Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1915-07-26

MOTHER COSTLY LESSON FOR
AMERICANS.

SURPRISING w horror, aS we'll IN ~ the
unber of lives sacrificed. An similar
cts Which have ever occurred iii
fhc EasIand disaster Ut
chicago last Saturday comes ia teach
the nation a lesson Su costly that III
should never h- forgotten. over a thou
sand were drowned when thr death
trap offered tu the Uu|~u>prrtiug
pleasurc-seekcrS as an excursion boat,
just ready 10 leave the wharf with lis
legal limit Of human freight. turned
over and sank. twenty-five hundred
p%icnickcrS covered the decks. setting
out for 4 day : outing. filled with de-
Hghtful anticIpatiOuS. smiling. waving
farewell> ~ friends left on shore. IN
an instant they were converted INTO 4
Ianic-Strirlru. struggling. fighting
>hrieE:ng W ass vi beings. and then. al-
t.mr than 1t takes tD tell
'tn. they were carried
,iack waters Of the Chi
river. Only $50 escaped. The day
was converted INTO q day of the
No grief. Most Of the victims. the
tell ITS. were women and child
tired mothers seeking rest and
cation. eager little ones. laughing.
Ply maidcnS. al going for i day
THY country. Instead. their bodies.
.sed married. d|i>figurcd ~ the
used married disiigurcd ~ the
'eous death struggle. were carried
he morguc. Ia Nv claimed bf sur
ng friends for burial. An. what \
of sorrow must cover the city of
Icago at that grievouS sight.
But worse than sorrow iS inspired
this awful catastrophe. Hot am
M, Indignation. fill the heart of every
merican. when II Is realized that
othing short OF criminal carclcSSncss
It be AT bottom Of this needless.
Lhtful sacrifice OF innocent human
lgS. Thar the steamer offered to
lvey ~ many ~ 1900 pleasure
kerS for 4 day : outing or the river
" unsafe surely could have been as
tanned had She been Inspected pro
rly before being permitted To take
" crowd on board Someone must
we known beforehand that this YES
l. was unsafe. Yet no hand STAYED
IN. II would seem rs ii some competent
Gals should have been detailed to.
-pcct the boats that were brought up
-o the wharveS OF Chicago to carry the
'any thousands Of picnicker> down the
rer.. After the terrible Slocum dis
ter, which occurred al New York
ne years ago. one would think that
the greatest precautions would have
been taken forever after 10 prevent
" recurrence of such Il fearful thing.
Vet costly though that lesson was
ere we have another instance at the
ant a sacrifice ui perhaps 1900 lives
a another excursion vessel. which no
'ou5t might have been prevented had
"ner care been exercised.
LAS land catastrophe. with
Is list Of over 2 thousand victims. teach
this country that il 4, nnthiug short Of
criminal 70 permit unsafe vessels to.
he used for excursions. or III he used
at at. for that matter: Surely the law
should see 10 1t that excursion SteaxJers
are Inspected thoroughly by competent
men. and steamship companies should
be required not only to obtain cert
flcates of such inspection. but also to
give heavy bonds To insure the safety
OF the vessels which they place in the
service Of the public. And when the
investigation of the Eastland disaster
Places the responsibility. the penalty
should be made as heavy rs the law