The Pickens sentinel. (Pickens, S.C.) 1911-2016, 1915-07-29

had been held from the water by a
chair that jammed agains! the berth.
me paDy only half awakened as It
was carried to land. Its mother could
not ba found.
Iwo women were found alive in
ahother staterom ir = protruding
sled or the Eastland but that ended
the ropes that any number had es-
cal ed death in the trap Thee We're
SUN 900 persons In the hold when
'hese three persons were taken out
alive and the explorers Of the hulk
said that all were dead.
Work of tagging the bodies Of the
| dead and placing them in accessible
places or identification proceeded all
day and night
identification was slow and scenes
at the morgues were as affecting as
those at the river when the steamer
capsized. Mothers fell across the
biers of children whom they had sent,
away few hours before on what was
intended to be day of pleasure.
Federal Judge Lands ordered
grand jury impannelled to investigate
the catastrophe; States Attorney
Hoyne prepared county grand jury
inquiry; Coroner Hoffman selected a
jury to look into the cause of the
deaths; the police arrested all the of.
hcers of the IIastland, and the health
commissioner prepared to clear the
river for fear disease might be spread
by the presence of SO many bodies in
the stream.
Arrangements also were made to
get at the sunken vessel to determine
the underlying causes of the accident.
Derricks on scows were taken to the
side of the Eastland and marine engi-
neers were engaged to inspect the
treaCherous ship
Those in charge of the various
works Of clearing up the toll of cas-
ulties and determining the respon-
sibility for the capsizing of the boat
said that the endeavor would ncces-
sarily be slow because of the large
number of persons aboard the East
land the difficulty of getting at the
hull Of the steamer.
Acting Mayor Moorehouse and his
advisers decided to raise relief fund
OF $2OO,000 to be distributed by
Subcommittee acting under the direc-
ton of the National Red Cross, the
Associated Charities, and the Munich
pal Health Department. In addition
to this the Western Electric Company,
whose employees formed the majority
OF the excursion party announced
that 100000 from it's employees insur-
ance funds was available for relief.
Numerous private relief funds were
! started
Meanwhile Mayor Thompson, who
was at the Panama-Pacific Exposition
to take part in the celebration of Hi.
nols Day, left Immediately for Chica-
go on special train to take his place
In investigation and relief work.
Coroner Hoffman issued an appeal
to the public for a fund for the buria.
of whatever dead may remain uniden.
tilted. City officials with one voice
declared that all dead should have
proper burial
Various theories as to what caused
the Eastland to turn over were dis.
cussed, but without prospect of def.
mite explanation. The most discussed
theories are four: That the boat was
overloaded; that she was not properly
ballasted; that tug that made fast
to warp the Eastland from the docks
started pulling too soon; that conges
ton of passengers rushing to the port
side attracted by some passing sensa-
ton tipped the steamer over.
One of the divers, Louis Kruger,
said that he thought several score
bodies were still pinned under the
boat, which he said was resting in
about four feet of stiff mud These
bodies cannot be moved until after
the coroner's inquest, when efforts
will be made to right the vessel
The steamer Theodore Roosevelt of
the Indiana Transportation Company,
made it's regular trip to Michigan
City and the steamer City of Grand
Rapids, of the Graham & Morton Line,
sailed as usual for ST. Joseph, Mich
Both boats had comparatively small
passenger lists.
With the assembling of stories of
witnesses and survivors, more and
more incidents Of horror pathos and
neroism came to light. All of the
Eastland's passengers save two or
three hundred who clung to the star
board rail or climbed out of starboard
port holes were thrown into the river,
crushed into the Shiny mud Of the
BUTTON or imprisoned between decks,
when the steamer turned over.
The quiet half clouds Sunday was
a day Of gloom for all Chicago. The
city turned to prayer and thought.
Ministers said more people attended
church than for many Sundays past.
The preachers nearly all referred to
the Fastland disaster in their sermons