Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1904-06-22
PLEASURE BOAT BURNED
Over Seven Hundred Lives Lost By Disaster to
EXCURSION Steamer Near New York

owners of the Slccum, the number o
passengers was S73, that being one
third CT the vessels Iicensel capacity
Tho Slocum had reached poin
uear the Sunken Meadows, off 135tl
j street. Manhattan which is at the ex
trens eastern end of Randall's Island
when fire broke out ii a lunch room OF
the forward deck. The blaze wa!
caused by the overturning of a pot O.
grease. The headway of the vessel ant
a high wind almost instantly famed
the insighifcant fame into fury. Eff.
forts were at once directed to subdu:
ing the fire, but they were futile. The
blaze spread aft with almost lightning
rapidtty. Captain Van Schaik, in the
pilot house, had been> Informed of the
outbreak of the fire, and realizing the
danger, decided to send his vessel to
shore at 134th street. At this point
there are a number of yards and sc :,
eral huge oil tanks, and the captain
was warned that to attempt to land at
this point would endanger the property
and perhaps further imperil the scores
of people, who had already Been fright
ened into a state Of almost uncontrola-
Bile excitement.
Changing the big steamers course
slightly, he headed for North Brother
Island, half mile away. By this time
the flames were rushing by leaps and
bou-ds from the forward part Of the
ship aft
The women and children began to
jump from the vessel into thA Aseething
water below, and scores were drowned.
The upper deck fell in, crushing hun
dreds in it's fall, and hundreds more
we're suffocated by the heat The scene
was heart-rending in the extreme. The
blame has not been fully located.
The Number of the Dead.
New York, Special-At midnight the.
authorities at the morgue made the Of
lcial announcement that $50 bodies had
been recovered. OF these 517 had been
Identified and 80 of those remaining
we're charred beyon6recognition. Later
4 the day Friday fsc bodies were re-
covered at North HsFther Island by
'cscuers at work iEs boats and taken
shore: They : were Eemoved to the
1orgles and are inclE Jed in the to otal.Siss
THE norgus officials only Frfdayt1s
omer and chill ldren chad ID @sheenssss
lentified at the Alexander avenue sta Z
on On wednesday within two orthree
ours after the accident aqd-/turned
xer to friends dsas->re1atives. These
rought the list up to $50 recovered
ead
Friday evening the body Of girl OF
light years which was declared by
eighbors to be that of the little daugh-
er of Henry Heinz, Of Front street, |
vas washed up against the side OF (,
Ger at the foot of Clinton street in the
Cast river, hardly block away from
he girls home. The tide by strange
-agary had carried the little body FROM
he scene Of the calamity OF North
Brother Island down through the mar
CIV channels Of the river to this point
10 near her home. The girls mother,
drs. Annie Heinz. is among the dead.
There has been great difficulty in the
natter Of recovering and identifying
he dead.
There are number of places where
he living may have landed, and # is
Believed that many now reported miss
ng are safe and eventually will be
heard from by the officials who have
he rescue work in hand. Indeed, to-
night surprising number of persons
reported to these officials that they had