendent of marine con struction. United States Lighthouse Service. No sooner had the Investigation opened than the suggestion was re newed that naval experts be summoned to conduct the inquiry. To this sug gestion Secretary Redfleld replied: "We have no appropriation to employ experts, nnd the Ur'ted State Is for bidden from accepting gratuities." Yet the United States did retain four citi zens on the Redfleld board and did ac cept gratuities. One of the first things discovered by Secretary Redfleld was that Inspector Reid was on intimate terms with the officials of the company operating the Eastland and that he had, because of this relationship, secured the appoint ment of his brother-in-law as chief engineer of the sunken ship. It also was disclosed that Reid, through his "pull," had secured the appointment ot J. L. Fisher as oiler on the Eastland. Redfleld Excobm Inspectors. The day after the Inauguration of the Redfield Inquiry the Coroner's jury rec ommended holding on the charge of manslaughter William M. Hull, general manager of the company owning the Eastland: Captain Pederson and Chief Engineer Erickson. of the vessel; Wal ter K. Greenbaum, general manager of the company which leased the East land, and United States Steamboat In spectors Robert Reid and Charles C. Eckliff, who had inspected and certi fied to the safety of the Eastland. A thorough Investigation by the grand Jury was recommended and the opinion set forth that the Eastland had been Improperly constructed, improperly loaded on the fatal clay and that the two inspectors named had beeen guilty of gross laxity in having failed to re port the true condition of the boat. These Inspectors were condemned for having made a slipshod and unscientific investigation, in that they had not de termined the stability of the vessel. After this verdict was returned Sec retary Redfleld went before the same Coroner's jury and voiced the opinion that the State Attorney did not have the authority to Indict or prosecute the two steamboat Inspectors. He further declared they had done their duty as et forth in the Federal statutes, and could not be held to blame. District Attorney Hoyne, acting In his own Jurisdiction, secured indict ments by the county grand Jury of the men named in the Coroner's Jury ver dict, and in announcing the result voiced his belief that there had been a conspiracy between the steamboat In spectors and the steamship company. To this charge Secretary Redfleld made public reply that If there had been a conspiracy to permit excessive loading It had been done In Michigan and not tn Illinois, and that, therefore, the Brand Jury wan without Jurisdiction to take cognizance of the fact. Probe Ia Quashed. " All this time United States District Attorney dyne was proceeding- with a Federal grand Jury Investigation and announced that at the close of his In vestigation he would ask for the In dictment of the men charged by the Coroner's Jury. Answering this announcement and other criticism. Secretary Redfiield Bald the steamboat inspectors were supreme in their authority as to the number of passengers to be permlttted to go on boats and that their findings were not reviewed at Washington. He further defied publio sentiment by declaring that it was not desirable that the Gov ernment have authority to pass on the stability of vessels. Bluffed out by Secretary Redfield, State Attorney Hoyne announced that he would drop his investigation of the conduct of the steamboat Inspectors, having been convinced that he had not the authority to prosecute them. This and other statements by the Secretry induced the various and numerous la bor unions of Chicago to send telegraph protests to President Wilson objecting to the personnel of R&d field's Investi gating board and demanding an inves tigation by a competent and unbiased body. Other telegrams were sent to Presl-J .1 . . Tirti i r.L i V ucub H iiaua uy bile v. uewaKi.- pers. by Chicago citizens and by citi zens living outside of Chicago, all pro testing against the manner of investi gation being made by secretary Red field, some of them demanding that Redfleld be recalled. The President's only reply, made through Secretary Tumulty, was that already quoted.. Probe Is Called Farce. I The Redfield Inquiry went on. As it progressed more and more protests were sent to the President. But all to no pur pose. Prosecuting officers. Aldermen and citizens who attended the hearing turned away, pronouncing the investi gation a "sickening farce." As the in quiry proceeded Secretary Redfleld, in charge, openly attempted to shift re sponsibility from the shoulders of his own inspectors to the captain and chief engineer of the Eastland. The Eastland itself received a clean bill of health. Secretary Redfield kept the reins of the inquiry closely in