Ship Ablaze: The General Slocum Disaster (DVD), HISTORY CHANNEL, 2004
On a beautiful spring morning in June 1904, approximately 1,300 New Yorkers boarded the steamer General Slocum for a daylong excursion to Long Island. Less than an hour later, over 1,000 of them were dead.
SHIP ABLAZE is a detailed account of the overlooked disaster that remained the deadliest event in New York City history until September 11th. An annual church excursion turned fatal when fire broke out onboard, forcing the largely German immigrant passengers--most of whom could not swim--into the water to escape the flames. SHIP ABLAZE draws on firsthand accounts, including the last known interviews with the two longest living survivors, to bring this tragedy to life, while historians speculate on why the Slocum escaped the infamy of the Titanic or the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire.
A comprehensive exploration of an overlooked event in American history. Contemporary accounts and recent investigations shed light on the Slocum's fate. Includes the last known interviews with the longest living survivors of the Slocum disaster.
50 minutes, fully narrated, DVD ONLY, ISBN:0-7670-6667-7, DS5015 / $24.95
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