The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1904-06-15
Gen. SIocum Had About 1900 Pas
sengers AboardWhen Fire Broke 0ut.
Some Were Burned and Others
Jumped and Drowned.

New York, June 15.-The steamboat,
General Sloeam, loaded with 900 exour-
sionlsts, more than one-half being chill.
dren, took Ere above He'll Gate this morn.
ing and was run ashore on North Broth
ers Island Many persons lost their lives.
Many Jumped overheard and were drowned
while others we're burned to death on the
boat. The telephone operator al North
Brothers Island states that the water near
the island is full Of floating bodies The
General Slocnm is an immense triple deck
steamer usually plying between New York
and RockawaY Beach She can easily
Gerry several thousand passengers. She
was engaged Today to bring an excursion
party up the sound
The last reports received By the police
state that five hundred lives we're lost, but
it is hoped that this IS exaggerated. The
slocnm left the foot Of East Third street
for Locust Grove at O'Clock this morn
ing with the members OF the Sunday
school classes Of st. Marks Lutheran
church.
The owners Of the sloeum have received
a message stating that the boat has been
burned to the waters edge, and that the
hulk Is stiIl burning. Their message says
a number Of people jumped overheard,
and some were pioked up By small boats.
They can give no estimate Of the number
of lives lost. The police so far have re-
covered eleven bodies. One body was of
child aud the others were Of adults mostly
women.
The holocaust was the most horrible
that has occurred ii the vicinity Of New
York in years. At noon the best estimate
placed the number Of those who lost their
lives at between two and three hundred.
About fifty bodies bad been recovered at
that time and the police, tugboats, steam
ers aud small boats were out ID the Sound
looking for others A dozen ambulances,
score Of physicians and nurses and all the
police reserves ii the city were on the
scene to resue the bodies Of the dead and
suce0r the living and injured
The flames we're frst discovered among
the life preseryers. The burning presery-
ers we're torn from their places and
thrown overheard. This fact added great
y to the loss Of life as It was remarked af-
terward that none Of the bodies recovered
was enwrapped IN life saving apparatus,
Captain Shalek, seeing the flames called
for full speed and headed for North Broth
ers Island
Meantime the scenes on board were
frightful. The flames spread with terri
bic rapldty and men, women and children
rushed about In wild fear, shrieking and
in tears seeking haven Of safety.
The mothers as the flames grew near
gathered their children into their arms and
leaped into the water Others, too dazed
to move, stood still and were burned to
death. An eye witness states that as the
boat neared the shore she was surrounded
on all sides by floating bodies Of passen-
gers who jumped for their lives. On North
Brothers Island is located a hospital for
contagious diseases and some other city
institutions. Employees Of these pulled
ashore scores Of people, many blackened
and burned by fire
This city was telephoned for aid, but it
was over an hour before the first relief
arrived. The steamer Massasoit and a
few tugs in the vicinity saved number Of
lives. Later the Massasoit was pressed