Show I REMOVING DEAD FROM WRECKED WRE KED STEAMER TEAMER I Ji f ul 5 54 4 V 7 Capt Harry Pedersen 57 years old who hp was In command of the steamer East Eastland anc when It capsized said I was on the bridge and was about ready to pull out when I noticed the boat begin to list I shouted orders to open the Inside doors nearest the dock and give the people a chance to get out The he boat continued to roll rolland rolland rolland and shortly afterwards the hawsers broke and the steamer turned over on her side and was drifting toward the middle of the river Wh When n she went over ver I jumped and held o on to the upper upper upper up up- per perside side It all happened In two min mm- utes ites The cause Is a mystery ry to me I have sailed the lakes for twenty five years and previous ous to that sailed on salt water twelve years years years' and this is the thi first serious accident I ever had I d do not know how it happened Efforts to discover the cause of the accident nt were were begun long before the work wort of rescue was over Federal and co county nty grand juries were ordered a a. c coroners coroner's jury was impaneled and all the officers and crew of the Eastland were arrested President Wilson has ordered that thata a complete investigation be made by bythe by bythe bythe the department of commerce into the he sinking of ot the excursion steamer Eastland Acting Secretary Secretary Sweet of the department sent him word that thee the cause of the the- disaster would b bloo be loo looked d into int and and the president re ident directed ir ted that nothing be left undone to toi I fix lix the responsibility Identification de ion of vic victims ms was all but coi completed ted Monday night except for corpses still in the river Checking against duplications in the various lists proceeded all night More lore than was subscribed d dby by business houses and individuals on Monday Mo day to alleviate any suffering among those who had lost their theirs s sources u ces of support in the tragedy While several families were almost wiped out out most of the households affected at- at lost only one or two wo members Many of the employees of the Western Western West West- ern era Electric company had been working workIng working work work- ing on part time but with the aid of the National Red Cross it is thought that there will be beno no suffering for lack of funds William Villiam Olander secretary of the Lake Seamen's union said on Monday that there were many other ships on onI I the Great lakes as s dangerous as as' the Eastland because of faulty construe tion He held that the Eastland wa was vas not properly designed and charged that United States inspectors under Captain Charles Charles' H. H Westcott of Detroit De troit chief of the lake take district had I played into the hands of I at t the expense expense of sailors and passengers gers gers He said this was shown by the I fact tact that thirty one ships passed b by bythe bythe the inspectors had sunk in the great greal lakes akes since 1905 several of them taking taking taking tak tak- ing all on board to death The coroner th the states state's attorney P and city officers reiterate their charge I that all the possible causes for forthe the disaster dis disaster aster could be blamed to negligence by federal Inspectors or failure 01 of r federal fedral officers to enforce marine laws The last inspection of the Eastland Eastlan I Iwas was made by Robert Reid government L Inspector at St. St Joseph Mich who declared declared doI de do dared the steamer fit this spring ant and I pro procured a position as chief engineer of the boat for his son law J. J M M. Erickson Capt Captain in John H. H OMeara of the tug tui i Kenosha which was hitched to the thi Eastland to tow the ship out of the river testified that he be did not take tak hold hold of the Eastland Eastland until after several minutes after the ship had begun begun begun be be- gun to list according to other wit nesses Even than he waited fo for r word word- word yord to go ahead and the captain cof o of I ti the h E Eastland was not working woking out th the stern as was ece sary to protect the screws Captain OMeara said he finally finally fin fin- ally got the word to go ahead but before be fore the towline was taut the Eastland Eastland Eastland East East- land listed dangerously and he hi stopp stopped d but the ship never righted He had towed the Eastland four times times' and she always listed he said Overloading unde ballasting and grounding on the river bottom were cited in testimony at the coroners coroner's inquest inquest inquest in in- quest by two experts as reasons why the steamer Eastland toppled over at Its wharf and drowned hundreds of |