One Of The Deadliest Accidents In U.S. History Happened Right Here In New York
By Lisa Sammons|Published September 27, 2021
×
Lisa Sammons
Author
Lisa loves animals and has dogs, rats, cats, guinea pigs, and snakes. She is passionate about animal rescue and live music - traveling across the country to see a favorite band is a pretty regular occurrence! Being out hiking in the woods enjoying the scenery with her beloved dogs is another favorite hobby, and also checking out the Pokemon Go scene in whatever city she happens to be in at any given time (coffee and dog leash in hand). You can reach Lisa at lsammons@onlyinyourstate.com
When you think of disasters in New York, nothing could compare to the horrors of September 11, 2001. Nearly a century before that horrific day, another tragic disaster occurred here. In June 1904, the General Slocum steamboat caught fire and sank in New York City’s East River. The disaster was the worst to occur in New York in terms of loss of life up to that point. More than 1,000 people perished in the accident.
The ship was named after Civil War General and New York Congressman Henry Warner Slocum. General Slocum was a 264-foot long, three-deck steamboat. Designed by a Brooklyn boatbuilder, she was first launched in 1891.
General Slocum had a bit of a troubled history. She ran aground three times in her first three years of operation and suffered several collisions. In 1901, drunken passengers attempted a riot, and several ended up arrested.
General Slocum was used as a passenger boat to take people sight-seeing through New York City. In 1904, a church rented out the ship for their annual picnic trip.
The ship sank quickly. Out of the nearly 1,400 people on board, nearly 1,000 were killed. Very few adult men were onboard, and more than 700 children died. Only 251 people escaped uninjured.
Several factors combined to make this tragedy so deadly. The company that owned the ship skimped on safety measures, and life preserver manufacturers had saved money by minimizing the amount of cork in the life jackets.
Another contributing factor was that the fashionable woolen clothes of the era were extremely heavy. Most Americans of that time period could not swim, so many people drowned.
After the tragedy, the captain was convicted of criminal negligence for his role in the disaster. Several memorial structures have been erected in honor of the victims.
Perhaps the only good thing to come out of this tragedy was that passenger ship safety standards were greatly improved. The last surviving passenger from the General Slocum, Adella Wotherspoon, passed away in 2004 at the age of 100.
Were you familiar with this terrible accident?
OnlyInYourState may earn compensation through affiliate links in this article. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.
