Posted on 02/14/2015 1:49:33 PM PST by BenLurkin
The first-known footage of the Eastland disaster was found by Jeff Nichols, a doctoral student at the University of Illinois at Chicago, while he was looking for unrelated material about World War I, the Chicago Tribune reported. Nichols found the footage on Europeana’s 1914-1918 website.
Nichols said he found the clips in Dutch newsreels. Title cards describing what happened precede them.
"It's as easily recognizable to someone who cares about Chicago history as the Titanic, so I knew what I had right away," Nichols, who has lived in Chicago for 20 years, told the Chicago Tribune. "I knew folks would go, 'Wow,' even if they had seen the clip before."
The SS Eastland, which was carrying 2,500 people, turned onto its side in the Chicago River in July 1915. It was one of five boats chartered that day to take Western Electric workers and their families and friends across Lake Michigan to a park in Michigan City, Indiana.
The ship was top-heavy with several lifeboats and rafts, and a crowd gathered on the port side to watch other boats made the Eastland even more unbalanced. It rolled over, sending people and debris flying and trapping passengers in the lower decks, where they drowned.
(Excerpt) Read more at abcnews.go.com ...
Damn. History really sucked for many.
Amazing the things folks visiting FR can get exposed to..
Like historical events
Ya never know what’s around the next bend in the river of time.
Laatste bioscoop wereldberichten - SS Eastland gezonken
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1l3xDi3KBU
Nobody's yet survived it.
Notice how they still have their hats on.
Remember the Eastland (documentary including interviews of survivors)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZp0kW3O6Uc
This happened about 11 years or so after a fire at the Iroquois Theater killed over 600. Tough period in Chicago history.
L
When I lived in Chicago I used to belong to a club called Marine Navigation and Training Association (MANATRA). We owned a 125' decommission Coast Guard Cutter of the same name - MANATRA. We were not licensed to take on paying passengers but we did accept donations and then would set up a cruise.
We had a cruise one day from Chicago to Michigan City, IN for a Coast Guard Auxiliary group - can't remember which one. We were supposed to take them there, they'd eat brunch and then we'd bring them home.
That day there were 10 foot swells running North to South and the course we had to take pretty much ran parallel to the swells.
After an hour out half the people were seasick and we had to run lifelines around the deck to keep people from falling in.
There were some old salts on board and none of them go sick. We asked them to help out with keeping an eye on their friends.
After we got to Michigan City, some had lunch and a LOT of them took the train home.
We sailed back and were home by evening with a much lighter ship. No one got hurt. I miss those days. We had a great deal of fun on that boat. Worked on it in the winter to overhaul equipment and camped out on her. In the Summer we'd have sunset cruises on Thursdays and day cruises. The highlight of the year was week long trip around Lake Michigan with stop at Mackinac Island.
Dec 13, 2014
Last known survivor of 1915 Eastland disaster dies
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-eastland-last-survivor-met-20141212-story.html
I have. (So far...)
Thanks BenLurkin.
History also tell us we need to get off our high horse..oh wait a minute Soetoro said that..
Chicago history.
Looks as overloaded and seaworthy as an Indonesian ferry.
Hatpins worked, for the ladies. Don't know about the guys.
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