East River Fire

 

 

     Excitement filled the air.  Over 1300 passengers, mostly women and children, moved forward on a Manhattan pier jutting into the East River as they boarded the excursion steamship General Slocum bound for Long Island. It was June 15, 1904.
     The passengers were members of St. Mark's Evangelical Lutheran Church. They were German-Americans who lived in the Little Germany neighborhood of Manhattan. The trip to Eaton's Neck, Long Island, was an annual group picnic event.
     Whistles and bells announced the ship's departure at 9:30 A.M. As the ship steamed past East 90th Street on the East River, a fire started in the forward Lamp Room. Captain William Van Schaick was notified at 10:10 A.M. The ship's crew was ordered to put out the fire, but most of the fire hoses were in a state of disrepair. Some were so rotten that they fell apart. Meanwhile, passengers found life preservers that were rotten with age, and as useless as the fire hoses. Some life preservers that could be used were soon waterlogged and too heavy. Many children and women who wore them sank in the river and drowned.
     The crew of 30 had never practiced a fire drill. Lifeboats were secured with wire and even painted in place and impossible to lower. Passengers were jumping over the side with or without life jackets. Most of the women and children did not know how to swim. Some passengers were caught in the ship's side-paddles as they went over the side to escape the fire. Others died when the fire-ravaged wood decks collapsed.
     Captain Van Schaick turned the ship into the wind, which fueled the fire. In addition, paint in forward lockers caught fire. Soon the triple-decked, side-wheel steamship was ablaze, fire out of control. The ship was taking on water and listing. The captain made one final effort to save the ship by grounding it on North Brother Island off the Bronx shore.
     It was estimated that 1,021 passengers and 2 crew members had burned to death or drowned. There were 321 survivors. It was the worst disaster in New York City's history before the tragic loss of life on September 11, 2001.
     A Federal grand jury indicted eight people after the maritime disaster: Captain Van Schiack, two inspectors, the Knickerbocker Steamship Company president, secretary, treasurer and commodore.
     Captain Van Schiack was convicted of criminal negligence and sentenced to ten years in prison. The other defendants were found not guilty.

 

(left click on photos to enlarge)

References:
1) New York Times, June 16, 1904.
2) Wikipedia, General Slocum
3) North Brother Island
4) Cortland Standard