@Tomandtob I can tell you that up until about a decade or so ago, there were a lot of Chicagoans who hadn't heard of it. The original commemorative plaque disappeared at some point (since replaced), as well. Yes, it was in reference books and I think Bonasinga's book was written earlier, but the disaster was forgotten among the general populace.
@Tomandtob From Britannica: Figure of speech, any intentional deviation from literal statement or common usage that emphasizes, clarifies, or embellishes both written and spoken language. Forming an integral part of language, figures of speech are found in oral literatures as well as in polished poetry and prose and in everyday speech...Other common forms of figurative speech are hyperbole (deliberate exaggeration for the sake of effect)..." I stand by my word choice.
@@freddeneau4697 Did Christ come for the SAINTS? None of us have claim to SAINTHOOD it is GOD'S GLORY we SERVE and HE will CHOOSE and USE WHOMEVER HIS WILL Your GRANDFATHER was BLESSED and CHARGED on that DAY to take ACTION disregarding his OWN LIFE for STRANGER'S he is as good as GOLD in ACTION.👍🏻 You don't know which one your Grandmother saved lived on to do INCREDIBLE WORKS or DEEDS or there OFFSPRING Because of HIS ACTIONS that DAY WE HONOR his MEMORY .
My great grandmother’s family was involved in western electric. Her parents and a few of her siblings died that day. She went to the negligent people responsible for this and asked for an apology. She didn’t ask for any money. All she wanted was for someone to say they were sorry. Then they look and see the 8 siblings my great grandma was now raising and were like “Well you’re Czech and you’re obviously very fertile so you can easily make up for what was lost.” So I do think discrimination was involved when the crew jumped ship and left everyone to die. My great grandmother did speak of a man who helped her swim to the shore. I wish I knew who he was because I would want to meet his family. She never found out his name because she was calling for her brothers and sisters and the man went off to find them. He brought a couple of them back and a couple found their way to shore on their own. Sadly, 4 of her siblings did perish, May they Rest In Peace. I know this hero is not alive anymore but my family wouldn’t exist if that man hadn’t saved her. I’m sure the descendants of those your grand-uncle saved would feel the same.
He must have been the one that saved so many kids although it endangered his life. They tried to convict him until a great lawyer stepped in and helped. Those guys who ran and didn’t try to help anyone are the ones that should have been put on trial not a hero like your uncle.
My grandma was a witness to this event. She was to go aboard but she didn't want to but she lost alot of her friends and coworkers. This sad event is well known in my family.
Katy Brennan, My great grandmother had a premonition the night before and wouldn’t let the family go. Great grandfather said, “Nonsense!” then went but stopped on the way for beer. He arrived on time to see the disaster.
My then 19 year old grandmother was supposed to be aboard, but thankfully was too sick to go. She lost a number of friends and coworkers. Her only child, my mother, wasn’t born until 1921.
Diane R., Yes it was a tragic time for the Bohemian and or Czechoslovakian community. Many houses had visitation for those who passed in coffins in the front rooms up and down the streets of Berwyn, I believe.
Thanks Grunge for bringing this horrible incident to light. I am a history buff but I never heard about this disaster. This was caused due to poor construction, bad judgement and greed. The ship didn't even set sail before capsizing. It was good to know that citizens used their resources to look for passengers.
“And then movement caught my eye. I looked across the river. As I watched in disoriented stupefaction, a steamer large as an ocean liner slowly turned over on its side as though it were a whale going to take a nap. I didn't believe a huge steamer had done this before my eyes, lashed to a dock, in perfectly calm water, in excellent weather, with no explosion, no fire, nothing. I thought I had gone crazy.” Jack Woodford, eyewitness to the SS Eastland disaster on July 24, 1915
My grandma's two toddler-age sisters died in this. My grandma was herself born to "replace" the lost children, and their mother, my dad's mom, never recovered. I never knew this until a few years ago, when my cousin found out. My father never talked about it, but I believe the repercussions of the trauma were felt among him and his siblings throughout their lives.
I am from Chicago, and read that in numerous books. There is a commerative marker at the site. Oprah's former studios and Macy's store is reportably haunted since the buildings were once used for morgues.
Very good article about the tragedy and shame of the Eastland disaster. Years ago I planned on writing a book about it but was never able to the kind of research I wanted to. This is a story that deserves to be told!
never heard of this before and im 67 years old. sad story but how typical that rich people will risk health and safety of the common man to make money.
That's usually how it goes: Cutting corners,shoddy repairs and workmanship, violation of safety rules and procedures, and a lack of care for customers,workers and the community at large. Just to save a few bucks or make a few bucks.
The last part of your comment, “rich people will risk the health and safety of the common man to make money” reminds me of what’s currently going on in the Trump administration.
@@HeronCoyote1234 sure but in general the desire to make money often "trumps" (sorry couldn't resist) safety in many situations by greedy people. even wall street with its collapse years ago got so reckless they lost badly and it was by very rich people who play recklessly with peoples money that they should have protected instead.
I remember this from school. My teacher made reading fun for us, something that doesn't happen today. I now have a life-long love of reading, all types of things! Thank you so much, Mrs. Snitzer!!! I have never seen so many pictures of the Eastland disaster before, even some movies! Thanks Grunge for sharing this!
The ship just doesn’t look right. She was too tall and narrow. She looks like they kept adding decks as an after thought, while greedily rubbing their hands together.
alohathaxted as I recall it was actually originally supposed to be a Great Lakes cargo ship, but was converted to a passenger ship. Had it been loaded with cargo it would ride much lower in the water.
As noted, it was not well balanced to start. But in motion, it was like a motorcycle: stayed upright at high speeds. And that's what she was called--the speed queen of the Great Lakes, IIRC.
My Grandmother worked at Western Electric, and was on board the Eastland when it rolled. She was rescued when another passenger pulled her out through one of the open portholes. After the Wilmette was done as a Naval training vessel, my mother, who served as a Wave on Navy Pier, wrote up the paperwork to decommission her.
