Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1915-07-26
Eastland Late Sunday Night Had
Given Up $50 Of Bodies of Vic
tins with Many Still
in River.
SIXTY ARE RECOVERED IN DAY
Divers Believe All Removed from
Ve1sel Except Those Crushed
in Mud Under Port
Side.
REScUERs CONTINUE THE WORK

CHICAGO, July 25.-The death
ship Eastland, had tonight given up
the bodies OF $40 of its dead. The
estimated total number of those who
went down to death in the Chicago
river yesterday morning when the
steamer bearing 2,4OO excursionists
rolled over at its dock remained at
approximately 1000.
or the 24SO persons on board at the
time OF the catastrophe, lCG2, including
the crew OF seventy-two. have reported
az safe. OF the 5SS thus remaining unao-
counted for, II Is believed 400 are alive
and failed to report. and that lss bodies
still are In the river.
sixty Bodies Recovered.
About three score bodies were reoov-
cred today. BY noon today. divers had
concluded that all bodies haA been re-
moved save those that may have been
crushed into the mud under the East
lands port side and those that had gone
down the river with the current. Under
the glare OF serachights and arc lights
strung about the ship rescuers are con-
tinuing their work tonight.
Bodies Are sent Up.
While those on land were disposing of
the dead. injured and rescued, the divers
In the heart OF the sunken vessel sent up
an almost constant stream OF corpses
from the submerged decks. First It was
gaily-drsAsed girl in her teens, who
had been caught between pile Of chairs
and a cabin wall Next It was boy.
gathered from the liseless arms OF his
father. Then followed an--old woman
who had gone, aboard the ship TO watch
her grandchildren, or a little girl with
haro legs and with ribbon matted against
Tho lace Of her holiday gown
One thrill passed through the crowd
as word came from the steamer that .
girl baby had been found alive among
the dead. The child was discovered In q
starboard stateroom. where she had been
held from the water by a chair that
jammed against the berth. The baby
only half awakened as II was carried
to land. Its mother could not be found.
Two women were found alive in an
other stateroom on the protruding side of
the Eastland. but that ended the hopes
| that any number had escaped death In
the death trap itself. There were still
at least 300 persons in the hold when
these three persons were taken out alive,
and the explorers OF the hulk said that
all we're dead.
Grand Jury 20 Investigate.
Yet amidst all the horror and heart
aches officials OF the various depart
ments attended to pressing duties OF
disposition Of the dead and injured, trac-
Ing of the missing. inquiry into the cause
Of the disaster and precautions against
disease from sunken bodies and the car
rying OF corpses up the river toward
the canal locks. Federal Judge Lands
ordered a grand jury impanelled TO in
vestisate the accident
The states attorney started an inves-
tigation. The coroner impanelled a jury
TO inquire into the deaths. police ar
rested all OF the officers OF the East
land and the health commissioner ar
ranged to purify the river. for fear disease
might be spread by the presence of 10
many bodies In the stream.
Arrangements were made to get at the
sunken vessel TO determine the underly-
ing causes Of the accident. Derrieks were
taken to the side OF the Eastland ana
mariners were engaged TO make an In
spection OF the treacherous ship.