Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1915-08-04
EaStIand, Crowded With Picnic
Party, Suddenly Turns on
Its Side.
ARE CAUGHT IN DEATH TRAP
Women and Children Penned In Hull
of Vessel Are Drowned or Suffo-
cated-InVestigaton by Ma
ton, State and City to Fix
the Blame.


Chicago, within arms length of shore,
the steamship Eastland turned over on
its side Saturday morning.
At least $500 excursionists were
aboard.
Most Of them were drowned.
From 1000 to 1900 lives were sacri-
feed through somebody's blunder.
The United States government, the
city Of Chicago and the county of Cook
are endeavoring to fix the blame, the
government beginning two inquiries.
At late hour SIT bodies had been
taken to the Second Regiment armory
and tagged.
Persons rescued to the number Of
1852 had been accounted for. If there
were $500 on the boat, this would
leave 500 whose fate is unknown. 1t
is believed that many victims lie
pinned in the mud by the overturned
steamship.
Counting all those unaccounted for
as dead, the list of fatalities would run
up to 1900 not including the crew, Of
whom it is believed 80 persisted.
Snugly berthed against the south
side of the river, her nose almost
touching the Clark street bridge and
her stern near the La Sale street tun-
mel, the big steer steamer suddenly
went over.
Before the upper works struck the
water an avalanche of humanity swept
over the vessels rail. filling the stream
with screaming, struggling men, wom-
en- and children-mostly women and
children.
Inside the steel hull were thousand
others, hopelessly locked in a water
filling trap.
Victims Were Picnlckers.
The victims were employees Of the
Western Electric company and their
families, bound for Michigan City, Ind,
on their fifth annual picnic.
The Eastland was a VIGOROUSLY un-
stable vessel. Her record was filled
with fearsome staggers. Saturday she
fell.
Her captain and 81 Of her crew were
arrested while an army of men were
dragging from the river and from the
ship the bodies of the holiday makers
that had been intrusted to them alive.
Captain Harry Peterson was threat
ened with death by the crowd of be-
reaved relatives, and accused of at
tempting to impede the work of rescue.
Stop that! You'll spoil the boat, "
No had GhnttfnI f1 u,
lists who were striving to open the hull
that had become a gigantic coffin.
Walter c. Steele, secretary of the St.
Joseph-Chicago Steamship company,
which owns the EastIand, also was
locked up on his arrival from his Mich
igan farm.
Federal Jury to Investigate.
While the tugboats, launches, divers
and swimmers were dragging victims
from the water, and mechanics were
ripping and melting holes in the up
turned steel side of the vessel, Judge
lands ordered a special federal grand
Jury empaneled to investigate the
catastrophe.
States Attorney How're hogan ex-
amining persons connected With tho
handling and management of the East
lanu before some of them were dry
after their escape.
Inc department of commerce. at
washington instituted an inouirv
coroner Hoffman selected a jury of
SIX leading citizens, who viewed tha
oodles that had been recovered and
tnen postponed the inquest pending a
- soLough and scientific Investigation
,r .ne causes Of the disaster. A strict
shy 1on was put upon the overturned
o. 70 guard against any tamperine
1oS uleers of the Chicago Federation Of
tha~ t wired to President Wilson that
dsnrd nau complained year ago of the
bOatsse condition of lake excursion