Evening journal., 1904-06-16

SCENE on BURNING BOAT.
burned to death or drowned, found on
the shores to which they had been
washed or picked up in the river to
which they haa Jumped or fallen from
the burning vessel.
Tugs are arriving hourly with bodies
from North Brother island. and divers
are stu busy taking bodies from the
hold Of the vessel, which. they say. is
chelsed with bodies and hundreds who
leapDd on were thrown into the river
have not been recovered
II was a spectacle Of horror beyond
words to express-a great vessel all IN
anmes, sweeping forward in the sun
hkkt within sight Of the crowded city,
Whiie. her helpless. screaming hundreds
wefe roasted alive or swallowed up in
the waves-women and children with
their hair aud clothing on fire, crazed
mothers casting their babies overheard
OF leAplng WITH them to certain death
waillRg, children pnd old men trampled
under foot OF crowded over into the
water, ana the burning steamboat her
whistle roaring FOR assistance speeding
on for the shoie Of North Brother Is.
land. with a tItiil Of ghastly faces and
elutching hands In the tide behind her
gray haired mothers and tender Ina.
fants going down 70 death together
Life Preservers Rotten.
There are stories Of rotten life pre-
servers and Of life preservers placed
out OF reach. OF the failure OF the crew
10 fight the ere and of the captan's
mistake in not heading for the nearest
land, but few know exactly what hap.
pened in that terrible scene Of suffering
and death, for many of the survivors
are practically insane and hundreds on
others are in the hospitals.
Great preparations had been made
for the seventeenth annual excursion
OF the sunday school Of st. Mark 5
German Lutheran church. the congre
cation of which church Is drawn from
the dense population Of the loWcr easi
and west sides. and the General Slo.
cum had been chartered to carry the
excursionists to Locust Grove, one OF
the many resorts on Long Island
sound.
II is variously estimated that there
were between 1900 aud $500 persons
on board the General Slocum when she
left the pier at Third street, East river
though the Knickerbocker Steamboat
company. which owns the General Slo
cum, officially states that the number
OF passengers was 873. that being only
one-thfrd Of the vessels capacity. II Is
theught. however. that there were sew.
eral hundred children in arms, for
whom fares are not usually charged on
these excursions.
The scene on the decks Of the steam
er as she proceeded up the East river
was one of harmless merrymal1ing
customary on such occasions. The
mass Of ilags on the vessel futtered in
the June breezes the bands were play
ing. and the children were singing or
dancing or waving handkerchiefs and
flags in answer 70 the salusnGons Of
those on shore or from passing steam
ers. At the extreme eastern end OF
Randalls island, of One Hundred and
Thirty-ffth street. there is a stretch Of
water known as the Sunken Meadows
At this point just as crowds were
watching the gayly decorated steamer
from the shore the General Slocum
took fire. and as the age of the vessel
she was built IN 1S9i-had resulted
In the well seasoning Of the wood with
which she was almost entirely built
she was soon mass Of fame.
Wind Famed the Flanea.
The fire is said TO have broken out In
lunch room on the forward deck
through the overturning Of pot Of
grease. The wind was high. and all ef-
forts to subdue the FIRE were futile.
AT One Hundred and Thirty fourth
street there are several lumber wards
and oil tanks, ana as Captain William
Van Schaiek. in command Of the Cen
eral slocum. started to turn his vessel
toward the shore there he was warned
that it would set fire to the lumber
and oil, and so he changed his course
for North Brother island. one Of twin
islands near the entrance 10 the sound,
some half mile away, where the boat,
having burned to the waters edge. was
beached and where she sank at 1925
o'clock, two hours and twenty five min.
utes after the Ere was frst discovered
In the meantime the passengers had
become panic stricken. and those who
were not caught up by the flames rush.
ed to the rear of the vessel. and hun.
dreds jumped overheard into the swift
" running waters. II is alleged that
the life preseFvers were too securely
fastened to their holdings TO be avail
able. and stories are told of frantic
efforts by strong men to cut them loose
but even II they could have been torr
down they were too high up for the
children to reach them. II is also al
legged that no attempt was made TO gei
out the IRE apparatus at the first cry
Of fire. though Captain Van Schaicl
says that he Immediately rang the bells
ser getting ont The apparatus, Accord