A quiz question · hard
Why did the General Slocum's life jackets sink instead of float when the steamer caught fire on 15 June 1904?
The 1891 Kahnweiler manufacturer had met the federal weight requirement by adding iron filings to the cork dust. Several hundred passengers jumped in wearing the legally-mandated jackets and sank. 1,021 of about 1,300 picnickers died — the deadliest day in NYC until 11 September 2001.
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The East River Excursion Steamer That Caught Fire on 15 June 1904 With Approximately 1,300 German-American Picknickers Aboard and Killed 1,021 of Them The PS General Slocum caught fire in the East River off East 90th Street at approximately 10:00 a.m. on 15 June 1904. About 1,300 mostly German-American passengers from the St Mark's Lutheran Church annual Sunday-school picnic were aboard. The fire hoses were rotted, the life jackets were filled with cork dust packed with iron weights to meet the legal weight requirement, and 1,021 people died — most of them women and children.
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