Flower in the River: A Family Tale Finally Told

Dwight Boyer: Forgotten Chronicler of the Eastland Disaster

• Natalie Zett • Season 4 • Episode 125

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What We’re Covering:

  • Maritime journalist Dwight Boyer (1912–1977) published a detailed Eastland Disaster account in 1971—more than two decades before most major works on the subject
  • His chapter in True Tales of the Great Lakes draws from courtroom records, witness interviews, and primary source material
  • Although George Hilton cited Boyer in Eastland: Legacy of the Titanic, Boyer's work has otherwise been mostly overlooked or uncredited 

Highlights from Dwight Boyer's Career:

  • Boyer wrote for the Toledo Blade (1944–1954) and Cleveland Plain Dealer (into the early 1970s)
  • Respected journalist, known for precision, solid journalism, and vivid storytelling
  • The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) cited his work in its Official Guide to Great Lakes Materials

Resources:

  • Boyer, Dwight. True Tales of the Great Lakes. Cleveland: The World Publishing Company, 1971. — Chapter 2: “Who Speaks for the Little Feller” (Eastland Disaster)
  • Hilton, George W. Eastland: Legacy of the Titanic. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 1995.— Includes citation of Boyer’s 1971 account
  • National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). A Guide to Selected Great Lakes Maritime History Materials at the National Archives–Great Lakes Region. Washington, D.C.: NOAA Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management, 1992.

Podcast Disclaimer and Introduction

Natalie Zett

Well , hey , this is Natalie and I need to issue a disclaimer . It's been a while , but this issue has come up again . I'm not sure where it originated from actually maybe some kind of posting on social media but I have to say publicly that this podcast is an entirely independent project . It's inspired by my own family's connection to the Eastland disaster and hear these words . It is not affiliated with or endorsed by any organization claiming to preserve the history of the Eastland disaster . It's entirely independent . All research is my own , based on publicly available records , my own family's records , original investigation and the occasional gut feeling that someone left out the good stuff . But anyway , let's to Flower in the River .

Natalie Zett

This podcast , inspired by my book of the same name , explores the 1915 Eastland disaster in Chicago and its enduring impact , particularly on my family's history . Enduring impact , particularly on my family's history . We'll explore the intertwining narratives of others impacted by this tragedy as well , and we'll dive into writing and genealogy and uncover the surprising supernatural elements that surface in family history research . Come along with me on this journey of discovery , history research . Come along with me on this journey

Discovery of Dwight Boyer's Work

Natalie Zett

of discovery . Hello , this is Natalie and welcome to episode 125 of Flower in the River . Thank you so much for the kind comments about last week's episode on Jack Woodford , which wrapped up our 110th anniversary commemoration of the Eastland disaster , but , as always , there are a lot more people to cover , so let's get to this .

Natalie Zett

Today I want to take you with me on a new adventure . This is a fresh research project and , honestly , I'm still a little startled about what I found . Maybe more insight will emerge as I walk through it with you , but what I can say right now is this I've uncovered the work of yet another person whose name and contribution to Eastland disaster history , who , for the most part , hasn't been noted or properly credited . There is one major exception to that , though . In George Hilton's book Eastland Legacy of the Titanic , he does cite this source and does credit this author not extensively , but the information is there . So it is very curious to me as to why that didn't get passed down in other publications about the Eastland disaster . So keep that in mind . But let's move on to the fun stuff . Let me introduce you to Dwight Boyer . His book is another eBay find , by the way , dwight Boyer , his book is another eBay find , by the way , and it points out one of the challenges that people like me , who are independent researchers face . Most of our work is done online , and if a resource isn't digitized , we might not always know about it . So there's another reason for my sharing this information with you . Besides the fact that it is an incredible story , it's also a way to create , or begin to create , a partial digital record for this wonderful book and this incredible writer .

