The Watertown news. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1917-1919, 1917-07-02
FREAK CURRENT
BLAMED FOR LOSS
OF FIFTEEN LIVES
Owners of WhaIebaCk Steamer
Explain Accident in Mil
Waukee River.
23 PERSONS ARE MISSING
Passengers Crushed to Death When
Huge Tank Holding 1000 Gallons
of Water Crashes Through
Decks of Huge Excur-
sion Boat.

sion Boat.
Milwaukee, July "A sudden cur
rent In the Milwaukee river is blamed
for the Christopher Columbus excur-
sion boat disaster, in which 10 persons
are known to have lost their lives and
more than a score were hurt.
The explanation was made by II. w.
Thorp, general manager Of the Good
rich Transportation company, owners
of the boat, after he had talked with
Capt. Charles Z. Moody.
''There was a tug at the bow and
one at the stern when the Christopher
Columbus came down the Milwaukee
river to where the Menominee runs in,
forming "" Thorp said. 1.-The tug
at the back swung the boat into the
Menominee so it could go down the
stream. The current was too strong TO
turn the whaleback in, and it swung
into the bank.
"Such currents are not unusual and
there have been more this year than
ever before, not only in the Milwaukee
river, but In the Chicago river also. In
the last few months the Chicago river
has risen and fallen as much as two
feet in two hours The cause is not
definitely known and the currents cam
not be anticipated"
The death total was brought to 10
when the body of a woman victim was
taken from the river. Six of the in
jured are in a critical condition and
twenty-three passengers are reported
missing.
These Known to Be Dead.
The revised death list follows:
Fred Blum. Milwaukee.
Mrs. Blanche Cooper, Cherokee,
Kan.
Bertha NJ. Comstock, Kenyon, MINI.
Thomas II. Creel, Parkersburg, w.
Va.
Robert Downs, colored, Chicago.
Eva Eatman, Chicago.
Alfred B. Murray, Chicago.
Cecil Neil, Billings. Okla.
Bertha Parsons, Chicago.
A. G. Pollak, Dubuque, la.
Alta Roberts, Morrill,, Kan.
Frank Saukup, Chicago.
William Steenberg, Milwaukee.
Adelia Swanson, Kenyon, Minn.
Unknown man.
While searchers were dragging the
river for additional victims, officers of
the Goodrich line lunched in the club
room of the ship and planned an In
vestigation of the tragedy.
Federal agents opened an inquiry,
hinfnd hof nc, will N
made.
Capt. Charles Moody, who was on
the bridge at the time of the accident,
spent all night pacing the decks of the
boat. His face was white and hag-
gard when he appeared at the office of
the steamboat inspectors in the federal
building to face the star chamber grill
ing by Inspectors Collins and Van Pat
ten.
Before going into the room he told
his story to reporter.
II saw 1t coming long way off," he
began. Il knew something terrible
would happen when we hit the EN-
bankment. AS soon as | saw trouble
ran down from the bridge and grabbed
the wheel from James Brody and start
ed to back with all my might. l didn t
stop the engines. The engines did
that when the crash came.
when we hit / still tried to back
up, but the next thing l knew the pilot
house was lying all around me and
Brody was nowhere TO be seen. l must
have been stunned.
Many of the survivors told of seeing
the catastrophe coming, but were
rooted to the spot through fear.
How Accident Occurred.
Fifteen excursionists were killed
late Saturday when a 25,000-gallon
tank toppled from steel tower 1OO
feet high and crashed onto crowded
decks of the whaleback Christopher
Columbus, on which were teachers and
pupils of the Northwestern university
University of Chicago and other sum
mer schools.
More than 400 passengers, the ma
jority of whom, it is believed, were
members of the school outing party
were aboard.
All were intent on speculation on
where the mass of falling steel would
strike, and, fascinated by the fmpend.
Ing disaster, they stood frozen with
terror. In an instant the vessel was .
scene of tragedy, the survivors looking
dumbly on.
Thousands Of gallons of water
loosed by the bursting tank, flooded
every deck. Staterooms were awash
saloons running with water. and de-
bgis and confusion reigned,