DISASTER AT CHICAGO

North Otago Times, Volume CI, Issue 13324, 26 July 1915, Page 7

DISASTER AT CHICAGO

CROWDED PLEASURE i; STEAMER ' OVERTURNS. ' OVER ONE THOUSAND DROWNED a 'er Oalile—Press Association.— CopyrijM) Received' July 24; -3.30 p.m. : CHICAGO, July 24. The Electric. Company employees chartered t the- steadier 'Eastland for <i day's picnicking. Two thousand live huiVdred persons were'crowded aboard, ' While the. vessel was moored at, the wharf the wcigiiV ot" humanity, caused a list,. 'Many fell and rolled to the wrong-, side, with the result that the. vessel heeled over, broke her hawsers, and (looted in the middle of tlie'river wit'li ' her side submerged, amidst indescrib- ' able scenes of panic. ' • , • (scores, were drowned in the cabins; '• others-leaped into the river, 1 ' ;> -A sfeamer. put out her boats and resI cued liinidreds, Policeman in launches picked .up many, Scores'clambered ' Ihe side above wafer, while the East- | land was Hoaliiig slowly, down I'lie river. Tliese were all saved, Jt is -believed that, 700 are still ; aboard;.in the tlobdeil cabins. ; Life Savers are 'cutting through the ' ship's sides, hoping to reach any that 1 may have survived, ' One policeman in a boat rescued ' ill'ly women and children, » Three'hundred bodies have been rej covered. ' f ALI/oN BOARD BRYOND kL'BOUJI. [ '" -v -"' ■ , STEAMSHIP'OFFICIALS r arrested: i. . . WHOLE CITY IN MOURNING. 9 Received July p.m. b - ' CHICAGO,. July !!4, _ t The police have arrested all the offif cials of the steamship company. 1 The crowd threatened to lynch fhem 1 en route to. Ihe police station. Tlifvc were many remarkable- esi capes, -One man who was unable.to 5 swim caught, liis coat un a .nail and j 8 * was safely-heW up, . r „ .. ' The fireman have chopped, throngh ] s Die sides of l-ly; ship, bill, everyone . is r dead, The bodies are, piled like bales, ■ of merchandise. ' " ' ( There were pathetic scenes'at the j morgue. . : i ■. The.Cualains auflioritifis'liave re.[iarf-1 • cd that the vessel cavyie'd; an more pas-1 3 iehgers than tlie regulations, provided 1 • for. . . ' < . t : The survivors describe Ihe sinking j t' as like, a lightning stroke,..lt.yyas ,im-,' . possible to effect rescues.■ ... ; • . DiVers are recovering many of the bodies, . ' s Thefcity is in mourning.and. it is e ltnpdssibie to aseertaiirthe, number of. dead, which are known io-.e-xeeed pne' '• thousand. ■> c The disaster is Relieved-10.-he due.to - a defect in the".qteiinmr's•e'onSt'rnctinri,'