Natalie Zett

Dwight Boyer , born in 1912 , died in 1977 , was a journalistic pioneer in Great Lakes maritime history . As you partake of his storytelling prowess In regard to the Eastland disaster , I'm thinking that you too may be shaking your head wondering why has this guy's writing been mostly ignored ? Born in Ohio , boyer spent much of his career documenting dramatic shipwrecks and sailor stories on the Great Lakes . He worked for the Toledo Blade from about 1944 to 1954 , and then at the Plain Dealer in Cleveland into the early 1970s . He built strong relationships with shipping industry insiders and fellow reporters , which gave him access to a ton of firsthand information . Reviewers noted that Boyer was deeply respected among those in the shipping trade and that he didn't just accept what people told him . And that he didn't just accept what people told him . He weighed information carefully and combined solid journalism with compelling narrative . He was especially good at telling stories about mysterious disappearances of ships , building what one reviewer called conjectural trajectories for vessels lost in Great Lakes . Storms never to return .

Boyer's Life and Journalistic Legacy

Natalie Zett

Boyer's books span disasters from the 1800s through the 1970s , including the 1975 Edmund Fitzgerald tragedy . What made him unique was his balance of technical detail with engrossing storytelling . So let's talk about True Tales of the Great Lakes , published in 1971 . Chapter 2 , titled who Speaks for the Little Feller , is Boyer's account of the Eastland disaster . Please keep in mind that this was written over 20 years before George Hilton's book was written and contains a detailed narrative of what happened on July 24 , 1915 . Boyer used all kinds of primary sources and interviews for his writing , and he approached the story like the seasoned journalist that he was . In fact , the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration , the NOAA , cited Boyer's work in their official guide to Great Lakes materials , specifically noting his inclusion of courtroom records in his Eastland account . Frank Cole , whose father worked for Western Electric , called Boyer's chapter marvelous . Boyer's account , again published in 1971 , is one of the earliest detailed narratives about the Eastland disaster's aftermath .

Natalie Zett

I'm going to share Boyer's obituary with you , and this will give you an even better idea of who he was . This is from the Sunday Plain Dealer , that's from Cleveland , ohio . October 16th 1977 . Chronicler of the Great Lakes dies . Pd reporter Dwight Boyer suffers heart attack at 64 .

Natalie Zett

Dwight Boyer , reporter , photographer and historian of the Great Lakes , died yesterday of the latest of a series of heart attacks . He would have been 65 November 12th . Death came at 2.30 am in Lake County Memorial Hospital West where he had beena patient six days . His son , lawrence H , a mentor policeman , was with him . Quote they called me when his condition worsened , said the son , and he had heart attacks at 10.30 and 11.30 , and then the last one . He couldn't say anything .

Natalie Zett

Mr Boyer wrote and published five books on the Great Lakes and won many awards in the 23 years he worked for the Plain Dealer . But he was a quiet man who seldom talked about himself . Emerson Batdorf , entertainment editor who worked across from him for many years , said it took two years before Mr Boyer engaged in any conversation beyond the amenities . The loudest thing about him until then was his briar pipe , which sounded like a crow call . Was his briar pipe which sounded like a crow call ? He smoked Prince Albert tobacco and saved the tins for years because he thought they would be collector's items . Mr Boyer had been felled last Sunday by a heart attack shortly after going on vacation . He had been in intensive care until Friday when he was permitted visitors and telephone calls .

Natalie Zett

There are many photojournalists but few are equally skilled with the camera and words . Mr Boyer's pictures were not only in focus and frequently beautiful , but his word pictures clouded the reader's heart or funny bones . From historic St Malachi's church one of his stories began recently where the sun cast the shadow of the spire over the old Angle District he loved so well . They buried John Patrick Chambers end quote . Another day he reported how patrolman Joseph Augustine Dura , a traffic cop at East 6th Street and Superior Avenue , kept quote impatient motorists from nipping at the heels of tardy pedestrians . His pictures of St Theodosius Orthodox Church on Starkweather Avenue were so splendid that the United States Information Agency used them in a Russian-language publication .

