The Pickens sentinel. (Pickens, S.C.) 1911-2016, 1915-07-29
THOUSAND LIVES LOST I'm
APPALLING RIVER TRAGEDY
Hundreds, Mostly Women and Children, Per-
ish in Chicago River When Great Steam
y er Eastand Capsizes at Pier

shrieks OF women and the ship was
on the bottom Of the river, casting
hundreds of living creatures to the
water.
Many sank, entangled with clothin
and bundles and did not rise, but hun
| dreds came to the surfec, seized
floating chairs and other objects.
| Those on shore threw out ropes and
dragged in those who could hold these
life lines. Employees of commission
| ilrms along the river threw crates,
chicken coops and other noatable
Things into the current, but most of
these were swept away by the stream.
which runs five miles an hour.
| Boats put out. tugs rushed TO the
scene with shrieking whistles and
many men snatched off cats and
shoes and sprang into the river 10 aid
the drowning With thousands of
spectators ready to aid and the wharf
within grasp, hundreds went to death
despite every effort at rescue.
One mother grasped her two chill
drcn in her arms as she slipped from
/ the steamer into the water. One child
was torn from her but she and the
other were saved. Fathers were
drowned after aiding their wives and
children to safety.
Instances Of heroism were almost
as numerous as the number of per.
sons on the scene Boats as soon as
tull took rescued passengers TO the
Whafl or to the steamer Theodore
Roosevelt. which was tied up oppo-
site the Eastland
IN an hour the water was cleared
OF excursonists. Those VINO had not
Deen taken to land had sunk or we're
swirlng down the river towards the
drainage canal locks at Lockport, ILL.,.
many miles away. The locks were
raised to stop the current and ar
rangements were made to take bodies
| from the river along it's course
| through the southwest part OF Chi.
| cago.
| Shortly after the water was clear
ed city firemen, ship engineers and
helpers were on the exposed side OF
the Eastland's hull, cutting through
It's steel plates with gas flames. Div.
ers were hurried into underwater
suits A tug was moored as bridge
between the pier and the capsized
ship.
AS the divers gained entrance to
the hull, the scene Of distress moved
for the time being from the river
to the extemporized morgues. Ware
houses of wholesale companies along
the river were thrown open and bod
les were placed in rows on the floors
Scores of persons rescued from the
water were injured and thea were
taken TO the Iroquois Hospital, built
in memory Of the 600 women, chill
dren and few men who were burJl
ed and crushed to death in the Iro
quois Theater New Years Eve some
years ago.
Efforts to resuscitate those taker
| from the river were generally unsuC
cessful. Only two or three were thu:
saved. 1t was also said that many
of the injured would die.
The whole city was in consterna
tion over the catastrophe. Word o
the accident spread rapidly and t.
the thousands already at or near th'
wharf, other thousands added them
selves. The Clark street bridge nea
the wharf was crowded until !
threatened to collapse. Streets ha'
to be cleard by the police to ALLOW
the passage Of ambulances.
Business men sent their automo
bilcs and motor trucks to help ali
| tut, hn 10 ri
One warehouse soon was filled will
BODIES and other dead were taken t
the Second Regiment armory, mil
away.
Mayor William Hale Thompson
was in San Francisco and Chief o
Police c.. G.. Healy also was out o
town, but Acting Mayor Notorious
sent out request that the city die
play signs of mourning.
Flags on public buildings wer
placed at half mast and many place
were draped with mourning. Base
ball games were postponed and fes
tivities largely ceased.
While those on land were dispos
ing Of the dead, inJufed and rescued
! the divers in the heart of the sunkel
vessel sent up an almost constan
stream of corpses from the sur
merged decks. First 1T was girl II
her teens who had been caught be
tween pile Of chairs and cahu
wall. Next 1t was Slight boy, gath
cred from the lifeless arms OF fon'
father, who had clung to MS offsprin'
even in death. Then followed an ol'
woman, who had gone aboard th'
ship to watch the youthful pleasure o
her grandchaildren, or llttle slr
with bare legs and hooters ana VIII
gay ribbons sodden against the lac'
of her holiday gown.