Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-07-27
PLANS COMPLETED
FOR RIGID PROBE
OF RIVER HORROR
Federal, State and City
Bodies Will Conduct
Investigations.
CONTINUE IN EFFORTS
TO RECOVER BODIES
Probability of Swelling Death
List Above 1000 Suggested
by Detectives.
NEARLY 400 STILL MISSING
WranEling Among Officials of Differ
cnt Jurisdiction Over Plans
to Right Steamer.


CHICAGO, July 26-Plans for inves-
legations by Federal. state and city
official bodies to fix the blame for tho
capsizing Of the steamer r:astland in
the Chicago River on SATURDAY. with n
loss Of hundreds OF lives. were com
pletcd to-day. y corcner'S jurv will
start an inquest tomorrow. while Fed
eral departments. headed By Secretary
OF Commerce Redfeld and officers from
the city Police Department and the
state attorneys Office. will gather evi
dcnce. holding formal inquiry in abey-
ance until the inquest has made
progress.
Efforts were continued to-day 10 re-
move victims from the wrecked shin
and to tabulate the dead. TO determine
whether the total death list would re
main around 1000. as manv believed.
or creep up 10 200 or more. AS others
predicted. Registration of EMPLOYEES
by the Western Electric COMPANY
showed nearly 500 missing. but MANY
OF the names of these were included in
the list of s26 bodies already identified.
1t was said also that probably. many
did not report at the plant. although
safe
The robability OF swelling the list
apoNe l,upv was suggested by the an
nouncement of detectives from the
state attorneys Office that the tickets
taken from passengers boarding the
Eastland for the excursion to Michi-
gar City. Ind. numbered $3.50, and did
not account for children. musicians and
the members Of the crew They esti-
n taI h.
sons aboard the steamer at possibly
$500 or more, instead of the 2.4so pre-
vtonsly- announced by officers of the
Indiana Transportation Company. The
lessees OF the ship asserted that 2.4Os
passenger tickets had been collected
CORRESPONDENCE SEIZED
Hi STATES ATTORNEY
States Attorney Maclay Hoyne. in
pursuing his investigation. tonight
seized correspondence which had
passed between officers of the western
Electric Employees Organization.
which gave the picnic, and the Indiana
Transportation Company. operating the
Eastland
The States attorney said this cores
pondence showed that the steamer
company had advised that the more
rebate paid TO the employees organi-
Zation
Complaint had already been made by
several employees Of the Western Elec-
trio Company that they had been al
most compelled to purchase tickets for
the excursion by fear that officers of
the employees organization. who sold
them. would discriminate against those
q
These men said that employees who
had refused TO buy tickets in previous
years had heen given less rcnlunerative
work or discharged, although probably
without the sanction OF executives of
the company.
TO the confusion of determining the
total number of lives lost. there was
added much wranglins among officials
of different Jurisdiction over tentative
plans 10 right the Eastland. which still
lies on its port side where il sank
Despite an all-day search of the hulk
by divers and constant dragging of
the river bed. only dozen bodies We're
found. Estimates of the number still
held under water varied widely from
so to 500.
Marine engineers said it would take
from ten to thirty days to put the
EaStland on its keel 1t was said that
until the ship was removed it could not
b determined how many. if any. bodies
had been caught under the hull and
superstructure.
NAVAL. ARCHITECT WOOD
IN CHARGE OF ALI. WORK
Coroner Hoffman placed w. j. Wood
naval architect. who has dubbed the
Eastland the crank Of the lakes" i'm
charge of all work at the wreck so
that any evidence in regard 10 the
FAULTY construction of the shin or OF
improper handling might be preserved
The coroner, the States attorney and
city officers reiterated their charge
that all possible excuses for the dis
aster could be charged TO negligence
by Federal inspectors or failure OF
Federal officers to enforce marine laws.
The last inspection of the EastIand was
made by Robert Reid. government in
spector at st. Joseph, Mich. who found
the steamer tit this spring, and pro-
cured Il position as chief engineer on
the boat for his son-in-law, j. NJ.
Erickson.
Secretary Redfield. aroused by criti-
cisms of his Subordinatcs, will be in
Chicago tomorrow to take charge of
the government end Of the investiga-
ton. He has been directed by Prcsi-
dent Wilson to do everything possible
20 disclose responsibility for the up
setting OF tho Eastland, and TO discover
ways Of preventing n repetition of such
an accident.
To make sure that none Of the crew
would avoid the inquest and other in
Continued on Third pagc)