The 1904 Wreck of the Paddle Steamer General Slocum (Episode 59)
05/16/22 • 52 min
On a sunny June day in 1904, well over a thousand German-American residents of Manhattan set out for a picnic and river cruise aboard the stately P.S. General Slocum. Fourteen years old, freshly painted and polished, and enjoying a reputation as one of New York's largest and most comfortable excursion steamships, the General Slocum was also a master class in maritime safety violations, with lifeboats that couldn't be launched, life preservers that couldn't float, and a fire suppression system that relied on rotten hoses and an untrained crew. Two hours after her launch that day, the vast majority of her passengers would be dead; the remainder would spend years trying to come to terms with New York's worst maritime disaster.
On this episode, we're discussing fake safety inspections, imaginary fire drills, what makes cork float, swimming in Hell Gate, life in New York City's Little Germany, and some theories on why some disasters are remembered far longer than others.
Love the show? Support us on Patreon, at www.patreon.com/RelativeDisastersPodcast.
Sources for this episode include:
New York’s Awful Steamboat Horror, HD Northrup, 1905
The General Slocum, by J. Kalafus for Gare Maritime, 2007
"The General Slocum Disaster of June 15, 1904", by V Wingfield for the New York Public Library Blog, 2011
"Thousands Sob as Baby Unveils Slocum Statue" NY Times, 1905
“Fearful Visitation, The Steamship Fire of the General Slocum, 1904” documentary by PBS, 2004
On a sunny June day in 1904, well over a thousand German-American residents of Manhattan set out for a picnic and river cruise aboard the stately P.S. General Slocum. Fourteen years old, freshly painted and polished, and enjoying a reputation as one of New York's largest and most comfortable excursion steamships, the General Slocum was also a master class in maritime safety violations, with lifeboats that couldn't be launched, life preservers that couldn't float, and a fire suppression system that relied on rotten hoses and an untrained crew. Two hours after her launch that day, the vast majority of her passengers would be dead; the remainder would spend years trying to come to terms with New York's worst maritime disaster.
On this episode, we're discussing fake safety inspections, imaginary fire drills, what makes cork float, swimming in Hell Gate, life in New York City's Little Germany, and some theories on why some disasters are remembered far longer than others.
Love the show? Support us on Patreon, at www.patreon.com/RelativeDisastersPodcast.
Sources for this episode include:
New York’s Awful Steamboat Horror, HD Northrup, 1905
The General Slocum, by J. Kalafus for Gare Maritime, 2007
"The General Slocum Disaster of June 15, 1904", by V Wingfield for the New York Public Library Blog, 2011
"Thousands Sob as Baby Unveils Slocum Statue" NY Times, 1905
“Fearful Visitation, The Steamship Fire of the General Slocum, 1904” documentary by PBS, 2004
Previous Episode
Two Arctic Ghost Ships, the HMS Terror and the SS Baychimo (Episode 58)
It's an Arctic Ghost Ship Double-Header! First up is the HMS Terror, which carried Sir John Franklin's 1845 expedition all the way to King William Island in the very far north of Nunavut, Canada, before freezing into the pack ice and being abandoned; and in the second half, we've got the SS Baychimo, a cargo freighter lost in pack ice off the coast of Alaska in 1931. Although they were abandoned at either end of the Arctic and nearly a century apart, both the Terror and the Baychimo were repeatedly spotted - and in some cases, boarded - by locals multiple times before disappearing again.
On this episode, we're talking about how interesting the Arctic Ocean is, why so many people died looking for the Northwest Passage, pack ice fun facts, and whether kraken have bathtub toys. Put on your winter gear, pop those drinks in a cooler, and get your icebreakers ready - it's going to be a chilly one.
Love the show? Support us on Patreon, at www.patreon.com/RelativeDisastersPodcast.
Sources:
"HMS Terror and Erebus", Royal Museums of Greenwich website
"Arctic shipwreck 'frozen in time' astounds archaeologists" by R Smith for National Geographic, 2019
"Ship found in Arctic 168 years after doomed Northwest Passage attempt" by P Watson for The Guardian, 2016
"Arctic 'ghost ship' found -- Sir John Franklin's doomed HMS Terror" by B Jones for CNN.com, 2016
"Baychimo: Arctic Ghost Ship" by A Dalton, 2006
"SS Baychimo: the Ghost Ship that sailed alone for 38 years and disappeared...", staff writer for Random Times, 2018
"Rediscovering the S.S. Baychimo at the UA Museum of the North" University of Alaska Museum of the North webpage, 2016
"No traces found today of SS Baychimo, the “Ghost Ship of the Arctic” that roamed the seas unmanned for decades" by M Chalakoski for The Vintage News, 2018
Next Episode
The Astor Place Riot of 1849 (Episode 60)
On May 10, 1849, wealthy New Yorkers set out for a night at the Astor Place Opera House to enjoy English actor William Macready's performance in "Macbeth". A few streets away, however, fans of rival American actor Edwin Forrest were preparing to 'express their opinion' at the urging of inflammatory press pieces and Tammany Hall. Before the night was out, Astor Place would be the scene of chaos, rioting, and the deaths and injuries of dozens of New Yorkers, police, and soldiers.
On this episode, we're discussing theater hooliganism, William Shakespeare, English vs. American acting styles, and how the New York State militia came to be firing cannons at unarmed American citizens in the middle of Manhattan.
Love the show? Support us on Patreon, at www.patreon.com/RelativeDisastersPodcast.
Sources:
"Remembering New York City's Opera Riots", S. Simon (host), Weekend Edition, 2006
"When New York City Rioted Over Hamlet Being Too British", by B. G. Kellem for Smithsonian Magazine, 2017
If you like this episode you’ll love
Episode Comments
Generate a badge
Get a badge for your website that links back to this episode
<a href="https://goodpods.com/podcasts/relative-disasters-334435/the-1904-wreck-of-the-paddle-steamer-general-slocum-episode-59-48774520"> <img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/goodpods-images-bucket/badges/generic-badge-1.svg" alt="listen to the 1904 wreck of the paddle steamer general slocum (episode 59) on goodpods" style="width: 225px" /> </a>
Copy