Fergus County Democrat. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1904-1919, 1915-07-29
EXCURSION BOAT CAPSIZES

West Side, was surrounded early this
evening by great throng Of people
Most Of the victims were residents
of the West Side. and nearly every
elevated train bound for the residence
portions of that section, carried it's
group of weeping men and women.
| 1t was hoped to have the recovered
bodies all in the armory by 10 o'clock,
and until that time no one was ad-
m tied Accordingly, thousands form
> e'' in line hours before the great doors
were opened, eagerly awaiting
chance to seek the bodies of kin and
friends they believed lost.
Stories of heroism were almost as
numerous tonight as the number Of
persons on the scene Immediately
after the disaster. Boats. az soon as
full, took rescued passengers to the
wharf or to the steamer Theodore
Roosevelt, which had tied up as near
the upset Eastland as possible.
In an hour the water was cleared
of excursionists. Those who had not
been taken to land had sunk or were
swirling up 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 Its course through
the southwest part of Chicago.
shortly after the water was cleared,
ship engineers and helpers were on
the exposed side of the Eastlands hull,
cutting through It's steel plates with
gas flames. Divers were hurried into
underwater suits. A bridge Of boats
was formed between the pier and the
capsized ship.
AS the divers gained entrance to
the hull, the scene of distress moved
for the time from the river to tho
extemporized morgues. Warehouses
of Wholesale companies along the river
were thrown open and bodies were
laid In rows on the floors. Scores OF
persons taken from the water were se-
vcrcly injured and these were taken
to the lroGuois hospital, built In NOM
ory of tho 900 women, children nnd
Il few men VINO We're burned HAa
crushed to death in the Iroquois the
atcr New Years eve several years ago.
Efforts to resuscatate those taken
from the river were unsuccessful ex-
cept in two or three instances. 1t
was also said that many of those In.
jured would die.
| The whole city was soon In con-
sternation over the catastrophe Word
OF the disaster spread rapidly, and to
the thousands already at or near the
wharf, other thousands added them
selves. The Clark street bridge, near
the wharf, was crowded until It al
most threatened to collapse. Streets
had to be cleared by the police to
allow the movement of ambulances.
Business men sent their automo-
biles and motor trucks to help the
injured and carry away the dead. One
warehouse soon was filled with bodies
and other dead were taken to the
Second regiment armOry, mile away.
Mayor William Hale Thompson was
IN San Francisco, and Chief OF Police
c. G. Healey was also out OF town. but
| Acting Mayor Moorehouse sent out q
request for the city to display signs
of mourning. Flags on public build.
ings were placed at half-mast and
many places were draped with mourn
ing. Baseball games were postponed
and festivities largely ceased.
While those on land were disposing
of the dead. injured and rescued, the
divers In the heart Of the sunken yes.
sci sent up an almost constant stream
OF corpses from the submerged decks.
flrSl IL was Bally OfeSSed Blrl III
her teens, who had been caught be.
tween n pile of chair and cabin
wall Next 1t was boy, gathered from
the lfeless arms Of his father. Then
followed an old woman, who had
gone aboard the ship to watch her
grandchildren. or little girl with
bare legs and boots with gay ribbons
sodden against the lace of her holi.
day gown.
One thrill passed through the crowd
as word came from the steamer that
a girl baby had been found alive
among the hundreds of dead In the
ship. The child was discovered In a
starboard state room, where she had
been held from the water by q chair
that iammed against the berth. The
baby only half awakened as 1t was
u Continued on Dage eighty