National Events 1902: Coal Strikes cripples U.S industry for much of : New York, East River ~General Slocum sunk

Anthracite Coal Strike

Sinking of General Slocum The event occurred June 15, 1904, under the command of Captain William Van Schaick, the ship was secluded to take the members of St.Mark’s Lutheran Church to a Sunday school picnic at Locust Grove on Long Island Sound. The General was about 14 years old, and was designed to hold up to hold up to about 2500 Passengers. No one know what caused the fire, but, at 9:00am the General was ablaze. Water houses was tried, but failed because it was rotten. Life boats was tied to the deck and was unrecoverable by the passengers; life preserves was rotten as well and was useless, the passengers who had used it sunk faster because of the extra weight many passengers jumped off the boat but those who could not swim stayed aboard the burning boat. Some parents threw there children overboard in hopes to save them only to have a great many drown.

Sinking of General Slocum continued Captain William Van Schaick sailed the boat to North Brother Island hoping to ground the burning boat. He succeed, the boat had then collapse, only hundreds were left of the thousands who had boarded General Slocum. Captain William Van Schaick was then fined for having rotten life jackets, and fire hoses that burst under pressure. He was guilty of manslaughter in the form of criminal negligence and sentenced for 10 years in prison but was pardoned 4 years later by President William Howard Taft.