The Red Cloud chief., 1904-06-24
500 PFOpLEB BURNED
Awful Accident on Steamer S!o.
cumb in New York.
ATHoUsAND ESCAPE DEATH
Heroic Efforts Made by Hundreds to
Rescue Burning women and
Chiidren-Arrests.

Five hundred persons. mostly child
cursion steamer General Slocum near
Hellgate. New York, in the East river.
The Slocum. with the annual Sun
day school excursion of st. Marks
German Lutheran church of that city
on board. was proceeding up the river
to one Of the many resorts of Long
Island Sound. When near One Hun
dred and Twenty-ffth street, persons
On shore saw smoke and flames spring
from the upper part of the crowded
steamer.
A panic ersued on the boat almost
instantly. The crowds on the forward
deck began to spring overheard or to
crowd to the after part of the boat.
The cream of the terrified passengers
could he heard on shore and hundreds
of small boats Immediately put off TO
the rescued. Owing to the rocks on
eith,. side of the channel at this point
IT had been impossible to beach the
vessel.
The captain stuck to his post at the
wheel and headed the vessel straight
up the river for North Brother island,
where she was put aground in the
shallow water. Several hundred feet
Of open water still lay between the
burning steamer and the shore and
many persons persisted either in the
water or on the burning vessel after
she had been bcached.
1t was estimated that the steamer
carried more than 1000 persons. She
was the largest excursion steamer in
those waters and could carry 1000 pas
sengers.
The excursion was in charge of the
social committee of the church, head
ed by Miss May Abenschien. In the
minister's party, 1t is said. were the
pastor. the Rev. George +. Haar, Miss
Ab%enschien. Assistant Superintendent
pastors daughter, Gertrude, his sister,
Miss Emma Haas, and w. b. Teta-
more.
At the office of the United States
steamboat inspection bureau il was
said the Slocum was inspected on May
) last and was reported he in a thor
oughly good condition and ready for
the excursion season. Aboard the
steamer was all the life saving ap-
paratus required by law of steamers
of her capacity.
The Slocum's licensed captain is
Captain William Van Schaick, one of
the oldest excursion captains in New
York harbor waters.
The disaster was witnessed by
thousands from both shores Of the
river, and as rapidly as possible hun
dreds of small boats and launches set
off to render assistance.
With the boat burning under his
feet the captain stuck to his post in
the pilot house until the boat was
beached at the lower end of North
Brother island. of Port Morris.
Even then the passengers were not
in a safe position, for they were some
a furnace. Hundreds OF small boats
were scattered about and picked w
those who jumped overheard as rap
idly as possible, 1t Is estimated tina.
between 400 and 500 persons sprang
into the water.
The greatest loss of life was due to
the %collapsing of the upper lecl. II
fell with a crush soon after the fire
started, crushing hundreds of persons
who had gathered on the lower deck.
1t was then that the greatest panic
ensued amid the living stream Of per-
sons going over the rail into the water,
The flames originated IN the for
ward part of the boat, Persons who
occupied places on the forward deck
began to jump overheard.
Policemen in the Bronx and Harlem
saw the blazing boat headed up tho
iiN'i u oNoe" W. '"''
in alarms for ambulances and fir,
boats.
All the boats at North Brothers isl
and were sent to the assistance of the
people in the water and as fast al
i. they were brought ashore they were
cared for in the pavilions there. Thu
!, patients in the hospital on the islant
became almost insane from fright a
, the terrible scenes they had wit
messed.
A tug Of the New York Central rail
road saved nearly a score through tn
Delaware Corporation barred Out.