Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1904-06-23
DEATH LIST GROWS.
Six Hundred Persisted In the Steam
or Gen. Slocum Disaster.
WERE MOSTLY WOMEN and CHILDREN
when the Fire Broke Ont Passen'
gers Were wild From Fright
and Hundreds Jumped
Overheard.

/ ONGh~Vt~'
New York, June 16.-One Of tn
most appalling disasters In the his
tory of New York, tragic in Its i'm
mensity, dramatic In Its episodes AM
deeply pathetic In the tender age o
most Of its victims, took place In tn
East river at the entrance to Lont
Island sound, within 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 ol
the General Slocum, q three-deckel
excursion steamer, the largest In these
waters, more than 900 persons, the
majority of whom were women and
children, were burned to death or
drowned by jumping overheard or by
being thrown into the whirlpool by
the lurching Of the vessel and the
frantic rush Of the panic-stricken pas
sengers. On board the vessel were
members Of the st. Marks German
Lutheran church. who were being car
ried to Locust Grove on a picnic ex-
cursion.
The Slocum had reached a point
near the Sunken Meadows of 135th
street. Manhattan. which ia at the ex-
IRENE eastern end of Sandals island,
when fire broke out In a lunch room
on the forward deck. The blaze was
caused by the overturning of a pot Of
grease The Roadway of the vessel
and a high wind almost instantly
famed the insignificant flame into
fury. Efforts were at once directed
te subduine the fire. but thew were
futile The blaze spread aft with al
most lightning rapidity Cant. Van
schaik in the pilot house. had been
Informed n the outbreak OF the fire
and reaIiv,rp tho danper NJ the bun-
dreds If excnrsionists decided IN send
his vessel 10 shore at hath street
Al this point there are a number of
lumber wards and several huge oil
tanks and tho cantain was warmed
tbat IN attemnt IN land at this Do,nt
would endanper the nronertv and ner-
hans further imnari, The scores NJ noo-
nla who had already heen frightened
into a state nj almost uncomfortable
evcitement
Tho steamer,s whistle was blowing
and Nearby craft answered IN the call
Refore apv NJ the boata could reach
the burning steamer however the
frantic women and cb,ldran began IN
iumn, overheard The current was
strong and there are MANY wbirlpools
In the channel Tho boats that always
abound In the vicinity n,clxad many
passengers from the water. Int these
were onlv small number of those
tbot were sean strugolino In tho sw,ft
current
As tho fire. Increased the strugg,e
IN ga,n a noInt NJ vantage AT the stern
hocsma ,r,uhtful women and chil-
dren crowded against Tho atser-ra,I
urt,l n pave wav and hundreds ware
nusbed an into Tho river After tbis |
tbere wa. a ate.dv stream ~ nersone
u,ho ,umnsd or wsro throwr into The |
water In tha waka ., Tho slocnm
as she HURRIED nm stream was q line
~ Iitt,a b,act snacIs msrL,rg ths
baods - hodia. ~ thoso who hod
sought n sscano no 20 r,nv s,,rnacs
~ tha sh,n ~ throw,ro thamsolvss
ray ~ thosa s.vad nv ~
.ma,I hoo,s hod or ne -nrssa-vsrs
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