his own hands and asked most of the questions. These were mostly assertions, prefixed with the words "Is It not a fact." The Sec retary even gave the Inquiry a touch of sarcasm In questioning Inspector Reid. "I understand you are sruilty of hav ing; a son-in-law," said the Secretary to Reid. when the inspector took the stand. "Yes," replied Reid. "Did you make the arrnnerement by which he became your son-in-law and got a good job on the Eastland;" asked the Secretary. "No," answered the inspector. "Had yon any doubts of your daugh ter losing her husband on the East land;" persisted the Secretary. "None at all. I would not have cer tified the vessel If I had." was the reply. And while this character of investi gation was in progress, and these ques tions were being propounded by a member of President Wilson's Cabinet, thousands of Chlcagoans were paying their last tribute to the hundreds of women and children who had been sac rificed in what was Justly called a "man-made disaster." This was the day when sorrowing Chicago was bury ing her dead. Questioner Is hnt Off. State Attorney Hoyne, who had been following the Redfield Investigation, again publicly criticised Secretary Red field, charging that many of his ques tions were unduly leading. He said he expected -all Federal inspectors to be exonerated by the Redfield board. Representative Sabbath, of Chicago, a Democrat, representing a district "in which lived many of the grief-stricken families, who appeared at and tried to participate In the Inquiry, forgot his politics, and asserted in an Interview: "I don't quite understand the atti tude of my old colleague, Mr. Redfleld, whom I thought I knew so well. He seems to have changed. Each time I tried to cross-question a witness, desir ing to bring out some point that had not been touched upon by the Secre tary I was shut off and promised that my turn to ask questions would come later." Alderman Hugo Krause, after attend ing several sessions of the Redfield in quiry, made this comment: "It seems to be the present object to put on a coat of whitewash." Smarting under all this criticism, which appeared in print. Secretary Redfield begged to "be given credit for a little conscientiousness." He further said, after the close of the second day of his Investigation that he had formed no conclusions regarding the evidence, adding: "Inspector Reid, who appears to be a gentleman, truthful and hon orable, may be discovered tomorrow to be blameless. Is It not fine the way the people of his home town are stand ing by him?" One of the big and Important facts disclosed at the second day of the in vestigation was that the Government does not make stability tests of vessels under Investigation, but depends on the designers and upon insurance bureaus for this. Jurisdiction Is Made Issue. After a day of Inaction, State Attor ney Hoyne seemed to have gathered au thority contradicting Secretary Red field, for he announced his purpose to proceed and Indict the two Government Inspectors. He said he had Jurisdiction, and declared his belief thatunless he had them Indicted, the two Inspectors would escape. He said, however, he would desist if the Federal grand jury would return an Indictment of these same men. Whereupon Secretary Red field asked permission to appear before the grand Jury with Solicitor Thurman to present the case of the Inspectors, and to raise the question of Jurisdic tion." Acting on the advice of Hoyne, the state undertook to arrest General Man ager Hull of the steamboat company, but Federal Judge Kenesaw Landls in terposed, saying there was no Federal subpena out for him, and that the state could not step in and grab the man, he having been asked to appear as a witness before the Federal grand Jury. This opened up a question of Jurisdiction, and a conflict then and there arose between the state and Fed eral court which ultimately resulted In the cessation of activity by the State Attorney. On the third day of the Redfleld In vestigation, public lndiimatlon having grown steadily. Harry Moir, owner of the Morrison Hotel, and a member of the Coroner's Jury, publicly asserted that "Rrdfleld should be driven out of town If President Wilson will not recall him." He went on to say: "This man. a member of President Wilson's Cabinet, nctunlly made a two- hour speech to the Coroner's Jury in which he said that steamboat building: was still in an experimental stage. Think of it! Mere in Chicago, with 100O of our people dead as the result of what must be apparent to everyone as criminal nrerllgenre, this man Redfleld makes a plea to the Coroner's Jury to consider steamboat building In the ex perimental stage. Redfleld Special' Advocate. "He actually stood before us and ar gued for his Inspectors, for the same In spectors who have" passed this boat time