Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1904-06-23
WOMEN AND
CHILDREN MEET
TERRIBLE FATE
Pleasure Steamer From New
York Becomes a
Furnace.
SIX HUNDRED LIVES ARE LOST
The Tragedy Almost Unparalleled in
Horrible Details-Frantic Passen-
gers Are Burned to Death or Sink
in Swirling Whirlpools.

! w S"""" WIN 'fSS'S'
New York, June 16.-At 2 o'clock
this morning the coroner announced
that the total number OF bodies re-
covered was 485.
Before leaving North Brother isl.
and about that time Coroner Daring
ton said there were hundreds OF
corpses in the wrecked hull of the
steamer.
New York, June 16.-Six hundred
persons, men, women and children, at
conservative estimate, met death
yesterday by the burning, Bleaching
and sinking of the big three decker
excursion steamer General Slocum,
which took fire on the East river near
the entrance to Long Island sound
while on her way to a sound resort
with more than thousand excursion
lists, the Sunday school pupils of St.
Marks German Lutheran church,
their relatives and friends.
At / O'Clock this morning, according
to statement issued by Coroner
O'Gorman, 4S3 bodies had been recov-
cred from the destroyed vessel burned
10 death or drowned, and found on the
shores to which they had been washed.
Or picked up in the river to which
they had jumped or fallen from the
burning vessel.
Tugs are arriving hourly with bodies
rom the North Brother island.
New York, June l5.-One OF the
most appalling. disasters in the his
tory of New York, tragic in it's i'm
mensity, dramatic in its episodes, and
deeply pathetic in the tender age OF
most OF its victims, took place today
In the East river, at the entrance to
Long Island Sound, within a short
distance OF the New York shore and
within sight of thousands of persons,
The majority of whom were powerless
to minimize the extent Of the catas-
;rophe.
BY the burning to the waters edge
Of the General Slocum, three decked
excursion steamer, the largest in these
waters. more than 600 persons, the ma
iority OF whom were women and chill
dren, were burned to death or drown
ed by jumping overheard or by being
thrown into the whirlpools by the
lurching of the vessel and the frantic
rush OF the panic stricken passengers.
approximately five hundred bodies
have been recovered and are now be-
Ing tagged at the morgue at Bellevue
hospital and Harlem. Divers were
still busy at late hour taking bodies
from the hold Of the vessel, which
hey say is choked with the remains
II human beings, while the bodies or
scores who leaped or were thrown in
o the river have not been recovered.
1t is the season of Sunday school
excursions in New York bay and the
Long Island sound. 1t is variously es-
1mated that there were between 500
md 1000 persons on board the General
Slocum when she left the pier.
The scene on the decks of the
steamer as she proceeded up the East
liver was one of merrymaking. custo-
mary on such occasions. At the ex-
IRENE eastern end of Randall's island,
on One Hundred and Thirty-fifth
street, there is stretch of water
known as the Sunken Meadows. At
this point, just as crowds were watch
Ing the gaily decorated steamer from
the shore, the General Slocum took
fire, and as the age of the vessel-she
was built in 1S91-had resulted in the
well seasoning of the wood, with which
she was almost entirely built, she
was soon mass OF flame.
The fire is said to have broken out
n lunch room on the forward deck
through the overturning of a pot OF
grease. The wind was high and all
efforts to subdue the fire were futile
HnnHrn1
street there are several lumber yards
and Oil tanks, and as Captain William
Van Schaick, who was in command
started to turn his vessel toward the
shore there, he was warned that it
would set fire to the lumber and oil.
and so he changed his course for
North Brother island, one OF the twin
islands near the entrance to the
sound, some half mile away, where
the partially burned boat was beached.
She sank near this place at 1925
o'clock this afternoon, two hours and
twenty-five minutes after the fire was
first discovered.
In the meantime the passengers had
become panic stricken, and those who
were not caught up by the flames
rushed to the rear of the vessel and
hundreds jumped overheard into the
swiftly running waters. 1t is alleged
that the life preservers were too Sc
curely fastened to their holdings to be
available, and stories are told OF fran
tic efforts made by strong men to cut
them loose; but even if they could
have been torn down they were too
high for the children to reach. 1t is
also alleged that no attempt was made
to get out the fire apparatus at the
first cry of fire" Captain Van
Schaick says that he Immediately rang
the bells for getting out the apparatus.
According to several statements no at
tempt was made to lower boats or life
RATS.
The race to North Brother island
was horribly dramatic. 1t was made
while the flames, which had been IAN
ned into fury by the strong head
wind, were consuming hundreds OF
persons, old and young. The scene was
one OF frightful panic, with women
and children jumping overheard and
being dashed by the channel whirl-
pools against the vessels sides. Wo-
men and children were crowded to-
gether on the hurricane deck, which
soon burned away and fell, and 1t is
believed that most of those on this
deck were burned.
The after rail gave way and the
passengers who had crowded against
1t were pushed into the river, Mothers
and children became separated and
frantically sought each other, while
in several cases fathers and mothers
gathering their children together jump
ed with them into the water. Little
children holding each other by the
hand jumped together and were after
wards found clasped in each others