The Sinking of the Eastland: America's Forgotten Tragedy

by Jay Bonansinga

On July 24, 1915, the city of Chicago suffered a tragedy that was witnessed by nearly 10,000 bystanders and claimed more lives than the infamous Chicago Fire. But, unlike the Titanic three years before, the sinking of the steamship Eastland has been largely forgotten. Now award-winning writer and Chicagoan Jay Bonansinga has set out to discover why - and the result is a historical thriller.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Book Club, Maritime, Survival, Audiobook, Adult

Hardcover

First published October 1, 2004

About the author

The national best-selling author of ten acclaimed books – both fiction and non-fiction -- Jay Bonansinga has been called “one of the most imaginative writers of thrillers” by the Chicago Tribune.

Jay is the holder of a master's degree in film from Columbia College Chicago, and currently resides in Evanston, Illinois, with his wife and two sons. He is also a visiting professor at Northwestern University in their Creative Writing for the Media program.

Reviews

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bonansinga tells the story of a very sad event in early 20th century Chicago. The Eastland was a cruise ship intended as transport for day trippers heading from the city to a day of fun and picnicking. The ship’s capacity was 2,000 or 2,500 people, a number that rose or fell with changing laws. The number changes didn’t really effect the tragedy but show something about the laxness of maritime regulations of the day. 2,500 boarded the boat that day.

The boat was day-let to the Western Electric Company who were treating their employees to a fun outing on July 24, 1915. Tragedy ensued. Eastland was still tied to its dock on the Chicago River at the Clark Street bridge when it began to rock wildly.

Chicago readers are probably well versed on this accident, but I was unaware that the ship rolled on its side in little over 12 feet of water. The Titanic sank just 3 years earlier. There was more loss of life on the Eastland, in full view of eventually thousands of people.

Bonansinga tells the story in a dramatic (sometimes too dramatic) way that is very readable. Sometimes in the interest of drama he leads you to suspect conclusions that don’t pan out. Sort of a cheap trick, I think. It is a good story of old ethnic Chicago with its many working class neighborhoods. There are tales of heroism as well as tales of the worst of human behavior. A small amount of the book is dedicated to the trial that followed. There is also some follow up on the characters and a bibliography.

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

The best book on the subject I've ever read! (Of course, it's the only. . . )

In its favor, it was very engaging. One reason I don't read much fiction these days is that I often find myself unable to put the book down, to the detriment of other aspects of my life. This book, though filed under "nonfiction", had enough of the "story" feel that I found myself quite caught up in it. (It painted little vignettes of several of the passengers.)

On the other hand, it was at times nauseatingly over-written. "The thought of that magnificent boat sent tremors of excitement through her." Don't get any ideas that she might have been simply looking forward to the day. I hadn't seen so many adjectives since I copyedited a set of picture descriptions for the blind.

Worse than that, the author sometimes chose the exciting word over the accurate one, using words to mean things other than their generally agreed-upon "dictionary definitions".

On page 116, some survivors had been standing on the side of the boat's hull, above the water line. Ash had been thrown onto the hull to improve traction. Now a gangplank has been rigged, and they are walking off the hull toward the shore. "The crunch of their footsteps in the ash and cinders made rhythmic tattoos." I really doubt that it did. I would imagine that in a crowded situation, with uncertain footing, they would be sort of shuffling, rather than marching with strong impact and an even beat.

On page 165, "The discovery of [a particular pair of victims:] tore through the divers' hearts. They had no more whiskey to staunch the sadness." Um, I'm guessing they wanted to stanch the sadness ("to stop the flow of a liquid"), rather than staunch it ("firm and steadfast; true").

On page 190, we have "a brusk, no-nonsense man". That's not even a word--he wanted "brusque".

On page 213, "the company's local agent sent out a call for freelance sailors to commandeer the wreck back up the north branch of the river to its dry dock." Has the author ever heard that word used before? If the sailors commandeered the ship, they seized it by force, probably for military use. I'm guessing freelance sailors didn't actually do that. (But maybe they did, because the word was used again in the same way on page 214.)

But the funniest was on page 214 when the author quoted the author of the only other book on the subject, which was designed as a more factual book and not a narrative. "As Hilton writes with characteristic understatement: 'The hulk provided an ideal visual reminder of the catastrophe while the efforts commenced to resolve the legal problems it had engendered.'" As Jeremy pointed out, "To the hyperbolist, statement seems to be understatement."

