Durango semi-weekly herald., 1904-06-16
NEW YORK CITY HORROR THAT RIVALS
THE CHICAGO |ROQUO|S THEA
TIRE DISASTER

riiied passengers could be heard on
shore. and every boat near the adJa-
cent islands or on the Long Island
shore hurried 10 The rescue.
Burning articles were torn from
their places and thrown overheard.
This deprived the passengers later OF
devices they needed badly, besides fail
ing to distinguish he tiames As one
after another of the triple decks caught
fire. Capt. Van Chaick put ON high
speed ahead for the focl,Dound shores
north Of Brothers Island Dreadful
scenes meanwhile occurred among the
pleasure seekers. Passengers ran
hither and thither seeRing relatives,
friends or places of safety from the
blazing embers. choking smoke and
scorching drafts Mothers gathered
their children in their arms and leap.
I'd overheard with them. AS many as
twenty people jumped into the water
simultaneously. the steamer leaving in
its wake trail Of struggling humanity
as 1t rapidly but all too slowly drew
near the shore. Other passeDgrrs
seemed paralyZed and met death in
the flames As The steamer grated on
The bottom, hundreds ieaped into the
waves. thinking the water was shall
lows Employees and few other peo-
pie ON the island did what they could
with small boats and graphing hooks,
pulling ashore many who We're black
ened and scorched by the flames The
steamer Massasoit and the tugs in
that vicinity rapidly began picking up
the people who were struggling In
the water. saving hundreds.
The Massoit on the first "trip from
the island to the New York side
brought thirty dead. mostly women.
and seventy-hve injured.
Ambulances. surgeons. nurses, po-
lice reserves began arriving by scores
Temporary hospitals We're established
in which efforts al resuscitation were
made and temporary dressings applied
to the injured Then began trips 10
hospitals and morgues. The ambu
lances az hand were unable to meet
the demands made upon them, and
wagons Of all kinds were pressed Into
service. One stretcher brought of the
boat bore the bodies Of five babiess
Capt Van Chaick was at the wheel
when the alarm sounded He left the
wheel in charge Of pilot Van Wart
and started 10 allay the panic. His
hat and coat caught fire. Shouting to
the pilot to head the vessel, he eN-
tinguished his burning clothing and
returned to duty. 1t was about three
blocks to the beach from the place
where the panic started When fifty
ing caught fire again and he jumped
overheard and swan 10 land.
At o'clock It is known that babies,
children. women and men to the num-
ber of at least five hundred perhaps
seven hundred-were burned 10 death
or drowned this morning in the hor-
ror the like Of which New York has
never known before, and viii evidently
eclipse in magnitude the Iroquois the
ater disaster in Chicago As In the
Chicago affair, ~the loss OF life was
caused by panic. the steamer just
entering Hell Gate when an excited
deck hand came rushing towards the
captains bridge and yelled:
shes on fire amidships!"
The captain sounded the warning,
but the vast crowd Of passengers in
stantly became panic stricken.
There IS no danger. keep quiet;
wen have the fire out" shouted the
captain from the bridge
Many Of the nen teachers tried 70
obey the captain. but jus. then the
lunch counter went down with
crash. which add3d to the excitement,
and as Tying sparks began to shower
over the ship the people began 10 get
crazy.
The captain turned tbs boat directly