On June 15, 1904, a fun excursion down the East River in New York soon turned into a tragedy when the General Slocum, a huge steamship, caught on fire. It was devastating and had long-lasting consequences. Do you know the story, or is this your first time hearing it?

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SOURCES

“1,000 Lives May Be Lost in Burning of the Excursion Boat Gen. Slocum.” The New York Times (New York City, New York), June 16, 1904. www.newspapers.com.

Associated Press. “Excursion Boat Burns.” Buffalo Evening News (Buffalo, New York), June 15, 1904. www.newspapers.com.

Magazine, Smithsonian. “A Spectacle of Horror – the Burning of the General Slocum.” Smithsonian.com. Smithsonian Institution, February 21, 2012. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/a-spectacle-of-horror-the-burning-of-the-general-slocum-104712974/.

“PS General Slocum.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, January 15, 2023. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PS_General_Slocum.

“Queens, NY - General Slocum Disaster Memorial and Mass Grave.” RoadsideAmerica.com. Accessed January 29, 2023. https://www.roadsideamerica.com/tip/23195.