Show STORIES OF DISASTER DISA STER TOLD BY SURVIVORS Eastland Commander Who Saved Himself Himself Himself Him Him- self by Jumping Into River Says Cause of Accident Is s Mystery to Him 1 p C. C July 24 Capt Harry Pedersen 57 years old aId who wn was in com com- on- on J mand of the steamer Eastland when it capsized in n the river hero here tolay to to-i to-I to lay day said aid m I HI was on the bridge and was about ready rendy to pull out when I noticed j i the boat begin to list I shouted orders to open the inside doors nearest tho the dock and give the p people a n chance to get ou out The boat continued to roll rolland roll rolland and shortly afterwards the hawsers broke and the tho steamer turned over on her side and was drifting toward the middle of tho the ri riven r When she went over o over I I jumped and held on to the upper si side It all happened in two minutes The cause Is a mystery to me I have hll stilled the l lakes ke for twenty live years ean and previous pre to that sailed on salt alt water twelve years and this Is the first serious accident I lover over ever had lind I Ido Ido Ido do not know ho how It happened Saw Sn float Boot Rolling Honing L Ij D D. D employed as a R. candy butcher botcher on th the tho steamer was tho the first witness eye-witness to tell 1 i detailed stor story of tho the accident It lIlt was about o'clock this morning mornIng morning morn morn- ing and the boat which had been chartered chartered char char- b by the employees of ot the Western Vestern Electric com company pan for an excursion to Michigan City Ind lad was lying at tho the dock near Clark street bridge loading loading load load- In ing with pa said Gador Wo Yo were to leave In twenty minutes and the upper deck and cabins were crowded with passengers There were hundreds of women and children I estimate that there were between 2000 and on the boat at the time of ot the accident I was standing on the 10 lower er erdeck deck near the gangplank watching tho the people come corne aboard Suddenly I notIced noticed noticed no no- tho the boat list toward the tho center centerI of the river It rolled slightly at first and then seemed to stop Then It started to roll again I became alarmed and shouted to the crowd to keep still Apparently a majority of ot the passengers were ere on one side of ot the boat and this had o It and caused It to list list Suddon Suddenly tho the hawsers which held tho the boat to tho the dock dock- snapped and tho the officers pulled tho the gangplank In and refused to allow any anymore anymore more moro on the boat In A At t this time everybody was panic panic- stricken Women screamed and men tried to quiet them I attempted to reach an upper deck but could not because because because be be- cause of or the crowd and excitement and ran back to tho the port where here tho the gangway gangway gang gang- way WilY had been The boat then slowly drifted away from the dock rolling as asIt asIt asit It slipped Into midstream and a moment moment moment mo mo- ment later It had tUl ned over o on Its side I climbed over on tho the of ot the boat and stayed there until I 1 was taken off by lifesavers Many Ian of ot tho the passengers passengers pas pas- leaped Into tho the water as the I boat went over or Scores of ot others were I Ic c caught In the cabin and drowned When hen I tho the small boats began belat coming out to us I II I worked with other survivors In taking passengers out of th thc water ateI and cu cutting cutting cut cut- t- t ting holes In the cabins to remove the bodies II n IA 11 C o U I 1 JU UL I 1 was in tho the lunchroom on the main deck when I noticed tho boat beginning beginning beginning begin begin- ning to list Dishes fell out of the tho rack and a 0 scene of ot wild excitement fol fol- lowed I shouted for tho the people to save themselves A moment later I 1 Jumped Int late Into tho the water and managed to rescue three women Deckhands Deckhand's Story William A. A Barrett a deckhand said I 1 was on the main deck at tho stern I line ready to cast It ot off when the tho boat started to list I shouted warnings to the passengers aroun around me and tried to let go the hawser When the boat wont over I climbed on the upper side and helped get a a. number of ot passengers ers Into I boats It all al happened In a few min mm- u utes or Mrs Irs Emmet ODonnell O'Donnell of tf Ill said The steamer was getting read ready to leave and was crowded with excursionists excursion excursion- The officers of ot tho the boat bOllt pushed tho the crowd back bacle which was around the tho gangplank in or order er to pull It In I think this is what caused the boat to list to one side It never nevor stopped when It start started cd to roll and a few moments later it was out in tho the ml middle dle of ef tho the river on Its side I saw dozens of people peo peo- plo drowned around me but was unable to give assistance By Dy a R. great effort I Iwas Iwas Iwas was able to climb on tho the upper side of ot the boat and managed manage to hold on until I was talc taken en of off ott by rescuers Saved Wife Ue rind and Ulm Himself elt Lyslo 1953 S. S Avers avenue Chicago said M My wife and I J had Just entered the boat and were In th the crowd on the main deck near the tho gangway Then I heard someone shout Get back and wo we were pushed over to one side A moment later tho the boat started to list Wo We were nil all stricken panic-stricken and could do nothing I lifted my wife In m my arms and crawled cl out of an opening on tho the upper side of ot the boat as It slow slowly went wont over George an excursionist was thrown into the river and grasped the hair of a boy whose whoso name he did not learn and swam to the docks with himI himI him I was standing at th tho rail when the boat began beban to tip and caught hold of