The ship was only rated for 500 passengers but had 5 times that number,so it was not the lifeboats that were to blame,although once it started to capsize they would have been a problem then.If you look at other vessels past and present that have turned turtle the main reason was being overloaded
@David Parry Oh you mean like the Italian "Chicken of the Sea" captain in Italy? Or the captain and crew who abandoned it's ship and passengers off the coast of South Africa?
My maternal grandfather worked at the Hawthorn plant and both he and my grandmother boarded the Eastland early that morning. Seeing the ship was just too crowded, they left the Eastland and boarded the less crowded sister ship the Westland for the trip to Michigan City. They stood on the deck of the Westland and witnessed the Eastland capsize.
To my mind, the most moving picture of the disaster is the one this video shows towards the end - the rescuer holding a dead child, a look of horror and despair on his face. That will always be my picture of the disaster. God bless that man, whoever he was.
As a former sailor in the Royal Navy, I find this story incredibly sad. What a tragic loss of so many young lives on a day that should have been a lot of fun. I'd never heard of this tragedy, although I am familiar with the history of maritime losses generally from my former occupation. This top heaviness was a problem that still plagued ships on the Arctic convoys in WW2, due to the weight of ice that would form on the ships - and the fact that many of them were WW1 leftovers and suffered the top heavy design problems you mention here.
None of their descendents died since or suffered even a day. The kind of silver lining that made me never have kids and leave all the nonsense of this world to other unfortunates' offspring who were bred into a cruel short existence for no good reason at all. They hate and make vicious remarks towards me and I just shrug.
What an forgotten tragedy that should never be forgotten! I'm happy you shared this and will to others as this should be told just as much as the Titanic's story!
An excellent book about this tragedy is: “Ashes Under Water: the SS Eastland and the Shipwreck that Shook America” by Michael McCarthy. It covers the history of the Eastland, it’s poor design, the tragedy and the trial.
I just ordered the book off of eBay (much less expensive than Amazon BTW). Thank you for this piece and the wonderfully done video, a fantastic memorial to those who lost their lives and the surviving victims. I would love to interview those who witnessed the event... had to have been unbelievable.
As soon as I saw the pic and what it said about this upload, I knew what it was. The bridge there has a commemorative plaque, with the story what happened on the Eastland that beautiful summer day. Such a sad day in Chicago history.
박한결 세월호 3등 is still in prison serving 11years. For the Sewol, the surviving captain got 30 years, and court ordered compensation was divided between the owners and the South Korean Government.
That building @0:46 has a clock at the very top with the hands "Frozen in time" resonance at the time of the Eastland disaster which pretty much happened right in front of that building !
I knew about this because when I was a kid my elderly babysitter told me about it. She was one of the survivors. She was a young girl at the time and was pulled through one of the portholes. She said that peeled off a bunch of skin off of her arms. Oddly, had it not been for her I might not have ever heard about it even though I was born and raised in Chicago. For the size of the disaster it really did not get much attention.
An also forgotten ship tragedy was the Empress of Ireland-a ship that was actually owned by a railroad. She went down two years after Titanic and there were nearly as many deaths. Clive Cussler scarily wrote about the sinking in the first chapter of the book Night Probe. Also, the book expertly not only talks about a salvage attempt of the ship but also blurs the line between fiction and reality and U.S./Canadian relations of the late 70's/early 80's. In the book the Canadian prime minister is 62 and has an attractive 26 year old wife that cheats on him. In reality, in 1978 the Canadian prime minister was 62 and had an attractive 26 year old wife that cheated on him. This and many more parallels are in the book. If history intrigues you, read the book.
@@thejagotishow It was a lot like the Eastland- A bunch of working people, mostly Irish were on the Empress. In collision with the steamer, Storstad, she sank like at rock in the middle of the night when everyone except the crew were asleep and most people had no chance of escape except for the crew on duty at the time. Clive Cussler knew his stuff!
It hasn't fallen out of my conscience. My grandmother lived in Chicago at the time and was 16 years old. She often spoke about this terrible tragedy and gave me first-hand information about the fact that everyone in the city was mortified by this disaster. Grandma was an immigrant, but spoke perfect English. Perhaps it hit her harder as she too was Czech... Thanks grandma for being in my life (1899-1975). I miss her.
Most of the Czech causalities were buried at the Bohemian National Cemetery on Chicago's north side (Foster Avenue and Pulaski Road). Case in point, RIP Emil Flicek a 19 year old employee of Western Electric. There were so many deaths the Cook County Coroner's office created a special custom stamp for the death certificates that reads, "Drowned July 24, 1915 From STEAMER EASTLAND Chicago River at Clark St."
"Attempted to interfere..." jesus thats what money does to you. Our government has unfortunately adopted this ideal and has from the beginning. Money doesn't care about lives, and the love for money cares even less.
The kayaking company I toured with on the Chicago river a few years back had told me that they have at least (one) kayaker every month that rolls into the water on the EXACT spot that the Eastland had sunk. I was the victim for September 2015! I swear something tipped me over, but nothing was more worse than falling in the polluted Chicago river!!!!!
Thanks, I saw a documentary about the Eastland Disaster on TV, some years ago, and they pointed out early on that the ship was poorly designed from the time its keel was laid, being ungainly and top-heavy, _even before the extra life-saving equipment had been added. I hadn't heard about the captain and his crew interfering with rescue efforts, to the point of being forcibly removed from the scene. (When I was a kid, we had a rather crude, 2-syllable word, starting with an "a" and ending in an "e," we used to describe people like that.) This is a story that bears repeating---and repeating, especially to point out that unlike the "Triangle Shirtwaist Disaster," there _were_ laws in effect to cover this situation, but those responsible still got off scott-free. Stay safe, everyone.
NYC's worst ship disaster was the burning of the General Slocum. Then there was the just post Civil War burning of the Sultana. Not many people remember these disasters either.
I read Bonansinga's book back in 2006. It was a great telling of what happened. It also gave a very good account of life in Chicago 1915. One interesting aspect you would not have thought of is that a majority of the people brought their own food that day, and because back in those days there were no plastic containers, paper plates, or styrofoam they had huge picnic baskets with real plates and silverware and all their beverages were in mason jars and their food items in pots and pans. Curious as to how much extra weight that accounted for. There was a bar onboard ship and there were 2 bartenders who worked side by side at various bars for over 30 years and were best of friends. They became friends after being opponents in a professional boxing match that was declared a draw after a brutal fight. They both died and their bodies were found side by side inside the ship. I liked the Authors last words he wrote in the preface, "This book is dedicated to the heavy burden of memory."
