The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-06-16
STORY OF THE
APPALLING DISASTER.

~ FN6@tiNS SNSFNS =hhs
Continued from First Page.
of many persons who leaped into the
river have not yet been found, and it
will be many hours before the list of
| dead is anywhere near complete.
Crowded With Merrymnkers.
The steamer, after leaving her dock
this morning, proceeded up the East
| river, all three of her decks being
! crowded with merrymakers. Bands
played and the great side-wheeler was
decorated with flags from stem to
stern.
The Slocum had reached a point near
the sunken Meadows, off One Hundred
and Thirty-fifth street, Manhattan.
which is at the extreme eastern end
of RandalPs Island, when fire broke
out in a lunch room on the forward
| deck. The blaze was caused by the
overturning of a pot of grease. The
Roadway of the vessel and a high wind
almost instantly famed the insignifi-
cant flame into fury.
Efforts were at once directed to SUBJ
DUNG the fire, but they were futile.
The blaze spread aft with almost light
ming rapidity.
Capt. Van Schaik in the pilot house
had been informed of the outbreak of
fire, and realizing the danger to the
hundreds of excursionists, decided to
send his vessel to shore at One Hun
| bred and Trirty-fourth street. At this
point there are number or yards, and
several huge oil tanks and the cap
tain was warned that to attempt to
land at this point would endanger the
property and perhaps further imperil
the scores of people who already had
been frightened into state of almost
uncomfortable excitement.
Changing the big steamers course
slightly he headed for North Brothers
Island, half a mile away.
At this time the flames were rushing
by leaps and bounds from the forward
part of the ship aft. The great open
offered a clear sweep for the fire. AS
decks, built for the excursionists, with
little lIOIi OOW W SlCIIlp
the Slocum dashed forward the flames
caught stanchion and cabin woodwork,
eating and tearing their way across the
vessel.
Driven by the Heat,
The excursionists, but a few mo-
ments before in the full enjoyment of
an ideal summers day on Long Is
land Sound. were driven to the after
part of the steamer to escape the heat,
flames and smoke that were constant
~ increasing. Policemen and deck
hands aboard the boat struggled hard
to quiet the panic, but their efforts
were in vain. The wild disorder in
creased as frantic mothers sought to
find their children who had been at
play about the decks.
The steamer was blowing for assist
ance, and tugs and other near by craft
answered to the call. Before any of
the boats could reach the burning
steamer, however. the frantic women
and children began to jump overheard.
The current was strong and there are
many WnlFlpOOlS III lHe Cudiliicls Inc
boats that always abound in the vi
entity picked many persons from the
water, but these were only small
number of those that were seen strug
Cling in the swift current.
On the Slocum the first sweep of
the flames cut off escape from the
hurricane deck. where a great many
of the women and children were crowd
ed together, and soon burned away
the light wood of the uprights, which
came down with crash on those be-
low. It is thought that most of those
on the hurricane deck were burned.
Crowded Into Water.
AS the fire increased the struggle to
gain a point of vantage at the stern
became frightful. Women and child
rem crowded against the after rail I'M
I'll it gave way and hundreds were
pushed off into the river. After this
there was a steady stream of persons
who Jumped or were thrown into the
water.
BY this time, the shrieking whistle
of the Slocum had attracted the at
tention of river craft for considera-
BILE distance around. and tugs and 9TH
er small boats were rushing to the