Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1904-06-23
STORY. OF DISASTER
SCORES BURNTo DEATH ON BOAT
OR DROWN IN FUTILE EFF.
FORTS TO ESCAPE.

The General Slocum, at the time of
the disaster, had on board nearly 1,6O0
people, mostly women and children, it
being the annual excursion OF st.
Marks German Lutheran Sunday
school OF New York city. The fire
started in the lunchroom and spread
rapidly, driving the passengers to the
rear end of the boat. Hundreds
jumped to the water and many of these
drowned. Many scores were burned
with the ship, while few were taken
Off by tugs.
Under forced draught the burning
vessel was run ashore, leaving a trail
of dead and dying bodies behind. The
hurricane deck fell. adding to the hor-
ror of the catastrophe. In little more
than two hours after the fire started
the hold of the steamer burned to the
water, rested on the sand with it's nav
full of charred bodies. Hundreds of
other bodies lay on the beach. while
hospitals were crowded with injured
and dying.
The first sweep of the flames cut OFF
the escape from the hurricane deck Of
the Slocum. where a great many of
the women and children were crowded
together and soon burned away the
light wooden uprights, which came
down with a crash on those below.
AS the fire increased the struggle
to gain point of vantage at the stern
became frightful. Women and chill
dren crowded against the after rail
until it gave way, and hundreds were
pushed OFF into the river. After this
there was steady stream of persons
who jumped or were thrown into the
water.
At no time was there any opportun-
ity to lower life boats or get out more
than few life preservers from under
the seats, SO rapidly did the flames
spread.
The Slocum got within fifty feet of
the northwest point of North Brother
Island and there stopped in shallow
water. 1t was just before she beached
that the hurricane deck, the supports
of which had burned away, fell with
Its load of women and children add
ing to the panic and horror Of those
on the deck below.
CARRIED AWAY BY THE
CURRENT AND DROWNED.
The point where the Slocum
beached was just off the Scarlet fever
ward on North Brother Island. The
patients, who had been outside watch
ing the approach Of the burning steam
er, were ordered indoors and the ply
sicians on the island fastened to the
assistance Of those who were coming
ashore through the shallow water
Many of those who leaped from the
Sloculn were carried away by the cur
rent, even after she was beached, and
were drowned
AS the bodies of the living and the
dead were taken out of the water,
those alive were taken to ships on the
island or sent across the river to hos
pitals in Manhattan. Ambulances
from almost all the hospitals in New
York city and every other sort of con.
veyance which could be found were
put into service.
For hours bodies of burned and
drowned persons drifted ashore on the
island and between One Hundred and
Thirtieth street and One Hundred and
Thirty-eighth street in Manhattan.
Some came ashore still alive. Many
Of these died.
Rows of bodies were stretched along
the beach, and hysterical women and
frantic men went along looking at one
after another, searching for relatives
and friends. Women with disfgured
faces, their clothing partly stripped
from them, were carried to the emer-
gency hospital, crying for children who
had been torn from them in the mad
rush when the boat took fire
Meanwhile, the Slocum burned to
the waters edge. At 1925 o'clock,
two hours and twenty-five minutes
after the fire was first discovered. she
sank. 1t is thought there were then
nearly 100 charred bodies on the
decks. Just after the steamer sank
the water near by was black with
bodies. &