New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-07-26


heats rs the harbor police would per-
nit
Dozens Of these little excursion
craft. whose owners saw profit IN the
CONVEYANCE of the morbid, carried
passengers on circle tour OF the
wreck for 10 and IS cents head.
Their patrons, when they were not
busy with cameras, eagerly snateheo
bits Of wreckage from the river 10
be treasured as "curios.'
On the curved, upturned starboard
side Of the Eastland there was a dit-
ferent sort of excitement than OBJ
tanned Saturday, when bodies were be-
ing brought forth, sometimes at the
rate of two a minute. Then the d'VeIS
did not have to 60 deep INTO the nun
20 find the victims. ..1..
On the second day Of the gnaslIy
search there were IN all on! ~,
recovery of each was attended by d
greater danger.
Divers Often in Danger.
dozen times those on the upper
surface of the hull gathered breath
loss about one or another OF the burned
ont spertures. Many feet below
diver tangled in the wreckage was seen
fetbing for his own life, and business
more serious even than the recovery
of bodies was on hand. More thah once
hope had almost died IN those sOoNe
before the diver cxtrlcated hlmseII anu
jerked the signal cord. H..
Charles GunderSon came closer than
o,v If the divers. grave though their
peril. to losing his life. The story
he brought back 20 the surface with
him was the most thrilling Of all.
~ was down in the dance deck he
said. when / got mixed up with some
twisted stanchions had jerked the
signal cord a half dozen times before
I discovered il must be fouled above
and I hadn't started jerking 1t until l
was satisfied ! couldn't get free myset;
1T was as tight place as ever had
cen in and then ! made another as
covery. Ny air tube had touled, too'
and | couldn't breathe. ! was down
there alone without air. Those above
had no way Of knowing what l was up
against. 1t was up TO me to 1--we or d'e'
Faints but Goes Back.
81 kicked until must have been blue
in the face and then all OF a SUDDEN
was free. I took step and the signal
cord was cleared. AIT began 20 come
through the tube, but not enough of It
10 do me much good. You can bet
gave the cord a jerk
Gunderson lost consciousness on the
upward journey and 1t was half an
hour before he recovered. Still weak,
ne insisted on going into the hull
again.
Captain Donovan, city diver. who has
spent a good share Of his time under
water for the last twenty years, also
told of being tangled in the wreckage
Wire and rope caught his feet lie
managed TO keep his air tube free Tor
the five minutes IL took him TO eXtrl-
cate himself.
Hugh Brown. another diver, told Of
having been up TO his neck IN mud
pocket on the bottom. Weighed down
bv his lead-soled shoes and his he'll
met. and with slugs Of lead slung over
his shoulders. he sank as in a quick
sand. Il took five men to drag him out
Of the pocket.
While divers were at work members
Of the Columbia Yacht Club cruised
about the wreck with crews Of fire
men.
The net near Randolph Street, so
far, has caught no bodies.
BY the closing the food gates at
Lockport the current Of the river,
which normally runs eight miles an
hour. has been cut down to two miles
Wallace G. Clark, a trustee Of the
sanitary district, said it might be
necessary to speed up the river again
to-day for two reasons because bodies
may sing in the bottom mud pockets
and never be recovered and for the
sake Of sanitation With the river
running at lower rate than two miles
Mr.. Clarke pointed out, the big power
station al Lockport could not be oper-
ated, and part Of Chicago would be
without light.
George NJ. Wisner, chief engineer OF
the sanitary district, said he believed
some bodies may have been swept by
the current as far as Lockport If so
they will be caught by the closed food
gates there.