Natalie Zett

Mr Boyer was born in Illyria and when he was young his family moved to Mentor . He was an outstanding athlete at Mentor High School . Though only 5'8 and 140 pounds , he was a star of the football team and competed in the state Class B track meet in Columbus in the 100-yard dash and relays in 1930 . He began taking pictures in high school and sold some to newspapers on a freelance basis . His first newspaper job was with the Erie Pennsylvania Daily Times in 1943 . With the Erie Pennsylvania Daily Times in 1943 .

Natalie Zett

Mr Boyer was , once his reserve was pierced , a raconteur of professional caliber . His adventures with a sports writer with a cork leg and wrestling fans were incredible . He once had to defend himself from an irate wrestling fan with his speed graphic camera . The encounter hardly fazed the fan but destroyed the camera , much to his managing editor's discomfiture .

Boyer's True Tales of the Great Lakes

Natalie Zett

Quote they wanted me to pay for a new one myself , said Mr Boyer indignantly . He would not identify what paper . So parsimonious . But he also worked at the Toledo Ohio Blade from 1944 to 1954 , and earlier for about three weeks at a paper in South Carolina . Quote I didn't like the South , mr Boyer said . So I went for lunch in 1944 and never came back , not even for my pay . I guess the editor is still waiting for me to come back from lunch , even for my pay . I guess the editor is still waiting for me to come back from lunch .

Natalie Zett

Mr Boyer's wife , virginia , died of cancer in August . Her passing affected him greatly . For the last three months of her life he did most of the housework and worried about her well-being . His passion for accuracy was legendary . He once spent three months trying to find what a lake captain's initials stood for . They were CA Quote . They stood for Chauncey Aloysius , mr Boyer said . No wonder he only used initials .

Natalie Zett

His first book on the Great Lakes , great Stories of the Great Lakes , was published in 1966 . The last Ships and Men of the Great Lakes was published this year . In between were ghost ships of the Great Lakes , true tales of the Great Lakes and strange adventures of the Great Lakes . He was at work on another one when he died . Part of the Fairport Harbor Museum is named the Dwight Boyer Wing and contains the pilot house of the Great Lakes vessel Frontenac . Mr Boyer acquired the pilot house for the museum from the Cleveland Cliffs Iron Company and the G&W Welding Company in 1968 .

Natalie Zett

He was a member of the Audubon Society , the Fairport Harbor Historical Society , no-transcript and Martha Kinney Cooper Ohioana Library Association . He was also a member of the Cleveland News Photographers Association and Newspaper Guild . His pictures and his stories won many awards . A photograph of a county fair used as a cover on the Sunday magazine of the Plain Dealer won him a national award from the Sunday Editors Association . The judges said the photograph had a Norman Rockwell quality , his story of grave robbing , which ran in the magazine in September 1973 and won a 1974 Guild Award for Best Feature Story . Survivors also include grandsons Dwight II and William , and granddaughter Virginia . Services will be held at 1 pm tomorrow at the Brunner Funeral Home , 8466 Mentor Avenue , mentor and all these locations are in the Cleveland area .

Natalie Zett

But I want to repeat something before I read the excerpt from Dwight Boyer's book . Quote his passion for accuracy was legendary , end quote . So keep that in mind as you listen to this section from Dwight Boyer's book . And before I read , I want to mention that , since this was written in an earlier time , they used an ethnic slur for Italians in this article . I left it in because this is how this crowd of people dismissed one Italian man's warning about what was about to happen with the Eastland . And of course this man was right . I'm going to be reading from Dwight Boyer's book True Tales of the Great Lakes , copyright 1971

Reading Boyer's Eastland Disaster Account

Natalie Zett

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Natalie Zett

Chapter 2 . Who Speaks for the Little Feller ? On what everybody had hoped would be a delightfully sunny day , the morning of Saturday July 24 , 1915 , began with light , steady rain and a somber sky in the Chicago area . Over to the west , however , the overcast was slowly lightening , giving promise of better things to come . At six o'clock , throughout the city and its sprawling suburbs of Cicero and Hawthorne , several thousand households were already astir for a very special reason For the 9,000 employees of the Western Electric Company , it was the big day of the year , the date of the long-awaited , grand and glorious Hawthorne Club picnic and excursion boat jaunt to Michigan City , indiana , a full day of fun and games at the largest resort in the Midwest .

