The Hartford herald. [volume] (Hartford, Ky.) 1875-1926, 1915-07-28
EXCURSION BOAT OvERTuRNS
Drowned Composed OF Picnic
Party Of Employees OF
Electric Co.
FRIGHTFuL SCENES WITNESSED

to-day when the lake eycurslon
steamship Eastland, ready to start
for Michigan City, Ind. lay down On
its side like tired horse and trap
ped $500 picnickers on board.
The greatest marine tragedy in
history was also the strlngest and
most sudden. The ship went clear
over on her side in les than three
minutes, drowning or suffocating
all, except those on the upper deck.
in steel-walled trap.
The exact number of lead may
never be known. Coronerss Physi-
clan DR.. Warren Springer announc-
ed late to-day that there we're 1900
dead.
Steelworkers, firemen and div
ers, burning off the steel plates OF
the ship and plunging into the hold,
had taken out 1 900 bodies at that
hour. Many, however, fell from The
upper deck and were crushed ,,der
the ship into the mud on the botton
of the river. Still Others foated.
downstream.
First Assistant Superintendent of
Police Hermann Schuettler, and 9TH
er men on the scene. estimated the
dead at 1900.
This conservative figure was bas-
ed upon statements of Robert H.
McCreary, Deputy Collector of Gus
toms, and w. w. Greenebaum, gen.
eral manager of the Indiana Trans
portation Company, lessee of the
ship. that only $500 passengers
we're on board and the checking up
of 500 survivors. Mr.. Greenebaum
said 2,4OS tickets had been taken
in. Mr.. McCreary said he stopped
the loading of the steamer when g.
500 entered.
Reports from Cleveland, where
the Eastland was recently in excur-
sion service. and from other lake
cities. alleged that the ship was
known as "hoodoo" and had been
called top heavy" 1t was said in
Cleveland that the ship had been
sold to the st. Joseph-Chicago
Steamship Company, from which
the Indiana company leased it. be-
cause of declining patronage. These
reports and statements of former
passengers on the ship and former
officers will be laid before the Fed
eral grand jury.
The horror of the tragedy struck
the city dumb. Both the American
League and the Federal League
baseball games were cancelled and
signs of mourning displayed. Mayor
William Hale Thompson, who was
the honor guest at the Chicago Day
celebration at the Panama-Exposi-
ton at San Francisco, cancelled all
programs and boarded a train for
Chicago.
The 1900 or more who persisted
on the Eastland We're members of
$500 employees of the Western
Electric Company, who had charter
ed five boats for picnic at Michi-
gan City, Ind. The other boats
were known to thousands here as
safe. The Eastland, which was not
a regular Chicago. excursion boat.
was advertised for this trip. as "the
biggest. safest and best excursion
steamer on the Great Lakes"
That was printed on the tickets.
1t was happy throng. mostly
women and children. which tripped
across the gangplank. Hundreds of
the boys and girls were dressed In
uniforms for athletic and club
events at the picnic grounds.
Those who could crowd upon the
upper decks were shouting and wav-
ing farewells to the other thousands
on shore when tn ebig ship sudden
~ listed slightly toward the dock.
The passengers moved to the other
side and the weight turned the ship
over. The shouts changed to the
united scream of z.506 threats.
Those on the top ecks. except for a
few, who chung to the rails. were
throvn clear overheard.
The stacks and masts of the big
ship stretched across the river.
blocking navigation.
Tugs. fire boats. launches. row
boats--every conceivable craft. raced
FOR the spot. Several mon Ieaped
nom the Clark street bridge and
from the warehouse docks along
shore and swan out to the rescue.
Fhe passengers and crews ON the
steamer Theodore Roosevelt moored
and loading Just upstream. hurled
ifa prasorverS into fha river Mar