Waterbury evening Democrat., 1904-06-16

end of RandRlTs Island, when fire broke out in a lunch room on the for ward deck, caused by the overturning of pot of grease. A high wind famed the blaze into instant fury,
 Efforts to subdue the fire were futile, and word was sent at once to the cap- tain, who started to land the steamer at One Hundred and Thirty-fourth street.
 He was warned, however, that the boat would set fire to lumber yards and oil tanks there and changed the Slccum's course, heading her for North Brother Island, half mile away. The flames had now broken out all along either side of the steamer and were famed by a strong head wind. The passengers, seized with panic, rushed to the rear of the vessel to escape the heat and the smoke that were constant ly increasing. Policemen and deck hands aboard the boat struggled hard to quiet the panic, but their efforts were unayailing. The wild disorder in- creased as frantic mothers sought to find their children, who had been at play about the decks.
 S for assistance, and tugs and other nearby craft answered to the call. Be- fore any of the boats could reach the burning steamer, however, the frantic women and children began to jump overheard. The current was strong, and there are many whirlpools in the channel The boats that were follow ing the Slocum picked up many from the water, but these were only small number of those that were seen strug gling in the swift current.
 On the Slocum the first sweep of the flames cut off escape from the hurri- cane deck, where a great many of the women and children were crowded to- gether, and soon burned away the light woodwork. which supported the deck. It Is thought that most of those who were on this deck were burned.
 As the fire increased the struggle to gain point of vantage at the stern became frightful. Women and children crowded against the after rail until it gave way, and hundreds were pushed off into the river After this there was a steady stream of those who jumped or were thrown into the water. The tugs and small craft following after kept close within the wake of the Slo- cum and rescued all of those who came within reach of their crews. Few of those who were saved had on life pre- servers. At no time during the prog ress of the fire was there any oppor- tunity to either lower the lifeboats or get the life preservers out from under heath the seats Through all the wild panic the officers and men of the blaz- ing boat stayed at their posts.
 Women went literally insane at once. Some had allowed their little charges to be separated from them, and in that frantic mob there was no chance for reunion. Men, maddened by fear, trampled down women and children to get to the sides and leap overheard. To most of the terrorized multitude it was but choice of death that offered.
 To stay on board meant the awful certainty of being burned alive. To take to the water meant for all but few the certainty of death by drown ing.
 At the point where the steamboat was beached is high stone wall which made it impossible for those who were in the water to climb out on land. They swain, such as could, round and round in vain effort to gain foot hold somewhere.
 The engineer of the locomotive of the gas company at Lawrence point says that when he saw that the Slo- cum was afre he blew his locomotive whistle, signaling to the captain of the burning vessel to put in at that point
 The -Slocum's captain, however, ei- ther did not hear the whistle or for some reason decided that 1t was better to beach the vessel on North Brother island.
 Had the Slocum been beached at Lawrence point a thousand willing hands would have been ready to as- sist in the work of rescue, as there were hundreds of men at work along the shore at the time.
 It was reported that George Conklin, chief engineer of the General Slocum, had been burned to death at his post.
 The Slocum got within fifty feet of the northwest point of North Brother island and there stopped in the shal- low water. Just before beaching, the hurricane deck, the supports of which had burned away, fell with it's load of women and children, adding to the panic and horror of those on the deck below. Very soon after parts of the second and third decks also caved in. But before this happened the tug Wall ter Tracey had come alongside the burning steamer and been lashed to 1t. Many of the passengers were taken off by the crew of the Tracey, which re- mained alongside the steamer until the tugs pilot house took fire
 For hours the bodies of the burned and the drowned drifted ashore on the island and between One Hundred and Thirty-first and One Hundred and Thirty eighth streets in Manhattan. Some came ashore still alive. Many of these died while others will recover.
 The pastor, Rev. G. c. F. Haas, lost his wife and daughter. His mother-in- h e,9e 9r, lox 1a. Hfe,y~