On a June day, in 1904, at the end of the school season, a local Lutheran church took over 1400 women and children on an outing on the SS General Slocum in the East River. My grandfather, his younger sister and brother, and mother were among the passengers. Midchannel the boat caught fire and quickly burned to the waterline. The life boats were painted stuck and the life jackets did not work. The majority of passengers died from drowning or burns. This was the largest fire disaster in NYC prior to 9-11. Sadly Grandpa's siblings were among those who died from this tragic accident.
The neighborhood of mostly German immigrants never recovered. The church merged with another Lutheran church uptown and the building is now occupied by a Jewish temple.
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