On the corner of Wacker Drive and LaSalle Street this marker stands, memorializing the place where 844 people lost their lives in the Chicago River.
A boat preparing to carry Western Electric factory workers and their families on a day trip rolled over while still at the dock and people drowned in 20 feet of water. The already 'listing' problem of the S.S. Eastland was exacerbated by the addition of lifeboats near the top, boats that were added due to the Titanic disaster of 1912.
Captain Harry Pedersen (1860-1939) was initially indicted but not prosecuted. He lived out the rest of his life on a family farm in Millburg, Michigan. The Chief Engineer was eventually blamed for the disaster with his mismanagement of the ballast tanks. He died during his court proceedings.
Civil lawsuits went on for about 20 years without much gain for anyone.
The U.S. Naval Reserve later purchased the ship, modified it, and renamed it the USS Wilmette. It was used as a training vessel in the Great Lakes and then scrapped after World War II.
Entire families were lost in one tragic morning.
No comments:
Post a Comment