The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1904-06-24
STEAMER sails ON
voyage OF Death
LOADED WITH EXCURSIONISTS
THE GENERAL SLoCUM BURNS
IN EAST RIVER, NEW YORK.
Before the Doomed Vessel Could Be
Reached More Than 700 Lives Had
Been Lost-0ver Five Hundred
Bodies Recovered So Far.

New York. June 1S.-At 1870 a. m
the officials at the Bellevue morgue
gave out these figures on the Slocum
disaster:
The dead recovered. $50.
The dead identified. 521
The dead unidentified and unrecog
nizable, 80.
The dead to be identified, nine.
Together with the announcement
from the morgue that the number OF
recovered dead was $50. came thu
statement that about AIS persons are
still unaccounted for There can be
no doubt that very many of these are
dead, because for 4S hours and more
relatives have been searching for
them.
The Awful Disaster.
New York, June 1.-THE three
decked excursion steamer General Slo-
cum, of the Knickerbocker Steamboat
company, burned to the waters edge of
North Brother island, East river, at the
entrance of Long Island sound, Wednes-
day morning, resulting in the death
through burning or drowning of at least
700 persons, mostly women and children.
Carried Excursion Party.
The Slocum, with the annual Sunday
school excursion of ST. Marks German
Lutheran church of this city on board,
was proceeding up the river to one Of the
many resorts of Long Island sound.
When near One Hundred and Twenty
fifth street, persons on shore saw smoke
and flames spring from the upper part
of the crowded steamer. A panic ensued
on the boat almost instantly. The
crowds on the forward deck began to
spring overheard or to crowd to the after
part of the boat. The screams Of the
terrified passengers could be heard on
shore and hundreds of small boats i'm
mediateiy put off to the rescue. Owing
to the rocks on either side of the channel
at this point, it had been impossible to
beach the vessel The captain stuck to
his post at the wheel and headed the
vessel straight up the river for North
Brother island, where she was put
aground in the shallow water. Several
hundred feet of open water still lay be-
tween the burning steamer and the
shore and many persons persisted either
in the water or on the burning vessel
after she had been beached. The boat
was beached at the reef at the northern
end of North Brother island, where she
rapidly burned to the waters edge.
Decks Give Way.
1t was just before she beached that
the hurricane deck, the supports of
which had burned away, fell with its
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
Walter Tracey had come alongside the
burning steamer and been dashed to it..
Many of the passengers were taken OFF
by the crew of the Tracey, which re-
manned alongside the steamer until the
tugs pilot-house took fire.
Many Frightfully Burned.
Many of those picked up alive in the
river will die in the hospitals. Most OF
them were frightfully burned, having de-
layed leaping from the boat until their
clothing was on fire. Some died in the
improvised ambulances in which they
were hurried from the shore. Every man
on board who could swim went over
board loaded down with children. Many
of these heroes lost their lives, because,