Remembering S.S. Eastland
At Wacker Drive and La Salle Street stands a plaque commemorating the Eastland Disaster. While this was one of the worst tragedies in the United States, it is remarkably unfamiliar to most people.
The S. S. Eastland was a passenger ship that was used for tours in Chicago. On July 24, 1915, the boat was chartered to take employees from Chicago’s Western Electric Company to a picnic in Michigan City, Indiana. That morning, 5000 people (many of whom were of German descent or Czech immigrants) showed up at the Chicago River to begin boarding around 6:30 a.m., and in under an hour, the ship reached its capacity of 2500. As more and more people stepped onto the boat, it wobbled left and right. Most people congregated on the open upper decks and waited for the Eastland to cast off. The ship began to tilt severely on the port (left) side.
Despite their efforts, the crew could not stabilize the boat, and the Eastland rolled onto its side. Hundreds of people were thrown into the river. The water was littered with floundering, panicked passengers. Even worse, many women and children were trapped underwater in the floors below the deck, while others were crushed by falling furniture. Over 800 people died on that horrible day.
This accident was not completely unprecedented. In 1904, 1906, and 1912, the Eastland had encountered major tilting problems with passengers onboard. At the time, the crew “solved” the problem by lowering the ship’s capacity and prohibiting the passengers from concentrating on one side of the ship. Also, while the Eastland’s original construction was top-heavy to begin with, several modifications over the years made it even more susceptible to tipping over.
Identifying the dead took many days. The Western Electric employees had not been assigned to specific ships, so there were no passenger lists available. In many cases, where entire families had been lost, relatives had to come from several miles away in order to identify the bodies.
Most people are familiar with the Great Chicago Fire, but not nearly as many people died in the Fire as in this tragic event. It is unclear why this accident has been so historically obscure. But one thing is certain: neither the victims nor the rescuers should ever be forgotten.
Photo credit: (c/o Flickr) wallyg
http://www.eastlandmemorial.org/
http://www.eastlanddisaster.org/
2 Comments
Nicely written article about Chicago’s greatest tragedy, which (as you pointed out) is also one of the most obscure parts of the City’s history.
In addition to the historical marker there is a permanent 5-foot by 7-foot photo essay located in the lobby of the Reid Murdoch Center (directly across the Chicago River).
Coming soon! A new 12-panel photo essay to be installed along the lower river level, right “At The River’s Edge” between Clark and LaSalle Streets (the exact location where the Eastland was moored the morning that it rolled into the river).
Thank you for helping to share the history of the Eastland Disaster.
Regards,
Ted Wachholz
Executive Director
Eastland Disaster Historical Society
1-877-865-6295
Transforming history education — in and out of the classroom.
[...] The site of the Eastland Disaster is marked by a historical plaque, but some visitors to the historic location have reported hearing [...]