Tearsssss!!!! Thank you for posting this video, truly an unbelievable horror that will not be forgotten or ignored. . Isaiah 10:1-3 ....."WOE to those who decree iniquitous decrees, and the writers who keep writing oppression, to turn aside the needy from justice and to rob the poor of my people of their right, that widows may be their spoil, and that they may make the fatherless their prey! What will you do on the day of punishment, in the ruin that will come from afar? To whom will you flee for help, and where will you leave your wealth?" . Thank you.
Considering the clothes women were in those days and how heavy and cumbersome they were, it would have been difficult for women to survive. Not sure how many people were able to swim? Thanks to all the workers who saved lives!
Working class wore clothes that allowed much more freedom of movement especially during the summer. Although, I imagine if this had happened the same time of year in Scotland or northern England in those days, they wore wool dresses year round. I'm not from the north but it's something my southern (UK) family noticed about northerners. I suppose it's just not enough sun and too cool even in the summer to wear cotton. Wool gets extremely heavy when wet. It's drowned a lot of people.
7:08 that firefighter with the dead child is the face of PTSD. The Eastland was cut down a deck and returned to service as a USN gunboat and training ship USS Wilmette, serving till 1945 and scrapped in 1947. The design was not poor as the video suggests. Originally she had a deeper draught but this was reduced when she could not hit 18 knots. The original owners had noticed stability problems when 3000 people had been on board in 1904. Her rating was reduced to 2800. From a design and reliability perspective she was a good ship but no ship - no matter how well built can handle misuse. As the Wilmette she trained gun crews and sank a captured U-boat in the 1920's. During the Second World War Roosevelt sailed on her.
Another note, during the Second World War, the upper structure of the ship was chopped off and the hull was made into a tiny aircraft carrier that trained navy pilots on Lake Michigan, right off of the Chicago shoreline. The first President Bush trained on it during the winter & said he was never that cold at anytime else in his life.
Terry Sullivan Wow.....fascinating! Both Bushes were pilots. When Bush Senior passed away he asked for his body to be transported to his final resting place. He did this not as a wealthy man, but in memory of all the WW2 soldiers who left home on a train (common back then) so long ago. My Grandpa fought in the Pacific during WW2. Saw Hell.
My grandfather was in the Signal Corps and was off the west coast of Iceland when the German Instrument of Surrender came through. A copy of it is in my mother’s (his daughter’s) possession.
Writers take note....these are the stories that need to be told in novels and then into movies for the masses. It seems our history books needs updating.
Good luck with that.......Our history is being purged by communists within our own ranks as we speak. Our "history books" have been updated.......unfortunately with anti American propaganda
The major issue with this video is that the Eastland was originally licensed for 5,000 passengers, not 500. I have studied this capsize for many years and I am convinced this vessel was doomed by faulty design. I suggest reading George W. Hilton's book if one wants to learn more.
I, like many others, have never heard of this tragedy, and this as on American soil. Such tragic details...and people actually tried to stop the welders from cutting into the ship? I’m glad that they were arrested. A shame that the owners weren’t held accountable...something didn’t sound right on that one. I’m sure many things were learned as a result of this tragedy, like the Titanic. Thanks for sharing.
They tried for a conspiracy charge instead of a criminal neglect one, but not all of the defendants had been willfully neglectful and that breaks a conspiracy charge.
@@MySerpentine 🇺🇸 I’ve found that many stories come back around from time to time, for whatever reasons. Even in our age we have to wonder what really happened. 🧐
My Grandmother had friends who were on the Eastland that day. A couple didn't survive. I had a couple of Great Uncles who were suppose to be on the Eastland. They weren't able to get on it because it was to full.
My Great Grandfather was on this trip escaped through a porthole .My great Grandmother refused to go with her 3 children my Grandmother who was 5 at the time.
Another boating disaster never talked about involved the PS General Slocum. It caught fire and sank in the East River in NYC in 1904. Up until 9/11 it was the greatest loss of life in a single event in NYC
Never heard of this one, but a lot of these old maritime disaster have been forgotten, another one is the Edmond Fitzgerald, which only the crew was lost but still tragic and was very well known
3 out of 4 of the children in my family we're born in Michigan City... but we were all raised in the south... I say this because I never ever hear or see anything about this city... and as far as this tragedy, it's just that a terrible tragedy... God bless them...
This case went on through the courts for 20 years. In a final appeal ruling in 1935, they ruled that the blame was on the chief engineer Joseph Ericson for improper handling of the ballast tanks. He had died in 1919 and needless to say could not defend himself. They tried to put the blame squarely on him in the first trial, but was defended by Clarence Darrow and Ericson was acquitted on the grounds that he was following orders from the Captain. There is a good book on that trial called "Ashes Under Water" that came out a few years after Bonansinga's book. The Eastland was sold to the Navy after it was raised, and it was refitted as a training vessel called the USS Wilmette. It spent the next 30 years on the Great Lakes and took none other than Franklin Roosevelt on a 10-day excursion in 1943 when he met with Admirals and war cabinet members to discuss Pacific Theater war strategy. Probably had no idea as to the ships past. After World War 2 the Navy sold it and it was scrapped in 1947. Even today it stands as the worst maritime disaster in Great Lakes history and the 3rd worst overall in American history. Only surpassed by the Sultana in 1865 and the General Slocum in 1904.
I Live in Cicero Ill that was almost wiped out on that day. I have known people who lost family on the Eastland. I think the sad part of this story is All these people lost their lives and It never left the dock.
Almost everyday I used to past this area and the plaque that mention this tragedy. For a long time I often wonder why this was not historically- documented.
As I Chicago native, my parents used to tell us about this and take us down to the site. Definitely eerie, some say it feels haunted the way Gettysburg does. So sad.
