Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1915-07-29


Chicago, July 24.-More than 1000
persons lost their lives in the Chicago
river at $40 a. N. today by the cap-
sizing of the excursion steamer East
land while varying from its wharf
with more than 400 employees of the
Western Electric company and their
relatives and friends ON board bound
for a pleasure trip across Lake Mich
igan. S~eventy-1ive per cent OF the
victime We're women and children.
The Eastland. said by marine archi-
t"cts to have been top heavy and bal
lasted in an uncertain manner, turned
aver inside OF five minutes after it
began to list, pouring its gala passen-
gers into the river or imprisoning
them in its submerged hull.
Every effort was made by thousands
of persons on the river wharf to res
u the drowning, but many persisted
almost within grasp Of the river bank.
Mothers went to death, while their
children were Snatched to safety.
Other children died in the arms Of
their parents, who were finally saved.
HUNDREDS OF GIRLS
DROWNED MiSERABLY.
Hundreds of girls, freed for a day
from their tasks OF making telephones
and other electrical apparatus in the
factory OF the Western Electric com
pany, dressed in their smartest white
frOcks, drowned miserably.
kolin avenue, a small street near
the factory Of the Western Electric
company, is in universal mourning.
Every house lost from one to all its
occupants III the disaster.
Efforts to discover the cause Of the
accident were begun long before the
work Of rescue was over. Federal and
county grand iuries we're ordered, a
coroner,s jury was impanelled and all
the officers and crew OF the Eastland
were arrested and Coroner Hoffman
ordered the arrest OF every official of
the Indiana Transportation company.
lessces OF the steamer.
SEVEN THOUSAND PEOPLE
IN THE PLEASURE PARTY.
Seven thousand tickets had been
sold for the Western Electric outing
and practically that number OF people
appeared at the wharf to go aboard
five large steamers provided for their
accommodation. The steamer East
land. brought to Chicago from Lake
Erie after an Cnsatisfactory career,
was the first to be loaded.
Rain began to fall as the wharf su-
perintendents lifted the gang planks
from the Eastland, declaring that the
government limit OF 1900 passengers
had been reached. White dresses
peeped from raincOats along the. shore
rails as those aboard waved goodbye
to friends on shore waiting to board
the steamer Theodore Roosevelt and
ether vessels.
Then the passengers swarmed to
the left side of the ship as the other
steamers drew up the river toward
IL "haiA. tuS was ullCltu W LH0
Eastland, ropes were ordered cast off
and the steamers engines began to
hum. The Eastland had not budged,
however.
SUDDEN SEVERE LURcH
STARTLES PASSENGERS.
Instead the heavily laden ship wav-
cred sideways, leaning first toward the
river bank. The lurch was so start
ling that many passengers joined the
large %ncou 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
of mothers and sisters to keep from
falling. The whole cargo was i'm
PEELED toward the falling side of the
ship. Water began to enter the lower
port holes and the ropes snapped Off
the piles to which the vessel was tied.
gnraanaR frnm n~aaaaupars attracted