Natalie Zett

It was the fifth such annual frolic sponsored by the seven-year-old Club , each bigger and livelier than the last . The Hawthorne Club was originally formed as an educational organization for the employees , the members , arranging dinners , organizing theatricals , sponsoring baseball teams and initiating night classes for its many Polish and Bohemian workers experiencing language barriers . It was , by company standards , an almost instant success , and its mushrooming influence soon became a significant , if somewhat insidious , factor in the daily lives of those employed at the big plant . The club's own little newspaper , the Jubilator , in a pink sporting extra , had trumpeted the cause of the picnic most insistently . Quote Are you all set and ready for the big event ? A long time ago , jonah took a trip on a whale . There is no Jonah about this , but it will be a whale of a success . Get your tickets early . Adults 75 cents . Children under five free . Children between five and 12 , half fare . And in another Jubilator Extra quote . For instance , have you fixed it up with the wife ? Have you arranged for plenty of sandwiches and cake and bananas and other fixings for the kids ? Have you what ? You're single ? Well then , have you asked the young lady to save the date for you ? Have you determined to help your department win that parade prize ? Have you fixed the alarm clock to wake you in time for the first boat so you won't miss anything ? Have you bought your ticket Seventy-five cents at the works , seventy 75 cents .

Natalie Zett

Energetic subcommittees had made pretentious plans for the day Baseball games , tug-of-war games , sack races , balloon-blowing contests , foot races , pie-eating events , canoe races and free lemonade eating events , canoe races and free lemonade . The paramount event was to be the big parade , complete with the band , departmental floats and , last of all , a pageant depicting the great telephone achievement of the decade the linking of New York and San Francisco by long-distance wires . It was a matter of special pride for Chicagoans , for it was at the Western Electric plant that the equipment had been manufactured . Advanced billing had indicated a crowd so large that the Michigan City officials had granted permission for the parade to extend beyond the confines of the park down Franklin Street . Yes , largely because of the aggressiveness of the plant ticket sellers . Some employees called it coercion . The 1915 gala picnic gave every promise of topping them all . The ticket-selling campaign had been so successful , with 7,300 tickets bought and paid for that .

Natalie Zett

On the night before the excursion of the Hawthorne Club's top officials , president Holmes , vice President J F Sheridan and Secretary J P Krivanek looked doubtfully at each other , each with the same unanswered question have we got enough boats ? Weeks earlier , charles J Malmros , chairman of the club's picnic committee , had entered into a contract with WK Greenbaum , general manager of the Michigan City-based Indiana Transportation Company , for five lake passenger steamers to accommodate the expected crowd . Greenbaum's company , affiliated with the resort , owned no vessels , merely chartered them for such happy occasions . The Jubilator had already announced the sailing times of the steamers , all of which were to be moored along the Chicago River in the area of the Clark Street Bridge the Clark Street Bridge , eastland , 7.30 am . Theodore Roosevelt , 8 o'clock am . Petoskey , 8.30 am . Racine , 10 o'clock am and the Rochester at 2.30 pm . And don't urged the blatant jubilator wait for the last boat . The warning was needless . The tempo of the pre-picnic excitement had inspired an epidemic of early preparations . Most workers apparently wanted to get to the scene of the festivities as early as possible . The enthusiasm generated by the outpouring of Western electric people was almost as if , subconsciously , they knew some time might elapse before such an event could again be held .

