The Monroe journal., 1915-07-27

Eastland's hull. cutting through its
steel plates with gas flames. Divers
were hurried into underwater suits.
A tug was moored as a bridge be-
tween the pier and the capsized ship.
As the dives gained entrance to the
hull. the scene OF distress moved for
the time being from the river TO the
extemporized morgues.
While those on land were dispos-
ing of the dead, injured and rescued.
the divers in the heart of the sunken
vessel sent up an almost constant
stream OF corpses from the submerg-
ed decks. First il was gaily dressed
girls in their teens who had been
caught between a pile of chairs and
cabin wall. Next it was a slight boy
gathered from the lifeless arms of a
fond father, who had chung to his off,
spring even in death. Then followed
an old woman who had gone aboard
the ship TO watch the youthful pleas
ures of her grandchildren. or a little
girl with bare legs and bootless with
gay ribbons sodden against the lace
of her holiday gown.
Girl Baby Alive.
One thrill passed through the
crowd when word came from the
steamer that a girl baby had been
found alive among the hundreds of
dead in the ship. The child was dis
covered in a star-board stateroom
where she had been held from the
water by chair that jammd against
the berth. The baby only half awak-
ened as il was carried TO land. Its
mother could not be found.
Two women were found alive in an
other stateroom in protruding side
of the Eastland but that ended the
hopes that any number had escaped
death in the trap. There were still
500 persons in the hold when these
three persons were taken out alive
and the explorers of the hulk said
they were all dead.
Work II tagging the bodies OF the
dead and placing them in accessible
places for 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 a
grand jury impanelled to investigate
the catastrophe; States Attorney
Hoyne prepared county grand jury;
Corner Hoffman selected a jury TO
look into the cause of the deaths; the
police arrested all the officers of the
Eastland, and the health commission
er arranged to purify the river, for
fear disease might be spread by the
presence of so many bodies in the
stream.
Arrangements also were made ia
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 en-
gineers were engaged to inspect the
treacherous ship.
viii Punish Guilty Parties.
Chicago Dispatch, July 25.
Three Investigations into the East
land disaster were in full swing here
today. Dckerson n. Hoover, Govern
ment steamboat inspector. and Fed
eral Supervisor Charles Westcott ar
rived from Washington.
Mackay Hoyne, States Attorney,
had a full force of men locating wit
nesses TO go before the grand jury,
which will be empanelled tomorrow
The entire police department was
active That evidence of criminal
negligence in connection with the
wreck had been obtained by them
was limited by C. C. Healey. He said
valuable information was found in
the inspection papers seized yesterday
in Capt. Harry Pedersen's cabin.
Two documents were taken. These
papers. according to the meager in
formation obtaniable, showed that
following inspection the boat was to
be permitted to carry 1000 passen-
gers and a crew of 20.
Corner Hoffman issued the fol-
lowing statement today:
II intend to use every effort within
my power to punish every person, di-
reetly or indirectly responsible for
this disaster. None shall escape. |
am ready to cooperate with an Of
fetal, city, State or National, in fix
Ing the responsibility.