Bonners Ferry herald. [volume] (Bonners Ferry, Idaho) 1904-current, 1915-07-30

Chicago, July 24.-This morning
shortly after o'clock, the docks of
the Chicago river were crowded with
1000 persons bound on a holiday excur-
sion across Lake Michigan. They were
employees and friends of employees of
tle Western Electrical company The
first boat of five to be loaded was the
Eastland, on which $500 persons
crowded.
Then the boat started to leave the
dock, and, due to some cause as yet I'M
explained, the big craft turned turtle
and sank in about five minutes.
By night there were S42 victims in
the improvised morgue, and Coroner
Hoffman estimates that the total casu-
alties will reach 1000. Thousands of
persons jammed the morgue in an en-
deavor to identify the dead. Heart
rending scenes were enacted At the
close of one of the widest days Chi
cago has known the results are sum-
married.:
Will Probe the Disaster.
Officers of the steamer are under ar
rest and federal and county grand jul
ries have been ordered to investigate
the disaster
Charges are made that the EaslIand
was topheavy, and that she has long
been known to be faulty in design.
She has been remodeled.
1t is stated cable was still attached
to the vessel when she attempted to
pull away from the dock and that this
may have caused the ship to turn over.
Some Blame the Ballast.
Other reports say the boat was not
properly ballasted. She was water
ballasted boat. That is to say, water
was admitted to the hold for ballast,
and when it was sought to enter shall
low water the ballast was pumped out
to give her lighter draft. One theory is
hat the boat had been relieved of too
much ballast in anticipation of heavy
load.
One story is that the passengers
were attracted to the side of the vessel
by a racing launch. Others say the pas
sengers rushed to the side to get into
a moving picture being taken by man
in tug.
Vessel Waivers Sideways.
Rain began to fall as the wharf SUI
perintendents lifted the gangplanks
from the Eastland, declaring that the
government limit of $500 passengers
had been reached. White dresses
peeped from raincoats along the shore
rails as those aboard waved goodby
to friends on shore waiting to board
the other vessels.
Then 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 engines began to hum. The
Eastland had not budged, however.
Instead the heavily laden ship wav-
cred sideways, leaning first toward
the river bank. The lurch was so
startling that many passengers joined
the large conccurse already on the
other side of the decks.
OILS OiulCfl WOlnCIS OhiIbos
The ship then heeled back 1t turned
slowly but steadily toward its left
side. Children clutched the skirts of
mothers and sisters to keep from fall
ing. The whole cargo was impelled
toward the falling side of the ship.
Water began to enter lower port holes
and the ropes snapped off the piles.
Screams from passengers attracted
the attention of fellow excursionists
on the wharf awaiting the next steam
er. Wharfmen and picnickers soon
lined the edge of the embankment,
reaching out helplessly toward the
wavering steamer.
For nearly five minutes the ship
turned before it finally dived under
the swift current of the river, which,
owing to the drainage canal system,
flows from the lake.
Then there was a plunge with a
sigh of air escaping from the hold
mingled with the crying of children
and shrieks of women, and the ship
was on the bottom of the river, cast
ing hundreds of its passengers into the
water
Many sank entangled with clothing
and bundles, and did not rise, but
scores came to the surface, giving the
river the appearance of a crowded
bathing beach. Many seized floating
chairs and other objects. Those on
shore threw out ropes and dragged in
those who could hold their life lines
Employees of commission firms along
the river threw crates, chickencoops
and other ficatable things into the
current, but most of these were swept
away by the :tream.
Boats were put out, tugs rushed to