General Slocum

On 15 June 1904, a church outing in New York City turned into one of the deadliest disasters in American history.

More than a thousand women and children from the German immigrant community of Lower Manhattan boarded the excursion steamer General Slocum for a summer picnic on the water. It was meant to be a day of music, laughter, and relief from the crowded city streets.

Instead, the vessel became a floating inferno.

When fire broke out aboard the aging wooden steamer, passengers quickly discovered that the safety equipment meant to save them had been neglected for years. Life preservers fell apart. Fire hoses failed. Panic spread as flames raced through the ship.

Many passengers were driven into the East River to escape the burning vessel.

More than 1,000 people died, making the General Slocum disaster the worst loss of life in New York City before 9/11 and one of the deadliest maritime disasters in American history.

The tragedy devastated the neighbourhood known as Little Germany, destroying families, churches, and an entire immigrant community.

In this powerful historical account, Gordon J. MacKenzie tells the full story of the disaster:

• The vibrant world of New York's German immigrant community
• The rise of excursion steamers in the early twentieth century
• The deadly fire that consumed the General Slocum
• The shocking failures of safety equipment and inspections
• The destruction of Little Germany and the legacy of the disaster

A gripping story of negligence, loss, and the price of complacency, General Slocum: Burning of New York's Deadliest Ship restores one of America's most devastating forgotten tragedies.