Weekly Independent

A Terrible Accident.

Five hundred persons, almost all children, perished Wednesday by the burning of the excursion steamer General Slocum, near Hell Gate in the East river. The Slocum with the annual Sunday School excursion of St. Marks German Lutheran church on board was going up the river to one of the resorts on Long Island Sound. When near 125th street persons on shore saw smoke and flames spring from the upper part of the crowded steamer. A panic ensued on the boat almost instantly. The crowds on the forward deck began to spring overboard or to crowd to the after part of the boat. It was estimated that 2,000 people were on board.

The children had been invited to the lower deck where ice cream and soda were served. They were falling over each other to get to the tables when without warning there was a burst of flames from the furnace room that rushed up through the engine room, setting fire to the clothing of the women and children who were watching the machinery. There was the most terrible panic as the women and children rushed among those surrounding the tables. The flames spread in bursts that soon had the entire deck enveloped. Great numbers jumped overboard and were sucked into the whirlpools at Hell Gate.

The captain and crew stuck to the burning boat and did all in their power to prevent the people from jumping overboard. The captain's hat was burning when he jumped from the boat after it was beached at the lower end of North Brothers island at Port Morris.