Natalie Zett

The flames of war had already engulfed much of Europe and incidents at sea threatened to involve the United States . On May 7 , the Lusitania had been torpedoed , with the loss of 1,198 lives , 124 of them Americans . Eighteen days later , the US ship Nebraska was attacked , but the Germans had quickly expressed a willingness to make reparations . On July 16 , uncle Sam began to flex his muscles , demonstrating the mobility of the nation's sea forces by sending battleships through the Panama Canal for the first time . On July 21 , president Wilson dispatched his third Lusitania note to Germany , warning that further violations of US rights would be regarded as deliberately unfriendly . But the horrors of war were still a long way from Chicago , in the very heartland of the country . Today was still just another rainy Saturday morning , the beginning of the gala day of the year , if you believed the Jubilator . Although she was afraid of water and boats , 18-year-old Agnes Kaspersky wanted to attend the outing . She and her close friend Stella Machosky , both employed in the same department of the plant , had talked of it for weeks , planning to enter the single ladies' race .

Speaker 2

Sharing the burden of their picnic basket . They left the Kaspersky home in time to catch the first boat .

Natalie Zett

Not far away , barbara Lukens was studying a mirror , giving the final approval to the new dress she had made for the occasion . The task had taken the better part of a month , but both Barbara and her husband William agreed that it was time well spent . A relative was to stay with the four children while the pair joined the celebrants at Michigan City . They left the house shortly before 6.30 that morning . Little Martha Benke , daughter of the Julius Benkes and three years old , was too young to grasp the full significance of the new day , but the hectic preparations and holiday atmosphere told her there was something very special about getting up so early . She was cradled in her father's arms , her mother carrying the picnic hamper , when they boarded the streetcar for downtown . When they boarded the streetcar for downtown , willie Novotny was seven years old and had a new suit for the occasion , a brown checked affair with two pairs of matching knickers . Somehow it made him feel just as old as his sister Mamie eight . Their parents , james and Agnes Novotny , had been telling both of the wonders to be seen and experienced on the boat and at the resort . The youngsters were big-eyed with excitement as the family walked to the streetcar stop . Streetcar stop For Mike Chivanko .

Natalie Zett

The day had begun much earlier and for him it was just another working day . He had hitched his horse to his wagon at 3 am and shortly thereafter departed for the market district . On the fringe of the downtown area , mike peddled vegetables for a living , selling them on a neighborhood route that had produced many warm friends and satisfied customers . He purchased his vegetables wholesale at the markets , retailing them house to house after a modest markup to ensure a fair return for his time and labors . As the horse clip-clopped over the Clark Street Bridge , the empty wagon making quite a clatter , he noticed the sheer white bulk of the Eastland , only an hour home from a moonlight excursion . Moored near the bridge , wisps of steam rose from her deck machinery . Empty beer bottles were being rolled out a gangway and a noisy group with a dray was unloading ice for her cold chests . Mike , with little time for the frivolity the preparations suggested , was unimpressed . Both Captain Harry Pedersen and Chief Engineer Joseph M Erickson had retired in anticipation of an arduous day .

Natalie Zett

The Eastland was scheduled to leave at 7.30 am , disembark the factory excursionists at Michigan City and hurry up onto St Joseph , michigan for a regularly scheduled stop . She would then return to Michigan City to bring home the tired Western Electric people and whatever passengers had been taken on . At St Joseph , the vanguard of what was to be the Eastland's human cargo began arriving long before the ship was ready to receive them . Supplies were being loaded through a starboard gangway and crew members were sweeping up debris left from the Moonlight Ride and hosing down the decks . Cartons of bagged peanuts were carried aboard and popcorn machines on deck were ready for a brisk trade . The early arrivals , their numbers swelling by the moment , were patient . The light , rain continued and the sky was still overcast . Still they came , legions of them , trooping down from the streetcar stops and most of them freighted down with obviously well-stocked baskets , boxes and hampers . The mood was festive and good fellowship reigned .

