The Oskaloosa herald., 1904-06-16
END TO HAPPY EXCURSION
The General Socum" with Sixteen Hundred Sunday
School Scholars and Parents Aboard Catches Fire
and Is Burned In New York Harbof. Death List
is Awfo1 to Contemplate and Practically An
Of the Servtvors are Injured.
Scripps-McRae Telegram.

Scripps-McR Telegram.
New York, June 15.-The steam
boat General Slocum," with an ex-
cursion party of sixteen hundred peo.
pie aboard, mostly children, took fire
in her upper works and ran ashore
near Brothers Island at ten O'Clock
this morning. Over three hundred of
the party were either killed in the
panic, burned in the boat or drowned
by jumping overheard. The first
news of the horrible catastrophe came
from the telephone operator at the
Brothers Island station wno reported
that the sea was fairly alive with
dead bodies. The boat was complete
ly burned at the waters edge before
relief beats could reach her. Almost
as soon as the fire was discovered the
boat was a mass of flames from stem
to stern. Up to noon one hundred
dead bodies had been recovered. The
survivors are being cared for on the
island ..
Belonged to st. Marks Church.
The children were members of the
st. Marks church Sunday school, who
had gone for a days outing in the
bay. There were many teachers and
older friends along.
st. Marks church is Of the Luther.
an denomination and is located on
Sixth street near the Bowery. 1t is
one of the finest and largest churches
in the city, and numbers among it's
members many of the old and infiuen-
tial families of New York.
Three Hundred Lost.
At one o'clock this afternoon the
best estimate of the number of lives
lost is between two and three hun
dred. Between fifty and seventy-five
bodies have been recovered. Police
and volunteers on tugs and skiffs are
looking for others. Dozens of ambu-
lances and scores of physicians and
nurses and all the police reserves OF
the city are on the scene helping to
rescue the bodies and succor the liv-
ing and injured.
Captain Van Schaick, a veteran
navigator on New York waters, was
in command Of the boat. The boat
was bound for Locust Grove, Long ISL
and Sound, for a picnic. All went
well until it had passed He'll Gate.
Then cry of fire" arose. The
flames were discovered among the
life preservers, but how it started is
not known. The captain gave the fire
alarm, and headed the boat for the
rock bound shores north of Brothers
Island. The flames spread with light
ming rapidity.
Horrible Scenes Enacted.
Frightful scenes followed the alarm
and a terrible panic ensued. Moth
ers gathered their children in their
arms and leaped, overheard. Others
were attacked by the angry flames
and burned to death. Many stood by
the boat until it neared the shore, on
ly to be drowned when they jumped
overheard. The boat was surrounded
by dead bodies and struggling pas
sengers. The few people on the ISL
and rescued many in small boats,
while tugs picked up others. The
steamer Massasoit took thirty aboard,
mostly women and children, and car
ried them to New York.
Estimates Are Increased.
Fire Chief Crocker was early at
the scene He returned from the
island at one this afternoon and said
the catastrophe was a most frightful
one, He believes the dead will mum,
Der from four to five hundred. He
said the injured included about every,
body who had been saved.