In the end, I walked away from this book with a reasonably good understanding of what happened on that tragic day. One detail that I had wondered about before reading the book was not addressed, though, which was: what did they spend all day doing? Some of the survivors were apparently not pulled out of the water for about 12 hours. This book gave a close play-by-play of the minutes leading up to and following the accident, but then it got very vague as to timing for the rest of the day. I can easily imagine the rescue efforts taking a few hours, but it's hard for me to picture it lasting an entire day. Perhaps I should chalk this up to never having witnessed anything like this (thank goodness).

I would recommend this book to others, if only because this significant tragedy (resulting in the largest loss of life from any event in North America in the 20th century) deserves to be remembered.

[Sheila DeChantal · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was a morning to remember. On July 24th, 1915 in downtown Chicago, over 2,000 Western Electric Employees and their families, dressed in their best and went to board the Eastland for the annual company picnic. The Eastland was a breathtaking steamship and many came to watch as the ship loaded the excited and happy employees and families.

Then... the unthinkable happened.

The Eastland (as you will find out within the book, was never a very stable feeling ship) rolled over in the Chicago river, trapping many of those on board within its body. The woman, who were dressed in high boots, jewelery, large skirts, and over coats, became human anchors. Men were said to have trampled children, and shoved aside women in the panic to escape.

In the end, after three days of rescue attempts... 844 men, women, and children died.

The interior of the Eastland changed suddenly, as if by the dark magic of a fun house mirror. Floors became walls, port holes became skylights, and the gigantic influx of water turned the mahogany trimmed rooms into sealed chambers worthy of Harry Houdini's worst nightmares.

Page 72


So Sheila, why the morbid fascination with tragedy?

Well... I don't really know - but morbid fascination seems harsh... I would say more an interest in history, and what seems to me to be important history.

I am always surprised when I find out about something like this and realize if not for certain circumstances, I may have never heard of the Eastland and its tragic demise.

Readers of Book Journey may remember that in June of this year I went with three of my good friends to Chicago for a long girls exploratory weekend. The plan was... there was no plan. We would land where we landed, stay where we stay - but our destination was Chicago.

On our second day there we hopped on a double-decker tour bus and enjoyed the sights of Chicago.... at one point our tour guide stopped and showed up where this large steamliner, The Eastland, had overturned in 1915 killing 844 people.

I was stunned. As I looked at the spot being pointed to, I did not understand. The ship was docked - not moving. In still waters. Near the bridge where many people were watching. How did they all die? Why were they not saved? How does something like this happen?

I had to know more.

Upon returning home to Brainerd I was sharing my trip experience with Lloyd Anderson. He was familiar with the sinking of the Eastland and I mentioned to him I had to know more about this tragedy. A couple of weeks ago, Lloyd came into my office with this book that he had checked out of the library for me. Life had moved on for me and I had forgotten my desire to research this ship.... Lloyd had not.

The Sinking Of The Eastland traveled with me to Honduras and back. (Yes, Brainerd Library, the book is fine). I devoured the information inside.

Well written, and powerfully intense, I read about entire families being taken by this disaster, I learned of the divers who sent rescue teams at first into the chilly waters... that later became recovery teams instead. I read of every day public hero's who dove in time and again to save people (and succeeded!) and I read of scoundrels who picked the pockets of the 800+ bodies lined up on the streets waiting to be identified.

For most of the book, I wept.

Jay Bonansinga writes a story that is at once heart wrenching and painful - he reveals mistakes that could have been avoided, and a captain that abandoned his ship. And while all this may be perceived as a hard HARD read... it is an important one. And you know what? Life is hard. All stories can not end sugary sweet and leaving you with a warm fuzzy feeling inside.

I for one am glad I spent time this past week with The Eastlander and its occupants. I now have a new mark on my heart... it is ship shaped.

[Norma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating account of a little known disaster. The author is adept at making this non-fiction book read like a novel. The prose is sometimes a bit too emotional, but overall works to make it very real.
I have had an interest in this disaster for years. My grandfather worked at Western electric, and my grandparents were supposed to go on the excursion. That morning, my grandmother, who was a little bit psychic occasionally, didn’t feel comfortable going.
I wish I had known more about the Eastland before my grandparents died. I have so many questions now!

