Titanic, Lusitania, Sultana….Eastland?
Some of the most famous shipwrecks in history claimed less lives than the little known disaster that took place on the Chicago River in July 1915.
When we hear of ship disasters, our minds race to the Titanic, the Lusitania, or if you’ve been with us for a while, the Sultana. But how many of you thought of the Eastland? Even though it claimed more lives than Titanic or Lusitania, few know the story of the Eastland.
Cursed From The Start?
A Great Lakes steamer, the Eastland pulled from its dock on the Chicago River in late July of 1915. One of five vessels chartered by the Western Electric Company, the Eastland carried 2,573 passengers. As it had done some many times before.
The Eastland may have been considered a cursed ship. During her inaugural season in 1903, she struck and sunk a tugboat docked at the Lake Street Bridge. Less than a month after that incident, the Eastland experienced a small mutiny.
Operational troubles weren’t the only challenges the ship experienced in its first season. In review of her performance, it was determined she didn’t go as fast as wanted. Moreover, her draft ran too deep for the Black River in Michigan.
Deadly Changes
Later that year, the Eastland underwent modifications. The modifications were successful in increasing the ship’s speed. They were also successful at reducing her draft. However, the changes they made reduced its stability.
Throughout 1904, the Eastland navigated many stability problems. Crew noted these events occurred most commonly while loading and unloading cargo and passengers. The risk was noted and the ship’s capacity was reduced to 2,800 passengers.
Over the next ten years, the ship would exchange hands in a number of transactions. It also continued to experience listing incidents. The incidents occurred as passengers loaded or unloaded the ship.
Just Another Job
On July 24, 1915, the Eastland, was commissioned to shuttle its passengers to a picnic in Michigan City, Indiana. It had recently been fitted with additional lifeboats to accommodate all of its passengers. A requirement stemming from the RMS Titanic disaster three years earlier. The extra weight would further destabilize the ship.
Employees of the Western Electric Company shuffled aboard the Eastland. They were destined to a company picnic in Michigan City, Indiana. The event had become a beloved tradition as many workers did not receive a summer holiday.
Along the south bank of the Chicago River, over 2,500 passengers had made their way onto the Eastland. The ship slowly began to list away from the wharf.
This Time Is Different
The crew, having experienced this before, opened ballast tanks to try and right the ship. This time it didn’t work. The Eastland rolled completely over on her port side. It came to rest on the river’s bottom, only twenty feet deep. Less than half of the vessel was fully submerged.
Unfortunately, many of the passengers who had boarded the Eastland had sought the lower decks. The lower decks offered warmer temperatures and a chance to escaped the unseasonably cool morning.
When the ship rolled over, it trapped hundreds of people. Some were overcome by the immediate rush of the Chicago River’s waters. Others were crushed or pinned by pianos, bookcases, and tables.
In twenty feet of water and twenty feet from the wharf, the capsized vessel sat in the river. A nearby ship, the Kenosha, pulled up alongside the hull. This enabled stranded passengers to leap from the Eastland to safety.
Despite the quick thinking of the Kenosha crew, and the proximity to the wharf, 844 people perished. Three-fourths of the victims were under 25-years-old. The majority of the deceased passengers were immigrants from Europe.
Immigrants from Poland, Germany, Norway, Ireland, Sweden, Denmark, Italy, Hungary, Austria, and what is now presently known as the Czech Republic. Over 220 Czech passengers died in the disaster.
The Magnitude of the Disaster
10 weeks earlier, the Lusitania had sunk, with a death toll of 785 passengers. In 1912, 829 passengers had died aboard the Titanic. Both of those disasters took place on the high seas.
The Eastland claimed 844 passengers in an urban river, only twenty feet from a dock. It’s considered the greatest disaster on the Great Lakes.
The Aftermath
In the aftermath, a grand jury indicted the president and three other officers of the steamship company. The charges: manslaughter and criminal carelessness. Federal extradition hearings would fail. Based on weak evidence and years of successful operation, no one could prove the accused unjustified in believing the ship seaworthy.
History for the Hurried:
March 31, 1933: The Civilian Conservation Corps, the CCC, was founded. Unemployed men and youths were organized into quasi-military formations and worked outdoors in national parks and forests. A lot happened in 1933.
March 31, 1991 - The Soviet Republic of Georgia, birthplace of Josef Stalin, voted to declare its independence from Soviet Russia.