Custer County Republican. (Broken Bow, Neb.) 1882-1921, 1904-06-23
SIX HUNDRED DIE
CHICAGO HORROR RlVALED BY
BURNING OF A BOAT.
EXCURSION STEAMER IN FLAMES
Loaded with Women and Children on
a Sunday School outing-Disaster
Occurs on the East River at New
York City.

NEW YORK--One of the most ap.
palling disasters in the history of
New York tragic in its intensity. dra-
matte in its episodes, and deeply pa
thetic in the tender age of most of
its victims, took place today in the
East river, 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 catastrophe.
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 majority of whom were women
and children, were burned to death
or drowned 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 4S3 bodies have
been recovered and are now being
tagged at the morgues of Bellevue
still busy at late hour taking bodies
from the hold of the vessel, which
they say is choked with the remains
of human beings, while the bodies of
scores who leaped or were thrown
into the river had been recovered.
1t is the season of Sunday school
excursions in New York bay and the
I Ip1a 1att &c
the most picturesque bodies of water
in the country.
Great preparations had been made
for the seventeenth annual Sunday
school excursion of st. Marks Ger
man Lutheran church, the congrega.
ton of which is drawn from the dense
population of the lower East and
West Side, and the General Slocum
had been chartered to carry the ex-
cursionists to Locust Grove, one of
the many resorts on Long Island
sound.
1t is variously estimated that there
were between 1900 and 1000 persons
on the General Slocum when it left
the pier at Third street, East river,
though the Knickerbocker Steamship
company, which owns the Slocum, Of
ficially states that the number of
passengers was S73, that being only
one-third of the vessels capacity. 1t
is thought, however, that there were
several hundred children in arms, for
whom fares are not usually charged
on these trips.
On board the decks Of the steamer
as 1t passed up East river the scene
was one of merry-making. A mass
OF flags fluttered in the June breezes,
the bands were playing and the chill
dren were singing, dancing and wav-
Ing handkerchiefs and flags in an
swer to the salutations of those on
shore or from passing steamers.
At the extreme eastern end of Ran
dalls island, off One Hundred and
Thirty-fifth street, there is a stretch
of water known as the Sunken Mead
ows.
At this point, just as the crowds
were watching the gaily decorated
steamer from the shore, the General
Slocum took fire, and as the age of
the vessel Git was built in 1891 had
resulted in the well seasoning of the
wood, with which 1t was almost en-
tirely built, it was soon a mass of
flame. The fire Is said to have brok-
en- out in a lunchroom on the forward
deck through the overturning of a
pot of grease. The wind was high
and all efforts to subdue the fire were
were futile.