The evening world. Newspaper, June 15, 1904, Page 3

- AWFUL STORY OF DISASTER TOLD BY SURVIVORS. SCENE ON Se aS i sD THE WORLD: WEDNESDAY “NORTH BROTHER ISLAND, THE From Photograph Taken for The Eve. feleiniefeleleteieieleiefelelnfeleleiet Aricietei When The Evening World reporters reached North Brother Island tha gveen sward was covered with the dead and rescned. Women and children were rusiing back and forth across the .vland erying and calling for friends or lost ones. The scene on the island was most heart rending. Workinen }on the Island had abandoned their labors to aid in comforting the stricken | ones. EVENING, JUNE 15, 1904 BEACH STRE ning World by Photographer Curtis. Slt en cares aia eee cee Recenter Mothers huddled their children about them and boys and girls who had lost their parents In the fire or water ran frantically hither and thither among the rescued, gazing into every face in the hope of finding a loved | one. These children even went to the heartrending extent of examining Who a few minutes before were enjoying the prospects of a happy holiday RESCUED TELL HOM LIVES WERE SAVED Many Deeds of Heroism Described by - Excursionists— Boy of 13 Shields a Little Girl with His Own Small Body When People Fell on Them. : George Gray, thirteen years old, of No. 309 East Fourteenth street. one of the survivors, tells the following story of his experience: \ “J was sitting on the rear of the upper deck with my two friends, Otto Hans, of No. 310 East Fourteenth street, and Albert Greenwall. of No. 326 East Fourteenth street. The boat was just passing out of Hell Gate and going toward an islanc when I smelled fire. “IT said to Otto and Albert, ‘Hey, boys, there's a fire,’ and we jumped up on a seat and tried to pull down some life-preservers. “A lot of them were rotten and all the cork came out of them. Wonien and children around us were yelling something awful. Whils we were pull- A} ing at the life-preservers a big cloud of smoke and flame came right up out of the centre of the boat. Then the boat seemed to stop, and the women began jumping overboard, and I saw sofhe of them throw their babies in the water and jump after them, “After the fire came all up around the deck the boat got started again, bnt the people kept jumping over. ‘There wasn’t any tug boats near us then, but soon I’saw a lot coming for us, got Otto and Albert to stay with me. “We all had got life preservers for ourselves and for three iittie girls who we held on to when they tried to jump. WATER FILLED WITH STRUGGLING PEOPLE. “While we were working getting the life-preservers the tugs were coming at us fast, but all back of us in the water I could see men, women and children going down. Most of them couldn't swim at all, and went f right down as soon as they jumped over. “The first tug that came to us was the Director, It was a big boat and came right up near us as we were going toward the island. “I jumped onto the boat, and then a whole crowd of people jumped on top of me. Half of them that jumped on the boat fell into the water be- tween the side of the tug and the steamer. MAN FLINGS BABY OVERBOARD. “Pretty ‘soon there were 80 many on her that her rear end was way down in the water and her bow way up fh the air, but they kept on jump- Ing and slipping into the river and going down. I got a hold of a little girl's leg who was falling over, pulled her up and sat on her so as to keep her from being pushed over. “As 1 was on the boat I saw a man on the upper deck take a baby and throw It into the watdr. The baby’s hair was all on fire and she fell in the water near the tug and a man jumped over and got her and brought her on to the Director. BOATS PICK UP SEVEN GIRLS. “As the tugs came around the boal everybody that was left tried to jump wn them, and they jumped on top of each other, lots of them rolling off the. decks of the tugs into the water. I saw a fot of young girls swimming towards the island who were picked up by rowboats. ‘g saw two little girls who hadn't life-preservers on, but who could swim, sink when a wave made by one of the tugs rolled over them. The women and vhe kids were crying and yelling so that you couldn't hear the shouts of the men who had come on the tugs to rescue us, “I saw about ten men jump overboard long before the tugs came and not one of them could swim. ‘I'lley were shouting for help and they all I was afraid to jump over and was going to sink or turn over, sha steamed-for the New York shore where we got off and a lot of us were taken in wagons to the Blevated road.” BRAVE BOY SAVES YOUNG GIRL. John Tishner, thirteen years old, of No. 404 Fifth street, anoth vivor, describes his experiences and his rescue as follows: “I was down on the lower deck with Ida Wousky, fourteen years old, Who lives in the same House with me. We were eating ice cream when che bemaedgend right.pear‘us, Everybody seemed to be yelling fire and I iy er sur: went down. After the Director had so many on her that I thought she! saw a lot of women with their hair and dresses buritwng jump into the water | long before any boats came