My great grandfather and his sisters were on board that day. He survived; they did not. We found a brief interview with him in one of the newspapers of the day. He was in the hospital (which suggests he was injured or had been in the river which was FILTHY and extremely unhealthy) and told the reporter that they had been standing together on an upper deck when the ship tilted and slid down. His foot got caught on something and by the time he freed himself, his sisters were gone. The family overall has had an interest in the Eastland for most of my life. Good video, covers the major points, and is pretty accurate. Didn't mention the tradition that if George Halas had gotten to the riverfront earlier, there might not have been an NFL, though. 😉
History of injustice that was done by the rich and powerful people and not serving their benefits are almost always putting aside no matter how serious ; that’s the world we live in.
My Great Grandparents worked at Western Electric at this time! There were 5 ships! the Eastland was the fastest and most desired. My Grandmother was sick that day, and they canceled their plans to go! The Eastland was unstable until at top speed! Later, the Eastland was used as a training platform roe the Navy Recruits at Great lakes Naval station during WW II after being renamed!
Common ordinary people were told that they could have a taste of how the upper class lived. Gave the little money they had only to find the standards were not the same. People who had never been on a ship could not know that something wasn't right. Heartbreaking.
Wow, Thank you for that one. What a terrific memory. Now I know why I recall hearing of this before! I remember also "When Havoc Struck" covered the air disasters of the mysterious mid-air explosions of the early DeHaviland "Comets". First passenger jet airliners. Have to do a search on the web & see what other disasters they covered. I think it was a rather short-lived series. Guess America wasn't ready for "reality" TV...
You should do another video on the Sultana, the worst maritime disaster in American history which resulted in the deaths of around 1200 passengers, mostly Civil War soldiers returning home from the war. Almost no one remembers it.
To add another level to the tragedy of the Sultana, many of the casualties were recently released Union soldiers who were held as POWs at the Confederate prison at Andersonville. After having miraculously survived Andersonville they lost their lost lives while en route back home to the north.
@@AbleBodied If you have Amazon Prime, there's an entire documentary called "Remember the Sultana" which is where I learned about it. I highly recommend it.
RIP to all the victims of this horrible tragedy.
🙏 ALWAYS REMEMBER NEVER FORGET
@Tomandtob I can tell you that up until about a decade or so ago, there were a lot of Chicagoans who hadn't heard of it. The original commemorative plaque disappeared at some point (since replaced), as well. Yes, it was in reference books and I think Bonasinga's book was written earlier, but the disaster was forgotten among the general populace.
@Tomandtob ah, you're going for the literal approach, while I and probably Grunge were going for the more figurative one. You do you, brah.
@Tomandtob From Britannica: Figure of speech, any intentional deviation from literal statement or common usage that emphasizes, clarifies, or embellishes both written and spoken language. Forming an integral part of language, figures of speech are found in oral literatures as well as in polished poetry and prose and in everyday speech...Other common forms of figurative speech are hyperbole (deliberate exaggeration for the sake of effect)..."
I stand by my word choice.
@Tomandtob Whatever floats your boat, ❄.
My grandfather save 46 people’s lives and recovered over 250 bodies that day. He was a salvage diver on the Chicago’s docks.
What a True American HERO YOUR GRAND FATHER was .👍🏻
weezyc203 I never met him and there were few pictures of him.
ALPHA MALES 4 TRUMP HYMN OF THE REPUBLIC He was a hero but he was no angel.
@@freddeneau4697 Did Christ come for the SAINTS? None of us
have claim to SAINTHOOD it is GOD'S GLORY we
SERVE and HE will CHOOSE and USE WHOMEVER HIS WILL
Your GRANDFATHER was BLESSED and CHARGED on that DAY to take ACTION disregarding his OWN LIFE for STRANGER'S
he is as good as GOLD in ACTION.👍🏻 You don't know which one your Grandmother saved lived on to do INCREDIBLE WORKS or DEEDS or there OFFSPRING Because of HIS ACTIONS that DAY WE HONOR his MEMORY .
your grandfather was and still is a great Man
My grand-uncle was a Western Electric supervisor that saved many people and was awarded with a special clock commemorating the rescue
👏👏👏
My great grandmother’s family was involved in western electric. Her parents and a few of her siblings died that day. She went to the negligent people responsible for this and asked for an apology. She didn’t ask for any money. All she wanted was for someone to say they were sorry. Then they look and see the 8 siblings my great grandma was now raising and were like “Well you’re Czech and you’re obviously very fertile so you can easily make up for what was lost.” So I do think discrimination was involved when the crew jumped ship and left everyone to die. My great grandmother did speak of a man who helped her swim to the shore. I wish I knew who he was because I would want to meet his family. She never found out his name because she was calling for her brothers and sisters and the man went off to find them. He brought a couple of them back and a couple found their way to shore on their own. Sadly, 4 of her siblings did perish, May they Rest In Peace. I know this hero is not alive anymore but my family wouldn’t exist if that man hadn’t saved her. I’m sure the descendants of those your grand-uncle saved would feel the same.
He must have been the one that saved so many kids although it endangered his life. They tried to convict him until a great lawyer stepped in and helped. Those guys who ran and didn’t try to help anyone are the ones that should have been put on trial not a hero like your uncle.
My grandma was a witness to this event. She was to go aboard but she didn't want to but she lost alot of her friends and coworkers. This sad event is well known in my family.
Thank God... I was so curious x)
Katy Brennan,
My great grandmother had a premonition the night before and wouldn’t let the family go.
Great grandfather said, “Nonsense!” then went but stopped on the way for beer. He arrived on time to see the disaster.
My then 19 year old grandmother was supposed to be aboard, but thankfully was too sick to go. She lost a number of friends and coworkers. Her only child, my mother, wasn’t born until 1921.
Diane R.,
Yes it was a tragic time for the Bohemian and or Czechoslovakian community. Many houses had visitation for those who passed in coffins in the front rooms up and down the streets of Berwyn, I believe.
Thank-you. Any education, good or bad, is always appreciated.
Thanks Grunge for bringing this horrible incident to light. I am a history buff but I never heard about this disaster. This was caused due to poor construction, bad judgement and greed. The ship didn't even set sail before capsizing. It was good to know that citizens used their resources to look for passengers.
Yeah, and take a look at the cruise ships today with all those decks above water. I still think they are an accident waiting to happen.
