Perth Amboy evening news., 1915-07-26
SAYS EASTLAND WAS CRANKY
SHIP; TOTAL LOSS OVER 1900
Whos to Bame Question in Chicago, for Tragedy that
= Turned Holiday of Excursionists Into Doom's Day
EastIand Was Cranky Ship, Official Says-Federa In
spectors Blamed as Divers Seek for More Victims.

in the hull. Some are penned be-
meath iron girders. Many Others are
beneath a big heap Of coal that
smashed through from the ships
bunkers.
All through the night and today
scores of firemen worked In the river,
where the great hull of the lake steam
er lies on its side, taking from the
dark waters the bodies Of men, women
and children, whose lives were. cut of
without warning.
Meanwhile federal, state and munici-
pal officials are bending their energies
to ascertain the cause Of the calamity
and to Ak the blame Two grand juries.
besides the coroner. will probe the dis
aster.
States Attorney Hoyne declares that
the federal inspectors were lax and
that large part Of the responsibility
rests upon them. United States Dis
trict Attorney Alyne Is taking steps to
learn whether or not the inspectors
were remiss.
Divers Resume Their Work.
Other thousands hurried toward the
river to watch the work of rescue, but
found their way barred by q strong
line of policemen, who held them back.
New divers were at work today to
recover bodies from the river and
from the interior of the Eastland, re-
lieving the men who had been on
duty most of the night. The new force
started at 5 o'clock
At the foot Of La Sale street barri-
cade has been erected on boxes, bar
rels and crates, and there the bodies
were taken On shore from the launch
Falma and placed on stretchers.
One diver found nine bodies about
the center of the boat
~ touched two MORE he said. "-rwo
Of the bodies found we're those Of
young men pinned beneath the dnvits
at the bottom of the river"
Bodies In Middle Of River.
Most Of the bodies recovered were
taken from the water about the middle
Of the river and opposite the sub
merged part of the hurricane deck.
Workmen again were placed on the
upper side of the steamship and be-
gan drilling new holes with acetylene
torches and removing new sections of
her outer plates in order to have more
access TO the compartments of the hold.
"In the name of God I ask you to 20
away and let those seeking for rela-
tives and friends come in and identify
their dead
With these words Coroner Peter
Hoffman addressed the thousands who
stood outside the armory at midnight.
and then the doors were thrown open.
Twenty at time the anxious seekers
were admitted to the great death cham
Der.
Preparing List of the Dead.
In preparing an official list of the
dead the coroner has the cooperation
of the Western Electric company,
whose employees make up the larger
part Of the dead. At the factory in
Hawthorne huge bulletin board has
been erected bearing the names Of all
missing.
Many thousands of employees or
their friends visited the plant, and as
they found errors in the list corrections
were made, a name being transferred
from the dead to the rescued.
Beginning today Chicago will follow
its dead to the cemeteries. All Of the
resources In the city In the way OF fu-
neral equipment will be pressed into
service, and 1t is said to be doubtful
even then If the burials can be made
before the end Of the week.
Much progress has been made In re
ducing the number Of the unidentified
dead and in accounting for many who
had been classed as missing; also some
who had been listed as dead were
found to be alive.