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Personal Accounts

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

...she did not like the feel of the ship...

Growing up as a young girl, Borghild Amelia Aanstad was taught to swim by her childhood pal, Ernie Carlson. Years later as a teenager just five days shy of her 14th birthday, Borghild was on board the Eastland attending the Western Electric Company picnic with her mother, her sister, and her uncle Olaf, a Western Electric employee. For this festive occasion, Borghild wore her pretty new Easter dress with her wide-brimmed straw hat. As Borghild and her family boarded the Eastland, her mother remarked that ''she did not like the feel of the ship.'' Originally from Norway and having previous experience with many different boats, her mother had an understanding of boats and their stability in the water.

Borghild and her family were on the starboard side of the Eastland when it rolled over into the Chicago River. They were thrown into the water, but were in a compartment where there was air and they could see the sky above them through the portholes. After her uncle ensured that she was safe, Borghild was able to keep herself afloat until being rescued from the water several hours later.

Borghild later married and had a family, before being widowed in 1967. Years later, Borghild met up with the childhood friend who had taught her to swim, Ernie Carlson. Borghild and Ernie then married in 1979. Borghild always gave Ernie credit for helping to save her life by teaching her to swim as a youth.

Bernard and Elizabeth Beverley

...they watched as the ship began to roll over...

Bernard Beverley was born in London, England, and had only been in the United States for several years at the time of the Eastland Disaster. A Western Electric employee, he had planned to go to the employee picnic to celebrate his July 25th birthday with his wife, Elizabeth. They were going to be joined by two friends, Mr. and Mrs. Kerr.

As it turned out and as luck would have it, Mrs. Kerr, who was typically late for the things they did together, was true to form and was once again late for this date. As Bernard and Elizabeth waited, they became impatient as many passengers were boarding the Eastland and the ship was filling up. They finally spotted the Kerr's coming through the crowd. Suddenly, Mrs. Kerr stopped and began pointing toward the Eastland. As Bernard and Elizabeth turned around they watched as the ship began to roll over.

During the chaos of the aftermath, Bernard and Elizabeth stayed at the wharf and did whatever they could to help. They did not return home until much later in the day. The news of the disaster, however, reached their neighborhood and their three daughters began to think that their parents had perished in the disaster.

Bernard's name later appeared on a list of the victims, resulting in flowers being sent to Elizabeth.

Charles R. E. Bowles

...he brought back two bodies - a mother clasping her baby rigidly to her breast....

The star hero of them all - a 17-year-old volunteer diver who explored the hull of the Eastland, where professional divers refused to go, and between morning and dark brought to the surface forty victims - is Charles R. E. Bowles. "The Human Frog," as he was called by the veterans who marveled at his exploits, worked from morning until dark, and even then would not quit his self-imposed task until, exhausted, he was forcibly placed in Major Funkhouser's automobile and taken from the scene of the tragedy. Full story

Peter Boyle

...gave his life in the effort to save others....

Peter Boyle, a lookout on the steamer Petoskey, was drowned in attempting to rescue a woman who had been thrown into the water by the capsizing of the Eastland.

According to officers of the Petoskey, Boyle dived from one of the life boats while it was being lowered, and when it was still about fifteen feet from the water. He did not come to the surface, and it is not known whether he was clutched by one of the victims and held beneath the surface, or was stunned by striking some object.

Captain Petrosky and his associates were much affected by the death of Lookout Boyle who gave his life in the effort to save others. The young man was about 26 years of age and lived at 110 E. Illinois St., Chicago.

Anna Brenner

...brought home in her coffin...it was her 18th birthday....

Anna Brenner was a passenger on the Eastland, the guest of her cousin and Western Electric employee, Catherine Heiser. Catherine's boyfriend also accompanied the two cousins. The threesome was standing at the rail when the Eastland went over, and all three went into the river. Anna and Catherine's boyfriend could swim, Catherine could not. In an attempt to give those who were in the water something to hold onto, people along the wharf threw wooden crates into the water. Anna and her cousin's boyfriend were struck in the head by the crates - they both drowned. Catherine, the only one of the threesome who could not swim, was saved.

Anna's father Albert Brenner had to go identify his daughter Anna. She was brought in her coffin to her home on Bell Avenue for the wake - it was her 18th birthday. Anna's mother, after whom Anna was named, could never forget her oldest child. Years later and over the years, Anna's mother constantly told her granddaughter, Margaret (Anna's niece), that she looked just like Anna.