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Almost as dramatic as the history of the Titanic, but not nearly as well known. Very interesting read.

[April Helms · Rating 3 out of 5]

I knew a few things about the Eastland tragedy before reading this through an exhibit in Chicago that was a part of the touring Titanic exhibit, in 2000. I also read one or two other short accounts elsewhere, including a book I have on Great Lakes shipwrecks that I have. This is by far the most detailed accounts I've ever read. Bonansinga, in his notes, said he aimed to capture what it must have been like to have been there that fateful July day- mission accomplished. There were a few times I was moved to tears, especially during the scenes detailing the rescues and body recoveries. In some ways it's astounding this tragedy is not better known, but perhaps it is not so surprising. One, if you compare this with the Titanic disaster, that ship had some of the wealthiest people in the world on its passenger list. The Eastland's passengers were working and middle class families, many of them first and second generation residents, on their way to the annual company picnic. Also, the Titanic disaster spurred many changes, including requiring lifeboats for all passengers. The Eastland disaster resulted in one criminal conviction (and that was painfully ironic, not to mention pointless). Speaking of Titanic and lifeboats, that is my one complaint about the book. It's well-written, but the author calling the mandate to increase the number of lifeboats on all ships ill-thought out and a contributing factor to what happened on the Eastland left me slack jawed. One, the thought of not having enough lifeboats for a ship carrying people is just unthinkable. If a ship cannot accommodate the lifeboats, then the number of passengers must be slashed, and if that isn't feasible then the ship needs scrapped. Also, the Eastland was an exceedingly poorly designed ship. It was, as even the author pointed, notorious for being "tender," or prone to listing. It started listing badly even on the day it was christened. More than 800 people perished not because of too many lifeboats but because the Eastland wasn't suitably designed to be an excursion ship (not to mention rescue efforts were haphazard). Other than that point this is a good, solid book from what I can tell on one of the worst Great Lakes tragedies in history.

[Laura Edwards · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting read. Anyone interested in maritime disasters and/or Chicago history should read this book. Jay Bonansinga does an excellent job of bringing the day of the capsizing to life with a limited amount of research material. And I was impressed with the way Western Electric helped their employees in the aftermath without anyone asking.

Two things, however, keep the book from being a 5 star rating. First, I wish there had been a few more in depth looks at passengers, but maybe there is little archival or research evidence to afford Bonansinga the chance to do so. Second, and I believe this was possible, I would have appreciated a list of the victims at the back of the book. I have a book about the Titanic which includes a complete list of victims and survivors at the back which I think is a nice memorial.

[CatReader · Rating 2 out of 5]

3/5 stars for the topic, 1/5 stars for the overwrought, dramatic writing style that is entirely unsuitable for works of nonfiction. Averaged to 2/5 stars.

Despite growing up in Chicago in neighborhoods very near where many of the Eastland victims lived and were buried, I wasn't familiar with this tragic event. It was interesting and also unpleasant to learn about the extent of the incident, as well as the acts of greed and poor character that many unsavory characters exhibited. I felt the main flaws of this book were that the author committed the mortal sin of nonfiction writers -- pontificating at length about what individual characters in the story felt and thought -- as well as his unnecessarily loquacious, overly flowery writing style and melodramatic section titles. Perhaps he should have taken a note from many of the survivors of the Eastland and said as little as possible.

[Connie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Extremely heartbreaking to know that this disaster is so unknown to many Chicagoans. More people died this one day in 1915 than in the Great Chicago Fire... how did this become just a mere footnote in the history of our great city?

I first learned of the Eastland sinking when I took a history of Chicago course in college. I always wanted to learn more and finally found this book to aide in my study. I was reinspired this year to read more on the ship, as I changed job locations and now work facing the Chicago River and the location of the sinking: the corner of Wacker (then known as South Water Street) and Clark.

Tomorrow marks the 100th anniversary of the tragedy. All 844 victims will be on my mind tomorrow when I take time to visit the newly opened and revived riverwalk and reflect on those lost and forgotten.

