Edna boarded the General Slocum with her mother and younger sister Lillie (4) for an Evangelist church picnic located in Locust Island at 10:00 AM. A few minutes later the ferry boat was in flames from a lit up kerosene lamp in the cargo hold. Most victims risked drowning in the river or being trapped in the flaming steam boat. Edna, her mother and sister were all lost in the disaster. Their bodies either went missing or were unidentified.