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Last post 18 months ago by BuckyB93. 6 replies replies.
The Forgotten Disaster of the SS Eastland
Gene363 Offline
#1 Posted:
Joined: 01-24-2003
Posts: 30,669
The SS Eastland was a passenger ship based in Chicago and used for tours. On 24 July 1915, the ship rolled over onto its side while tied to a dock in the Chicago River. In total, 844 passengers and crew were killed in what was the largest loss of life from a single shipwreck on the Great Lakes.

Video of the story from the, "Ask a Mortician" YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCHt2MOVCbg

Palama Offline
#2 Posted:
Joined: 02-05-2013
Posts: 23,461
Gene363 wrote:
The SS Eastland was a passenger ship based in Chicago and used for tours. On 24 July 1915, the ship rolled over onto its side while tied to a dock in the Chicago River. In total, 844 passengers and crew were killed in what was the largest loss of life from a single shipwreck on the Great Lakes.

Video of the story from the, "Ask a Mortician" YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCHt2MOVCbg



If this is the tragedy I’m thinking about, I believe George Halas was supposed to be a passenger on that ship. His name even appeared on the list of killed passengers ‘cause he was on the manifest and not accounted for.

Edit: Yes he was. https://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/bears/ct-bears-george-halas-eastland-disaster-20190723-g5cnduzrzvcurfilnw2h5addpi-story.html
Gene363 Offline
#3 Posted:
Joined: 01-24-2003
Posts: 30,669
Palama wrote:
If this is the tragedy I’m thinking about, I believe George Halas was supposed to be a passenger on that ship. His name even appeared on the list of killed passengers ‘cause he was on the manifest and not accounted for.

Edit: Yes he was. https://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/bears/ct-bears-george-halas-eastland-disaster-20190723-g5cnduzrzvcurfilnw2h5addpi-story.html


Correct, as the link mentions, he had a summer job with Western Electric, most of the Eastland victims with work for WE or their family did.
Mr. Jones Offline
#4 Posted:
Joined: 06-12-2005
Posts: 19,359
Did Gordon lightfoot know about this?
Gene363 Offline
#5 Posted:
Joined: 01-24-2003
Posts: 30,669
Mr. Jones wrote:
Did Gordon lightfoot know about this?


Apparently not, he did write a song about the loss of a load of iron ore and a crew, not loos of a load of women and children.
BuckyB93 Offline
#6 Posted:
Joined: 07-16-2004
Posts: 14,111
Thanks for the link. It was a good watch. I love history documentaries.

She does one on The Lake That Never Gives Up Her Dead - Lake Superior

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0Lg9HygEJc

Talks about the Edmund Fitzgerald
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