I would love to take a cruise. But that is scary when you hear about neglectful captains who abandon ship.
Thanks for this video, and for helping save the memory of those poor souls who perished that day!
“And then movement caught my eye. I looked across the river. As I watched in disoriented stupefaction, a steamer large as an ocean liner slowly turned over on its side as though it were a whale going to take a nap. I didn't believe a huge steamer had done this before my eyes, lashed to a dock, in perfectly calm water, in excellent weather, with no explosion, no fire, nothing. I thought I had gone crazy.” Jack Woodford, eyewitness to the SS Eastland disaster on July 24, 1915
My grandma's two toddler-age sisters died in this. My grandma was herself born to "replace" the lost children, and their mother, my dad's mom, never recovered. I never knew this until a few years ago, when my cousin found out. My father never talked about it, but I believe the repercussions of the trauma were felt among him and his siblings throughout their lives.
I had never heard of this tragedy. So many lives lost. Thanks for presenting this.
It's not often mentioned about this disaster, but within the 844 people killed onboard the Eastland, 22 entire families were wiped out.
I am from Chicago, and read that in numerous books. There is a commerative marker at the site. Oprah's former studios and Macy's store is reportably haunted since the buildings were once used for morgues.
Very good article about the tragedy and shame of the Eastland disaster. Years ago I planned on writing a book about it but was never able to the kind of research I wanted to. This is a story that deserves to be told!
never heard of this before and im 67 years old. sad story but how typical that rich people will risk health and safety of the common man to make money.
Never heard of it either
That's usually how it goes: Cutting corners,shoddy repairs and workmanship, violation of safety rules and procedures, and a lack of care for customers,workers and the community at large. Just to save a few bucks or make a few bucks.
The last part of your comment, “rich people will risk the health and safety of the common man to make money” reminds me of what’s currently going on in the Trump administration.
@@HeronCoyote1234 sure but in general the desire to make money often "trumps" (sorry couldn't resist) safety in many situations by greedy people. even wall street with its collapse years ago got so reckless they lost badly and it was by very rich people who play recklessly with peoples money that they should have protected instead.
Mining disasters are like that too. And don't forget that British Petroleum thing just a few years back.
I remember this from school. My teacher made reading fun for us, something that doesn't happen today. I now have a life-long love of reading, all types of things! Thank you so much, Mrs. Snitzer!!! I have never seen so many pictures of the Eastland disaster before, even some movies! Thanks Grunge for sharing this!
The photo of the man holding the dead child at 7:07 really hit me. You can really see the anguish in his eyes.
The ship just doesn’t look right. She was too tall and narrow. She looks like they kept adding decks as an after thought, while greedily rubbing their hands together.
Looks like a modern cruise ship.
alohathaxted as I recall it was actually originally supposed to be a Great Lakes cargo ship, but was converted to a passenger ship. Had it been loaded with cargo it would ride much lower in the water.
She was poorly designed too tall & narrow, IIRC she had her top deck removed after the disaster & workeed as a freighter on the lakes for years after.
As noted, it was not well balanced to start. But in motion, it was like a motorcycle: stayed upright at high speeds. And that's what she was called--the speed queen of the Great Lakes, IIRC.
My Grandmother worked at Western Electric, and was on board the Eastland when it rolled. She was rescued when another passenger pulled her out through one of the open portholes. After the Wilmette was done as a Naval training vessel, my mother, who served as a Wave on Navy Pier, wrote up the paperwork to decommission her.
Why?
It's crazy how the thing that was supposed to help save lives was what caused the accident that cost hundreds of lives.
Being a politician sucks, but that has to be the hardest about the job
The ship was only rated for 500 passengers but had 5 times that number,so it was not the lifeboats that were to blame,although once it started to capsize they would have been a problem then.If you look at other vessels past and present that have turned turtle the main reason was being overloaded
Happens to people in small boats wearing lifejackets while below deck and cap sizing today. What you think is safe isn't always such
Yes. Ironic...
What cruel irony.
Instead of going down with the ship, the captain actively obstructed efforts to rescue people. What a sorry excuse for a human being.
Donald Trump, Coronovirus. Enough said.
Nick Mcgee phuck off!
David Parry like you idiot!
@David Parry Bugger off, you twat.
@David Parry Oh you mean like the Italian "Chicken of the Sea" captain in Italy? Or the captain and crew who abandoned it's ship and passengers off the coast of South Africa?
What a blessing to have all those people around to help.This is so sad how greed always ends in the death of the innocent.
Had never heard of this story, What a tragedy and travesty of justice. Nothing changes. Thank you for posting.
TerryComo2010 that is even more shocking.
My maternal grandfather worked at the Hawthorn plant and both he and my grandmother boarded the Eastland early that morning. Seeing the ship was just too crowded, they left the Eastland and boarded the less crowded sister ship the Westland for the trip to Michigan City. They stood on the deck of the Westland and witnessed the Eastland capsize.
To my mind, the most moving picture of the disaster is the one this video shows towards the end - the rescuer holding a dead child, a look of horror and despair on his face. That will always be my picture of the disaster. God bless that man, whoever he was.
As a former sailor in the Royal Navy, I find this story incredibly sad. What a tragic loss of so many young lives on a day that should have been a lot of fun. I'd never heard of this tragedy, although I am familiar with the history of maritime losses generally from my former occupation. This top heaviness was a problem that still plagued ships on the Arctic convoys in WW2, due to the weight of ice that would form on the ships - and the fact that many of them were WW1 leftovers and suffered the top heavy design problems you mention here.
Never heard of this disaster...RIP these poor people.
I had ever heard of this. The average people were forgotten. So sad.
I remember. Sat in a kayak on the river in that very spot and remembered. What a tragedy.
If you're from around Chicago, you know the tragic story of the Eastland. So many entire families lost their lives that day.
None of their descendents died since or suffered even a day. The kind of silver lining that made me never have kids and leave all the nonsense of this world to other unfortunates' offspring who were bred into a cruel short existence for no good reason at all. They hate and make vicious remarks towards me and I just shrug.
@@MrSvenovitch Lol? Random comment but okay. Nobody cares!
@@MrSvenovitch Okay?
