Perth Amboy evening news., 1904-06-16
HE'LL CATE WRECK
Steamer General SIOCum
Destroyed by Fire.
SIX HUNDRED BURN OR DROWN
st. Marks Church Sunday School
Excursions Fatal End.
BURNING VICTIMS LEAP FOR LIFE

Boat on u North brother Island
shoaI-The Wreck Full Of Burned
and Drowned Women and Children.
NEW YORK, June leone 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 Of
its victims, took place in the East river
mt the entrance to Long Island sound.
within Il short distance of the New
York shore and within sight of thou
| sands of persons, the majority of
whom were powcrless to minimize he
extent of the catastrophe.
BY the burning to the waters edge
of the General Slocum, a three deckcd
excursion steamer, the largest in these
waters, more than 600 persons. the ma
| iCrity of w:om were women and chill
dren, were burned to death or drowned
by jumping overheard or by being
thrown into the whirlpools by the
lurching of the vessel.
Within a few hundred feet of the
| 6Ibbl w Nl lIiA rNL " AifA we W.
ed to the waters edge in 1850 this
similar disaster has resulted in Il
| greater loss of life.
The Slocum caught fire in midstream
soon after passing Hell Gate and, with
danes sweeping ovcr her decks, ran
up the East river to the shore of North
| Brother island, where she was heached.
YT--1-I. - C,-,I,, ,.l,,nI nJiI1pDO
with their mothers, friends and teach
ers, jumped overheard and were
drowned. Many more, fearing to leap,
were consumed in the fire. Others in
the huddled multitude on the lower
| decks were crushed by the collapse of
the hurricane deck after the flames had
| eaten away the supports. 1t may never
be known how many remained in the
| seething hulk or were carried away by
| the tide and left to settle In the river
bed half a mile above.
Coroner O'Gorman has reported that
49S bodies had been recovered. OF
these 436 were examined and tagged
IbyT him9at North Brother island. The
others were taken from Riker's island.
The value of the money and jewels re-
| moved from the bodies was fully $780,
900.
Many of those present at the destruc-
ton of the steamer believe that fully
300 or 400 persons whose bodies have
not been recovered lost their lives. The
list of missing runs ven above these
| figures. and the number of lives lost
may not be accurately determined for
several days.
Passengers who were saved have
made specific accusations that the life
preservers were so rotted by nge that
they fell apart in their hands and We're
practically worthless.
Scathing arraignment of \the alleged
lack of discipline of the crew and of
the bad condition of the emergency
fire hose and the life preservers has
been made by John H~olthusen, the ven
cradle sexton of st. Marks church.
Captain William ii. Van Schaick
said:
Il did The best l could. | ordered
Van Wart to beach her, and we start
cd for shore at One Hundred and Thir-
ty-fourth street. But the shore there is
lined with rocks, and l was afraid we
would founder. There the captain of
n tug warned me off. He shouted that
the steamer would set fire to the oil
tanks and the lumber. Then we start
ed for North Brother island. My cloth
ing and hat were burning when | jump
cd into tho water.
ivan Wart and Weaver got off ahead
of me. l jumped through the flames
on the starboard side. l hit the bot
tom and hurt my leg. Some nurse
helped me on the bank, and then the
dominic grabbed me. Thank God.
you're safer he said. One of the deck
hands came up and kissed me-
Here the aged, white haired man
broke down, and tears courscd down
his cheeks. II can't tell you how it
happened" he said.
Four hundred and ninety-eight bod
les have been recovered and are now
being tagged at the mOrgues of Belle
vue hospital and Harlem. Divers are
still busy taking bodies from the hold
| vi NV NNNStis NiiNAg lbN1 otly IL
choked with bodies, and hundreds who
lcaped or were thrown into the river
have not been recovered.
The General SlOcum, which was the
largest excursion steamer in these wa
tiers, left Third street, East river, Mt
9:30 o'clock In the morning, having on
board the annual Sunday school eXcur-
sion of st. Marks German Lutheran
church, Sixth street. Her destination
was Locust Grove, one of the many re-
sorts on the sound. The excursion was
in charge of the Rev. George G. f.
Haas. pastor of the church. The YES
sci was commaqded by Captain Will
liam Van Schaick, one of the best
known excursion boat captains in New
York harbor, who has commanded the
General Slocum almost since she YVES
built in 1891. The number of excur-
GiSpists on board is variously estimated