New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-07-27
Secretary Is Due in Chi
cago day to Help Fix
Responsibility.
JUDGE Lands CALLS
FEDERAL GRAND JURY
Department of Justice and State
and Local Bodies Start
Inquiries.
lBy Telegraph to The Tribune J

Chicago, July 26. Secretary OF Com
merce Redfeld is due to arrive here
tomorrow TO take absolute charge OF
his departments investigation of the
Eastland disaster. Plans for inquiries
by the Department of Justice, state and
city official bodies were completed to-
night. Judge Kenesaw Mountain Lam
dis. of the United States District Court,
has called special meeting of the Fed
eral grand jury for Thursday.
Estimates by marine engineers
showed that it would take from ten to
thirty days to put the Eastland on its
keel. Coroner Hoffman placed W.. j.
Wood, a naval architect, who has
dubbed tn Eastland "The Crank Of the
Lakes" in charge of all work at the
wreck, so that any evidence in regard
to faulty construction Of the ship or OF
improper handling might be preserved.
Attack Federal officers.
The Coroner, the States Attorney
and city officers reiterated their charge
that al possible causes for the disas-
ter could be charged to negligence by
Federal inspectors or failure of Federal
officers to enforce marine laws. The
last inspection of the Eastland was
made by Robert Reid, government in
spector, at st. Joseph, Mich, this
spring.
The county grand jury was ordered
held in session 10 take cognlzance OF
any evidence of criminal negligence IN
connection with the disaster. The jury
men visited the wreck. Members OF
the Coroner's jury also inspected the
steamer and made personal lnvestiga-
tons of conditions at the morgues.
l., anr- IN, Il
relief work.
To make sure that none of the crew
would avoid the inquest and other in
quiries, more members were arrested
to-day. Nearly all the seventy-two
men employed on the ship are now
held. in addition TO Walter G.. Steele,
secretary of the company owning the
boat.
The City Council, at a special meet
ing to-day, decided to investigate the
disaster The resolution delegated the
co mittee on Iarbors, wharves and
bridges to conduct the inquiry.
Detectives have seized the tickets
taken from passengers boarding the
Eastland for the excursion. They as
serted that these tickets numbered
1850 and did not account for children.
musicians and the crew. They esti-
mated that the total numbers of per-
sons aboard the steamer might have
been $500 or more, instead of the 2.4SO
previously announced by officers of the
Indiana Transportation Company. The
lessees of the ship asserted that 2,4O8
passenger tickets had been collected.
Efforts to Swell Crowd.
States Attorney Maclay Hoyne, in
pursuing his investigation tonight,
seized correspondence between officers
of the Western Electric employees or
ganization and the company. The
States Attorney said this correspond
ence showed that the steamer company
had advised that the more tickets sold
the greater would be the rebate paid to
the employees organization.
Complaint had already been made by
several employees that they had been
almost compelled TO purchase tickets
for the excursion by fear that oficers
of the employees organization would
discriminate against those who failed
to go on the excursion.
Says Other Ships Like Eastland.
William Olander, secretary Of the
Lake Seamen's Union, tonight said
there were many other ships on the
lakes as dangerous as was the East
land because of faulty construction.
He held that the Eastland was not
properly designed and that the water
ballast system was not the main fault
lie charged that United States in
gpectors under Captain Charles H..
Westcott, of Detroit, chief of the lake
district, played into the hands of ship
owners at the expense of sailors and
passengers He said this was shown
by the fact that thirty-one ships passed
by the inspectors had sunk in the
Great Lakes since 1905, several of them
taking all on board to death.
This statement and others Of SINH
| lar nature caused the investigators to