The Irish standard., 1904-06-18
From Three to Five Hundred
Persons Perish in New
York Harbor.
Crowded Excursion Boat Catches
Fire at He'll Gate and Burns
to Waters Edge.
Victims Either Succumb to Flames
or Jump Overheard and Are
Drowned.

Majority Are Women and Children on
a Pleasure Trip-Thousands
See the Disaster.
New York, June 16.-Laden with l 900
excursiOnists, mostly women and chill
dren, the big steamer General Slocum
caught fire in the waters of He'll Gate
Wednesday and from 300 to 500 persons
persisted in the flames or were drowned.
1t is impossible to more than estimate
the loss OF life. The disaster is the most
appalling that has ever occurred in New
York harbor and is made more distress
ing by the fact that most of those who
lost their lives were women or children
OF tender age.
Capt. William Van Schaick, who COM
manded the Slocum, has been arrested.
The Slocum, with the annual Sunday
school excursion of St. Marks German
Lutheran church of this city on board,
was proceeding up the river to one of the
many resorts of Long Island sound.
When near One Hundred and Twenty
NTH street, persons on shore saw smoke
and flames spring from the upper part
OF the crowded steamer A panic ensued
on the boat almost instantly. The
crowds on the forward deck began to
spring overheard or to crowd to the after
part of the boat. The screams of the
terrified passengers could be heard on
Shore and hnn1roHc of
mediately put off to the rescue Owing
to the rocks on either side of the channel
at this point, it had been impossible to
beach the vessel. The captain stuck to
his post at the wheel and headed the
vessel straight up the river for North
Brother island, where she was put
aground in the shallow water Several
hundred feet of open water still lay be-
tween the burning steamer and the
shore and many persons persisted either
IN the water or on the burning vessel
after she had been beached. 1t was esti-
mated that the steamer carried more
than 1000 persons. She was the largest
excursion steamer in these waters and
could carry $500 passengers.
Flames Are Discovered.
The Slocum sailed from the foot of
Third street, East river, shortly after
nine O'Clock. The exact point she had
reached when the flames were discov-
cred in the forward part of the boat was
Off the "Sunken Meadows" at the ex-
IRENE east end of Randalls island. So
quick was the spread of the flames that
the captain of the Slocum could not turn
and was forced to make head on for
North Brother island under full steam.
By the time the slocum reached One
Hundred and Thirty-fifth street, the ex-
cursionists, driven to the rail, many of
them with their clothing on fire, began
to jump overheard by two's and three's.
When One Hundred and Thirty eighth
street had been reached, the heat from
the fire had become SO intense that men,
women and children plunged overheard
by the score. There was terrific crash
when the boat was beached.
The boat was beached at the reef at the
northern end Of North Brother island,
where she rapidly burned to the waters
edge.
1t is said the fire started in the lunch
counter in the forward part of the boat.
When the alarm spread among the pas
sengers the hurricane deck was crowded
and when off One Hundred and Thirty
eighth street this deck collapsed. Many
persons were thrown into the water, but
hundreds were precipitated into the
lower deck which was itself mass Of
women and children.
Heroism Of an Unknown.
A tug of the New York Central rail-
road saved nearly score through the
herOism of some unknown man. This
man stood on the paddle wheel box of the
Slocum and passed women and children
to the tug until he was driven back by
the flames. He then jumped into the
tug himself. Neither police nor flremen
when they arrived waited to remove
coats or clothes but jumped overheard
and saved great many who would
otherwise have drowned.
Many Frightfully Burned.
Many of those picked up alive in the
river will die in the hospitals. Most of
them were frightfully burned, having de-
layed leaping from the boat until their
clothing was on fire. Some died in the
improvised ambulances in which they
were hurried from the shore. Every man
on board who could swim went over
board loaded down with children. Many
of these heroes lost their lives, because,
burdened as they were, they could make
no Roadway against the overpowering
swirl of the tide as it rushes from the
East river into the sound
From all that can gathered no alarm
was sounded when the fire was discov-
cred, but the crew tried to extinguish the
flames without alarming the passengers.
Those in the after portion of the boat
did not know it was on fire until the
flames had swept back on them. Then
there was nothing to do but jump over
board or be burned to death.
Persons on the shore say that there
were scores huddled in an apparently
cate position on the hurricane deck, with
the breeze blowing the flames and smoke
away from them. when suddenly the
deck fell in. After the cloud of smoke
had drifted away the observers looked
back to where the crowd had been stand
ing. The space was vacant.
Many Of the children picked up by
small boats were dashed to camp stools
and other light boat furnishings, show
ing that some adult had tried to make
the little ones safe These precautions