The Ronan pioneer. [volume] (Ronan, Mont.) 1910-1970, 1915-07-30
VESSEL TURNS OVER IN RIVER
AS 1T LEAVES WHARF-MA.
JORlTY OF VICTIMS WON.
EN- AND CHILDREN.
500 BODIES RECOVERED:
INVESTIGATION ORDERED
Rescuers Cut Holes in Hull and Con-
tlnue Removing Bodies from Boat
Feared List of Dead May Reach
1,5oo-Tragedy over In Less
Than Five Minutes.

Than Five Minutes.
Chicago, July 26.-Deputy Coroner
David Jones and Sheriff John E..
Traeqer Of Cook county, who are di1
recting the work Of removing bodies
from the hull Of the EastIand, declare
that from reports Of the bodies still
within the hull they fear the list of
dead will reach 1900 and may reach
1900.
Chicago, July 26.-Hundreds, per-
haps 1900 persons were drowned or
crushed to death when the steamer
iEastIand, crowded with $500 employ
ees Of the Western Electric company,
capsized in the Chicago river. Hours
after the accident rescuers we're still
taking bodies from the boat through
holes chopped in it's hull, and estiI
mates of the death list ran from
1000 to 1900.
At p. m. more than 500 dead had
been found.
The crowding Of passengers to ono
side Of the boat is supposed to have
caused the tragedy, but the authori-
ties, not satisfied with this expIana-
tion, ordered the arrest Of the officers
Of the boat, and Captain Harry Ped
ersen and Dell Fisher, first mate,
were taken to police headquarters.
Panic of the worst kind struck the
passengers when the boat began to
turn over. Best accounts of wit
nesses said the steamer rolled slight
ly twice, then turned further, and
that hundreds of screaming, strug.
Cling men, women and children slid
across the sloping decks, fought for
room on the companionways and
clutched at deck chairs or any other
object that came to hand.
Evidence of Desperation.
Women and children by the hun.
dreds were caught below decks and
the scratched faces, torn clothing and
bruised bodies of the dead bore mute
evidence of the desperation with
which they had fought for a chance
for life.
The whole tragedy occupied less
than five minutes. Members of the
crew shouted warnings as the steam
er first tilted and Captain Pedersen
ordered lower deck ports opened and
all passengers shore There was,
however, no chance of such a meas
ure to succeed.
Five Steamers Chartered.
Some 1000 tickets had been dis.
tributed for the excursion and five
steamers chartered by the company.
The Eastland was first to receive its
quota, and when its chartered capac-
ity was reached federal inspectors or.
dered that no more be taken aboard.
The boat was docked on the south
side of the river and when the hum
dreds hurrying to the boat were
turned back from 1t they streamed
across the Clark street bridge to the
steamer Theodore Roosevelt, which
was to take the second boat load.
Screams of the Eastland victims
halted this rush and the bridge was
jammed with people until police, fear
ing that the structure would collapse,
ordered it cleared.
City Turns to Rescue Work.
Every resource of the city was
turned to the rescue work. Remem-
bering the Iroquois theatre disaster,
mercantile concerns in the vicinity
hurried motor trucks to the scene
laden with blankets to warm the liv.
ing or cover the dead Pulmoters by
the score were sent to the dock, ply.
sicians, police, fremen, government
life savers and nurses were sum-
moned and all hospitals and morgues
notified to prepare for patients or
corpses.
The steamer floated on it's side into
midstream and tugs, motor-boats and
other river craft swarmed about it
Firemen climbed on the wreck, forced
openings in the steel hull and through
these searched the cabins for possible
victims.
None of the officers or department
heads of the Western Electric com
pany were on the Eastland when il
overturned, according to an announce
ment from the Offices of the com
pany.