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SHIP ABLAZE: THE TRAGEDY OF THE STEAMBOAT GENERAL SLOCUM
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Ship
Ablaze The Tragedy of the Steamboat General Slocum by Edward T. O'Donnell
Ship Ablaze tells the extraordinary story of the burning of the steamboat General
Slocum, the deadliest day in New York City history before September 11. More than 1,000
New Yorkers perished on June 15, 1904 when their steamboat burst into flames on the East River.
A panicked and untrained crew, coupled with rotten life preservers and inaccessible life boats,
turned a small storage room fire into a human tragedy of immense proportions.
News of the horror made headlines around the world and elicited an enormous outpouring of
sympathy and donations. Later, as evidence of negligence and corruption on the part of the
steamer's owners mounted, sympathy turned to outrage and demands for justice that were never
fully met. In Ship Ablaze, historian Edward T. O'Donnell brings to life this
gripping tragedy and the wider, compelling story of innocents lost, heroes made, and a
city and people that overcame.
Ship
Ablaze