West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1915-07-29

] 'HiAAANAAt WIN NlNNllfAl lONhN Wlinln II
few feet of land by the capsiaiuE of
| the steel steamer Eastland as Il was
about To leave its wharf i'm the Chicago
river with $500 relatives. friends and
employees OF the Western Electric
company for an excursion across Lake
Michigan The boat rolled over on
it's side in % feet OF water within five
minutes after IL began TO list
Coroner Hoffman ut S O'Clock tonight
estimated the number OF bodies TO be
taken to tho Second regiment armory
at 1900 OF these he said 500 had
already reached the armory. morgucs
and other places whore they were FIRST
taken.
Several persons were taken alive
from the cabin after IL had lain on its
side in the river about four hours. but
the 300 others believed to be I'm the
hull are all dead
Under the glare OF the scarchlight.
scores of men worked In the hull of
the vessel
The steamer lay on the bottom of
the river, one side protruding like IA
monument to the hundreds IL had
drowned as II turned over. The cause
of the capsizing had not been deter
mined tonight, but federal, city and
| state officials were investigating
whether the ship was top heavy or
was poorly handled from the wharf.
Marine architects asserted that the
| Eastland was faulty i'm design, that the
top deck had been removed because of
| the tendency of the ship TO list, and
also pointed To the possibility that the
ship had been unevenly or insufficient
| ly ballasted. The Eastland used water
ballast so that IL could pump out some
on entering shallow lake harbors.
| though some investigators are work
tanks were not filed, and the rushing
of passengers TO one side caused the
vessel TO roll over.
Rain began to fall Just as the wharf
superintendent lifted the gang plank
from the Eastland, declaring that the
government limit of $500 passengers
had been reached
Then the passengers swarmed to the
left side of the ship as the other steam
| ers drew up the river. tug was
hitched to the east side, line ropes
were ordered cast off and the steamer
| engines began to hum. The Eastland
had not budged, however, instead. the
heavily ladened ship wavered sidewise.
leaning first toward the river bank.
The lurch was so startling that many
passengers Joined the large concoursc
already on the river side Of the decks.
For nearly five minutes the shin
turned. before IL finally dived unGor
the swift current of the river, which.
owing to the drainage canal system.
hows from the lake. During the
mighty turning OF the ship with it's
cargo 'f humanity, life boats, ohairs
and ot!cr loose app1rtenances on the
deck slipped down the slOpng floors.
crushing the passengers toward the
| rising waters
'''N'' '''''' NfAN 81 plHllA'f W I'm n H.Hll
of air escaping from ;he hold mingled
with crying OF children and shrieks OF
women, and the ship was on the bot
tom OF the river, casting hundreds OF
living creatures I'm the water.
Many sank entangled with clothing
and bundles, but hundreds came TO the
| surface, seized chairs and other float
ing things
Those on shore threw out ropes and
dragged in those who could hold the
life lines. Employees Of commission
firms threw crates. chicken coops and
| other iloatable things into the current.
but most OF these wre swept away by
the stream, which runs five miles an
hour. Tugs rushed TO the scene with
shrickIng whistles. and many men
snatched off coats and shoes and
sprang into the river to aid
the drowning with thousands of
spectators ready to aid and the wharf
almost within grasp. hundreds went
to death despite every effort to res
| cue
I Instances OF heroism were almost as
numerous as persons ON the scene
Boats as soon as full took rescued
passengers to the wharf or TO the
steamer Roosevelt. which was tied up
opposite the Eastland In an hour tho
water was cleared OF cxcursionists.
1 ENt.s.fTr.
city frcmon. ship engineers and hcIp.
crs were ON the exposed side of tho
EastIand's hull. cutting through It's
steel plates with gas flames Divers
were hurried into underwater suits. A
moorcd tug was used as a bridge be.
tween the shore and the capsized ship
As the divers gained entrance to
the hull. the scene Of distress moved
for the time being TO the extempor-
ized morguc
Warehouses along the river were
thrown open and bodies placed ln rows
ON the floor
The rescued injured were taken 90
The lroquois hospital. built iu the
memory OF 500 women and children
who were burned and crushed TO death
several years ago iu the disastrous
Iroquois theatre fire
Efforts to rcsuscitate those taken
from the river were generally unsuc-
! cessful. Only two or three we're thus