The Herry Steamer Disaster

Waihi Daily Telegraph, Volume IV, Issue 1032, 5 July 1904, Page 2

The Herry Steamer Disaster

An Appalliiiij Trayedy Graphic Description of ilie Harrowing Scenes (BY. SAN FRANCJSCO MAIL) San Fhancisco, June 11

Tub loss of tho excursion stimiucr General S'ocum wns one of tho most Appalling disasters in the history of Noiv York. It wns trngic in ils immensity, dramatic in its episodes, ami deeply pathetic in the tender ago of mo?t of its victuns. It was a spectaclo of horror boyond words tooo r press, The great vossel was nil in flames, which swept forward in tho sunlight within sight M tho crowded city, while helpless rrnd hundreds wero roastedalivoor ■.vu'loffed up in the waves-women and :. !iiliircn, with their hair and clothing on liro; crazed mothers casting their babies overboard or leaping with t'lem to certain death; wailing children and old men trampled under foot or crowded into tho water; the burninp steamboat with its whistle roaring for assistance, speeding on for the shoro of North Brother Island, with a trail of ghastly faces and cln'ching hands; in tho lido behind her, grey* haired mothers and tender infants going down to death together. Many of tho survivors aro principally insane, Hundreds of others aro in liospi* tals. At the extreme eastern end of Eandalls Island is a strel.'h of water known as the Sunken Meadows. At this point tho General Slocum took lire, The steamer was soon a mass of flumes. The liro is said to have broken out in the luuch-room on tho forward deck through the overturning of a pot of grease. ' The wind was high, and all efforts to subdue the flames were futile.

Captain Schaick steered for Brother Island, near tho ontronco to the Sound, where she wasboachcd in a partlyibnrned state. Hho sank in this place two hours twonty*livo minutes after tho firo was discovered.

In tho meantime the passengers lmd become panic-stricken. Those not caught up by tho (lames rushed to the roar of tho vessel, and hundreds jumped overboard into tho swiftly running waters,

Tho race to tho North Bother Island was horribly dramatic, It was niado whilo tho flumes wero fanned into fury' by tho strong headwind, consuming hundreds of persons (old and young), Tho scono was ono of frightful panic, women and children jumping overboard and being lashed by tho channol of tho whirlpool agninst tho vessel's sides. Women and children wero crowding together on thohurricano deck, which soon burned away and fell. It is believed that most of those on this deck wero burned. Afior tho rail gavo way the passengers who had crowded against it wero pushed into the rivor. Mothers and children became separated, and frantically sought each other, whilo in several cases fathers and mothers, gathering their children together, jumped with them into tho wator. Lictlo children, holding each other by tho hand, jumped togetlw, and woro afterwards found clasped in each other's arms. It is allogod that men fought with women to escape, resulting in tho trampling under loot of scores of children.