| Show RUSH INQUIRIES INTO DISASTER State and Federal Officials to to Seek eek Cause of Capsizing of Steamer r 1 Chica Chicago o July 21 Coroner i.-Coroner Coroner Hoffman began the inquest Into tho Eastland disaster r late today todar lie He had a 0 number of or photographs of or the boat taken and ant then ordered It pumped out and aud raised Coroner Hoffman announced tonight that ho he had ordered tho arrest of or every official of or the tho Indiana Transportation tion company which leased the Eastland I o o individuals were mentioned In the tho announcement Grand jur Jury Investigation was forecast forecast fore for cast when Walter K Greenebaum general gen gen- cn- cn ral eral manager of ot the tho Indiana Tran torta- torta lion ilon company compan which chartered chartered tho the I steamer Eastland asand for the tho outing was summoned to tho the states state's attorney attorneys s a office of office or- or fice rico and Questioned b by Stators States Attorney Hoyne Hoyn Inspectors Inspector Loading I Mr Ir said Wo We 0 had chartered five I steamers for forthe forthe forthe the excursion of the Western Electric company's compans employers employees to Michigan CIt City Ind toda today We e had the steamers Eastland Petoskey Theodore Roosevelt Roosevelt Roosevelt Roose Roose- velt Ra Racine and Maywood lInwood The The he Eastland was tho the first boat to load and tho locks docks were crowded with passengers who were to be taken on tho the other boats nearby One Ono United States steamboat ste Inspector and two tono as assistants assistants assistants as- as watched tho the Eastland load They stood at the gang Sang plank and counted the passengers as they went ent aboard Their report shows thoro there were 2500 2540 passengers on tho ho En Eastland Its full tull capacity under tho the United States steamboat regulations regulation I have e no Idea how the accident occurred Greenbaum testified that he was on the wharf directly opposite the Eastland Eastland East- East land Jand and that as soon Boon as ho saw an anthe the situation ho ordered all nU of tho life lire preservers on tho the steamer Theodore Theodoro Roosevelt thrown overboard o and was of the opinion that this had saved a large number of lI lives es Tug Pulling Pulling- at ot St Jam James s Flannigan one of or tho the Eastland's Eastland's Eastland's East- East lands land's crew testified at nt tho the Investigation tion conducted b by tho the states state's attorney that he had received the signal to cast casta a tow line lino to the tug Kenosha which was to take tako the Eastland Into deep water I I did so said Flannigan and tho the tug began to pull Then I 1 discovered that tho lines attached to the dock had hadnot hadnot not been cast off orr The tug was pullIng pull- pull in Ing hard all aU the time l Flannigan said a L steward had rushed into the the- theline line room to warn him the lines Jines to shore had hall not been cast off and that he and the steward Jumped into the water together Flannigan's testimony was contradicted by Arthur McDonald engineer of the tug who Raid said the Kenosha had not begun to tow when the tho Ea Eastland overturned That a sudden rush of or persons person on the deck of or the Eastland to port side to look at a speeding launch caused tho the catastrophe was the assertion of or Jack Elbert tau gauge c tender of or the steamer He lie said he and J. J M. M 0 Erickson chief cn engineer escaped drowning b by wading through water In the tho hatch and crawling crawling crawl crawl- ing out of ot a porthole Into the tho river The first thing I noticed this mornIng mornIng morning morn morn- ing he said W was that tho the Eastland began to lean Jean to starboard Erickson the chief engineer was W In charge of or orthe the tho pumps used to pump the water Into the chambers He Ho said Boys steady her up a little and then we we- pumped water into tho the other side until she sho was up even and all aU right Wo We c had Just evened her up when a launch came down the river and passed tho Eastland and the crowd on deck rushed over to to look at It lt The weight all aU allon allon on ono one side apparently apparent proved too much and the Eastland began to list badly We c worked frantically at the thc pumps Jumps to try tn to 0 bring her back Eyewitnesses Ee Informed the police that there was a man In the launch operating operating ing a moving picture camera and that this attracted tho the attention of passengers gers ers on the tho Eastland who rushed to toone toone toone one side of or the boat One Ono theory of ot the cause of or the accident accident accident acci acci- dent is that tho the steamer had stuck In Inthe inthe the mud and had failed to free tree herself when the tho engines were started causing the of ot tho the steamer to list Th weight of the lar large lare e crowd aboard augmented this to such an extent that the tho boat could not right Its Itself Ir but caused tho the hawsers to break and the tho boat continued to list until overturned William Doderlein floor manager for fora a n. firm with a place of or business facing tho the river told newspaper net men he ho had seen Keen tho the Eastland was In a dangerous condition ten minutes before the accident acci acci- dent ent occurred and that he had sent a warning to Captain Pedersen Order Orders Federal Probe Washington Ju July 24 Acting Acting Acting- Secretary Secretary Secretary Secre Secre- tary Sweet of or the department of commerce com com- merce ordered the steamboat Inspection inspection inspection tion service to Investigate the Chicago disaster to determine whether there thero was an any defect of construction or in inspection inspection in- in of the tho steamer Eastland Federal Federal Federal Fed Fed- eral inspectors will UI be bo sent from other points to supplement the force at Chicago Chi Chi- Chicago cago caso If It necessary Denies Denie float Ilont Vun u Unsafe Cleveland July 24 Grant 24 Grant Donaldson of or Wickliffe who served er as chief chlof engineer en- en Kineer ineer on tho the Eastland from 1904 1004 until 1914 returned from Chicago Tuesday where he had been summoned Sunday Sunda 1 liy by the present owners to adjust tho the engines which were not running satisfactorily sat sat- In In my opinion the Eastland was a safe eafe boat Donaldson said There was wasa a popular opinion that she was vas top- top I heavy but this was due to claims of ot rival boat owners She never was condemned cond condemned con con- d by government Inspectors and was waH In good condition Tho The Eastland was waa owned here for five years ears operating between this city and Cedar Point near Sandusky 0 O. did and also on moonlight trips on the lake during which time It was concerned in several accidents but none was ever attended by loss of life ure e |
