The daily morning journal and courier., 1904-06-16

New York, June 16.-Six hundred per- sons. men, women and children, at a conservative estimate met death yes I terday by the burning, bleaching and sinking of the big three decked excur- sion steamer General Slocum, which took fire in the East river near the entrance to Long Island sound while on her way to Locust Grove,a sound resort, with more than a thousand excursion- lists. the Sunday school pupils of St. Marks German Lutheran church, their relatives and friends.
 At 1 o'clock this morning, according to statement issued by Coroner O'Gor- nan of the Bronx borough. 493 bodies had been recovered from the destroyed vessel, burned to death or drowned, lnd found on the shores to which they had been washed or picked up in the liver to which they had jumped or fall n from the burning vessel. A majori- ly of the victims are women and chil- lren.
 Tugs are arriving hourly with bodies rom North Brothers Island Divers Ire still busy taking bodies from the old of the vessel, which they say is hoked with bodies and those of hun 'reds who leaped or were thrown into he river have not beer. recovered.
 At 2 o'clock this morning the cor hers announced that the total number bodies recovered was 485. Before aving North Brother Island about lat time Coroner Darlington said there ore probably hundreds of corpses still the wrecked hull of the General Slo- m.
 It is the season for Sunday school ex- rsions in New York harbor and bay d Long Island sound, the latter one the most picturesque bodies of wa in the world. Great preparations d been made for the seventeenth an- al excursion of the Sunday school of Marks German Lutheran church, D congregation of which is drawn ,m the dense population of the lower 5t and west sides, and the General bcum had been chartered to carry the eursionists to Locust Grove, one of many resorts on Long Island sound. is variously estimated that there Ire between ,500 and 2,500 persons on ard the General Slocum when she left pier at Third street, East river, Bugh the Knickerbocker Steamboat hpany, which owns the steamer, off, lily states that the number of pass eers was S73, that being only one I'd of. the vessels capacity. It is ught, however, that there were sev- hundreds of young children, for bm fares are not usually charged on De excursions.
 he scene on the decks of the steamer she sped up the East river was one harmless merrimaking, customary on h occasions. The mass of flags on vessel fiuttered in the June breezes, bands were playing and the chill were singing or dancing or waving dkerchiefs and flags in answer to Be on shore or on passing steamers. this point, just as the crowds were ching the gaily decorated steamer the shore, the General Slocum took and as the age of the vessel-she built in 1891-had resulted in the Ing of the wood with which she was bst entirely built, she was soon a s of flames.
 Cause of the Fire.
 fire is said to have broken out he lunch room on the forward deck ugh the overturning of a pot of se. The wind was high and all ef- to subdue the fire were futile.
 134th street there were several Is and oil tanks, and as Capt Vim. Schaick, in command of the Gen. Slocum, started to turn his vessel rds the shore there he was warned it would set fire to the lumber and nd so changed his course for North her Island, one of the twin islands
 the entrance of the sound some mile away, where the boat was he'd and after burning to the wa
 edge, sank at 1925 o'clock, two
 and twenty-five minutes after re was first discovered.
 the meantime the passengers had he panic stricken, and those who
 not caught by the flames rushed e stern of the vessel where hum
 jumped overheard into the swiftly ng water. It is alleged that the reseryers were too securely fas-