The Miller sun. (Miller, Hand County, S.D.) 190?-19??, 1904-06-22

the burning of the crowded excur-
sion steamer, General Slocum, in the
East River at New York Wednesday
morning. The disaster is the most
terrible since the Iroquois Theater fire
horror in Chicago. Like the Iroquois
fire, it was a slaughter of the limo
cents, as more than half those on
board the Inflated boat were children.
The steamer, carrying the Sunday
school excursion of st. Marks German
Lutheran Church, caught fire in the
East River, off Hell Gate, and was
burned to the waters edge.
The excursionists were members Of
al Evangelical Lutheran Church. The
great triple-decked excursion steamer
which for years has piled between
New York and Rockaway Beach was
crowded with the gay crowd when it
left its pier. Children, women and a
scattering Of men thronged the upper
decks. The hurricane deck was
thronged, the middle deck packed and
the lower deck filled.
The fire broke out just as the excur-
sionists aboard the Slocum had finally
settled down to enjoy their ride
through the picturesque Hell Gate and
up the Sound to their picnicking
grounds. A brass band was clashing
out one of the latest popular airs and
the children were singing and dane
Ing. Flags We're flying from every
staff of the great boat. More than
one tugboat or steamboat pilot turned
around in his wheelhouse as he swept
by the General Slocum to watch the
gay and joyous crowd.
AS many Of the women and children
as possible were crowded together in
thick, huddled masses on the hurricane
deck when the flames broke out. The
first sweep Of the flames not only cut
off escape from this hurricane deck Of
the big boat, but also burned away the
light wooden work on which it was
erected. Many Of these people who
had been sitting on the hurricane deck
must have been burned to death in
the blazing furnace which roared I'M
derneath.
Within q few seconds after the first
burst of flame and smoke the happy
crowds OF people We're turned into a
mad, fighting mob. Mothers tried to
save their children and were torn from
them by other mothers in search Of
their children. Men fought together
and everything was in wild tumult.
The excursion boat, wrapped in
flames and smoke and with the people
on board fighting and screaming in
panic and distress. was finally ground
ed on the northwest spit Of North
Brothers Island. There some of the
passengers managed to make their es-
cape.
When the boat was beached it was
ablaze from stem to stern and prac-
tically Quilted out. What could be seen
Of the rails and guards on the decks
of the boat showed that they had been
splintered and torn as the crowds or
board fought in their mad panic. They
showed also that numbers Of people
jumped or were pushed from the decks
to death as the boat went up the
river.
Thousands See the Disaster.
The disaster was witnessed by thou.
sands Of people from both shores OF
the river, and as rapidly as possible
hundreds of small boats and launches
set off to render assistance. With the
boat burning under his feet the cap.
tain stuck to his post in the pilot
house and the engineer remained al
his post below deck until the boat was
beached at the lower end of North
Brother Island off Port Morris.
Even then the passengers were no
In a safe position, for they were SONS
distance from shore and the boat was
a furnace. Hundreds of small boats
We're scattered about and picked III
those who jumped overheard as rapid
ly as possible.
An eyewitness said that the great
est loss of life was due to the collars
ing of the heavy upper deck. 1t fel
with a crash soon after the fire start
ed, crushing hundreds Of persons wLt
had gathered on the lower deck. L
was then that the greatest panic en-
sued amid the living stream Of per
som going oyer fllp rail into fhe water