121 years ago today, on June 24, 1904 (the 11th of the fifth lunar month), a ship caught fire in New York and killed 693 people. On June 24, 1904, when a fire destroyed the cruise ship General Slocum, happy tourism turned into a disaster. A total of 693 bodies were found at the scene. The death toll is estimated to be as high as 1000, with most of the victims being women and children who were part of the annual sightseeing tour of St. Marx's German Lutheran Diocese in New York City. It was a bright spring morning, and the band was playing relaxed and cheerful music. An hour later, as the boat was driving across 135th Street on the East River, people suddenly shouted,"There's a fire!" The fire of unknown cause spread rapidly. Captain von Scheck made a fatal mistake when he ordered the ship to be steered towards the far north brother island, just 300 feet off the coast of New York. Families watched helplessly as the women were burned alive, and many frantic mothers threw their own babies into the water. According to survivors, the life buoys on the boat were old and could be shattered at the touch. When the ship docked, the parts of the hull above the waterline had been burned. Almost every household in this parish is immersed in grief. () Managers of the New Yorker Shipping Company were found guilty of dereliction of duty in the USS Slocum fire.