Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1904-06-24


children lost their lives, has been
eclipsed by the burning to the waters
edge of the General Slocum, three
decked excursion steamer, the largest
in New York's waters. More than
600 persons, the majority of whom
were women and children, were
burned to death or drowned by Jump
ing overheard or by being thrown
into the whirlpools by the lurching
of the vessel aud the frantic rush of
the panic stricken passengers. These
facts were told in our paper last
week. We now give an extended
account of the catastrophe.
Great preparations had been made
for the seventeenth annual excursion
of the Sunday school of st. Marks
German Lutheran church, the con
gregation of which is drawn from
the dense population of the lower
east and west sides, and the Gen.
Slocum had been chartered to carry
the excursionists to Locust Grove,
one of the many resorts on Long.
Island Sound. There were about
1,600 and persons on board the
Gen. Slocum when she left the pier,
several hundred of them being chill
dren in arms.
The scene on the decks of the
steamer as she proceeded up the
East river was one of merrymaking.
Just as crowds were watching the
gaily decorated steamer from the
shore, the Gen. Slocum took fire, aud
she was soon a mass of flame.
The fire is said to have broken out
in lunch room on the forward deck
through the overturning of a pot Of
grease. The wind was high and all
efforts to subdue the fire were futile.
Capt William Van Schaik, in
command, headed his vessel for one
of the twin Islands near the entrance
to the Sound some half a mile away,
where the boat, partially burned,
was beached. She sank near this
place two hours and twenty-five
minutes after the fire was discovered.
Long before this the passengers had
become panic-stricken and those who
were not caught up by the flames
rushed to the rear Of the vessel, and
hundreds jumped overheard into the
swiftly-running waters.
The race to North Brother Island
was horribly dramatic. 1t was made
while the flames, which had been
famed into a fury by the strong
head wind, were consuming hundreds
Of persons, old aud young.
The scene was one of frightful
panic, with men, women and children
jumping overheard and being lashed
by the channel whirlpools against
the vessels sides. Women and chill
dren were crowded together on the
hurricane deck, which soon burned
away and fell, and it is believed that
most of those on this deck were
burned.
The after-rail gave way and the
passengers who had crowded against
it were pushed into the river.
Mothers and children became sepa-
rated and frautically sought each
other, while IN several cases fathers |
and mothers, gathering their children |
together, jumped with them into the !
water. Little children holding each |
other by the hand jumped together
and were afterward found clasped in
each others arms. 1t is alleged that
men fought with women to escape,
resulting in the trampling under foot
of scores of children.
During her hame-enveloped run to |
North Brother Island the Slocum's
whistle kept blowing for assistance,
but before the whistles began to blow
several tugs, the captains of which |
had seen the outbreak of the fire,
started after the vessel, Joined by
yacht, while rowboats put out from
the shore. The number of the craft
constantly grew, and not the least
dramatic incidents of the catastrophe
were the efforts of the people on these
boats to rescue those who had jumped
overheard from the burning vessel.
Men crowded to the rails of the tugs
and caught up the drownings per-
sons as they were borne by the cur
rent. There were many thrilling
rescues by this means.
1t is estimated that there were
nearly 100 charred bodies left on the
steamers decks. Just after she sank
the water near by vas black with
bodies. The tug Fidelity succeeded
IN picking up eighty-eight charred
corpses In Hunts Cove, off Rakers
lsland; and carried them into the
sound. None of these bodies, it is
thought, can ever be identified.
SEARCH FOR LOVED ONES.
A little girl, about seven years old, |
walked sobbingly along the line of |
dead on the pier. She said she had
lost her mother and grandmother. !
BY peculiar coincide the bodies
were found side by side and identi-
fed by the little girl.
A sight that brought tears to the
eyes of all beholders was the BODY of |
Mrs. Lillian Granfre. Clasped to |
her breast was the body of her nine
months-old baby. Both had been
burned to death, the mother vainly
endeavoring to protect her child.
AT the morgue the crowd tried to
push past the police, and a riot re-
suited. At the height of the trouble
man who had learned that his wife
was among the charred dead tried
to stab himself. Inside the pier the
oodies were ranged in three rows,
the entire length of the pier, about
$50 feet.
Wild-eYed men, tremulous women,
ana frightened children begged to
know II any of their family were in
the hospitals.
81 had five children" said dis
tracted woman at tha ;nooIr IL