The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1904-07-06

dreadful peril impended. little Louise,
who found herself on the hurricane
deck with the baby j" her care. got a
life-preserver. Without assistance she
adjusted it to her body. Clasping the
baby tightly she carried it to the stern.
Waiting until the flames and smoke
were swirling about her. she ciasped
the baby in her arms and leaped from
| the hurricane deck to the river. twenty
feet below. Under the surface she
went, but not for an instant did she
release her grasp on the baby. When
they came to the surface she say a
man in Uniform. She thought he vas
n of the officers Of the steamboat.
He told her to put one arm about him
and he would do his best to save her.
She did So, and at the same time held
the head Of the Erkling baby above
water. Five minutes later they were
picked up by a rowboat and taken
ashore.
Before the burning steamboat had
reached the beach for which she was
headed hundreds Of passengers. most
Of them women and children. either
Jumped overheard or were thrown into
the water from the collapse of the hur-
ricane deck. From 134th street to
North Brother Island there was a
string Of struggling or drowning men,
women and children.
After the hurricane deck had fallen
the death-dealing blast had full swing
on the ill-starred boat. Folk went
down before it as though smitten by a
blast from a volcano. Every second
added to the death roll, and every
tongue of fame seemed to touch some
body and add to the torture.
The Rev. George C. S. Hass, pastor
Of st. Marks, distinguished himself
by his bravery in en%deavoring to save
those who had left home so happily to
spend the day as his guests. He and
his wife and daughter were caught in
the stampede, however. and forced to-
ward the rail. With the flames curl
ing above their heads they leaped over
the rail and came up amid scores who
were struggling for life. Then Mrs.
Haas and Miss Haas disappeared.
Finally those who had remained on
board the floating furnace felt a jolt
and a jar. The bow Of the Slocum had
struck on the reef just north of the
dock toward which she had been
headed before the pilots were driven
from the wheel. Craft Of all kinds
crowded about her. Some engaged in
the work of rescuing the passengers.
Others, equipped with fre-fghting ap-
paratus. began pouring heavy streams
into the burning steamboat.
Pastor Tells Storyof Struggle For Life.
Having lost his entire family except
his sister on the Slocum, the Rev. Geo.
F. Haas, the pastor of the church
whose outing was attended by such
a frightful calamity, was completely
Frustrated. MI. Haas lost his wife
and his daughter Gertrude. as we'll
as his mother-in-law, Mrs. Carl Han.
sen. and his sister-in-law, Mrs. VIM.
Tetimore. Mrs. Tetimore's daughter
Edith was also on the appalling list
of the missing. Mr.. Haas was under
the constant care Of a physician. With
his sister, Miss Emma Haas, he re-
turned to his home about 5 o'clock. He
told this story Of the disaster:
when tine fire shot up to the top
deck and drove the crowd back the
panic was terrible. The crush from
the forward part of the boat swept
those in the rear along. The women
and children chung to the ratings and
stanchions, but could not keep their
holds. / with my wife and daughter
were swept along with the rest.
"In the great crush many women
tainted and fell to the deck, to be
trampled upon. Little children We're
knocked down. Mothers with their
little boys and girls in their arms
would give wild creams and then leap
into the water. We could see boats
pulling out from the shore by this
time, and a faint ray of hope came to
us.
with my wife and daughter I had
been swept over to the rail. I got my
wife and daughter out OF the rail and
then we went overheard. 1 was so eX-
cited that I don't remember whether
we were pushed over or jumped.
When I struck the water I sank. and
when 1 rose there were scores about
me fighting to keep ahoat. One by
one I saw them sink around me. But
1 was powerless to do anything.
81 was holding my wife and daugh-
ter up in the water as best I could,
almost under the side Of the boat,
when some one, jumping from the
rail directly above me, landed on top
of us. My hold was broken, and we all
went under together. When I came up
my wife and child were gone.
with a great effort I managed to
keep afoat, but my strength was about
gone when a man on one of the tugs