Frank Cerney my companion We Ye went under twice and when I camo came up the second time there thore was a a. bo boy at the side o of me I thought it was Frank I grabbed him and fI swam m ashore but it thA fh H bo boY bOV n Pulled Through Porthole Mrs Mra William Peterson wife of a foreman foreman foreman fore fore- man at tho the Western Electric company was pulled through h a n. porthole p of or tho the ship to sAfety I was waR pulled clear under water and when whon I came to the surface I saw two tso han hands s reaching out of a porthole They pulled mo me through I do don't dont t know whether m ray my husband daughter and sis sis- ter law were saved or not John Marcy Morey ore a Western Electric company company com corn pany employee was one of the tho rescued I was waa on tho the upper deck said Hald Mercy when shen the boat began to list I thought the boat W was S rocking at first then It kE kept turning on one ono side I caught hold of or tho the rail and held on as tho boat went over on its ils side A itA loose chair swung around and struck mo ale on the forehead Something hit me me I dont don't know what it was but Lut I managed gell to keep my hold on tho the rail until I 1 wa wat helped to land Thoro Thero were more than GOO on my side of ot the tho boat bont at tho the time any many of or th them m must have ha been drowned Iud and Child Mrs II n. P P. P 32 years ears old told of clinging to her two children Harry a aged c 7 i and Helen Hulen 6 6 after the they and her husband William had pitched into the riv r pr river r. r Mrs and nd Harry were rescued She lost her hold holdon i ion i ion on Helen and the tho daughter with Mr Ir arc aro bell believed ved to havo have drowned Mrs was hysterical wh when en she reached a temporary shelter place My 11 husband and I 1 nn and the children I wore were standing together on tho the deck deek and andall andall all f fell 11 into the water in a a. heap she said ald I am good swimmer I II I I caught h hold ld of or m my son Harry and I my little girl Helen and clung to them I and l kept myself up somo some way I dont don't know how I saw men and women I tumbling into the water around mo me My ry husband disappeared among them I had Harry with my right arm and Holen Helen I I with my left len I seined to lose all i strength in my left lett arm and ond I had to i lot let go of ot Helen She went down Inthe in inthe inthe the struggling mass maM Then someone someone- a man mon with a n uniform on grabbed on-grabbed grabbed me and began swimming with me I clung to my son and when wo we got near the tho river bank some men pulled us up Helen and her father must have havo gone down Watched 11 g From Shore George Haber an employee of ot-a ot a South Water ater street commission firm was a witness of or the accident I ri 1 was standing on a dock less than feet away when the boat began to turn over said Haber Some of ot the themen themen themen men on the boat were loosening somo some of tho the ropes I noticed one ono heavy cable I still fast to the stern though Then the tho boat began turning It was seven seen or eight minutes perhaps perhaps perhaps per per- haps ten In turning over on its side There were about persons I should Judge on the upper decks and from the number that had gone gono on board there must have ha been man many more moro than that below Eight Girls Girl Drown Together r. r Nine girls g and I were in a stateroom having a little party of or our own when all of or a sudden we folt felt the boat going over said Miss Miss' Lottie Anderson one oneo o of the tho survivors We all nil fell Into a heap The screams and shrieks of tho the women in other staterooms were maddening I fell foll into the water and did not see soo my sister or oran an any of tho the eight others after atter that Joseph Brozak Drozak related how he was 8 saved ed from death his coat caught on a nail I was with a party part of four and they were all an drowned said Brozak My coat caught on a nail and when the boat went over o I Iwas Iwas 1 was held d above e th tho a water If t t i it 11 had Vs 1 I. I o. I Ct Y r. r j at t the bottom t r of t th the river I t I s suppose oe with the others of ot my party part Among those rescued was W. W J. J Pla- Pla mondon mondan Indiana avenue an eloc- eloc engineer an and a a. cousin of ot the late Charles A. A who with Ith his wife Jost lost their lives lI In the Lusi- Lusi tania disaster There were two seventy-two men in the tho crew of the Eastland and all of or them were ero reported to ha have 0 escaped b by swimming to the wharf Later the they aided in tho the rescue work Lm Loses 11 ie Ife and Children I Mrs Ir Pauline Paulina the mother of 1 three child children ron was WIlS among the tho drowned Her children were believed to have havo been lost host I Henry Henr the womans woman's husband I was pulled out of ot tho the water I I could not believe belle tho the boat was WIlS j turning over o said I r did not I Iseo see seo my wire wife or children after aUer the boat turned They were carried into I Ithe the river rhel with the tho crowd Some one I grabbed me around tho the neck and kept i pulling me It was a woman but I could not save bavo her i Policeman Henr Henry H. H one of ot I I Ithe the first to go o to the tho rescue gave ave a vivid description of ot the tho accident I I saw scores of men and women man many of them holding children I plunge Into tho the river I Jumped into a rowboat and pulled out to the drown drown- j Ing I c think I got about tift fifty ashore I Tho fireboat and tugs hurried to the scene and picked up UI more than a hundred hundred hundred hun hun- dred people We grabbed those nearest us first At ono one time I had four women In the boat with mo me Others I aided by drag dragging ln them thorn from the thc water on to the docks |