34 SAFETY OF LIFE FROM FIRE AT SEA. 



Probably the greatest loss of life from fire on shipboard was caused by the 

 burning of the paddle-wheel excursion steamer General Slocum, June 15, 1904, in 

 the East River, New York. The total loss of life was 957 out of 1,358 passengers 

 and 30 crew.* The vessel was of wooden construction throughout, with three 

 decks. The light wood of the upper decks had been painted and varnished many 

 times and was therefore in a highly inflammable condition. In the construction of 

 the vessel there were no safeguards against fire other than compliance with the 

 regulations as regards the proximity of woodwork to boilers. The vessel had no 

 fireproof hatches or bulkheads. In such a vessel a fire, once having obtained fair 

 headway, could not be controlled and the vessel would be quickly consumed, as 

 occurred in this instance. 



The fire started in the forward cabin, so called, this being the third compart- 

 ment under the main deck from the bow, and probably originated in a barrel con- 

 taining packing hay, communicated to it through the carelessness of some unknown 

 person. This cabin was used as a lamp room and general storage room. At the 

 time of the disaster it contained four barrels of cylinder, machine and mineral oil, 

 also a large number of paint pots and kegs and various other ship's stores and 

 rubbish. In brief, this cabin was in an excessively unsafe condition as regards fire. 



There were available on the main deck for fighting this fire a line of cheap 

 linen fire hose supplied with water from a good steam fire pump and twenty fire 

 buckets which were empty when fire started. The hose burst and was rendered 

 useless upon turning water into it. The fire spread rapidly and the vessel was 

 beached, but in the meanwhile the people were obliged to jump overboard. It 

 was learned later that no fire drills or boat drills had taken place on the vessel that 

 year. The inefficiency and poor quality of the deck crew, doubtless typical of the 

 majority of the crews of excursion steamers, was one of the essential facts that 

 caused the loss of so many lives. One of the fundamental facts which made possi- 

 ble a disaster of so extreme a nature was the character of the material and form 

 of construction of the General Slocum, and in this respect the Slocum was no more 

 dangerous than are scores of steamers still carrying passengers in the port of New 

 York and hundreds of similar vessels elsewhere. The sole protection of such a 

 vessel against fire depends on prompt extinguishment at its early inception. 



CAUSES OF FIRE. 



The most frequent causes of fires on passenger steamers are: Spontaneous 

 combustion of coal in the bunkers and of certain materials in the holds and store- 

 rooms; the ignition of volatile oils in the storerooms, such as gasoline, alcohol, 

 turpentine, etc., by the striking of matches, breaking of incandescent electric lamps, 

 tipping over of oil lanterns and candles, or other open flame ; ignition of woodwork 

 or other combustible materials in contact with steam pipes, uptakes and stacks, de- 

 fective electric wiring, and burning cigars, cigarettes and matches. 



♦From Report of the United States Commission of Investigation, 



