Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-07-25
id Investigation of Easad Catastrophe Already in Progress

now be at the bottom OF the river
suppose. with the others of my party
! Among those rescued was w J.
! Plamondon. an electrical engineer. and
, cousin of Charles a. Plamondon, who,
: with his wife. lost his life in the Lust
! tania disaster.
| When fremen chopped through the
,-Side of the overturned ball they found
/ bodies piled on one another like so
many boxes of merchandise. They be-
gan taking them out and placing them
on the tug Racine. which stood along
! side. There they were placed OH
| stretchers and carried ashore, where
scores OF physicians ana volunteer
rescucrs began attempts at resuscita-
ton.
Fifty Catholic priests. summoned
hurriedly from various churches,
reached the scene of the disa ster
shortly after 10 O'CLOCK. Some went
aboard the steamer Theodore Roose-
relt which was turned into Il temper
airy morgue, but most of them devote
their attention to the dying and in
jured.
There were seventy-two men in the
crew of the Eastland. and all of them
were reported to have escaped by
/ 10 the wharf. Later they
aided in the rescue work.
Sixty per cent of the dead were
women deputy coroner said. Their
faces bore the marks of desperate
struggle for life.
For the first two hours attcmpts
were made to revive every person taken
from the wreck. Then as the hopeless
ness of 1t became apparent divers were
sent to explore the depths of the boat
They brought out scores of bodies
>Police and fire tugs organized the
river craft into a rescue fleet. Boats
cruised down the river watching for
bodies.
MOTOR TRUCKS PILED HIGH
WITH DLANKETED FORMS
News of the disaster spread quickly.
but Its full Significance was not real
| lied until the motor trucks. piled high
with blanketed forms, began rolling
through the loop district to morgues
and undertaking establishments. The
American and Federal League baseball
| games were called off, many~ theaters
! announced that their doors would be
closed tonight, and churches summoned
their members to pray for the dead.
Mrs. William Peterson. wife of n
foreman ut the Western Electric Com
the ship to safety.
II was pulled clear under water and
when / came to the surface ! saw two
hands reaching out of portfolio
| They pulled me through. | don't know
whether my husband, daughter and
sister-in law were saved or not"
Merchants of the South Water street
commission houses and their employees
made many rescues. Chicken coops
and bales were thrown TO the victims
struggling in the water. and many
saved themselves in this manner
Other merchants, with the aid OF ropes
and poles, pulled dozens from the
stream.
Acetylene blowpipes were rushed to
the boat. and the task of melting Il
l'hole through the upturned steel side
OF the steamer was cheered on by hun
dreds of anxious relatives and friends,
many OF whom made attempts to force
their way through the police lines
Mrs. IL. A. Thoyer. thirty-two years
old, told of clinging to her two chill
dren, Harry. seven, and Helen eight
after they and her husband, William
Thoyer. had been pitched into the river.
Mrs. Thoyer and Harry were rescued.
She lost her hold on Helen and the
daughter, with Mr.. Thoyer. was be-
lieved 10 have been drowned
MY husband and l and the children
were standing together Oh the deck.
and all fell into the water in a heap"
she said. Il am good swimmer.
i caught hole of my son, Harry and
my little girl, Helen, and clung TO
them and KEEP, myself up some way, /
don't know how. saw men and
women tumbling into the water around
me- My husband disappeared among
them. held Harry with my right arm
and Helen with my left l seemed to
lose all strength in my left arm, and
l had TO let go Of Helen. She went
| down in the struggling mass Then
some one--a man with n uniform on
grabbed me and began swimming with
me. l clung TO my son, and when
swept near the river bank. some men
pulled us up. Helen and Der father
must have gone down"
MOURNING SYMBOLS
ON BUSINESS HOUSES
Flags were lowered to half-mast and
mourning symbols were draDed ON
many business establishments Despitc
ratnstorm that began about noon, the
watchers at the wreck held their places
and searchers for missing persons con-
tinued their wearying rounds of tho
morgues.
identification of victims offered COM
paratively few difficulties, nearly all
J having been drowned. Measures were
! taken by the police and the electrical
company to systematic the work of
identification.
Investigations were started by the