The Forrest City times. [volume] (Forrest City, Ark.) 1871-1919, 1904-06-17
FRIGHTFUL
CALAMITY
New York Excursion Steamer
General SIOcum Burned
to the Waters Edge.
She Carried Two Thousand SUM-
day-School Exoursionists.
Hundreds OF Them Perished BY
Being Crushed TO Death,
Burned or Drowned.
The Boat First Seen to Be en- Fire
When Passing He'll Gate.
Panic at Once Seized the Excur-
sionists and the Harvest
OF Death Began.
Hundreds OF Small Boats Went to
the Rescue Immediately.
Between Fire and Water I. is Be-
neved That Upward of Five
Hundred Perisned.
Panic at Once Seized the Excur-
sionists and the Harvest
OF Death Began.
Hundreds of Small Boats Went to
the Rescue Immediately.
Between Fire and Water I. is Be-
neved That Upward of Five
Hundred Persisted.
Graphic Account Of the Disaster by
survivor.

Nes York. June I6--Fiva hundred
persons. mostly children. persisted by
lie burning Of the excursion Gamer
Seaer q Slooum near Hell Gate the
East river
The Siocum with the annual Sunday
school excursion Of 81. MARKS German
Lutheran church II this ~ on board
Has proceeding up the river TO one Of
Ehe r.any resorts Of Long stand sound
When liar one Hundred and Twenty
tith street, persons On shore saw
smoke and flames spring fram the mp
ger part Of the crowded steamer 4
IFtnic ersued on the boa aim5st u
SiaEtIy The crowds on he forward
seek began 70 priug overheard or 70
crowd 10 the after part OF Inc boat Tie
xcreams ol the teri. fed passengers
could ne heard On shore and hundreds
of small boats Immediately put off u
&c re5aue
impossible to beach Her.
Owing 10 the rocks on eit.fr side of
he channel al this point, it Wa
impossible TO teach the vessel The
captain stuck to his post a; the wheel
and headed the vessel straight mp the
river for North Brothers island. where
abe vas put aground In lie shallow
water Several hundred feet Of open
water still lay between the burning
steamer and the shore. and many per
sons persisted either in the water or On
1he burning vessel after she had been
seanhed Il was estimated that the
Kieamer carried more than 1000 per
Sous She was the largest excursion
steamer in these waters, and could car
~ $500 passengers
The Inflated Excursion.
The excursion vas in charge Of the
social committee of the church. head
ed by Miss Mary Abenschein In the
minister's party, his son SAID. were the
pasto: Rev. George A r Haas. Miss
Abendschein Assistant Super n endent
Car Anger. Wm. Schlafer. lie pastors
daughter, Gertrude; his sister. Miss
Emma Haas and W b. Teiamure
At he Office of the United States
steamboat inspection bureau il was
Raid he General Slocum was inspected
pu Ma and was reported 10 be in
thoroughly good condition and ready
tor he excursion season Aboard the
Feamer Was all the life-sayine appara-
aus required by law Of steamers Of her
sapacity
fhe siocums Commander.
The General Slocum's licensed cap
tain is Capt W H VanSch.ck. one
Of the Oldest eNcurs.onist captains in
New York harbor waters.
The Slocum sailed from the foot of
Third street, East river. shortly after
Hiue O'Clock. The exact point she had
reached when the flames were discov-
sred IN the forward part Of the boat
sas on the SUnken Meadows. al the
sxtreme east end of Raudalls ISLAND
So quick was the spread Of the flames
that the captain of the Slocum could
lot turn, and was forced 10 make
ae2d-on fo7 North Brothers island I'm
der full steam By the time the So
rum reached one Hundred and Thirty
dfth street the eXcursioaists. driven
~ the rail. many Of them, with Their
clothing on fire, began to jump over
Board by twos and threes
Went Overheard ~, tn. score.
When One Hundred and Thirty
sighth street had been reached. the
seat from the fire had become so in
snse that men, women and children
plunged overheard by the score. There
sas terrific crash when the boat was
aeaohed al the reef Of the northern
end of North Brothers island, where |
she rapidly burned TO ths waters edge. |
II is said the fire started in the lanch |
sounter in the forward part Of the
Boat. When the alarm spread among
ne passengers the hurricane deck was
crowded. and when of One Hundred
md Thirty-eighth street this deck COL
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