The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-06-16
DISASTER APPALLING IN IT'S IN
TENsITY. -

New York, June 15.-One of the most
appalling disasters in the history of
New York, tragic In Its immensely
dramatic In its episodes and deeply
pathetic in the tender age of most or
its victims. took place to-day In the
East River at the entrance to the
Long Island sound, within short dis
tance. of the New York shore and with
In sight of thousands of persons, the
majority of whom were powerless to
minimize the extent OF the catastro-
phe.
By the burning to the waters edge
Df the General Slocum three decked
excursion steamer the largest in these
waters, more than six hundred persons,
the majority of whom were women and
children were burned to death or
drowned by jumping overheard or by
being thrown into the whirpools by
the lurehing of the vessel and the
frantic rush of the panic stricken pas
sengers.
500 Bodies Recovered.
Approximately 500 bodies have been
recovered and are now being tagged
ut 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 human
beings while the bodies of scores who
leaped or were thrown into the river
have not been recovered.
1t is the season of Sunday school ex-
cursions in New York bay and the
Long Island sound. the latter one of
the most picturesque bodies of water
in the country.
Great preparations had been made
for the seventeenth annual excursion
of the Sunday school of st. Marks Ger
man Lutheran Church. the congrega-
ton of which is drawn from the dense
population Of the lower East and West
sides, and the General Slocum had
been chartered to carry the excursion
lists to Locust Grove, one of the many
resorts on Long Island Sound.
Estimates of Those ON Board.
II Is variously estimated that there
we're between 1900 and $500 persons
on board the General Slocum when
she left the pier at 3rd street. East
River, though the Knickerbocker
Steamship Company, which owns the
Slocum, oflcially states that the num-
Der of passengers was S73. that being
only one-third of the vessels capacity.
II is thought that however there were
several hundred children in arms for
whom fares are not usually charged
on these trips on board.
The scenes on the decks of the ship
ms she proceeded up the East River
was one of merrymaking customary on
such occasions. The mass OF flags
fiuttered in the June breezes. the bands
were playing and the children were
NinRinE. dancing and waving handker-
chiefs in answer to the salutattons II
those on shore and on passing steam
ers. At the extreme end of Randalls
Island. off 1s5th Street. there is a
stretch of water known as the sunken
Meadows.
At this point. just as crowds were
watching the gaily decorated steamer
from the shore. the General Sloeum
took Are and the age OF the vessel
she was built in 1ss1-had resulted in
the thorough seasoning of the wood OF
which she was most entirely built. she
was soon a mass of fame.
start Of the Fire.
The FIRE is said TO have broken out
in a lunch room on the forward deck.
through the overturning Of pot Of
grease. The wind was high and all
efforts to subdue the fire were futile.
At 1s4th Street there are several lum-
her yards and oil tanks and rs Captain
Van Schaick in command of the Cen
eral SIocum started to turn his vessel
towards the shore there he was warned |
that IL would set FIRE to the lumber and |
oil, so he changed hts course for North |
Brothers Island. one OF the twin is
lands near the entrance to the sound