The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1904-06-16

PERISH
Excursion Steamer Burns to the
Matters Edge in Harbor Of
New York.
Upwards ofFiye Hundred Persons
Burned to Death
or Drowned,

New York. Jnne 1G l7iEc hHnAse@.
persons. mostly children, perisl9e3' l!nls
Ing the day by the burning Of the eX.
cursion steamer Generals Ssloctln1 near
Hell Gate, in the Eastriye3s
- 5Slocunl,zz with tlez zaliaualz Sunday.
school excursion of Mark $ G;hIli}an.
Lutheranzch,lsc,z eft hiS=tityso lf4;ss''sl,,
was proceeding up the river to one OF
the many resorts Of Long Island soNn4l.
When near One Hundred and Twenty.
fifth street persons on shore SAN
smoke and flames spring ftonl Ike up
per part of the crowded steamer.
|4panic eEsued ON the boat aimos. is..&
stantly. The crowds on lie forward
deck began to spring GScIbaaiu or 70
crowd to the after pant Of Nc A.'ai.
The screams OF tho Esariiic(l pa5sea.
gers could be heard on shore ana ltisls,
dreds Of small boats Immediately HGt
of to the rescue. Owing 70 lhe rock
on either side OF the channel III this
point il had been Impossible 70 bsa@is
the ship The captain stuck To his.
posi- at the Wheel and headed he yes
sci straight up the liYaS fol Nofth
Brother island, where sac Vas put
aground in the shallcWzM zMtltQi1 sSeSeiaI
hundlctl feet OF Open water sti!l lay.
between the burning steamer and liic.
shore ana many persons l'eisilca
either in the water or on the palAii!s
vessel after she had been beasAct..
It vas estimated that the steamer cal,
l,n,
the largest excursion steamer IN lli&sG.
waters and could carry 1.oUD passeii
gers.
The Sloculn sailed from the foot oi
Third. street, East river, shorty aIlets
8 o'clock The enact point stlts issy!
reached when the ilaEIeS Mere s!lstot
cred in the forSas part oi tae is'ai
was OIL the nunl.an Mtsads, at = -
extreme cast cil1l OF lsllislal.ss is.aita.
So quick was the cad sQil tic sl.titls.s
that the captain q the SloStllu etaaiAS
not turn ana was forced TO 1l,:iissaa I'll AZ
on for North Brother island uiide.
full steam.
MANY JUMP OVERHEARD
WITH CLOTHING guRMlisl}t,.
BY the time The Sloe,im reached )ilss
Hundred and tllirty-lltli street tie e&S
cursioEists, driven to tile l:iIl, I4ssil3
Of them with their clothing On Tire.
began to jump overheard by t&Oa aila.
threes. When One HUNDRED anu
Thirty eighth street had Deen reached
the heat from the fire had become So
intense that men. women aud cililtlIen
plunged overheard bS the score. There
tcpr G. L, lut, a
beachel at the reel at the northern
end of North Brother island. Wip5e
she rapidly burned to the Hate:,s ca:sF.
From 800 10 a9a leGsoGa pe,isaei IN
the flames OF Weic tloMaGa. t Is ii.i5
possible to more than estimate the loss
OF life The disaster is the most All.
palling that has eyer oeetaafd IN ifSestT
York harbor and is nlade moe tli+s-
tressing by the fact that most oi thosa-
who lost their lives We're women o.
children.Of tender age.
It is said the fire started in the lunch
counter in the forward end oi tnal boat
When the alarm spread ampa3s the
passengers the hurricane dee.*sk wa.
crowded and when off One l!undiel5
and Thirty-eighth street. THIS dGGk cor
lapsed. Many persons were thrown
into the water, but hunHleaS @ete ilEGs#
cipitated into the lower deck, which
was Itself Ii mass o women and chii~
dren a tug OF the :Aea YORK szntIal
railroad saved nearly q score tliIoEgit-
the heroism OF unknown min.
This man stood OH the paGais Mhe4I
box Of the Sloeunl. anti.zpaased women
and children To the tug until he was.
driven back by flames. lie thou
jumped into the tug himself. Neither
police nor fremen, When they arrived,
waited to remove coats or clothes, bat
| jumped overheard and saved great
many who would otherwise have been.
dToWned.
Many Of the bodies recovered were
horribly burned Wrecllers say that
| it will be hours before the firein the
bold Of the boat is o!!l-ana- 1.-The -bodi1!s,
there can be recovered. Both fi1einen
and wrcckers say tflat the greatest
loss of life, extending into the hun
| dreds, will be found in the hold.
COLLAPSE or UPPER DECK
CAUSE or MANY DEATHS.
An eyewitness ::ais! that the great
1