near us, “My friend, Ida Wousky, was going to faint, but I kicked her in the shins and waked her up. Then I got a lot of life preservers most of them rotten and after a long time I got one on Ida. “The tugs were coming near us then and I told her to jump. She wouldn't jump and I pushed her over. Then J jumped in the water myself| and I got hold of her hair and ‘held her yp until the tug came and we were | pulled out. | WOMEN THROW BABIES INTO WATER. \ “T guess I saw more than two hundred people jump over on my side of the boat ten minutes before the tugs, rowboats and launches came any- where near us. I couldn't see on the other side of the boat, but I could hear them screaming and I could hear the splashes in the water as they jumped overboard, “After I first saw the smoke and flames there was a terrible rush of peo- ple to the rear of the boat. They were pushing and pulling each other until} those near the railing were ¢rowded over In the water, falling on top of| each other as they landed In the river. I saw a lot of women throw their ‘babies overboard and then fall after them. Most of these women ‘ drowned. “There was a lot of my friens on the boat. Some of them were res- cued and some of them I didn't see after we got ashore. Harry Gambich-} ner, of No. 404 Fifth street, Mrs. Gross, George Gross and two little girls of) No. 90 First avenue, were eating ice cream together when the fire started. | ‘I saw George Gross get some life preservrs for them and then when the} | smoke came up that was the last I saw of them. GIRL SWIMS ASHORE WITH BABY. | “Another friend of mine. Paul Kasner, fourteen years old, who lives on | First avenue, between Ffth and Sixth streets, was near me when the fire started. I saw him get a life-preserver and jump off. He was picked up by a tugboat. “I saw a lot of girls that Jived near me get life-preservers and jump into the water long before the tugs cate. They were all swimmers and got. | ashore. Ohe of the girls I saw swim all the way in with a baby. “I guess i saw fifty balies in the water before the tugboats came, and the men and women were jumping in on top of them, Whén they got the tug to the New York shore a man took me in a buggy to the elevated sta- tion and I Went home and told my mother that I wasn't drowned.” GIRL SLIDES DOWN POLE TO WATER. Miss Marie Kreuger, of No. 451 West End avenue. who was rescued and taken to the Harlem Hospital, said: “I was sitting on the upper deck when there was a cry of fire. Men came among us ond told us to be quiet. The women and children were panic stricken. I slid down fn poie to the water and held on by a rope on the side of the boat. “The flames began to shoot out of the portholes and I had to let go A little boy was near me holding to a life preserver. A coal barge was near and a deck hand threw us a rope, which we got and were pulled aboard the coal barge. ‘ “I saw my cousin and sister, but they disappeared. An ambulance with Dr. Krauskopt, of Harlem Hospital, came along and trought-ts Here.” William Payne, the colored man who had charge of the lamps, said: “They are trying {o put the blame on me, but I will not stand for it. I worked for two hours in the lamp room before the fire, but I was not smoking. I didn’t have a smoke eince last night. “While I was worling in the lamp room two of the deck hands came into the room. [ don't know whether or not they were smoking.” GIRL, LOSES MOTHER AND BROTHER. Lucy Hencken, fifteen years old, of No. 169 South Second street, Brook- lyn, who lost her mother and brother in the disaster, tells the follow thrilling story of her experience: , “When the fire started I was sitting with my mother in the rear of the boat. My brother was on one of the lower decks. As soon as we saw thu smoke and heard the cries of ‘Fire!’ my mother asked me to go below ani flad my brother. , “When I got down the stairway I found the crushed bodies of three little babies, who had been trampled upon in the terrible scramble. They werg all still living, and I carried them up to my mother and put them on her lap. Then I went glow again to find my brother. I saw him for a moment, and then he was swept-away from me in the surge of men and women who were rushing from the flantes. “T succeeded in getting back to the upper deck, vit when I went to look for my mother and the three bables I had remcned they were gone. With my mother and brother xone from me I didn’t™want to live any longer, so T Jumped in, As I was going down a man on the tugbort Theo caught me with @ hoathook and dvagged me on the deck of the boat.” BOY RECOVERS-GRANDMOTHER’S BODY. Charles Schwartz, seventeen yeare old, of No. 141 Hast ‘Phird street, was saved, but he lost hie mother, Mrs. Louise Schwartz, and his grand- mOther, Who was sixty.elght years old, He says of his experience: _ “When the fire started I was sitting with my mother and grandmother on the upper deck. _My mother ran from me, sayfng she would Igok after herself, and bidding me care ‘for my grandmother. Rhea yaar 4 Grandmother to the rail to await for the approach of | | ing some boat, but suddenly