The Sinking of the Eastland: The Chicago Tragedy of 1915
Guest speakers for our August 19 meeting were Susan Decker and Ted Wachholz from the Eastland Disaster Historical Society. Susan Decker and her sister Barbara Decker Wachholz had formed the Society not only to educate and inform, but also to commemorate the lives of the people, who were affected by this terrible disaster. Plus their grandmother was a survivor, which made this tragedy of personal interest to them. According to Mr. Wachholz, although this was the worst disaster in the history of Chicago, there seems to be a “social amnesia” now; the city holds no observance of this tragedy. On Saturday, July 24, 1915 the steamer “Eastland”, one of five ships hired by Western Electric for an outing to Michigan City, Indiana, rolled over at the dock in the Chicago River, killing 844 people. Since this was an outing for the Western Electric employees from Cicero, many Czechs perished.
The Eastland disaster claimed more lives than the Iroquois Theater fire (606 deaths). If crewmember deaths are not included, there were more casualties from the Eastland (842) than on the Titanic (829). Nineteen families were left parentless, 175 went home as widows and 84 went home as widowers. Seventy percent of the victims were under age 25, 58 were children and the average age overall was 23. The Sindelar family consisting of mother, father, five children and aunt all perished. According to witnesses, chivalry died – many men frantically tried to save themselves and women fell victim to the fashion of the times, their long dresses dragging them under. Our speakers told of many a family’s tragedy and how women played a significant part in helping after the disaster.
The Eastland, with a capacity for 2,500 people, was considered a “speed queen”. She was moored between LaSalle and Clark and scheduled to be the first ship to depart. From a 7% list she ultimately went to a 45% list to port, rolled over and sank in twenty feet of water. Passengers on the wharf, or starboard, side survived, while those on the river, or port, side perished. There are many theories as to why she rolled over, but cumulative effects probably caused the disaster. The Eastland was narrow and sat high in the water for she had been built for speed. The result was that she was top heavy. After the Titanic disaster, additional lifeboats had been added, making her more top-heavy. She didn’t have enough ballast and was over the maximum capacity of passengers. These all contributed to her demise.
The 2nd Illinois Armory, which is now Oprah Winfrey’s Harpo Studios, served as a temporary morgue for the victims. Marshall Field’s and other department stores contributed linen to cover the corpses. Western Electric paid for the majority of funeral costs. A funeral would have cost a typical employee 2-3 months’ pay. As for the Eastland, it took two weeks to right her and she was towed to South Chicago. During WWII, she was renamed the USS Wilmette and used as a training vessel in Lake Michigan. She was decommissioned in 1946 and in 1947 was scrapped.
Through their narration and archival photographs, Susan and Ted gave us new insight into the sinking of the Eastland. Several of our members, who had family, friends, or co-workers, who had either perished or survived the Eastland disaster, shared their stories. This made the meeting even more special and poignant.
Eastland Links