The Paducah sun. [volume] (Paducah, Ky.) 1898-1906, 1904-06-16
Scenes as Bodies are Found are Heart
Rending---Over 500 Recovered.
Grief Stricken People Attempt Suicide...A Horror
Unsurpassed in History
CHILDREN AND WOMEN DIED BY THE HUNDRED

New York, June 16-The number
of dead in the Slocum disaster can
only be estimated. but Health Com
missioner Darlington says that it
will probably exceed thousand.
Over five hundred bodies have al
ready been recovered. and every half
hour Is adding to the list. Few over
100 have been identified, and charges
Of carelessness are openly made.
Up to Q o'clock this morning 4S9
bodies had already been recovered
and divers at dawn resumed work on
the sunken hull.
District Attorney jerome will make
q rigid examination of the disaster.
The scenes when the bodies are
brought up to the dock are heart
rending. A man and woman. over
come by grief, attempted suicide by
jumping into the river when loved
ones were found.
Captain Van Schaik, who is under
arrest. is Frustrated at the hospital.
The disaster is admitted to be one
of the most appalling of its kind in
the worlds history.
IL 10 the season of Sunday school
excursions in New York Bay and the
Long Island Sound, the latter one of
the most picturesque bodies of water
in the country. The General Slo-
cum had been chartered to carry the
excursionists to LOCUST Grove, one OF
the many resorts on Long Islnad
Sound. 1t lie variously estimated that
there were between 1900 and 1900
persons on board the General Slocum
when she left the pier at Third street,
East river, though the Knioterbooker
Steamship company, which owns the
Slocum, officially states that the
number Of passengers was S73, that
being only one-third Of the vessels
capacity. II is thought, however, that
there were several hundred children
in arms, for whom fares are not usu-
ally charged on these trips on board.
The scenes on the deck Of the
steamer as she proceeded up the East
river was one Of merry making, GUS
tomary on such occasions. The mass
of flags futtered in the June breezes,
the bands were playing and the chill
aren were singing, dancing and wav-
ing hsndkerchiefs in answer to the
salutations Of those on shore or from
passing steamers. At the extreme
end of Randall's Island, OF One Hun
dred and Thirty fifth street, there is
o stretch of water known 40 the
Suuken Meadows.' At this point just
% crowds were watching the gaily
decorated steamer from the shore the
General Slocum took fire, and as the
age Of the vessel-she was built in
iSsl-had resulted in the thorough
seasoning of the woodwork, Of which
she was almost entirely built, she
was soon mass of fame.
The fire is said to have broken out
In q lunch room on the forward
deck through the overturning of a
pot Of grease. The wind was high
and all efforts to subdue the fire were
futile.
i. At l34th street there are several
lumber yards and oil tanks and as
Captain VIM. Van schaik, in COM
mand Of the General Slocum, started
to turn his vessel towards the shore
there, he was warned that it would set
FIRE to the lumber and 80 he changed
his course for North Brothers Island,
one of the twin islands near the en-
trance to the sound, some half mile
away, where the boat partially
burned, was beached.
She sank near the place at 1875
o'clock this afternoon, two hours and
s5 minutes after the fire was first dis
covered.
In the meantime the passengers had
become pan.c-strioken and those VII
were not caught by the flames rushed