Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-06-15
what happened to the boat said:
"The steamers whistle was blow
ing for assistance as she came up


The patients in the hospitals on
the island became almost insane
from fright and the terrible scenes
they had witnessed
A large part of the crowd on the
doomed steamer were children, and
there was little hope for them after
they had gone overheard.
The current in the East river at
this point is very strong, and scores
of little ones were sucked in by the
whirlpools at He'll Gate. One MAN
who went out in a row boat said
that he saw at least fifty children
perish in these whirlpools before he
could reach them.
the river. l saw several persons
jump into the water before she was
headed for the northwest shore of
North Brother Island. Her posi-
ton in the water made it impossible
for those aboard of her to reach
land except by swimming.
Il saw fifty or hundred persons,
mostly women and children, jump
overheard. Most of the throng was
on the hurricane deck when we
plainly saw a portion of it collapse.
Many must have been killed in
stantly'
When the General Slocum left her
dock this morning she is said to
have had about a thousand women
and children aboard. Nearly all le-
longed to St. Marks German LII
theran Church Sunday School.
Superintendent Rickard of Belle
vue Hospital sent word to the Off
cials of the institutions on Wards
Island to send all the doctors they
could spare to the scene, and nine
ply sicians were sent. The charities
department has dispatched its two
boats to the scene.
Witnessed by Thousands.
The disaster was witnessed by
thousands 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 captain stuck to his post in the
pilot house, and the engineer re-
manned at 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
not in a safe position, for they were
some distance from shore, and the
boat was a furnace. Hundreds of
small boats were scattered about and
picked up those who jumped over
board as rapidly as possible. 1t Is
estimated that between 400 and 500
persons sprang into the water.
An eyewitness said that the
greatest loss of life was due to the
collapsing of the heavy upper deck.
1t fell with a crash soon after the
fire started, crushing hundreds of
persons who had gathered on the
lower deck.
Terrible Panic Ensued.
1t was then that the greatest
panic ensued amid the living stream
of persons going over the rail into
the water.
AS far as eye-witnesses can deter
mine the flames originated on the
forward part of the boat. Persons
who saw the accident from the
shore say that almost instantly per-
sons who occupied places on the
forward deck began to jump over
board. Policemen in the Bronx and
Harlem saw the blazing boat steam
ing up the river and Immediately
began to turn in alarms for ambu-
lances and fireboats.
All the boats at North Brother
Island were sent to the assistance of
the people in the water, and as fast
as they were brought ashore they
were cared for in the pavilions there.
Panic on Board.
The Slocum sailed from the foot of go
| street, East river, shortly after 8 o'clock.
The exact poi IT she had reached when the
flames were discovered in the forward part
OF the boat was off the "Sunken Meadows"
at the extreme east end of RandalPs ISL
and. So quick was the spread of the flames
that the captain of the Socum could not
turn. and was forced to make head on for
North Brother Island under full steam.
By the time the Slocum reached 135th
street the excursonists, driven to the rail.
many of them with their clothing on fire,
began to jump overheard by twos and
threes. When 13Sth street had been reach
ed the lieat from the fire had become so in
fapSp that men women and cbfldraY