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Eastland disaster killed over 800 Chicagoans in 1915, but until I purposely picked up a book on Chicago history, I had never heard of it (and me a native Chicagoan!). Actually, no one has, which is why this is such a great and needful book -- it is a cinematic portrayal of the disaster and Bonansinga really makes the details startlingly real. My husband and I are currently writing a song called "The Shining White Ship" which is based on the Eastland disaster. I'm grateful to Jan Bonansinga for bringing the tragedy to life in his book so that its victims can be remembered.

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was selected by my local library as one of the community "reads" books. It is a great book because it is well-written and the story is so amazing and tragic. It details the capsizing of the Eastland passenger steamship in the Chicago River in 1915.

The author calls this a Chicago story that sadly has been forgotten because it was just so traumatizing to the city. Considering this is the worst loss-of-life disaster in Chicago history you have to wonder why you have never even heard of the "Eastland."

[Nina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really wanted to read this because my paternal grandmother and her sister were on the Eastland. My grandmother survived, but her sister Ella did not. I once went to the Bohemian cemetery in Chicago and Ella's grave marker was one of many with the same date of death. I wish I could have asked Grandma a lot more about her experience, like where she and Ella were on the boat, how long it took the rescuers to find Ella's body, if Grandma had to get a typhoid shot from being in the filthy river water; how she got home that day; and so forth. Every time the book mentioned a young woman's body floating past, or being drawn from the river made me wonder it was Ella they were seeing. I can't imagine my great grandparents having to go down to the armory to identify their daughter's body. Grandma believed what the newspapers at the time said, which was that there were too many passengers on one side of the boat (as if this was their fault), but the book made it clear that there were design problems with the boat; the captain and crew (some of whom escaped without even getting wet) made some bonehead decisions, the allowable number of passengers was too high for the craft, and the city police actually hampered rescue efforts which contributed to the loss of over 800 lives -- all while the boat was still at the wharf.

[Matthew Ewoldt · Rating 5 out of 5]

The sinking of the steamship Eastland in Chicago on 24 July 1915 is a tragedy that is comparable, or perhaps in depth and width of its fallout, is greater than the loss of life caused by the attack on New York City's twin towers. This book is not a sterile examination into the causes of the ship's capsizing but a well written "we were there" recounting of the events that draws the reader into the hearts and minds of all those drawn into the maelstrom of that horrible event. I share the writers hopes that this will spur Chicago's leaders to develop an appropriate memorial to all the victims and their families so that they will not be forgotten.

[Shelley Eichinger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sadly, this is a forgotten tragedy. My dad recommended this book to me. He was born and raised in Chicago and lived there from 1948 until 1978. As a Titanic buff he enjoys stories about ship wrecks and sinking's. He found this book in the 2000's and had never heard the tale. Everyone has heard of the Titanic but not many, including those who live in Chicago, have heard the heartbreaking story of The Eastland. If you like history this book will fill you in on a woeful excursion that never should have happened.

[Ron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent and frustrating read. I am 77 years of age and had never heard of this dreadful event even after living in suburban Chicago in the ‘70s and commuting to the Loop for almost two years. My son saw a photo l recently took from atop the London House and pointed to the bridges and said, “That’s where the Eastland disaster occurred!” I ordered this book from our library that day.

[Andrew Pfannkuche · Rating 5 out of 5]

Remember the Eastland! An amazing story of one of Chicago's forgotten tragedies, a must read for any Chicagoan. It's a story of tragedy and horror that saw the little guy destroyed by bureaucratic blaming.

[Liz Larimer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book made me mad. After all the legal and human drama that the Titanic produced, I was sure that this would evoke the same response to a maritime tragedy. I look forward to doing research on this event for sure.

[Barbra Watkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well researched account of the ship that overturned - at the dock- on the Chicago River in 1915, killing over 800. I had never heard of this before and was surprised it’s not taught in schools, happening just 3 years after the Titanic.

[Michelle Powers · Rating 4 out of 5]

A must read for those who like Chicago history. Focus on the people not cause or blame of the event.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very tragic story and a very interesting read.

[Raquel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well written piece of narrative non-fiction. Enjoyed knowing about this piece of U.S. history.

[Amy Bradford · Rating 4 out of 5]

An awesome account of a tragedy in my own state that I've never even heard of! Completely absorbing from start to finish and some heartbreaking photos to boot. I definitely recommend this book.