and again, the same Inspectors who per mitted them to Increase the load to 2(500 passengers for this one trip that day. He defended the Inspection serv ice. Instead of appearliiK before the Coroner's Jury as an Investigator seek ing; to find out where the trouble Is, he became a special advocate of the men under suspicion. Kverj-thlnc he said before our jury seemed to be doable. coated with whitewash. "He stood there and argued with as that because of departmental rules and lack of appropriations, his department could not Inspect boats for their sta bility. He even took this position with the Eastland lying: on Its side In onr river, anil wYffe 10OO bodies of our peo ple In the morgue. He has been a blight on this whole Investigation ever since he came here. All that has been done so far has been by way of excul pating those under suspicion, and par ticularly trying to whitewash his own department. To stand up there antt argue that the Eastland was seaworthy and that his Federal Inspectors had done their duty when the boat was ly ing on its aide in the Chicago River was enraging. "To come out here while we are mourning over onr dead and tell us everything; was all rljtht and n one to blamef that his Inspection service was above reproach and that we were ail mistaken, after the President had or dered a thorough investigation, was enough to make us lose onr self-control. I am In favor of recalling the Coroner's jury and uikiis a special re port on this man Redfleld to President Wilson. He has outraged every sense of decency since his arrival In Chicago. lie ought to be recalled." Papers Continue Criticism. This was the state of affairs when the President's private secretary sent the telegram, promising an investiga tion "thorough enough to satisfy every body." Public sentiment having been aroused everywhere, there sprang up talk of & Congressional investigation, although this died down, as Congress was not in session at the time. The conduct of Secretary Redfield. however, continued to give offense, so much so that he was condemned by all the Chi cago papers, ths Tribune, one week after the sinking of the Eastland, say ing editorially: "Mr. Redfield has presided at the sessions of the Investigating body of which he is head, as an attorney for the defense. His questions have an ticipated and given at length the an swers they were designed to draw out. He has left nothing to the witnesses but an affirmation of his Inquiry; he has not Inquired he has stated. The witnesses have been his echo. His sarcasms have been Jovial or wanton. Mr. Redfield need not be astonished If he finds there Is resentment hero aroused by the manner of bis conduct and the processes of his thought." - The Redfleld and other investigations reached a crisis on July SI when Fed eral Judge Landis issued orders direct ing all Inquiring bodies, save the Fed eral grand Jury, to keep hands off the witnesses who had been summoned to appear before the Jury under his Juris diction. This practically ended the In vestigation being conducted by State Attorney Hoynes, and it later developed that It ended the Redfield inquiry as wen. Poles Ask Probe. On that day Dr. William S. Evans. who had been foreman of the coroner's jury. Issued a statement voicing the belief that the action of Judge Landis had stopped tho Redfleld investigation. In that statement he said: "Ii the first place, the people have no confidence in Secretary Redfleld. In the second place there was grave danger that Redfleld would so muddle the situation that the guilty parties would escape " He also, nald that Red field, In appearing before the grand Jury, had acted as counsel for the de fense, and bad not appeared to give information. "Redfield spoke positively about the inspectors," said Dr. Evans, "notwithstanding he at the time had not begun bis investigation to disclose the facts. "Redfield," added Dr. Evans, "went before the coroners jury and said: This investigation has shown there is not even a suspicion of guilt cast upon Inspectors Reid and Eckliff. I wish to say that we are most proud of the record in the case of the Eastland. I have seen no evidence yet that this vessel was unstable.' " Many of the women and children lost on the Eastland were Poles, and when the Investigation had dragged out for a week, without result, five Polish societies of CMcasro sent a long telegram to President Wilson asking for a complete investigation. "In the light of the unanimous stand taken by the leading Chicago newspapers and in the light of past experience and present developments, we appeal to you to take action and order such an inquiry as will be free and Independent from Federal officialdom," petitioned ths Polish societies. "We appeal to you to prevent the perpetration of fur ther injustices and official