the rail gave way and with scores of others we were dumped into the water. In the struggle of the mass who were fighting | to keep up, my grandmother was torn from me and drowned before I could | reach her I swam around, looking for her body, until I was picked up by | a tug. “I was taken ashore to North Brother Island. As I was standing on | the shore I saw a number of bodies floating toward me, Thereupon I un- dressed and swam out. Among the bodies | found that of my grandmother and brought it ashore., 1 fear my mother was drowned with those who were swept into the water when the rail gave way.” ' TAKEN FROM STEAMER BY TUG. Mrs. Kate Gring!e, one of the survivors, who resides at No. 439 East jouston street, gave this version of the harrowing story to an Evening orld reporter on North Brother Island. She sald “The fire Aeemed to spring out of the fore part of the vessel, and the shout went round that the bow of the ship had taken fire, I could see the first evidence of it in the smoke which pOwred from the forward hold. “T saw the captain and heard him, too, shouting to the crew to man the fire hose, and he directed the efforts of his men in fighting the fire, which he told ther: was in the forward hold. I heard that distinctly. I was amony the lot taken from the hoat by a tug and I never shall forret the moments of anxlety when the tug was corning alorgside to take us off. \ “T never shail forget the sight of panic ricken women and children. It was dreadful. I can’t tell a connected stor, I lost some of my own in the fire. I don't know what nas become of them. “{ heard just now that the fire was started in the lamp room and they are all blaming a colored porter for being responsible.” TWO SISTERS RESCUED. Among those saved were Miss Florence Wels, of No, 507 East Elghty- seventh street, and her sister, Mrs, Nichola Schumacher, of No. 520 Hast Fighty-second street. Miss Weis said: “We were on the stern of the boat. and the first we knew of the fire we saw passengers im the water, They had jumped from the forward part of the boat. ~It-seemed only half a minute later that the fire was sweeping over the upper part of the vessel, and we found ourselves in danger of being burned. z “Phere was a constant stream of passengers jumping from the boat from the time it caught fire until it.was beached. Hundreds of them went over the side and must-have veen swept away before assistance arrived “Pretty soon a boat came alongside and my sister and | were thrown onto {t, I don’t know how, After we had got into the rescue boat some one jumped on top of me and injured my head.” » + OTHER AND BROTHER DROWNED IN HIS SIGHT. John Ell, fourteen years old, one of the survivors of the disaster, gave the following account of his ‘verrible experience, his mother and two brothers being drowned before his eyes, to an Evening World reporter: “I left the Third street plier at 9 o'clock. I, my mother and my little brother Paul made one of a large party from our district. With us wera John Fishman, of No. 401 Fifth street; John Gray, of No. 309 East Four- teenth street; Albert Greenwall, of No. 26 East Fourteenth street, and Otto Hans, of No. 310 Bast Fourteenth street. “When we left the pier the deck was packed to the limit of its capacity, The band was playing, the children ‘vere frolicking about and we were all| having a fine time, | “As we neared Hell Gate children were called down to the lower deck | where {ce cream and soda water were served. “The children were falling all over each other in an effort to get to} the tables which held the refreshments, With my mother and my little brother Paul I went to the engine room to watch the machinery, I was standing there with John "ray, Albert Greenwall, Otto Hans and a number of children. | “Suddenly and without the least note of warning there was a burst of; flame from the furnace room that rushed up through the engine-room| and flashed out about us. The flames spread with the rapidity of an ex- plosion, setting fire to the clothing of the women and children who wera grouped about the engine-rocm watching the machinery. CHILDREN SCREAM IN AGONY. “My mother's dress an4 my Iitule brother's clothing caught fire, and I grabbed thom and started to rush for the side of the boat. There was the most terrible panic as the burning women and children rushed out among those surrounding the ice cream and soda water tables screaming} and yelling with pain. “In the terrific scramble my mother and little brother were swept from me and carried toward the side where the children and women with their clothes burning had begun to jump into the water. The flames spread in bursts that soon had the entire deck enveloped. “The crew were helpless to render any assistance or make efforts to check the advance of the fire. We were just passing out through Hell Gate when the fre started. The captain headed the boat toward North Brother ¢ WN WITH BODIES: eb eee niciebicichreeieleieieleieleieteinteieiefeleiefeieteleicielebeleieieiriebeinireieeit ioe nieleieieleieieielebevieiricisieeeitieirine ieee’ t ¢ - - TAPOREEBS CESARE BSE