Charles P. Carroll and Irene McDonald

...they remained together clinging onto the railings....

Charles Carroll and Irene McDonald were hard-working, blue collar laborers at the Western Electric Company. Upon boarding the Eastland, they remained on the upper deck to view the river and to watch people board. As the Eastland rolled over into the river, Charles helped Irene grab ahold of the ship's railing, ensuring that she was safe. They remained together clinging onto the railings until they were rescued and helped off of the ship. Charles and Irene were married later that year, and subsequently raised five children.

William F. Corbett

...jumped right into the attempts being made to rescue people...

A lifetime resident of Chicago's south side, William F. Corbett was one of nine children. He worked as a truck driver for Munger Laundry and also for Sunshine Laundry. He was 21 years old and making his laundry pick-ups and deliveries when he happened upon the Eastland Disaster. Without hesitation, he jumped right into the attempts being made to rescue people that were on the Eastland. He was later awarded a star from the Cook County Coroner's office for his valued services rendered to the coroner. Later on in life, William was a very quiet man and said little or nothing about the Eastland Disaster. William's wife, Rose, later gave the star to her (their) nephew Robert T. Dorgan when William passed away.

Bert Cross

...If I live to be a thousand years old I will never forget the experience...

[I was] going to Michigan City on the first boat to assist in preparing an electrical display for the big parade planned for the day. We were on the promenade deck and near the center of the boat, and others, men, women and children were packed around us as closely as human beings could stand. When the boat started to list toward the river, I was not alarmed. I knew the boat to be cranky and told the bunch that she would straighten up again but she didn't. Even when she was leaning at a 45-degree angle the women and girls were laughing and joking and were not aware of any danger. And then the boat turned over and the fight for life began.

I don't know yet how I managed to get out on the side of the ship. And for the next two hours I worked pulling men, women and little children out of the boat and from the water. If I live to be a thousand years old I will never forget the experience. Full story

Anna and Fred Eichholz

...she thought she was going to die...that drowning was a peaceful way to go...

When Anna Eichholz slid into the water, she went under and saw many baby buggies with babies inside. She surfaced to her surprise, as she couldn't swim, and went under again. She said she thought she was going to die, and she said she felt that drowning was a peaceful way to go. She surfaced again, and someone was yelling for her to grab the rope, which she did, and she became a survivor. For many years after this tragedy, Anna was afraid to go in the water or in a boat. Much later in life, she finally did go on a sight-seeing boat.

When Anna's husband Fred returned to work, several people from his department were gone. He said there was a feeling of deep sadness for a long time. (Recollection by Shirley Eichholz Clifford.)

Marion Eichholz

... Suddenly, the boat listed and I fell against the railing....

I remember only a few incidents of that day. My Mom, Anna Eichholz, and my Dad, Fred Eichholz, were seated on the upper deck, and I was standing by Mom's chair. Suddenly, the boat listed and I fell against the railing. Mom pulled me back to her side. Mom began yelling, "Run to the other side of the boat!" People began to panic, and women were running and screaming. Dad picked me up in his arms, stood on the railing, and jumped into the river. Dad told Mom to go to the other side of the boat, but because there was so much panic, Mom stayed in her seat. When the boat went over, she floated from the seat into the water. Someone threw her a rope, and she was rescued. I remember Dad swimming with me in one arm. I was crying, and my strap slippers were dangling from my ankles. We were picked up by a tug boat and brought to shore. Full story

Harry and William Engenhart

...The two brothers were on the Eastland that morning...

Harry and William Engenhart worked at Western Electric and attended the company outing. The two brothers were on the Eastland that morning - Harry perished, while William survived. William later married Josephine Polivka in April 1917. He died in 1929, leaving Josephine and a young daughter Alice.

Morris S. Gault

...was white as a sheet and soaked to the bone...he had helped bring people in during the rescue...

Morris S. Gault was an immigrant from Odessa, Russia, where his family owned a fish market. He was raised on the shores of the Black Sea and learned to become a very strong swimmer, as did his entire family. He was known to have been excellent at the breaststroke. Morris was working as a tailor at the Hart, Shaffner, & Marx factory. When the Eastland rolled into the Chicago River, Morris was able to save people from drowning because he was such a strong swimmer. After assisting the rescue efforts, Morris returned home, changed out of his wet clothes, and later met his wife, Hattie, at the train station. Hattie shared her husband's story years later stating that ''Papa was as white as a sheet. He had helped bring people in during the rescue. He had returned home wet to the skin."