negligence, and to aid In securing Justice." Mayor Thompson, of Chicago, threat ened to go to Washington to pretest To the President agilnst Rodfield's con duct of the Inquiry, and did write a letter of protest to the President. The Chicago City Council did the same. Inspectors in Jail at Hotel. On July 31. Inspectors Reid and Eck liff were arrested, as had been, some of the others held responsible by the Coroner's jury, but Secretary Redfield Interceded In their behalf, and Instead of going to Jail, with others under fclmilar charges, they were allowed to remain in a downtown hotel, under guard. As evidence of the spreading discon tent, the Chicago Federation of Labor telegraphed President Wilson demand ing that Secretary Redfield be sup planted and a Commission Independent at the Steamboat Inspection Service be appointed to Investigate. Similar telegrams were sent the President by the City Council, by other labor organ izations, by women's clubs, by mem bers of the Coroner's Jury, by five Polish societies, and by relatives of the Eastland vlcltims. No response came from the Presi dent: the protests were ignored. And Secretary Redfield. knowing he had the President behind him, proceeded with his pretense at investigation, though he failed to develop any new facts. Nevertheless, he again issued a statement saying he was "proud of the Government's record in the East land case." But on August K, Secretary Redfleld formally announced the discontinuance of his ihvestigatlion, assigning as the reason the order of Judge Landis, which prevented him from summoning the grand Jury witnesses. He said he would "temporarily suspend" his inquiry "un til after the grand Jury had concluded Its Investigation," but once the-Red field Investigation closed. It was never resumed. About this time the two Federal steamboat inspectors were re leased from custody. Gompera Assails Redfleld. At Washington. Samuel Gompers. head of the American Federation of Labor, having followed the Eastland case from the start, wrote a letter to the President tinder date of August 3 demanding that Secretary Redfleld be ordered immediately to end his in vestigation. and In that letter Gom pers asserted that the steamboat in spectlon service was wholly Inefficient and absolutely under control of the vessel owners, and charged that the Redfield investigation "is being con ducted solely to protect tHut (the steamboat inspection) service Irom the public's righteous wrath." He also demanded an investigation by dis interested. fair-minded citizens. At the time Gompers wrote he had not heard that the Redfield investigation was to be terminated. On August 5. Mayor Thompson, of Chicago, received what Is believed to be the only acknowledgment from the President of -any protest against the Redfield Inquiry. If other protests were acknowledged, that fact was never known publicly In Chicago. The President, in his letter to Mayor Thompson, merely gave assurance that the Federal Investigation "will be en tirely satisfactory to the public." And that was the last declaration from the President-, save on August 13, when You Can't Brush or Wash Out Dandruff The only sure way to get rid of dan druff is to dissolve it. then you destroy It entirely. To do this, get about fonr ounces of ordinary liquid arvon; apply It at night when retiring; use enough to moisten the scalp and rub it in gently with the finger tips. Do this tonight, and by morning most If not all ot your dandruff v. ill be gone, and three or four more applications will completely dissolve and entirely destroy every single sign and trace of it. no matter how much dandruff you may have. Tou will find, too, that all Itching and digging of the scalp will stop at Once, and your hair will be fluffy, lus trous, glossy, silky and soft, and look and feel a hundred times better. You can get liquid arvon at any drug store. It is Inexpensive and never falls to do the work. Adv. he announced that he was preparing to make a detailed study of all In formation available regarding the cap sizing of the Eastland." That prom ise was never fulfilled. Report to President Given. The only result of the Redfleld In vestigation was a report, submitted under date of August 10, 1915, by Sec retary Redfleld to ths President, and a later report from the board, already summarized. In his report to the President, Secretary Redfleld. In part, said: "Local Inspectors Reid and Eck liff. who this year made tbe official Inspection of the Eastland, were by my order summoned from Grand Haven. Mich- to Chicago. They were. upon their arrival, promptly arested Dy the local authorities, who. however, extended to them all possible consid eration until they were released on a writ of habeas corpus by Justice Lan dis. It Is proper, however, to add that on one occasion, being called