SESHESELSESSESOSE Aeneseessecscesetasesovesssesesess 99998090800006 SPS POSSTIIIESIIIDISS elvieirininleieeieinielenieicleiieiee eels einen ieee nich eicieleleleteieleiniin eileen nicinieitineieinininie nitinininnit ine teri rinl the faces of the line of dead, fearful that numbered among them were those for whom they sought. The police arrived with remarkable prompt~ | ness on the island, and with the assistance of citizens and laborers’ did afl \in their power to comfort those on the island. Island and the pilots who were with him yelled frantically to us to stay aboard until they beached the boat WOMEN LEAP INTO WHIRLPOOLS. “But in a moment after the flames had burst from the engine-room great numbers began to jump overboard. ‘fhe women were wild with fright, and snatching their children to them leaped into the whirlpools that carried theme toward the rocks on both shores. “When she was grounded the flames had spread over the enthre upper and lower decks. There were only a few spots on the boat untouched by the flames and in these were piled up women who had faifted and falling pinne® | others to the deck. ‘The men from the tugs who could get near the steamboat shouted ior those on board to jump, und then the small boais picked tiem up by the® score. x “Many charred and burned bodies were floating In the wake of tha General Slocum as she made for North Brother Island. r “I remained on board, as I could not got to the side to leap over bed cause of the mass of wreckage and burned podies of children piled ini front of me. My face and bands, as you see, are badly burned. “As soon as I reached shore I rushed for the elevated road to hurry and notify my father of the disaster.” SAVES HIS SWEETHEART; — LOSES FOUR SISTERS. With his arm about the sweetheart he had saved, Henry Iden, aged nineteen, of No. 100 East Fourth street, came ashore with te last load of survivors His four sisters, he reparted, had been lost. They were Annie, aged twelve; Etta, nine; Minnie, seven, and Grace, five. His swebtheart, Amelia Swartz, eighteen years old, of No. 141 East Third street, was broken-hearted! at the loss of her-mother, Mrs. Louisa Swartz,‘aged forty-three; her grand- mother, Mrs. Anna Elizabeth Burkhardt, aged fifty-nine; her aunt, Mrag Christina Burkhardt, and the latter's three-months-old daughter, Mabel. Art eight-year-old son, Adam, had been seen running about the island seeking! wildly for his mother. £ HOW HE SAVED HIS SWEETHEART. “I was sitting on the lower deck with Miss Swartz when the fir broke out,” related Iden. “We hac smelled smoke for about Tour minutes, bur thought it came from the kitchen, where clam chowder was being cooked. j “Suddeniy I noticed people on shore waving their arms, and I could hear them shouting. Then I saw the fire. I got two life-preservers, anJ. put one on Miss Swartz angie other on myself. “Wo crowded to the wy atayel ticre urtil uho boat went agrom when over we went. The fire was so hot that I kept ducking Miss Swarts | under water every minute or so, aud -lid the same myself. After awhile wi were pulled aboard a tug.” The faces of both Idea and Miss Swartz were blistered. ————————— PASTOR HAAS SAVED; WIFE AND SON MISSING.. he Rey. Dr. Haas, pastor of St. aMrk's, was on the boat with his wifd and twelve-year-old boy. His assistant Rev. J. J. Schurz, was also with him, When the panic began Dr. Haas, his wife and boy were throwm over- board, He held on to them for a while and was guiding them to eafety whed _ { some persons frantically took hold of the group and separated them, Cr. Haas was rescued at North Brother Island and is now at: Lebanow Hospital. He saw no more of his wife and child and it is supposed they wert, drownea, According to I deck, near the engine-room. the kitchen when he saw a big pan of fat on the stove catch fire, ‘The cook rar out yelling ‘Fire!'" says Mr. Haas, “and almost ‘before I knew it the whole kitchen was ablaze, The flames leaped along the deck, and by the time I got to the forward part the whole side of the boat was, in flames.”” Joseph Ella, a musician attached to the Metropolitan Opera-Honse or< / chestra, came ashore ‘on tio steamer Massasoit and told a heartsrendimg story of the loss of his wif? and twelve-year-old daugater, Elsie, He said they were on the lower deck when the upper part of the Gen, Slocum felF and they were pinned to the burning deck. He made every effort to save them and several men helped him, but they were finally all driven back by: stor Haas the fire started in the kitchen on the lower He says that he was looking in the door of the flames and forced overboard. mother anfchild were lost. Ella was frantic with grief. Over a score of burned and half-drowned persons were nescued by employees of the De La Vergne Manufacturing Company, which has @ plant at One Hundred and Thirty-elghth street and the Bast River, soon as the employees of the factory saw the predicament of the ists they put out in small boats and did good rescue work. hour work in the factory was practically at a beewy \ ¥ } ‘ There is no doubt in his mind that both 75 ag