Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1915-07-24

gan to tip the crowd rushed and slid
toward the side that had settled in
the water. The big stszner, weighed
by the rush of its passengers, turned
clear over on its side.
Lysle Goyatte, 1853 South avenue,
Chicago, said:
my wife and 1 had just entered
the boat and were in the crowd on the
main deck near the gangway. Then
heard some one shout Get back and
we were pushed over to one side. A
moment later the boat started to list.
We were all panic stricken and could
do nothing. I lifted my wife in my
arms and crawled out of an opening
on the upper side of the boat as II
slowly went over"
Five Steamers Chartered
w. K. Greenabaum, manager of
the Indiana Transportation Company,
who is in charge of, the excursion,
said:
I'VE had chartered five steamers for
the excursion of the Western Electric
Company's employees to Michigan City,
Ind, to-day. We had the steamers
Eastland, Petoskey. Theodore Roose-
velt, Racine and haywood.
The Eastland was the first boat to
load and the docks were crowded with
passengers who were to be taken on
the other boats nearby. One United
States steamboat inspector and two
assistants watched the Eastland load.
They stood at the gangplank and
counted the passengers as they went
aboard. Their report shows that there
were $500 passengers on the Eastland,
its full capacity under the United
States Steamboat Regulations. I have
no idea how the accident occurred"
Was Speedy Vessel
The steamer Eastland was built IN
n a1 lAxrf 10 ATaxy
cation Company of Cleveland, o. 1t
was 265 feet long by 3S feet wide and
had a draft of % feet with a net ton
mage of 1,21S. 1t was brought to Chi
cago in 1904 and was used in the ex-
cursion business to South Haven,
Michigan, for several years. Later 1t
was taken to Cleveland and placed in
the excursion service there. This
Spring the boat was remodeled. It
was then brought to Chicago and put
on the run to st. Joseph, Michigan.
1t had steel hull and was known as
one of the fastest excursion boats of
the Great Lakes. 1t had a speed of
FL miles an hour
The Eastland nearly met with a
similar accident eight years ago when
In commission between Chicago and
South Haven, Mich. The boat,
crowded with passengers, listed badly
in the South Haven harbor when the
water ballast was being taken aboard.
Onicers of the ship drove the passen-
gers to the other side of the vessel and
probably averted a disaster.
Scenes similar to those that followed
the Iroquois Theater disaster in 1908,
cast gloom over the city.
Along South Water street, Chicagos
produce center, commission firms
practically suspended business and
threw open the doors of their estab-
!ishments as temporary morgues and
hospitals.
Blankets For Dead
All the big downtown department
stores hurried truckloads of blankets
to cover the dead and the drenched
women and children who We're hud-
died in groups.
Six government inspectors were
working on the docks when the East
land turned over. They were in charge
OF Inspector r. H. McCurry.
Two inspectors were assigned to
the Eastland," McCurry said, ito see
that the boat was not overcrowded
The ship had taken on all that she
would hold and two inspectors turned
many others away. She was ready to
sail when the accident occurred.
The sinking of the ship came to
me like streak of lightning. It all
happened so suddenly"
Believes 1000 Pcrished
First Deputy Superintendent of Po-
lice Schuettler said:
Two hundred and fifty bodies have
been recovered and I believe that one
thousand in all perished. l believe
the other bodies will be recovered
when the inner compartments of the
boat are reached. We are recovering
bodies rapidly and the list of dead i.
growing fast.
fsATH,
is based on information I got from g
purser on the boat who had a narrow
| escape"
Grand Jury to Investigate
Grand jury investigation was fore.
casted when Walter K. Greenabaum
general manager of the Indiana Trans
portation Company, which chartered
the Eastland for the outing, was sum.
moned to the State Attorneys office
and questioned by States Attorney
! Hoyne. ny
At II o'clock the police reported
that 500 bodies had been recovered
Reports from various places on tn,
river said that more bodies were beln,
taken from the water.
John Morey Western Electric Com
| pany employe, was one of the rescued
II was on the upper deck" sait
Morey, when the boat began to list
| caught hold of the rail and held OF
as the boat went over Oil it's side.
| "A loose chair swung around ant
struck me on the forehead but man
aged to keep my hold on the rail unit
was helped to land. There wer,
more than 1900 on my side of tn,
boat at the time and many of then
have been drowned"
| George Haber said:
Il was standing on a pier 100 fee
away when the boat began to turI
over Some of the men on the boa
were loosening some of the ropes.
noticed one heavy cable still fast t,
the stern. Then the boat began turn
ing.
1T was seven or eight minutes il
| turning over on it's side"
Boy Rescued by Hair
| George Michael was thrown into thu
river and grasped the hair of a bo,
and swan to the pier with him.
II was standing at the rail wheI
the boat began to tip and caught hole
of Frank Corney, my companion. w,
went under twice and when l cam,
up the second time there was a bo,
at the side of me. I though it wal
Frank. / grabbed him and swan
ashore, but it was a strange boy"
Nine girls and I were in a stat,
room having a little party of our owl
! and all of q sudden we Ielt the hoa'