for as witnesses, they were brought In Irons Into our publio hearing, a proceeding which seemed unnecessarily harsh with officers of the United States who had as yet been granted no hearing, against whom no Indictment existed, and over whose acts, performed in an other state and upon a vessel navigat ing the navigable waters of the United States, the Jurisdiction of the officers of the state of Illinois was open to question." Speaking of the examination of In spector Reid, he said: "He was ex amined first by myself, then by Mr. Thurman. He was then cross-examined by Mr. Sullivan, assistant state's attorney, by Judge O'-Hara. who for that day took the place of his son. the Lieutenant-Governor, by Congressman Sabbath, by Mr. Stebbins, representing the corporation counsel, and by Mr. James L. Bishop, the public adminis trator. He was, in addition, ques tioned by others upon the board of In quiry. The record will show, therefore, that this Inspector was examined by an officer of the Department of Com merce, one of the Department of Jus tice, and was cross-examined search lngly by five persons, and questioned to some extent by others. "It is proper to state that only the most cordial relations existed from be ginning to end between Mr. Thurman and myself upon the one hand, and the state's attorney, Mr. Hoyne, the Fed eral district attorney, Mr. Clyne. his honor Judge Landis, of the Federal District Court, the office of the cor poration counsel, of the publio admin istrator, and all other state, county, city and Federal officers." Giving the reasons for abandoning his Investigation, Secretary Redfield said: Farther Probe Promised. "Upon the Issuance by Judge Landis of the order directing that witnesses subpenaed to appear before the Fed eral grand Jury should not be ex amine . in any other proceeding, and upon the Issuance of subjenas to a very large number of witnesses. In cluding the captain, chief engineer, and other officers of the Eastland. It became evident that It 'would be Im practicable for the board of Inquiry to determine finally the question of the conduct of the licensed officers of the vessel or the Inspectors of the Department until after the grand Jury should have concluded its labors, and that the result would be necessarily affected by whatever the action of the grand Jury might be. It seemed, how ever, important that the board of in quiry should continue Its study as far as was practicable in order that it might, if' possible, suggest such remedial changes in the law as would tend to prevent a recurrence of slmUur accidents hereafter. With this in view, and with the concurrence of Jus tice Landis. the hearing was continued until August G, upon which date the board unanimously concurred In the statement which has already been fur nished to you." Concluding his report to the Presi dent, the Secretary said: "I have given assurance that as soon as practicable in the Fall, a searching inquiry will be made into the whole administration of the steamboat inspection service under the supervis ion of representatives of the Navy De partment and of the public, so that there shall be no question of its im partial character. Steps to this end have already been taken, and I shall tn due time confer with you as to the membership of a board to be selected for that purpose." "I beg to remain, yours, verv truly, WILLIAM C. REDFIELD. Secretary," A While In Cibp, Tou will need Benetol for countless minor troubles. Tour hands will become sore, your back will ache from unac customed exercise in your early training days. If in the Summer, flies snd mosquitoes will bite and sting (and probably Inject a few germs with the sting). You will cut your hands, or bruise them maybe get hold of a branch of poison ivy blister from sun-burn or find your stomach out of order from the change In foods. And for all these ailments your bottle of Benetol. with the book of directions, offers sure and quick j-eltef. While On the Mirrh. When your feet begin to' blister you will surely be thankful for Benetol. At night put a tablespoonf ul of Benetol Into a bowl of water (hot If ymi can get it). A ten-minute soaking Will take the soreness out like magic. Then when you go to bed rub straight Benetol Into the soles of your feet snd touch the blistered spots with it. Tou will be ready next morning to con tinue marching. While In Strange land". One of the great dangers, we are told. Is that the poor water and the strange foods that you will encounter in Europe are extremely liable to'bring on a severe atfcack of dysentery. This can so easily and so surely be avoided by the con sistent use of Benetol. Ten drops of Benetol put Into a glass of even Impure water, and Benetol product are sold hy all druggists. If you experience any difficulty in procuring your Benetol to