Natalie Zett

Upon returning from the Moonlight Excursion , captain Petterson had backed his twin-screw ship alongside the dock just west of the Clark Street Bridge . Ballast was then pumped out to bring the starboard gangway up to the level of the dock where the morning excursionists would board . When the service and supply people had furnished their tasks , all but one gangway was closed , that through which the Western electric workers would make their way aboard . But already some far back in the crowd had concluded that the Eastland would be too crowded for comfort and began to head for the Theodore Roosevelt . Moored on the east side of the bridge , scheduled to depart one half hour later than the Eastland , she had already taken aboard several hundred people . Nearby was the Petoskey , not due to sail until 8.30 am but already accepting passengers At 6.30 am . The Deputy Collector of Customs , Robert H McCreary , in charge of the loading , stationed two of his men , lumen A Lobdell and Hurtis G Oakley , at the single boarding gangway signal for operations to begin . Lobdell and Oakley checked their little hand counters as the passengers streamed by , hurrying to get the choice seats near the rails .

Natalie Zett

The Eastland was licensed to carry 2,500 people , excluding her crew . The previous year , 1914 , and up until less than a month before the present charter , the number had been limited to 2,183 , but the federal steamboat inspector at Grand Haven , michigan , robert Reed , had recently seen fit , after pleadings by the steamer's owners , to raise the figure . Mr McCreary's men , however , had an unusual method of calculating the numbers of people hurrying aboard , one which strangely coincided with the ticket price arrangement between the Indiana Transportation Company and Mr Malmros of the Hawthorne Club's Picnic Committee . Children under five , admitted free and usually carried aboard by their parents , were not counted at all . Half-fair . Children between five and twelve went up the gangway in pairs , but each pair was counted as one adult . Others not subject to count were concessionaries , their assistants and members of an orchestra .

Natalie Zett

At about 6.53 am , enough people had found their places on the port side , the side offering the choice view of the river and its changing scenes , the side offering the choice view of the river and its changing scenes to cause the ship to list slightly in that direction . Chief Engineer Erickson , noting the list on his plumb bob type inclinometer , immediately opened the valve on the no 2 ballast tank on the starboard side and also cranked open the starboard seacock for about five minutes . He was assisted by the ship's gauge tender , john Elbert , a Titanic survivor . The seacock's one port , one starboard , admitted free water into the hold for quick ballast low in the hull , where it was most needed . The list was soon corrected , or actually overcorrected , for the ship then listed slightly to starboard . At 7.05 am , captain Pedersen , having earlier ordered the engine room to quote-unquote stand by on the telegraph , to quote-unquote stand by on the telegraph , phoned engineer Erickson to quote-unquote limber up the engines . Erickson started the propeller shafts turning slowly , the starboard screw working astern , the port screw ahead . Meanwhile the listing condition had been erratic , changing several times from side to side . But at 7.16 am , with a slight list to port developing and persisting , the valve on the no 3 starboard ballast tank was opened .

Natalie Zett

On the upper deck a little mandolin and fiddle orchestra was playing a selection of popular ragtime numbers . Over on the Theodore Roosevelt , a brass band was giving an enthusiastic rendition of I'm On my Way to Dear Old Dublin Bay Along the upper port rail of the Eastland . Barbara Lukens , clutching her new dress to prevent it from snagging on rough places on the bench , thought the tilting of the deck was great fun . Agnes Kaspersky and her chum Stella Machosky had also found places along the upper port rail , fortunately near a refreshment stand where lemonade and soft drinks were being already handed out by a harried attendant . The Benkees were not among the earliest arrivals and had to be content with places along the starboard rail . Little Martha , perched on her father's shoulder , was entranced by the dockside commotion . Also among the last to board were the Novotnys , and the congestion was so great that they had to be content with a spot away from the rail and on the lower deck , although the Eastland normally operated as economically as possible , dispensing with assistance when it could be avoided .