Of special interest to note is that July 24 represented a day of multiple milestones for Morris Gault: Morris helped with the rescue of the Eastland Disaster on July 24, 1915; his son Howard was born July 24, 1917; and Morris died on July 24, 1928.

William Guenther

...Come on, Willie, we'll have a good time....

Willie Guenther was unsure about attending the Western Electric Company picnic. He had just returned from a vacation and was to work that day at his job in a store in Melrose Park. But his friend, a Western Electric employee, had invited him and said, "Come on, Willie, we'll have a good time." Also, it is thought that he was interested in getting a job at Western Electric.

When the Eastland capsized, Willie was most likely inside on a very crowded deck where a violin and mandolin orchestra was playing the popular ragtime tunes of that time. He was apparently very fond of that music, as he had his own mandolin. As the ship turned on its side, Willie was not drowned or suffocated, as were so many victims, but was reportedly crushed by a piano as it tipped or slid.

(Recollection by Lois Guenther, niece, and William Wilder, nephew.)

Lester T. Hessong

...I'll never forget the terrible scene....

I was on the main deck and had just started up toward the engine room when I noticed that the boat was listing. However, I thought nothing of this until a few seconds later when I realized that it really was going over. I then ran or really crawled to the starboard side and grabbed for the forward gangway door, pulling myself through the opening and on to the side of the boat, which was completely turned over by that time. Walking out on her side plates I, of course, realized immediately what had happened and went right to work assisting in the rescue. Full story

Mr. & Mrs. Paul Jahnke

...they were married just six weeks...

Strange presentiments and forebodings of the Eastland disaster were repeated in the silences about the biers in Cicero, Hawthorne, and Morton park yesterday. One unheeded warning to a young married couple particularly was on every one's lips. This was so uncanny a firsthand investigation was made to find just how plainly the fates had spoken. The young couple had been so sure of death they had made their wills before going aboard the Eastland. Full story

Jenny Juranek

...was the pitcher for the...Girl's Softball Team...the Western Electric Bloomer Girls...

I was 9 years old at the time, but I remember the day very well. I was playing with a friend when we heard that the Eastland had capsized in the Chicago River. My parents were very concerned because my mother's sister, Jenny Juranek, was on the ship. Jenny was a young woman who was the pitcher for the Western Electric Girl's Softball Team: I think they were called the Western Electric Bloomer Girls. As I remember, the team was to play a game when they reached their destination in Michigan City. When the Eastland capsized she was thrown into the water but was able to grab hold of a rail and keep herself afloat. In the panic, she was able to reach for her box camera that was floating near her. She was quickly rescued by someone in a rowboat, and she was not injured. Some time later, Jenny called home and said that she was okay, but wet. (Recollection by Jerry Muchna.)

Mary Klemp and Theodore Lawson

...were given blankets to dry themselves and keep themselves warm...

Ted Lawson began working for Western Electric in Brooklyn, New York, and was later transferred to the Hawthorne Works facility in Cicero. He was engaged to be married to Mary Klemp, who also worked for Western Electric. They both woke up very early the morning of the picnic, as Ted was anxious to ride aboard the Eastland. Once on board, they noticed the ship shift from side to side, but they were reassured by the crew that this was not unusual for the ship.

When the Eastland rolled into the river, Ted and Mary were both thrown into the water. They clung for life to deck chairs - neither being able to swim - and were in the water for several hours before being rescued. Taken later to some nearby shops, Ted and Mary were given blankets to dry themselves and keep themselves warm. They quickly took a train home to let their families know that they were okay.

Ted and Mary were married two months later on September 29.

Elizabeth and Frances Krivanec

...later returned home to find his family alive and intact...

Elizabeth Krivanec was a Western Electric employee and had planned to attend the company picnic with her daughter Eva, 14 months, and her son Paul. Her two other children, Florence, 9, and Frank, 12, did not wish to go to the picnic claiming they were ''too old'' to go. Elizabeth's husband, Frances, was a fireman for the 58th Company of Chicago. Frances was working at the firehouse on 18th Street and 22nd Avenue the morning of July 24, 1915, while his wife and two of their children were preparing to go on the excursion.