ant s, mtmply enclose the price and write direct to The Benetol Company Benetol Bldg., Minneapolis, Minn, U. S. A. at 1 J? 11 iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiuiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiHL: . GRAY'S I Are Showing the Most Exclusive Models in Ladies' Suits, Coats j and Dresses j for the Fall season. The most popular fabrics are Velours, Bolivia Cloth and Serges. The leading shades of color are Navy, Havana Brown, Field Mouse, Plum and Burgundy. . The finer grades are fur trimmed with real moleskin and seal. Our TYROOL WOOL SUITS are most practical for street wear, golf and motoring. Ask especially to see them. Suits priecd $30 to $150; Dresses $25 1 to $100; Coats $25 to $65. You are most cor- dially invited to call, and the ladies in the department mil show you latest style models. Store of Style and Quality I R. M. GRAY- I Corner Washington and West Park iiitiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiniiiiiii HIGH COST OF MANNING KEROSENE OIL -GAS PRODUCING BURNER g enerates gas from Kerosene OH. can be fitted in any stove, range or heater, water heater, coffee urn, candy turn ace, or, in fact, any place that a good heat Is r equlred, with out al- t r m t Inn nf anv of these appliances. NOISEtKSS. S M O K K L, E S S, ODORLESS. DAILY UEMONSTIUTIOV. COl'XTY AGBKfXS WANTED. EirLrSlVB TERRITORY, NOW ON SALE. H. W. MANNING LIGHTING AND SUPPLY CO. 63 and 63 i Sixth Street, Portland, Oregon. SCHOOL BOARD REPLIES CHARGES OF MRS. ALEV1A ALEXAN DER ARB DENIED. Tencherte Salary Not Fixed Permanent, ly. Is Answer, Charring; She Did Not Prove mm Capable as Required. Mrs. Alevla Alexander was elected to the roster of the school department subject to transfer to positions paying, more or less a month than the one she began with, asserts the School Board in its answer to the petition for writ of mandamus by which Mrs. Alexander seeks to be replaced as head of the girls' department of the Benson Poly Special Suggestions for Soldier's Us off IBeimetoI stirred, will sterilize It and render It non polsonous. and safe to drink. And dysentery will quickly be relieved If you will add from 6 to 10 drops of Benetol to a glass of water five times daily. Or for a severe case drink the first glsss of water with a teaspoonful of Benetol added. These same suggestions apply in case of ptomaine poisoning or for almost any stomach or infectious bowel disorders. While In the Trenches. Benetol will natur ally become a part of your dally life if you will but get acquainted with It. We have re peatedly read that some of the trenches in Europe have become Infested with vermin and various other unpleasant facts, that are not pleasing to read about but that seem to be some of the unavoidable accompaniments of war. And It does not do to gloss them over or Ignore them. So It Is well to remember that Benetol Instantly kills vermin and absolutely prevents the spread of any apd all germ dis eases. A Word mm to Benetol When TTaed In Watrr Remember, please, that Benetol Liquid con tains a large percentage of glycerine (about S2). It will instantly mix with and dissolve in hot water, but when dropped into cold water the glycerine will form little globules and It will require some stirring to have it thoroughly mix. Benetol Preparations Sold by All Drag data i Follows! BENETOL 1-ounce bottles In red csrtons 2S S-ounce bottles in red cartons 50 6V4-ounce bottles In red cartons. .. .SI .OO 15-ounce bottles in red cartons S2.UO Benetol Ointment in rd cartons t 25. SOc and 81. OO Benetol Tooth Cream in red cartons. ,25 Benetol Catarrh Jelly in red cartons. . Benetol Powder, for the skin. In red cartons 25c Full directions for tho use of these articles packed in every carton. CAl"l'IOi Always Insist that votir drug gist supply you with Benetol iii the orig inal red cartons. . aaniaari(iainhi Mill FUEL SOLVED technic. The hearing will be held Thursday before Judge Gantenbeln. The reason for Mrs. Alexander's re moval to the position of assistant teach er of history at the 'Washington High School was that she had not proved as capable as the welfare of the school required, says the answer. Her suc seccor. Miss Lilian Tingle. -Is consid ered better qualified for the work, avers the Board. The Board denies that the Polytechnic Echool was In a disorganized condition when Mrs. Alexander took charge of the girls' department or that any In crease In attendance was due to her efficient management. Further, the answer asserts that at the meeting at which her successor was selected, there were five and not only four members of the Board present. For.!cnallnK time to vessels there tw two ltKlitw la the Lisbon harbor which ax automatically Illuminated as the hour la about to end and are extinguished on the ftecnnd of the liw hour. Mlg 1