My Grandfather boarded and survived. Fortunately, his Sisters arrived late and missed boarding the Eastland.
What an forgotten tragedy that should never be forgotten! I'm happy you shared this and will to others as this should be told just as much as the Titanic's story!
I have read a great deal about the Eastland, but I still learned some things from your narrative. Well done. Thank you for posting this.
I heard about this when i was young in school but i did forget about it thanks for the reminder it should be talked about and remembered
America has many historic rememberances or Forget me.... This one I never heard about! Thanks..
An excellent book about this tragedy is: “Ashes Under Water: the SS Eastland and the Shipwreck that Shook America” by Michael McCarthy. It covers the history of the Eastland, it’s poor design, the tragedy and the trial.
I read that book. Tragic story but a great book.
I'm from Indiana & have never heard of this Thank You for sharing
I just ordered the book off of eBay (much less expensive than Amazon BTW). Thank you for this piece and the wonderfully done video, a fantastic memorial to those who lost their lives and the surviving victims. I would love to interview those who witnessed the event... had to have been unbelievable.
As soon as I saw the pic and what it said about this upload, I knew what it was. The bridge there has a commemorative plaque, with the story what happened on the Eastland that beautiful summer day. Such a sad day in Chicago history.
I have shared this on my Facebook account. 4,000+ people will know and hopefully not forget.....
Sad event that happened. No one was held accountable. Unbelievable.
unds a lot like todays politics hmmm
박한결 세월호 3등 is still in prison serving 11years. For the Sewol, the surviving captain got 30 years, and court ordered compensation was divided between the owners and the South Korean Government.
That building @0:46 has a clock at the very top with the hands "Frozen in time" resonance at the time of the Eastland disaster which pretty much happened right in front of that building !
Excellent video of a subject that I was only “simply” aware of. Great job Grunge
I knew about this because when I was a kid my elderly babysitter told me about it. She was one of the survivors. She was a young girl at the time and was pulled through one of the portholes. She said that peeled off a bunch of skin off of her arms. Oddly, had it not been for her I might not have ever heard about it even though I was born and raised in Chicago. For the size of the disaster it really did not get much attention.
My father was an eleven year old, selling news papers in Chicago, and asked what was floating down the river. He could never forget that day.
You should do a video on the Bath School Disaster. The school tragedy that time has forgotten.
O yes....u never hardly hear of that one!! So sad!
One of the earliest instances of domestic terrorism..I am aware of it.
Do a search on TH-cam for Bath School Disaster
An also forgotten ship tragedy was the Empress of Ireland-a ship that was actually owned by a railroad. She went down two years after Titanic and there were nearly as many deaths.
Clive Cussler scarily wrote about the sinking in the first chapter of the book Night Probe. Also, the book expertly not only talks about a salvage attempt of the ship but also blurs the line between fiction and reality and U.S./Canadian relations of the late 70's/early 80's. In the book the Canadian prime minister is 62 and has an attractive 26 year old wife that cheats on him. In reality, in 1978 the Canadian prime minister was 62 and had an attractive 26 year old wife that cheated on him. This and many more parallels are in the book. If history intrigues you, read the book.
Andrew Phillips Titanic overall had more deaths but more passengers died on the Empress compared to crew.
@@thejagotishow It was a lot like the Eastland- A bunch of working people, mostly Irish were on the Empress. In collision with the steamer, Storstad, she sank like at rock in the middle of the night when everyone except the crew were asleep and most people had no chance of escape except for the crew on duty at the time. Clive Cussler knew his stuff!
Excellent examination of a tragic event.
World War 1 also had something to do with this being forgotten.
Indeed. Sad and tragic as the Eastland is, it pales in magnitude to the cataclysm going on across the Atlantic.
Yeah, it happened just two months after the Lusitania was torpedoed and sunk.
It hasn't fallen out of my conscience. My grandmother lived in Chicago at the time and was 16 years old. She often spoke about this terrible tragedy and gave me first-hand information about the fact that everyone in the city was mortified by this disaster. Grandma was an immigrant, but spoke perfect English. Perhaps it hit her harder as she too was Czech... Thanks grandma for being in my life (1899-1975). I miss her.
This is why I don’t go on cruises. At least if disaster hits in the air, it’s over quickly. But on the waters it’s a long and painful death.
no cruises or flights for me
Most of the Czech causalities were buried at the Bohemian National Cemetery on Chicago's north side (Foster Avenue and Pulaski Road). Case in point, RIP Emil Flicek a 19 year old employee of Western Electric. There were so many deaths the Cook County Coroner's office created a special custom stamp for the death certificates that reads, "Drowned July 24, 1915 From STEAMER EASTLAND Chicago River at Clark St."
"Attempted to interfere..." jesus thats what money does to you. Our government has unfortunately adopted this ideal and has from the beginning. Money doesn't care about lives, and the love for money cares even less.
Anyone who disagrees with this ARE a huge part of the problem.
😂😂
And your next platitude?
I had never heard of this event in our nations history. Thank you for sharing.
The kayaking company I toured with on the Chicago river a few years back had told me that they have at least (one) kayaker every month that rolls into the water on the EXACT spot that the Eastland had sunk. I was the victim for September 2015! I swear something tipped me over, but nothing was more worse than falling in the polluted Chicago river!!!!!
Thanks for this video. I had never heard of this. Reminds me of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in terms of who it affected.
Thanks, I saw a documentary about the Eastland Disaster on TV, some years ago, and they pointed out early on that the ship was poorly designed from the time its keel was laid, being ungainly and top-heavy, _even before the extra life-saving equipment had been added. I hadn't heard about the captain and his crew interfering with rescue efforts, to the point of being forcibly removed from the scene. (When I was a kid, we had a rather crude, 2-syllable word, starting with an "a" and ending in an "e," we used to describe people like that.) This is a story that bears repeating---and repeating, especially to point out that unlike the "Triangle Shirtwaist Disaster," there _were_ laws in effect to cover this situation, but those responsible still got off scott-free. Stay safe, everyone.
NYC's worst ship disaster was the burning of the General Slocum. Then there was the just post Civil War burning of the Sultana. Not many people remember these disasters either.
