The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1904-06-18

CALAMITY
New York Excursion Steamer
General SlOCnm Burned
to the Waters Edge.
She Carried Two Thousand Sum
day-School Excursionists.
Hundreds of Them Perished by
Being Crushed to Death.
Burned or Drowned.
The Boat First Seen to Be on Fire
When Passing He'll Gate.
Panic at Once Seized the EXcur-
SiOniStS and the Harvest
of Death Began.
Hundreds of Small Boats Went to
the Rescue Immediately.
Panic at Once Seized the EXcur-
SiOniStS and the Harvest
of Death Began.
Hundreds of Small Boats Went to
the Rescue Immediately.
Between Fire and Water It is Be-
lieved That Upward of Five
Hundred Perisned.
Graphic Of the Disaster ny
a Survivor.

New York, June 15.-Five hundred
persons, mostly children, persisted by
the burning of the excursion steamer
East river.
The SlOcum, with the annual Sunday
school excursion of st. Marks German
Lutheran church of this city on board,
was proceeding up the river to one of
the many resorts of Long Island sound.
When rear One Hundred and Twenty
fifth street, persons on shore saw
smoke and flames spring from the up
per part of the crowded steamer. A
panic erSued on the boat almost in
stantly. The crowds on the forward
deck began to spring overheard or to
crowd to the after part of the boat. The
screams OF the terrified passengers
could be heard or shore, and hundreds
of small boats Immediately put OFF to
the rescue.
Impossible to Beach Her.
Owing to the rocks on either side Of
the channel at this point, it was
impossible to beach the vessel. The
captain stuck to his post a. the wheel
and headed the vessel straight up the
river for North Brothers 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 per-
IONS persisted either in the water or on
tho hlr~pinm Taoco1 offo- che ho1 haOo
beached. 1t was estimated that the
steamer carried more than 1900 per-
sons. She was the largest excursion
steamer in these waters, and could car
ry $500 passengers.
The Inflated Excursion.
The excursion was in charge of the
social committee of the church, head
ed by Miss Mary A~benschein. In the
minister's party, his son said, were the
pastor, Rev. George A. f. Haas, Miss
Abendschein, Assistant Superintendent
Carl Anger, VIM. Schlafer, the pastors
daughter, Gertrude; his sister, Miss
Emma Haas and w. B. Tetamore.
At The office of the United States
inspection bureau it was
said the General Slocum was inspected
thoroughly good condition and ready
for the excursion season. Aboard the
steamer was all the ~life-saving appara-
tus required by law of steamers of her
capacity.
The SIOcum's Commander.
The General Slocum's licensed cap
tain is Capt. w. H. VanSchick, one
Of the oldest excursionist captains in
New York harbor waters.
The Slocum sailed from the foot of
Third street, East river, shortly after
nine o'clock. The exact point she had
when the flames were discov-
cred in the forward part of the boat
was off the "Sunken Meadows" at the
east end Of Randall's island.
So quick was the spread of the flames
hat the captain of the Slocum could
not turn, and was forced to make
lead-on for North Brothers island I'M
Ter full steam. By the time the Slo-
,um reached One Hundred and Thirty
fifth street the excursionists, driven
the rail, many of them, with their
on fire, began to jump over
BOARD by twos and threes.
Went Overheard BY the score.
When One Hundred and Thirty
eighth street had been reached, the
from the fire had become so in
ense that men, women and children
overheard by the score. There
vas a terrific crash when the boat was
at the reef of the northern
nd of North Brothers island, where
he rapidly burned to the waters edge.
1t is said the fire started in the lunch
in the forward part of the
,oat. When the alarm spread among
he passengers the hurricane deck was
rowded, and when off One Hundred
nd Thirty-ejghth street this deck coli
apsed-