I'll bet dollars to donuts that the scene last night was straight out of hell. With Islamic valor, I'd seriously doubt the scene was 'women and children first.' People pushing each other into the abyss would be my guess.
If you want to read about a horrific maritime disaster, check out The General Slocum Disaster page.
Up until the attacks on September 11th, it was a the largest single loss of life in New York history. It has it all, greed, scandal, cover ups. Over a thousand killed, women and children making up the bulk of the casualties.
I saw the author on C-Span's Book TV program. I'd never heard of the General Slocum prior to seeing the program. The book title is Ship Ablaze : The Tragedy of the Steamboat General Slocum