Eva took ill that morning, however, so she, Elizabeth, and Paul stayed at home. When news of the Eastland Disaster came over the telegraph into the fire station, Frances immediately thought of his family, unaware that they were not at the wharf nor on the Eastland. Frances went down to Clark Street to find his family, and while he could not find his family, he did assist with the rescuing of the survivors and the removal of those who had perished. He later returned home to find his family alive and intact.

Earlier when Elizabeth heard of the accident, she left her children at home and went to the temporary morgue at the Second Regiment Armory to help prepare the deceased for viewing by families and friends. She worked endlessly until all were finished and laid out for viewing, recalling one woman in particular who had a ''beautiful head of long, red hair'' as she combed it out.

Frances Kubiak

...the four other girls all turned over death cards...

Frances Kubiak and her sister, Anna, went with three of their good friends to a fortune teller to have their cards read. After the fortune teller read their cards, she asked Frances to stay behind. The fortune teller told Frances that she saw something hard to comprehend. The four other girls all turned over death cards, but Frances had not.

All five of the girls were planning to go to the Western Electric employee picnic. When Frances and Anna told their mother of their intentions, their mother asked them not to go. Instead she suggested that the two girls go to confession at St. Mary of Czestochowa so that they could receive communion with the Blessed Virgin on Sunday. Frances and Anna both refused, but at the last minute Frances changed her mind and honored her mother's request. Anna and her three friends drowned when the Eastland capsized. (Recollection by Edward J. Liczwek, Jr.)

Agnes Latowski (Summitt)

...scrambling out of the porthole, she then slid off the side of the ship into the water...

An employee at Western Electric, Agnes Latowski (Summitt) was aboard the Eastland along with her older brother, Walter, and her older sister, Nellie. The three Latowskis were in the lounge area below deck, and Agnes had gone into the women's lounge area with a purse handed to her by her sister Nellie. When the Eastland capsized, Agnes managed to get to a porthole on the starboard side. After scrambling out of the porthole, she then slid off the side of the ship into the water. Here she grabbed ahold of a life preserver that someone had thrown to her. Whereas Agnes was able to make it to safety and to survive the Eastland Disaster, her sister Nellie and her brother Walter, did not. Walter appeared to have been bruised or crushed, possibly by a piano that was in the lounge area.

Details passed along through the family indicate that Agnes may have helped to save one of her friends, Anna Frydrych (Frederick). Anna Frydrych (Frederick) also lost a sibling in the tragedy, her sister Alice.

Josephine Markowski

...she felt something awful was going to happen...

Strange presentiments and forebodings of the Eastland disaster were repeated in the silences about the biers in Cicero, Hawthorne, and Morton park yesterday. Josie Markowski, 18 years old, of 2258 South Sacramento Avenue, also had a foreboding, according to her friend, Helen Glinka, in Morton park.

"Josie told my mother she felt something awful was going to happen and that she did not want to go to the picnic. Her mother laughingly told her to go on and have a good time and warned her not to think of disaster else she might bring it on the boat."

"Now Josie is dead. She was the only support of her mother and four small brothers and sisters. Mrs. Markowski refused to believe that her daughter was dead. She dreamed that Josie walked into the room, but it was a neighbor asking for a nightrobe for the body. When she awoke and realized the truth, she swooned."

L. W. Miller

...he floated past with his head under water...

"L. W. Miller, employed in the Western Electric's stationery department, was one of four young men who escaped in the same way as Mr. E. W. Sladkey. He and the other three - John Peterson, E. H. Peterson, and William Lessuenhop - climbed to the dry starboard side over the stern just in time to save the life of a small, red haired boy whose name they did not learn. Full story

Otto Muchna

...the poor horses were also worn out because of the many trips to the cemeteries...

My dad was an undertaker on the West side of Chicago, in a neighborhood where many Western Electric employees lived. He started getting calls to attend to many of the victims. I remember people coming to talk to my dad about picking up someone who had died and arranging for the funeral. We had horses and carriages at that time. We had so many bodies at the funeral chapel that we did not have enough room for them. The driveway was enclosed and it too was just filled with bodies. My dad did all of the embalming and my mother did the make-up and hair dressing. They worked continuously and were just worn out. It was day and night work for several days. I remember that the poor horses were also worn out because of the many trips to the cemeteries. My dad would return from the cemetery, and then embalm and prepare another body for burial. It was just too much work for both my dad and my mother, but they did their best.

I remember that the Western Electric Company paid almost all of the funeral bills for those that were lost. Full story (Recollection by Jerry Muchna.)

