CSAGSI
August 26, 2000
Meeting
On August 26th, Susan Decker, Barbara Wachholz, and Ted Wachholz, three founding members of the Eastland Disaster Historical Society, presented a discussion of the sinking of the Eastland.
Susan Decker, Barbara Wachholz, and Ted Wachholz, three founding members of the Eastland Disaster Historical Society, presented a discussion of the sinking of the Eastland as it was being used to transport Western Electric Employees and their families to the annual company picnic in Michigan City. The Eastland was an excursion steamer which regularly plied Lake Michigan out of Chicago Harbor. It had been rented for the special trip in 1914 and again on the fateful day, July 24, 1915. The Eastland was the first of five ships scheduled to make the run to Michigan City. The early morning departure would allow the Eastland to be used on excursions from Chicago during the day.
Shortly after 6 AM, 2500 boarded the ship and several times the pumps were used to right the Eastland as it listed from side to side. Using an overhead projector our guest speakers demonstrated the unstable movements during the preparation for departure. Finally the stern lines were cast off and a tug was about to move the Eastland to Lake Michigan when the ship fatally listed one last time, capsized, and came to rest on its side. More than one-third of the 2500 passengers perished as a result of the accident, making it the worst loss of life of any Chicago disasters, including the Chicago Fire.
The final portion of the presentation consisted of anecdotes about individuals who suffered, were saved, or became heroes as a result of that eventful morning. The discussion period of the talk continued the storytelling with the audience reminiscing about relatives involved in the disaster. Some spoke of tragedy; others on a more positive note could speak of those who arrived too late to board the ill-fated Eastland.
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