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The General Slocum Disaster Trivia Quiz

On June 15, 1904, over 1,000 people died in a raging fire on board the New York ferry, General Slocum. Test your knowledge of this disaster.

A multiple-choice quiz by Velociraptor. Estimated time: 5 mins.

Author
Velociraptor

Time
5 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
260,306

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Tough

Avg Score
6 / 10

Plays
499

Awards
Top 5% quiz!

Last 3 plays: Johnmcmanners (10/10), ptc123 (9/10), Guest 107 (6/10).

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. At 9:30am on June 15, 1904, the paddleboat ferry, General Slocum, slipped its moorings with around 1,300 people onboard. What New York neighbourhood were most of these people from? Hint

Little Ukraine

Little Italy

Little Germany

Little Odessa

NEXT>

Question 2 of 10

2. On what waterway was the General Slocum sailing when the disaster occurred? Hint

East River

Upper New York Bay

Hudson River

Long Island Sound

NEXT>

Question 3 of 10

3. At 10am, as the General Slocum was passing East 90th Street, the fatal fire began. Where did it start? Hint

In the engine room

In a forward storage compartment

In a lounge

In a rear storage compartment

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Question 4 of 10

4. Crew members tried to extinguish the fire using hoses, but these attempts failed, as the rusted pipes which the hoses were attached to could not draw water into them.

True

False

5. When the captain, William Van Schiack, was informed that the ferry was on fire, he did not attempt to stop the General Slocum where she was. He later claimed this was because he was concerned about igniting oil tanks on the shore.

True

False

NEXT>

Question 6 of 10

6. As the fire spread out of control, the panicking crowds of people on board tried to escape. Why could they not use the lifeboats? Hint

The lifeboats were old, and collapsed as people climbed into them

The lifeboats were stuck to the deck by layers of paint

There weren't any lifeboats

The crew rushed ahead and took the lifeboats for themselves

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Question 7 of 10

7. The life preservers were also no help to the passengers. Why? Hint

They were all tied together, and the passengers could not unravel them

They were all kept in a single room blocked by the fire

They were old, and fell apart when people tried to use them

There were only enough life preservers for the crew, not the passengers

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Question 8 of 10

8. Which of the following contributed to the deaths of people who jumped into the river to escape the flames? Hint

Most of the women and children couldn't swim

The churning paddle wheel sucked in and killed many people

Their clothing became waterlogged

All of these

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Question 9 of 10

9. Which of the following did NOT happen as a result of the General Slocum disaster? Hint

The company which owned the General Slocum went bankrupt

The captain was convicted of negligence, and imprisoned

Regulations were issued to improve ship safety

Many families left the passengers' neighbourhood

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Question 10 of 10

10. What happened to the remains of the General Slocum? Hint

Used to build a pier

Scrapped

Rebuilt as a barge

Used to build a memorial

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Most Recent Scores

Nov 04 2024 : Johnmcmanners: 10/10
Oct 27 2024 : ptc123: 9/10
Oct 25 2024 : Guest 107: 6/10

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. At 9:30am on June 15, 1904, the paddleboat ferry, General Slocum, slipped its moorings with around 1,300 people onboard. What New York neighbourhood were most of these people from?

Answer: Little Germany

Little Germany, or "Kleindeutschland", was located around what is now Alphabet City, in the Lower East Side, Manhattan, and was, naturally, populated by German immigrants.

2. On what waterway was the General Slocum sailing when the disaster occurred?

Answer: East River

The General Slocum was taking its passengers to Eaton's Neck on Long Island. It was a picnic trip, which had been organised each year on a regular basis for 17 years by that time, by the St. Mark's Evangelical Lutheran Church. Since it was a working day, most of the passengers were women and children.

3. At 10am, as the General Slocum was passing East 90th Street, the fatal fire began. Where did it start?

Answer: In a forward storage compartment

The cause of the fire is uncertain, but it is widely believed to have been started by a discarded match.

4. Crew members tried to extinguish the fire using hoses, but these attempts failed, as the rusted pipes which the hoses were attached to could not draw water into them.

Answer: False

In fact, the hoses themselves were made of old material, and simply burst open when water came through them. The fact that the crew had never had a fire drill didn't help the situation.

Answer: True

Instead, Van Schiack tried to reach North Brother Island, further up river, and run the ferry aground there. But travelling at speed, and into headwinds, fanned the fire and helped it spread.

6. As the fire spread out of control, the panicking crowds of people on board tried to escape. Why could they not use the lifeboats?

Answer: The lifeboats were stuck to the deck by layers of paint

The General Slocum had passed a safety inspection not long before the fire, despite this.

7. The life preservers were also no help to the passengers. Why?

Answer: They were old, and fell apart when people tried to use them

It has even been suggested that to bring the life preservers up to their required weight, and save money, they had actually been filled with iron bars as well as cork.

8. Which of the following contributed to the deaths of people who jumped into the river to escape the flames?

Answer: All of these

The General Slocum managed to reach North Brother Island, and was beached there. In all, of the 1,300 people onboard, just 321 survived, picked up either by boats, or out of the water on North Brother Island. The rest were killed by the fire, drowning, or the collapse of the decks.

9. Which of the following did NOT happen as a result of the General Slocum disaster?

Answer: The company which owned the General Slocum went bankrupt

The General Slocum was owned by the Knickerbocker Steamship Company, who only had to pay a fine.

Captain Van Schaick was sentenced to ten years of hard labour, but only served three and a half, as he was pardoned by President Taft.

Following the sadness and arguments caused in Little Germany by the disaster, 170 of the 622 families who had members onboard the Slocum, moved away within the first year after the fire. Few of the original residents remained by 1910. In his book "Ship Ablaze", Edward O'Donnell says, "The Slocum disaster did not cause the disintegration of Little Germany (the trend was well underway by the 1890s) but it did make it happen more quickly."

10. What happened to the remains of the General Slocum?

Answer: Rebuilt as a barge

The barge, renamed the Maryland, sank in December 1911.

Source: Author Velociraptor

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor bloomsby before going online.
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