Capt. Walter Petrosky and officers and crew of the Petoskey

...rendered splendid service in rescuing those thrown into the water from the death ship....

Captain Walter Petrosky and the other officers and men of the Petoskey rendered splendid service in rescuing those thrown into the water from the death ship. The Petoskey was lying just behind the Eastland, having been chartered by the Indiana Transportation Co., as was the Eastland, to carry the excursionists of the Western Electric Outing to Michigan City.

When the Eastland began to list, the officers and crew of the Petoskey got uneasy, and the instant they saw she was going over they jumped into their life boats and lowered them. They were about the first to get lifeboats into the drifting mass of people whom they dragged out as fast as they could reach them and get them into the boat.

Captain Petrosky and his associates were much affected by the death of Lookout Boyle who gave his life in the effort to save others

Anna, Mae and Josephine Polivka

...I remember hands reaching out from the water...

Josephine (Polivka) Engenhart recalls the morning she and her sisters, Mae and Anna, prepared to leave for the excursion boat that would take them across the lake to their company picnic.

"We were all dressed in white for the parade we were to be in when the boat reached Michigan City. On our way we stopped to call for our three neighbor friends (the Zasteras). Their mother said, "You girls are late, my girls left a long time ago."

"I remember the boat as not having anywhere to sit. We met Mae's boss, Mr. Wiley, and went with him to the lower deck but it was packed with people and we had to go back up."

"We were on the upper deck when the boat tipped. There were screams and we were thrown to the side. My sister screamed and told me to hold on. People were grabbing at us from below. I remember hands reaching out from the water. Somehow we were pulled up onto the side of the boat where we stood for a very long time. Then some men said, "Come on girls, we're going to take you off." They told us to roll over their arms into a row boat. We were dropped off by the river in a daze without any money. A cab driver picked us up and took us to a station where we received blankets. We were taken home by the cab driver but when I turned around he was gone and I never had a chance to thank him."

"When my sisters and I walked into the house my mother was baking as she did on Saturdays. She put her hand to her face in alarm and said, "What happened to you?" She wasn't aware of the capsizing, although the neighbors already knew their three daughters were dead. My brother Frank, who was in Michigan, hurried back when he heard but was afraid to come into the house because of what he might hear."

"It was a terrible time. So many people from our area, the 4300 block of West 25th Place, worked at Western Electric. There was a wreath on nearly every door. My sisters and I were pall bearers for our friends the Zastera sisters."

Clara and Emma Reisner

...the other passengers were pulling us down...

Clara and Emma Reisner boarded the Eastland and found chairs at the back of the boat, near the railing. When the ship tipped so easily and smoothly, Clara did not get excited or panic. "I didn't think it was so serious. I didn't think we or anyone else would drown. I was going to grab for my purse, but Emma said, 'Forget the purse. Can't you see the boat is going down?'"

The two sisters were not on the side of the boat that went into the water, and when the boat started to tip, Emma told Clara to grab onto the railing. The chairs that they had been sitting on rolled away and slid off the boat. They held onto the railing, and the water was up to their knees.

Clara said she could see and hear people in the water, bobbing and screaming. Workmen began throwing boxes and pieces of wood into the water to help the people float, but the objects hit several people on the head.

Fire boats were there within minutes, and the two sisters were two of the first to be rescued. Clara told the rescuers to grab Emma first because she had just had an appendectomy three weeks before, and was, understandably, getting weak.

Once safely ashore, they began looking for a phone to call home and tell everyone they were safe, but they couldn't get to one because of the crowd, so they boarded a streetcar and were home by noon. Full story

Julius Ferdinand Reschke

...God has given me eleven years grace...

"Ferdinand" Reschke went to the Western Electric company picnic; his wife Bertha decided to stay at home. Ferdinand boarded the Eastland, but his son, Ewald, and Ewald's date, Hattie Hofmeister, could not board the Eastland, so they were standing nearby when the Eastland rolled into the Chicago River. Ferdinand escaped alive, losing just his straw hat. He immediately went out and bought a new hat, and when he arrived home his wife Bertha did not even notice that he was wearing a new hat. The next day, Sunday, the entire family gathered together while Ferdinand showed everyone the picture of the capsized Eastland in the newspaper. He pointed out how he happened to crawl to safety.

