The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1904-06-23
, One Of the Most Appalling Dis
asters in the History
of New York.
MORE THAN 700 LIVES WERE LOST
Most of the Victims We're Women and
Children Who We're on Sun
day School Excursion.
About Two Hundred Injured In the
Paric Following the Bursting Out
Of the Flames Are Being Cared
For in Hospitals.


New York, June 16.-One of the
most appalling disasters in the history
of New York, tragic in its immensity
dramatic in its episodes and deeply
pathetic in the tender age of most of
its victims, took place Wednesday in
the East river at the entrance to Long
Island sound, within a short distance
of the New York shore and within
sight Of thousands of persons, the ma.
jority Of whom were powerless to min
imize the extent of the catastrophe.
BY the burning to the waters edge
OF the General Slocum. threedecked
excursion steamer. the largest In these
waters, more than 700 persons, the
majority of whom were women and
children, were burned to death or
drowned by jumping overheard or by
being thrown into the whirlpools by
the lHrching of the vessel and the
frantic rush of the panic.stricken pas.
sengers.
Great preparations had been made
for the 18th annual excursion of the
Sunday. school of St Marks German
Luthern church, the congregation of
which is drawn from the dense popu.
lation Of the German east and west
sides and the General Slocum had
been chartered to carry the excursion.
lists TO LOCUST Grove. one of the many
resorts on Long Island sound
The fire is said to have broken out
tn lunch room on the forward deck
through the overturning of a pot of
grease. The wind was high and all ef,
forts 10 subdue the fire were futile.
In the meantime the passengers had
become panic-stricken and those who
were not caught up by the flames
rushed 10 the rear of the vessel and
hundreds jumped overheard into the
swiftly running waters. 1t is alleged
that the life preservers were too Sc.
curely fastened to their holdings to be
available, and stories are told of fran.
tic efforts made by strong men to cut
them loose, but even If they could have
been torn down they were too high
up for the children TO reach. II is al.
So alleged that no attempt was made
TO get out the fire apparatus at the
first cry of fire" though Capt. Van
SChaick says that he Immediately rang
the bells for getting out the apparatus
According 10 several statements no at
tempt was made to lower boats or life
RATS
North Brother island, where the yes.
Sc was beached contains a scarlet fe.
yer ward. The patients who witnessed
the disaster were ordered indoors and
the doctors hastened TO the rescue OF
those who had been washed ashore,
but some scores of persons died while
they were being attended to. Capt
Van Schaick and his two pilots, Ed
ward Van Wart and L. n. Weaver,
have been arrested.
New York, June 17-With unceas-
ing effort, search is going on for the
bodies Of those who perished Wednes.
day on the Gen. Socum. What the
list Of victims will total scarce one
dares venture a guess.
Police and health department Off.
cials have placed the number at a fig.
ure as high as 1000 and more. but
Thursday night 1t was seen that the
maximum fatality will not largely ex.
ceed 700.
Up 10 dusk 4S9 bodies had passed
through the morgue and of these more
than 300 were identified
Many persons were injured In the
panic that followed the breaking out
of flames on the Gen. Slocum and at
least 200 persons were taken to the
hospitals. Not a death has occurred
so far among these and many of them
have already been discharged.
New York. June lS.-Despite the un-
tirng work Of the divers and grapplers
and the watchfulness of scores of men
who have given themselves over to the
task Of searching for the missing"
but few bodies of those who perished
IN the Slocum disaster were recovered
Friday II was stated by divers who
went down into the wreck at dawn
the entaDglement Of timbers and pad
die wheels and that 1t would be neces,
sary 10 dynamite the hulk or raise 1t
before they could be reached.
Already $50 bodies have been recov.
cred. Of which about so remain uniden'
tilted These include 273 children, 243
women and 23 men. Thirteen officers
Of the St Marks church are among
the dead, one of them being a woman.
Saturday there were 800 or more
funerals, and 32 unrecognizable bodies
which are now lying at the morgue
were placed each in separate cof-
fin and in a separate hearse and laid
away in the Lutheran cemetery at Mid.
dlevillage l.. |. The city has arranged
for their burial, a plot large enough
for the interment Of $50 bodies having
been set aside in this cemetery. All
the unknown dead will be placed here
side by side
New York, June 20.-sunday's har-
vest of dead from the steamer Gen.
Slocum numbered 40. bringing the to.
tai number of bodies so far recovered
up TO 632. OF these $50 have been
identified. while about 40 of the vic.
tins now lying at the morgue have
not been claimed by friend or rela.
tive
May BE Settled Out Of Court.
New York, June 20.--It was learned