"Remember the Maine! To hell with Spain!" Feb 15, 1898
@@DarkFlamage Wow that was 120 some odd years ago get over it
The General Slocum disaster was much worse than the Eastland disaster but no one ever talks about it!
I have a book about the Slocum tragedy on my Kindle
@@DarkFlamage The Maine explosion was an accident
I read Bonansinga's book back in 2006. It was a great telling of what happened. It also gave a very good account of life in Chicago 1915. One interesting aspect you would not have thought of is that a majority of the people brought their own food that day, and because back in those days there were no plastic containers, paper plates, or styrofoam they had huge picnic baskets with real plates and silverware and all their beverages were in mason jars and their food items in pots and pans. Curious as to how much extra weight that accounted for. There was a bar onboard ship and there were 2 bartenders who worked side by side at various bars for over 30 years and were best of friends. They became friends after being opponents in a professional boxing match that was declared a draw after a brutal fight. They both died and their bodies were found side by side inside the ship. I liked the Authors last words he wrote in the preface, "This book is dedicated to the heavy burden of memory."
Tearsssss!!!! Thank you for posting this video, truly an unbelievable horror that will not be forgotten or ignored.
.
Isaiah 10:1-3 ....."WOE to those who decree iniquitous decrees, and the writers who keep writing oppression, to turn aside the needy from justice and to rob the poor of my people of their right, that widows may be their spoil, and that they may make the fatherless their prey! What will you do on the day of punishment, in the ruin that will come from afar? To whom will you flee for help, and where will you leave your wealth?"
.
Thank you.
Considering the clothes women were in those days and how heavy and cumbersome they were, it would have been difficult for women to survive. Not sure how many people were able to swim? Thanks to all the workers who saved lives!
Working class wore clothes that allowed much more freedom of movement especially during the summer. Although, I imagine if this had happened the same time of year in Scotland or northern England in those days, they wore wool dresses year round. I'm not from the north but it's something my southern (UK) family noticed about northerners. I suppose it's just not enough sun and too cool even in the summer to wear cotton. Wool gets extremely heavy when wet. It's drowned a lot of people.
Eastland was rebuilt as USS Wilmette and served the US Navy as a training vessel on the Great Lakes into the 1940s.
And, had the distinction of sinking the last WW I german U-boat.
@@anonemaus159 No.
It was a Great Lakes Vessel which never left the lakes. Not a single german vessel has ever sailed in American fresh water, so No
@@williamstamper442 It was the captured UC-97 sunk during target practice after the war.
7:08 that firefighter with the dead child is the face of PTSD. The Eastland was cut down a deck and returned to service as a USN gunboat and training ship USS Wilmette, serving till 1945 and scrapped in 1947. The design was not poor as the video suggests. Originally she had a deeper draught but this was reduced when she could not hit 18 knots. The original owners had noticed stability problems when 3000 people had been on board in 1904. Her rating was reduced to 2800. From a design and reliability perspective she was a good ship but no ship - no matter how well built can handle misuse. As the Wilmette she trained gun crews and sank a captured U-boat in the 1920's. During the Second World War Roosevelt sailed on her.
I love that you used one of the first shots of Saint Joseph Michigan's lighthouse ;)
Thank you for this story. A sad day indeed that I had never heard of before
I work for Western Electric for 36 years and never heard of this accident I am 77 now started working for Western Electric 1963
Another note, during the Second World War, the upper structure of the ship was chopped off and the hull was made into a tiny aircraft carrier that trained navy pilots on Lake Michigan, right off of the Chicago shoreline. The first President Bush trained on it during the winter & said he was never that cold at anytime else in his life.
Terry Sullivan
Wow.....fascinating!
Both Bushes were pilots.
When Bush Senior passed away he asked for his body to be transported to his final resting place.
He did this not as a wealthy man, but in memory of all the WW2 soldiers who left home on a train (common back then) so long ago.
My Grandpa fought in the Pacific during WW2. Saw Hell.
My grandfather was in the Signal Corps and was off the west coast of Iceland when the German Instrument of Surrender came through. A copy of it is in my mother’s (his daughter’s) possession.
WRONG! The Eastland was cut down to a traing ship. The big sidewheeler Greater Buffalo and Seeandbee were converted to training carriers
Wow...I've never heard of this tragedy. I've lived to Michigan City Indiana all my 37 years. Makes me wonder why I've never heard of it.
Wow! Really?
Thank you for this video, very enlightening & informative, good work!
Thank you for telling this story
That photo at 7:08 - 7:12 is chilling. The look of grief on that mans face.
Writers take note....these are the stories that need to be told in novels and then into movies for the masses. It seems our history books needs updating.
Good luck with that.......Our history is being purged by communists within our own ranks as we speak. Our "history books" have been updated.......unfortunately with anti American propaganda
Actually, this disaster is covered in school history books as that's how I first learned of it back in jr high school in the early 1970's.
The major issue with this video is that the Eastland was originally licensed for 5,000 passengers, not 500. I have studied this capsize for many years and I am convinced this vessel was doomed by faulty design. I suggest reading George W. Hilton's book if one wants to learn more.
I, like many others, have never heard of this tragedy, and this as on American soil. Such tragic details...and people actually tried to stop the welders from cutting into the ship? I’m glad that they were arrested. A shame that the owners weren’t held accountable...something didn’t sound right on that one. I’m sure many things were learned as a result of this tragedy, like the Titanic. Thanks for sharing.
They tried for a conspiracy charge instead of a criminal neglect one, but not all of the defendants had been willfully neglectful and that breaks a conspiracy charge.
@@MySerpentine 🇺🇸 Wonder how many people involved in this are still alive? I guess only God knows what really happened. 🧐
@@the.porter.productions Probably none of them, this was over 100 years ago.
@@MySerpentine 🇺🇸 I’ve found that many stories come back around from time to time, for whatever reasons. Even in our age we have to wonder what really happened. 🧐
What a great video on a such an unheard tragedy. New subscriber!
My Grandmother had friends who were on the Eastland that day. A couple didn't survive. I had a couple of Great Uncles who were suppose to be on the Eastland. They weren't able to get on it because it was to full.
