Hopkinsville Kentuckian., 1904-06-17
HUNDREDS LOST
Steamboat Horror In the Waters
OF New York
Sunday School Excursion Turned
Into a Holocaust of
Fire.

New York, June 15.-Five hun
dred persons. mostly children, per-
ished to-day by the burning of the
excursion steamer General Slocum
near He'll Gate in the East river.
The Slocum with the annual Sun
day-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
125th street persons on shore saw
smoke and flames spring from the
upper part of the crowded steamer.
A panic ensued on the boat al
most instantly. The crowds on the
forward deck began to spring over
board or to crowd to the after part
of the boat. The screams of the
terrified passengers could be heard
oa shore and hundreds of small
boats Immediately 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 between the burning
steamer and the shore and many
persons perished either in the
" ater or on the burning vessel after
she had been beaehed.
1t was estimated that the steam
er carried more than 1000 persons.
She was the largest excursion
steamer IN these waters and could
carry 1000 people.
Death Roll Exceeds 600.
New York, June I6.-The loss of
life Will exceed 900. Approximately
500 bodies have been recovered and
are now being tagged at the
morgues of Bellevue Hospital and
Harlem. Divers were still busy at
a late hour taking bodies from the
hold of the vessel, which, they say.
is choked WITH the remains of hu-
man beings, while the bodies of
scores who leaped or were thrown
INTO the river have not been recov-
cred.
The Knickerbo Steamship
Company, which owns the Gen.
Slocum, officially states that the
number of passengers was 6zS, that
being only ,one-third of the vessel s
capacity. 1t is thought, however,
that there were several hundred
children In arms, for whom fares
are not ueaally charged on these
trips, on board.
The scenes on the deck of the
steamer as she proc eeoed up the
East river was one of merry-mak-
ing customary on such occasions.
The mass of flags fluttered in the
June bFeeEes, the bands were play
ing and the children were singing,
dancing and waving handkerchiefs
in answer to the salutatiOns of
those on shore or from passing
steamers.
Bodies In WhIrIROOIs.
The scene was one OF frightful
Eanic, with women and children
jumping oRerboard and being
lashed by the channel whirlpools
against the vessels sides. Women
and children were crowded togeth-
er on the hurricane deck, which
soon burned away and fell, and At
| is believed that most of those on
this deck were burned.
The after rail gave way and the
passengers who had crowded
against it were pushed into the
river. Mothers and children be-
came separated and frantically
sought each other, while in several
cases fathers and mothers gathered
their children together and jumped
with them into the water, Little
children holding each other by the
hand iurnned foUather and were