The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1915-07-28
9Ol DROWN IN RIVER
CHICAGO EXCURSION STEAMER
SINKS AT ITS DOCK
MANY THROWN into SEA

Loaded With $500 Passenger.
Steamer Eastland Attempts to Be
gin Trip But Slowly Lists and
Turns Over in Five Minutes
River Filled With Bodies.
The bodies Of s01 persons, drown
ed when the steamship Eastland cap
sized Saturday at its wharf in the
Chicago river, had been recovered
Sunday night after forty hours OF
searching by divers.
The total decd was put ct approx
mately one thousand by Coroner
Hoffman Of Chicago, whose reports
indicated that possibly one hundred
bodies were held in the mud of the
river by the superstructure Of the
boat. While only 1902 OF the 2,40S
passengers of the Eastland have reg
istered as saved, it was thought that
about ATS survivors, including the
crew of seventy-two, had failed to re-
port
The Esstland lies on her side with
divers still floundering through her
interior and burrowing under her in
a death search, while Chicago, appal
led, IS Just beginning to grasp the
significance of one of the greatest OF
marine disasters.
While the grieving thousands who
lost relatixes walked through the
morgue in the Second regiment ar
mory gazing into the faces of the
dead, Chicago citizens and city, State
and federal officials turned their at
tention to Investigations of the catas-
trophe and the work of providing re-
lief for those left destitute.
While no families were made
wholly dependent by the disaster, it
was said many victums had been
working only half time or less in re-
cent months. Several men who made
this report, in asking for aid, were
asked why they started on the excur-
sion while in poor financial circum-
stances.
They replied that an Organization
Of employees gave the picnic and that
experience had taught them it was
best to buy tickets, if they desired
preferment for work. They said the
company had nothing to do with this
condition or the management OF the
excursion, but that members OF the
employees organization found pur-
chase Of tickets for the annual lake
trip almost compulsory.
Various theories as to what caused
the Eastland to turn over were dis
cussed. The four considered most
probable were:
That the boat was overloaded; that
she was not properly ballasted; that
a tug that made fast to warp the
Eastland from the docks started pull
ing too soon; that congestion OF pas
sengers rushing to the port side at
tracted by some passing sensation
tipped the steamer over.
Electric company officials said that
not more than one-third OF the VIC
TINS were employees, the others be-
ing members of employees families
or friends.
Stories by witnesses and survivors
cleared many details Of the catastro-
phe. All the Eastland's passengers,
except two or three hundred who
clung to the starboard rail or climb
ed out the starboard portfolios, were
thrown into the river, crushed into
the Shiny mud of the bottom OF i'm
prisoned between decks.
Listing Of the boat was noticed,
some said, fifteen minutes before she
turned over. Capt. Peterson said hve
minutes. When full realization came
the slow list had become an over
turn. Men, girls, women and chill
: dren, deck gear and furniture Slid
into the water in a conglomerate
mass.
Beginning late Saturday night, a
line began passing through the or
mory. They came all through the
night and all day Sunday. Identified
tions were made with rapidity and
unidentified bodies Sunday night had
dwindled to less than one hundred.
Tension and repression were
shown in the Identification line.
Those who walked in it had given up
hope and with clenched hands, steel
ed themselves for the sight they
sought but dreaded. AS fast as iden-
tifcations were made the bodies were
turned over to undertakers and car
ried to lines of hearses drawn uF
alongside the armory.
Ministers said more people attend
ed church Sunday than for many
Sundays past. Chicago turned to
prayer and thought. The preachers
nearly all asked congregations tc
join in prayers for the bereaved.
With the details Of the catastrophe
summed up people shuddered that
thousand people would go to thei1
deaths with hundreds of persons pow
erIess to aid standing within a stones
throw-that that great mass could
drown in a narrow river twenty fee;
from the dock.
The Eastland and four othe,
steamers had been chartered for the
picnic occasion. Under misty skie:
seven thousand men, women ano
children went to the Clark stree
dock early Saturday to fill five large
lake steamers with holiday mirth ir
a. trip to Michigan City The steam.
er Eastland was the first to be load,
ed.
Rain began to fall as the whar!
superintendents lifted the gang
blanks from the Eastland, declaring
that the government limit Of twenty,
five hundred passengers had been
reached.
The passengers swarmed to the left
side of the ship as the other steamers
drew up the river toward the wharf
A tug was hitched to the Eastland.
ropes were ordered cast off and the
steamer engines began to hum. The
Eastland had not budged. however.
Instead. the heavily laden ship
wavered sidewise, leaning first to-
ward the river bank. The lurch was
80 startling that passengers joined
the large concourse already on the
river side of the decks.
The ship never heeled back. II
turned slowly but steadily toward It's
left side. Children clutched the skirts
- 49,. ,,otbarc and sisters TO keer