[Michelle Tuller · Rating 4 out of 5]

280 pages, Goodreads didn't list the pages. I like reading about local history, this book had some on both sides of the lake.

[Erin Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written and researched book about a not well known tragedy

[Matt Muchna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finally got around to reading this family tale, proud of my great greats

[Patrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the greatest ship disaster book I’ve read. somewhat researched and not many other books on this tragedy.

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! This was fascinating to me. In 1915 a ship holding 2,000+ people who were going on a company picnic capsized at the dock in Chicago. Over 800 people died. I feel like I've read pretty extensively on American history and I'd never heard of this tragedy. Heartbreaking.

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Sinking of the Eastland by Jay Bonansinga is aptly subtitled “America’s forgotten tragedy.” In 1915, as it sat in port on the Chicago River, the steamship Eastland turned on its side, killing 844 people. Despite a loss of life more than twice that of the Great Chicago Fire, this tragedy is not well known today. I grew up in a Chicago suburb and do not remember hearing about the Eastland.

Bonansinga’s book is not intended to be a summation of the facts surrounding the tragedy. Instead, he introduces us to some of the people who survived the capsizing and who worked behind the scenes. He endeavors to “create portraits” based on public records and the memories of descendants.

The people onboard the Eastland that day were employees of Western Electric and their families, out for a company picnic dressed in their finest. The heavy, layered fashions of the day for women contributed to the loss of life, as it was hard to stay afloat once the layers became soaked in the river.

The city ran out of caskets to hold the dead, who were lined up in rows in the armory building. (Today, the building houses Oprah Winfrey’s massive media production center.) Across Lake Michigan, an advance party of workers at the lakeside park where the picnic was to occur waited for crowds that never arrived. The young woman voted “prettiest girl” at the Hawthorne plant who was to serve as queen of the festivities lay dead in one of the sunken berths of the Eastland. On one bench at the Western Electric Hawthorne factory where twenty-two women had worked, only two survived.

I found the book engrossing. It is almost unbelievable that so many people could drown off the dock in the middle of the day. Some of the family stories are heartbreaking. The photos in the book are poignant and eerie. But there are also uplifting passages of heroism and survival.

Bonansinga speculates as to why this incident is largely forgotten and wants his book to serve as a tribute to the victims. At the conclusion of the book’s epilogue, in which the author fills in facts about some of the key players in the years after the sinking, Bonansinga writes, “Their stories – as well as the stories of those who have passed away – live on. They must live on.”

If you enjoy nonfiction narratives about real life tragedies that help you stand in the shoes of the people who were there that day, I recommend The Sinking of the Eastland.

[♥ Marlene♥ · Rating 4 out of 5]

on Wednesday, August 01, 2007 I wrote:

During this last week I completed reading 3 books.
The first was also a Non Fiction about the Sidney Hobart race, something I did not know anything about before reading.
Afterwards i picked up The Vanishing Point a totally different genre, which I loved and read in 1 day and a half.

Now I've just read this book by Jay Bonansinga.
I am referring to the Sydney and Hobart book because that took me a while to get in, but overall it was a decent read.

When comparing that book to The Sinking of The Eastland, I must say Eastland wins easily. From the first page I was intrigued and I wanted to read more.
Never heard of this disaster accident. Jay Bonansinga has a great way of writing. It feels like you are there, in the boat, in the water, as a spectator, as a rescuer.
Correct me if I am wrong but I think this is his first Non Fiction book, he normally writes thrillers. Well He is a great writer and I hope he will write more Non Fiction books Highly recommend.

[Debra Darschewski · Rating 5 out of 5]

I never realized this great tragedy in Chicago's history had occurred. This book was well written and easily read. The style made you feel as if you were there getting things from an insider's point of view. How sad that entire family's and neighborhood's were devastated in a few minutes one morning. It especially hits home given that the Hawthorne plant and where many of the victims lived is in my old neighborhood. What this book really leaves us to ask, is how can such a major maritime tragedy in America's history go largely unheard of. Is it because those who died were not part of the well to do, but instead were immigrant working family's trying to get by. Aren't those immigrants the backbone of our society. Let us not forget where we all came from and honor the memories of those affected by this tragedy. They shall not be forgotten.