The Eastland Disaster happened in Chicago on July 24, 1915. So, next Tuesday will mark 103 years since the disaster occurred. The Eastland was a passenger tour boat. On the day of the accident, the ship was headed to Michigan City Indiana transporting about 2,500 passengers/employees from Western Electric Company’s Hawthorne Works in Cicero IL to a picnic. The employees were very excited about the trip, because they didn’t get vacations. Many of them were Czech immigrants. The ship was filled to capacity.
Unfortunately the Eastland never made it to the picnic area. In fact, it never left the port in Chicago. The Eastland overturned in the port at the bank of the Chicago river between Clark and LaSalle Streets. It’s believed it was due to the weight of the passengers and the fact that many of them suddenly shifted to one area on the upper deck of the ship. 844 passengers and 4 crew members died in this tragedy, many of whom were trapped inside the lower decks and crushed by heavy furniture. The Eastland Disaster ranks as one of the worst maritime disasters in American history.
