Chapter 44
North Brother Island
THE RIVERSIDE HOSPITAL for Contagious Diseases on North Brother Island served several hundred patients with a staff of one hundred-sixty-four, including thirty-five nurses and six physicians. Screams of “Steamer afire” echoed throughout the facility as the highly trained personnel learned of the disaster and split into groups. The largest contingent made their way to the beach, where they created a fire battalion atop the seawall, which overlooked the sand. The other group headed for the river. Dozens were pulled from the shallow water, which still presented a challenge to the passengers of the Slocum, who had no concept of swimming. The workers encouraged those still aboard the burning ship to jump. Once all of the live victims were safely ashore, the sec
