Sinking of the General Slocum

The sinking of the General Slocum occurred on June 15, 1904, when a passenger steamboat caught fire near New York City. The boat was overcrowded with mostly immigrant passengers, many of whom were churchgoers. The fire started in the boiler room and quickly spread, causing panic and chaos. Due to inadequate safety measures and insufficient firefighting equipment, the vessel couldn’t be controlled. As a result, the boat sank into the East River, leading to the deaths of over 1,000 people. It remains one of the deadliest maritime disasters in U.S. history.