Evening journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1888-1932, 1904-06-16
HEROIC WORK
Identified Dead
Unidentified Dead
Missing
Injured =

New York. June 16.-In the greatest
marine accident in history-the greatest
fire disaster this country has ever
known-probably nine hundred persons
lost their lives by burning or drowning
yesterday. Laden with 1900 women
and children. bound for a day OF pleas
ure on a church picnic, the steamboat
General Slocum caught fire north Of
Hell Gate little after 10 a. m. and
in less than fifteen minutes was burned
to the waters edge.
Three hundred injured were taken to
hospitals and about 700 were rescued
from the stream. That left the stu
pendous total of 900 who had been blot
ted out Of existence. Five hundred
bodies were recovered last night, and
Fire Chief Croker and others estimated
that 400 bodies were in the wreck or
lost in the Sound.
In the fifteen minutes that elapsed
from the discovery Of tho deadly peril
until the General Slocum was burned
10 the waters edge there was holo-
caust of the helpless. Death by FIRE,
death by drowning, death beneath the
rush OF the cruel panic that seized every
soul on board and filled each second
to the brim. 1t viii be several days be-
fore the full extent of the disaster can
be known. BY midnight - bodies
had been recovered but a score Of boats
still were out on the darkened river
cropping to and fro. and the river still
was giving up its dead to their search.
The cruelest part of II all was that
nearly every body was a woman's OF
child's.
II will not be possible to examine the
hold and cabins OF the wreck until this
morning. though two divers we're taken
to the island last night in order 10 be-
gin the search without delay. lmag-
ination shrinks from guessing the
hoard Of death that may be discovered
there.
Hundreds Buried Under Falling Deck
one Of the most murderous incidents
in the whole tragedy is said by eve
witnesses TO have been the collapse o
the upper deck Of the steamer fev
minutes before she was beached. 10 &
believed hundreds were buried unde
the burning timbers. and viii have Z
be added to the list of dead.
William Van Schaik. captain Of tn
Slocum, and Edward Van Wart, frs
pilot, were arrested on charge Of culp
able negligence. The district attornl.
is investigating the disaster and ma,
ask TO have the charge changed &
homicide In the opinion of man!
these two men were chiefly responsible
for the fearful mortality because the.
tried to make the sandy pit just abov
North Brother Island instead Of run
ming the vessel ashore at any cost a
soon as the character OF the fire wa
discovered. But others and amonl
them men who know every foot Of tn
East river, say the run Of the tides il
! He'll Gate and the nature Of the shor
/ made it impossible for the captain {
5 have acted differently. No reflection
/ cast on the courage Of the captain o
! pilot With the flames tapping aroun
them and hell turned loose among tn
frenzied passengers on the decks, the
stuck to their post and never left tn
wheel till the Slocum grounded on tn
point where they believed their onl
chance of safety lay. No less admir-
able was the conduct Of the engineer
and firemen. who stayed below, obey
ing every order from the bridge. al
though the engine room was a mas
Of fame around them.
Terrible Ending to caiety.
Nothing could be more pitiful. moth
ing more awful, than the scenes 0
b deck. The Slocum had left East Thir
j street at 7.30 o'clock with a Sunda
n school picnic party from the St. Mark
d Evangelical Lutheran Church, at NJ
s 1928 Sixth street. Women and chadrei
: many of the latter class infants
a arms, made up by far the greater pa
4 of the party. and by the time n
+, steamer was off Ninetieth street a
. had settled down to the enjoyment {
the day Children had run rompin
from their mothers and boys had wal
dered Off along decks with their litt
sweethearts. Suddenly those in II
y forward part Of the boat were COZ
! scious of a rush of smoke.
s The steamers whistle began
t lscreech for assistance and the ere
4 rushed to fire stations. soon CAPITA
Van Schaik and his officers came dow
from the bridge and quietly asked q
IS passengers to move 10 the after pa
OF the ship. Mothers grew anXiol
= and began TO hurry around looking +
missing little ones Still there was