Shortly after the disaster and as Ferdinand left the wharf, he let others use his pocketknife. He never thought he would see the pocketknife again, but several years later a man returned the knife to him at work, mentioning that the knife helped to save many lives.

Every year after on the anniversary of the Eastland Disaster, Ferdinand would go to his pastor and give him a special offering to be used for missions. In 1926 when he was on his deathbed, Ferdinand had a feeling that he would die on the anniversary of the Eastland Disaster. On July 23, 1926, the day before the 11th anniversary, Ferdinand said, "Gott hat mir elf jahre frist gegeben, morgan ist es elf jahr." "God has given me eleven years grace. Tomorrow it is eleven years." Ferdinand did not die the next day, but death came on August 20, 1926.

Henry Sesher

...the tug was still a few feet away when I jumped...

Policeman Henry Sesher, one of the first to go to the rescue, gave a vivid description of the accident. "I saw scores of men and women, many of them holding children, plunge into the water," he said. "I jumped into a rowboat and pulled out among the drowning people. I think I got about fifty ashore. A fireboat and tugs hurried to the scene and picked up more than a hundred people. We grabbed those nearest us first. One time I had four women in the boat with me. Others I aided by dragging them from the water to the docks."

E. W. Sladkey

...the tug was still a few feet away when I jumped...

One of the most dramatic, complete, and coherent of the survivors' stories was that told by E. W. Sladkey, head of the Western Electric company's printing department. Sladkey, the last to board the Eastland and the first to escape, walked over the upper of the vessel and jumped onto the deck of the Kenosha without so much as wetting his feet. Many of those who were saved, he said, followed his example.

Sladkey...praised the captain of the Kenosha for his presence of mind in backing the tug against the upset Eastland. But he said the excursion boat's officers and crew gave no warning of the impending disaster until the vessel had heeled beyond an angle of 45 degrees. Full story

Joseph A. Suerth

...the boat tipped over and I can't find Dad!...

Joseph A. Suerth, 16, and his father, Nicholas, were on the top deck of the Eastland. Joe stayed on deck with a friend while his dad went below. Not being able to swim, Joe went to the high side of the Eastland when it started to list. He climbed over the railing and onto the hull as the Eastland capsized, barely getting his pants' legs wet.

Joe and his friend immediately started pulling people from the water. Joe's friend would dive into the water and bring a person to the ship, where Joe would pull them onto the exposed side of the vessel to safety. This efficient twosome pulled six people out of the water in this manner, but on the seventh try his friend did not return.

A boat later came alongside and ferried Joe as well as other survivors to shore. Joe waited in a long line to use a telephone to call home. Finally his turn came and he was quickly connected to Belmont 2207. The message to his mother was brief: "Mom, the boat tipped over and I can't find Dad!"

Nicholas H. Suerth

...Nicholas went below and was never seen again...

Early Saturday morning, Nicholas H. Suerth and his oldest child, sixteen year old Joseph, left their home at 3238 W. Potomac Avenue in Chicago to attend the Western Electric Company picnic. Nicholas' forty year old wife Margaret, several months pregnant with their seventh child, stayed at home as did the remaining five of their six children.

Nicholas and Joseph boarded the steamer Eastland and were on the top deck when Nicholas told his son that he needed to go below deck to turn in some money or tickets. Joe stayed on deck with a friend. Nicholas went below and was never seen again.

The forty-two year old Nicholas had worked as a machinist at Western Electric for many years and had received a weekly salary of seventeen dollars for his efforts. He was survived by his wife, his six children including Joseph, 16, William, 13, John, 10, Bernice, 8, Margaret, 4, and Marcella, 1, and the son he would never know, Marshall. Nicholas' seven children ultimately produced twenty-two grandchildren and fifty-two great-grandchildren.

Lucy Taft

...had luckily changed her mind...

Miss Lucy Taft of Ft. Dodge, Iowa was spending the summer in Chicago. She had intended on taking the boat to Michigan City but at the last minute had reason to postpone her trip. Her relatives and friends in Ft. Dodge knew of her intentions and feared for her life until a telegram was received that morning by her brother-in-law, James Flaherty, stating that she had luckily changed her mind and did not start on the trip as intended.

Frieda Till

...her legs dangled in the water below...

Frieda Till was a Western Electric employee and was a passenger on-board the Eastland. When the Eastland capsized, Frieda's clothing got caught on the railing of the ship. Hanging by her clothing, Frieda's legs dangled in the water below. She was later saved by a Chicago Fireman. Shortly after being saved, Frieda noticed that men were spreading ashes on the hull of the Eastland, trying to make it easier for people to go from the ship to land. Later in life, Frieda expressed her fear of water to her children and grandchildren.

