Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1904-06-22
NEW YORK'S GREAT DISASTER
EXCURSION STEAMER WITH 1000 ABOARD
BURNS TO WATERS EDGE.
THE MOST HORRIBLE OF TRAGEDIES
Ever Witnessed In New York Harbor-Loss OF
Life Reaches Into tho Hundreds.

Il
Life Reaches Into the Hundreds.
] New York, juno 15.-The excur.
sion steamer General Slocum, with
two thousand people aboard, caught
fire in He'll Gate, off 135th street,
to-day and burned to the waters
edge.
The flames burst through the decks
from the lower hold with such fury
that before the steamer could be
turned into the shore and beached
probably one thousand persons were
either drowned or burned to death.
Following the discovery of fire
aboard, the. passengers, consisting
principally of women and children,
were seized with panic. The scream
ing passengers rushed to the rail and
plunged overheard, others fled to the
end of the vessel, were caught by the
flames and consumed; still others
stood riveted in their tracks, going
down to death when the immense
hurricane deck collapsed and fell
into the seething flames.
As the flames roared through the
ship, men, women and children, cry.
ing piteously for help, which none
could render, either jumped head
long into the water or were con-
sumed by fire.
The fire started in the lunch room
while the steamer was off 135th
street, in the waters of He'll Gate.
The tragedy, it is believed, is
more horrible and caused greater life
loss than the Iroquois theatre horror
in Chicago.
SURVIVORS DRIVEN INSANE.
Many who were rescued reached
shore insane, mothers crying in vain
for their children; children calling
to their parents whose bodies were
at the bottom of the river or in ashes
in the sunken ship.
Mothers fought mothers, believing
their children had been claimed
through mistake. Men, wrapped in
flames, fought for places of safety,
only TO fall back into the roaring
flames.
Children, helpless and in panic,
their white faces made winter by the
wall of smoke, peered into the faces
of witnesses, who were powerless
to aid them.
Here and there scream would
mark the death of some unfortunate
who had been licked up in the fire.
Now and then pitiful, heart break
ing> of terror rent the pande-
mOnium as a mother saw her child
fed to the flames.
Wildly insane, people rushed from
side to side of the ill-fated ship,
some praying, others cursing as the
heat grew momentarily more intense
and torturing.
MANY COMMITTED SUICIDE.
Scores committed deliberate sui
eide when they realized all hope was
gone. Seeing the flames approach
nearer, many deliberately leaped
from their dizzy height into the rag
ing current below, knowing there
was no help for them there, but pre-
ferring drowning to cremation.
The tragedy came with such awful
suddenness there was no warning TO
any one. A moment before the cry
of "Firep % the steamer echoed with
the laughter of children and the
merry shouts of the party. There
was musio aboard, which measured
time for the dancing children on the
decks.
From the shore, hands and hand
kerchiefs waved at the jolly party of
excursionists. Then came cry of
terror. The steamer paused and
made an attempt to turn. Instantly
a huge pillow of flame and smoke
rushed through the ship and painted
the picture in black and red.
SCENES OF PANIC HORRIBLE.
Instantly panic followed. The
fire was first discovered at 135th
street. The flames came with rush
seldom witnessed for fury and swift
ness. There was not moment to
right about the ship.
AT the first outcry of alarm, men
and women sprang to the rail, looked
a moment at the scene of indescrib-
able peril behind, and then jumped
into the water. Others followed
fast.
When the steamer had reached
136th street passengers were leapine
overheard by the score and moment
later by the hundreds.
HURRICANE DECK CoLLAPsEs.
| AT this moment the hurricane
deck was crowded almost to suffoca.
tion. 1t was here hundreds had
rushed for safety, hoping to escape
the terrific tongues of flames that
were sweeping the lower decks.
Then came crash, dreadful
noise, of tearing planks and stified
screams of agony and indescribable
woe-the great deck with its hun.
dreds had collapsed and all gone
down into the seething furnace below
1t is not believed that single
person on the hurricane deck es.
capped, and as the fire in the hold OF
the steamer is still raging, there has
been no possible way to rescue the
bodies. The fremen say the flames
in the hold will burn for hours.
The smell of burning flesh drove
many rescuers away from their tasks
There were heroes and heroines {
plenty-men and women who rescued
many and then lost life themselves
|