My Great Grandfather was on this trip escaped through a porthole .My great Grandmother refused to go with her 3 children my Grandmother who was 5 at the time.
Another boating disaster never talked about involved the PS General Slocum. It caught fire and sank in the East River in NYC in 1904. Up until 9/11 it was the greatest loss of life in a single event in NYC
Never heard of this one, but a lot of these old maritime disaster have been forgotten, another one is the Edmond Fitzgerald, which only the crew was lost but still tragic and was very well known
Will R there are quite a few good documentaries on YT about the E.F
You can't compare the Edmund Fitzgerald to this one. Besides being well known, it wasn't all that long ago
AndrewVelonis ...in time, the Edmund Fitzgerald will also be a long time ago. Getting close to 50 years.
I had never even heard of it. Thank you for this video.
Please do more videos on other great lakes ship wrecks
3 out of 4 of the children in my family we're born in Michigan City... but we were all raised in the south... I say this because I never ever hear or see anything about this city... and as far as this tragedy, it's just that a terrible tragedy... God bless them...
Being nosy I would still be on the deck watching what was going on so would have been one of those who walked to safety. God bless all who died. RIP
This case went on through the courts for 20 years. In a final appeal ruling in 1935, they ruled that the blame was on the chief engineer Joseph Ericson for improper handling of the ballast tanks. He had died in 1919 and needless to say could not defend himself. They tried to put the blame squarely on him in the first trial, but was defended by Clarence Darrow and Ericson was acquitted on the grounds that he was following orders from the Captain. There is a good book on that trial called "Ashes Under Water" that came out a few years after Bonansinga's book.
The Eastland was sold to the Navy after it was raised, and it was refitted as a training vessel called the USS Wilmette. It spent the next 30 years on the Great Lakes and took none other than Franklin Roosevelt on a 10-day excursion in 1943 when he met with Admirals and war cabinet members to discuss Pacific Theater war strategy. Probably had no idea as to the ships past. After World War 2 the Navy sold it and it was scrapped in 1947. Even today it stands as the worst maritime disaster in Great Lakes history and the 3rd worst overall in American history. Only surpassed by the Sultana in 1865 and the General Slocum in 1904.
I Live in Cicero Ill that was almost wiped out on that day. I have known people who lost family on the Eastland. I think the sad part of this story is All these people lost their lives and It never left the dock.
Man, this event is largely forgotten by the public. Few people have heard about it. The Titanic gets the most attention.
An earlier article--the History Guy I think- said that passengers crowded the port side, contributing to the skewed top-heaviness.
Almost everyday I used to past this area and the plaque that mention this tragedy. For a long time I often wonder why this was not historically- documented.
I have heard of this tragic story. The Captain was incompetent.
As I Chicago native, my parents used to tell us about this and take us down to the site. Definitely eerie, some say it feels haunted the way Gettysburg does. So sad.
My great grandfather and his sisters were on board that day. He survived; they did not. We found a brief interview with him in one of the newspapers of the day. He was in the hospital (which suggests he was injured or had been in the river which was FILTHY and extremely unhealthy) and told the reporter that they had been standing together on an upper deck when the ship tilted and slid down. His foot got caught on something and by the time he freed himself, his sisters were gone. The family overall has had an interest in the Eastland for most of my life.
Good video, covers the major points, and is pretty accurate. Didn't mention the tradition that if George Halas had gotten to the riverfront earlier, there might not have been an NFL, though. 😉
I swear that Bernie Madoff is literally the only uber rich guy who has ever been appropriately called to account for his mis deeds.
Only because he mostly stole from The rich
Don’t sleep it’s only because he drew the short straw
Epstein didn't commit suicide.
Steve Conkey He’s dead that’s what matters.
@@balrog322 Are you sure he's dead?
History of injustice that was done by the rich and powerful people and not serving their benefits are almost always putting aside no matter how serious ; that’s the world we live in.
My Great Grandparents worked at Western Electric at this time! There were 5 ships! the Eastland was the fastest and most desired. My Grandmother was sick that day, and they canceled their plans to go! The Eastland was unstable until at top speed! Later, the Eastland was used as a training platform roe the Navy Recruits at Great lakes Naval station during WW II after being renamed!
This is so sorry for their lost. May, all rest in peace 🙏😇❤️❤️♥️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️.
Common ordinary people were told that they could have a taste of how the upper class lived. Gave the little money they had only to find the standards were not the same. People who had never been on a ship could not know that something wasn't right. Heartbreaking.
I heard of this. I did forget as it's not mentioned very much. R.I.P. Let them never be forgotten.
I first heard of this in the 70's. It was the subject of a half-hour series called When Havoc Struck.
Wow, Thank you for that one. What a terrific memory. Now I know why I recall hearing of this before! I remember also "When Havoc Struck" covered the air disasters of the mysterious mid-air explosions of the early DeHaviland "Comets". First passenger jet airliners. Have to do a search on the web & see what other disasters they covered. I think it was a rather short-lived series. Guess America wasn't ready for "reality" TV...
@@DejaView I'm pretty sure they covered the Hindenburg disaster, but it's been a long time!
Prayers for all that died and for those that became HEROES that were forgotten.
If you’re a child of the 90’s who watched So Weird you remember. That episode made me so curious about spooky Chicago.
Yep! That's exactly where I first learned about this disaster too. Miss that show.
How about the S.S. Sultana ? Twice the number killed as the Titanic and most of those killed were burned rather than drowned.
Sad
Or the General Slocum
I have heard 2500 plus (2100 more than the sultana was rated to hold )
You should do another video on the Sultana, the worst maritime disaster in American history which resulted in the deaths of around 1200 passengers, mostly Civil War soldiers returning home from the war. Almost no one remembers it.
I would like to know about that one.
To add another level to the tragedy of the Sultana, many of the casualties were recently released Union soldiers who were held as POWs at the Confederate prison at Andersonville. After having miraculously survived Andersonville they lost their lost lives while en route back home to the north.
@@AbleBodied If you have Amazon Prime, there's an entire documentary called "Remember the Sultana" which is where I learned about it. I highly recommend it.
@@abdiver12 Thanks, I will look. Because I didn't know about that.
The History Guy has a video about the Sultana.