General Slocum was a steamboat built by Brooklyn shipbuilder, Divine Burtis Jr. Construction was completed in 1891, with her maiden voyage being in June of the same year. The ship was a sidewheel steamboat, with a twenty two person crew. The ship's purpose was as a passenger vessel, carrying them to and fro on the East River. The ship had several accidents involving groundings before the final incident in 1904. The final voyage took place on June 15, 1904. There were 1,358 passengers and a larger crew of 30 on this voyage. While underway, a fire caught in one of the rooms toward the front of the ship, spreading rapidly due to many flammable materials scattered around and those used for construction. The captain ordered the ship to be beached, ultimately saving many lives. Unfortunately, safety aboard the ship was not maintained. Life jackets disintegrated and life boats were not accessible. Most of the passengers could not swim, or were weighed down by the heavy clothing of the time. There were other infuriating issues that I will not go into for those who are interested in the story. The end result was a massive loss of life, and one of the deadliest maritime disasters in the United States.

I really enjoyed this book. I had never even heard of this disaster, and I just accidentally ran across this book in my favorite used book store. I love that store for the prices, but sometimes I really do find some gems. The detail this book provided was immense, and I learned so much from it. I would love to go see the huge memorial that is dedicated to the people who lost their lives in this disaster. If you happen to be located in Queens, the memorial is at the Lutheran All Faiths Cemetery. The passengers who died were members of the St. Marks Lutheran Evangelical Church, who had chartered this vessel for a trip.