Jennie Turbov

...she grabbed onto his feet and held on...

Jennie Turbov went to work for Western Electric on 22nd Street when she was very young, ever since she was able to work. She was a forelady. She was on the Eastland when it tipped over. Jennie went into the water right near the shore. She could not swim, but felt the feet of a man who was swimming to shore. She grabbed onto his feet and held on and he pulled her with him. (Recollection by Harriet (Turbov) Kalmin.)

Mary Vrba

...was soaking wet, got on a street car, and went home...

Mary Vrba was an employee of Western Electric who survived the Eastland Disaster. A man from an office building along the Chicago River threw her a life preserver that she was able to grab ahold of and use to swim to the dock. When asked about it later, her modest reply was, ''I was soaking wet, I got on board a street car, and I went home.'' She never spoke much about the Eastland during her life.

Mary's son Glenn Lippert was in the Navy during World War II, serving overseas in the waters off the island of Japan. On a day while Glenn was continuing to fight for his country, Mary and her family went on a Lake Michigan cruise. While in the middle of the lake, Mary's husband, Edward E. Lippert, suffered a cerebral hemorrage and died before they could get him to shore for medical assistance.

With her experience on the Eastland, her son in the Navy battling kamakazis, and her husband's death on Lake Michigan, Mary developed a fear of the water.

F. W. Willard

...He did not lose his head, but got a life line....

F. W. Willard, technical superintendent of the cable works of the Western Electric Company in Chicago, was one of the officials of the company on the Eastland when she turned over in the Chicago River. He did not lose his head, but got a life line and threw it to many persons struggling in the water. In this way he saved a large number.

Aida Woods

...a fireman gave me a plum or an apple....

My mother, Hannah, my brother, Robert, and I left in the early morning hours for the ill-fated Eastland trip. We were accompanied by our two household friends, Miss Nellie Peterson and Mr. Hines.

Upon boarding the ship, we first went below deck to hear the orchestra playing, and then we went up to the top deck. We sat on folding chairs and I had trouble sitting because the chair was sliding, so my mother held onto it. Before long we all slid across the deck and into the river. Mr. Hines, who could swim, rescued all four of us and set us on the overturned railing of the ship. Here we waited until a small boat came by and took us to a fire tug where we were able to dry out. While on the fire tug, one of the firemen gave me a plum or an apple to eat. Once dry we then went home on the Elevated train, all of us without shoes. We must have been a sight!

We lived in a neighborhood near the Western Electric Company, the area of Kostner Avenue and 22nd Street. I remember my mother commenting later that there was hardly a house in that neighborhood that did not have a crepe on the door, which was customary in those days when a family member passed away. Though being only three years old at the time, it was a tragedy that I will never forget.

Howard Wynn

...he was sitting on the cabin floor with his arms around his daughter...crying and asking for two sisters and mother who were missing....

I was on the Eastland, but in no danger as I was on the stern end nearer the wharf side than the river, the side she turned over on; in fact I did not think of it seriously until I saw a woman with a little baby in her arms go into the water, with people dropping all around her. Just as I got ready to jump for her a life raft with one man on went past so I jumped on that, but as I turned around to get the woman and baby the boat settled and sucked them under so all I could do was pick up the others near, and there was plenty of them.

By the time the Petoskey gave me a line I had about twenty on, women and men piled up like sacks of wheat with nothing but their head uncovered so they could breathe. We pulled so many on that to keep from sinking some of the fellows had to slip into the water and kick to keep afloat. Full story

Edward Zimmerman

...had a hard time getting through the crowds....

Edward Zimmerman was a welder/burner who owned a welding shop on the 4100 block of West Lake Street. He was called to help in the rescue efforts, and had a hard time getting through the crowds of people as he carried two tanks of oxygen on his shoulders. Edward worked for forty-eight straight hours cutting holes in the hull of the Eastland to get people out. He was later awarded a star by Cook County Coroner Peter Hoffman.

Henry Zintak (Vantak)

...they were carried into the river...

"I could not believe the boat was turning over. I did not see my wife or chidren after the boat turned. They were carried into the river with the crowd. Some one grabbed me around the neck and kept pulling me. It was a woman but I could not save her."

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