Complex sentence: A large paddlewheeler, the "General Slocum", was chartered for a cruise on the East River to a picnic site on Long Island, and over 1,300 passengers, mostly women and children, participated in the event.
Split into simpler sentences: A large paddlewheeler, the "General Slocum", was chartered for a cruise on the East River to a picnic site on Long Island. Over 1,300 passengers, mostly women and children, participated in the event.