The packet boat S.S. Eastland had been launched in May of 1903 as an interlake steamer to be used for excursions on the Great Lakes. She was a poorly constructed ship with several design flaws which made her susceptible to listing to one side. Basically she was too top heavy with a center of gravity which was much too high off the waterline. In 1913, one official, John Deveraux York warned of this problem: "You are aware of the conditions of the S.S. "Eastland", and unless the structural defects are remedied to prevent listing, there may be a serious accident." But Mr. Devereaux's warning went unheeded. Originally built to carry 650 passengers she was redesigned in that very year to carry 2500 passengers.
The Topheavy S.S. Eastland Turns a Picnic Into a Tragedy
And on July 24, 1915 she was carrying more than that: about 2700 to 3500 people (depending on which account you read). Mostly from the Western Electric Company, they were on their way to the company picnic, and had begun assembling for their afternoon of fun early that morning at the dock on the south bank of the Chicago River between Clark and LaSalle Streets. At about 6:53 a.m. Eastland's
"A Terrible Symphony"... Eastland Crashes and Fills With Water
Although she was only a short distance from the dock, and the river at that point was only 20 feet deep, many of the passengers had gone below on this fairly chilly morning. Thus, they were caught underneath not only water gushing in through open ports and down three gangways, but many were crushed beneath tons of furniture, bookcases, pianos and tables. Nearby ships rushed in to aid the passengers (above), as workmen from a nearby warehouse threw lumber and crates, anything that would float into the water for passengers to grab onto. "Above all the cataclysmic scene there was a great and dreadful wailing sound as the cries and pleas of the drowning blended in a terrible symphony with the moans and apprehensive shrieks of those who stood helplessly on the dock or watched in disbelief and torment from the other excursion vessels." wrote one reporter. Captain Pederson went so far as to interfere with workmen who were cutting holes in the ship to get people out from below. "Stop cutting a hole in my ship!" he shouted. He had to be arrested to keep him from interfering. During all of this the dead who had been pulled from the river were piled up like cordwood in a make-shift morgue which was set up in Chicago's Second Street Armory building.
A total of 855 passengers and crew were lost that terrible day. The legal wrangling over who was responsible for this tragedy is a separate and a fascinating story in itself. For that part of the story I can strongly recommend Michael McCarthy's book "Ashes Under Water" which I review at:
https://historysstory.blogspot.com/2014/10/special-ashes-under-water.html
Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Eastland
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/hundreds-drown-in-eastland-disaster
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