Natalie Zett

Captain Petterson had ordered a tug to help him away from the dock and tow the ship beyond the State Street Bridge , which was on a sharp turn in the river . The tug Kenosha of the Great Lakes Towing Company responded and was ready for her work . The tow line attached but still not taut . At 7.18 , the ship had straightened up somewhat , actually heeling slightly to starboard , but shortly regained her slight list to port where she stayed steady for almost two minutes . The engines were stopped but ballast was still being pumped into the two starboard tanks . At 7.23 , the Eastland listed sharply to port again .

Natalie Zett

Engineer Erickson sent men up to the main deck to ask passengers to move to the starboard side . A few complied . Joseph R Lind , assistant harbormaster , had joined harbormaster Adam F Weckler . As the Eastland was about to cast off her lines , he called his superior's attention to the growing list to port . Yes , agreed , weckler , it's a shame to send off a boat with that big a load Along the curb line of the Clark Street Bridge .

Natalie Zett

Mike Javenko , his wagon piled high with crated vegetables , was returning from market . Not familiar with any aspects of ships or their handling , he was instinctively alarmed at the sight of the Eastland leaning far over toward the river channel . Standing up , he yelled to the crowd of young men on the bow get off , the boat's turning over . He was answered with a chorus of jeers and shout by one loudmouth lout Go on , dago , you're crazy . Captain Pedersen had already stationed the second mate at the stern lines , ready to cast them off on signal . The tug crew under Captain John O'Meara was impatiently awaiting the signal from the Eastland's whistle . On the dock , harbormaster Weckler kept shouting Are you ready , captain ? Captain Pedersen had indeed been ready , but the unexpected list had given him pause . It had given many of the crew more than paused for before the passengers became aware of impending danger or could do anything about it , many of the Eastland's crew clambered over the rail and jumped for the dock . Then , suddenly , as though the spectacle of his men abandoning ship had released a mental block , the captain shouted from the starboard bridge wing , opened the inside doors and let the people off . But it was too late At 7.23 , with the words of warning barely out of her master's mouth , the Eastland increased her list to port 25 , 30 , 35 degrees , and still going over 35 degrees , and still going over .

Natalie Zett

By this time tons of water were pouring in open ports and the three big open gangway doors on the riverside—passengers furniture , picnic campers , benches , refreshment stands , popcorn machines , barrels of lemonade and boxes of candy slid into the piles on the port side amid a dreadful , overpowering volume of yelling and screaming . Over she went until she was flat on her port side on the river bottom . Only about eight feet of her starboard side remained above water , giving her the appearance of a great stranded whale . Over on the Theatre Roosevelt , where the crowd had gathered five feet deep at the rails to watch the Eastland depart , the officers were faced with incipient panic . Women , fainted by the dozen others , were shrieking hysterically . Men foolishly went about throwing overboard anything that would float , although this could only be a symbolic gesture of help to the hundreds of bobbing heads around the capsized ship . The Roosevelt's officers sternly quieted the men and ordered everybody to the lower deck , where most of the sights were obliterated , but not the horrifying sounds . Many bolted out the gangway and rushed across the bridge to assist in rescue work . A few hundred people , most of them from the upper deck , had managed to clamber over the starboard rail to find safety on the slippery plates of the exposed side .

Natalie Zett

But the waters around the ship were teeming with men , women and children fighting frantically for their lives , teeming with men , women and children fighting frantically for their lives , shouting , thrashing and clutching at anything afloat , even their fellow victims . So fierce was the struggle for survival that some of those pulled to safety had their clothes stripped off by the clawing of others seeking to stay afloat . Another precious moment . Above all the cataclysmic scene , there was a great and dreadful wailing sound , as the cries and pleas of the drowning blended in a terrible symphony with the moans and apprehensive shrieks of those who stood helplessly on the deck or watched in disbelief and torment from the other excursion vessels . Already , the mortal remains of those who had quickly lost their fight for survival were beginning to drift slowly down the river in a modest current . What little help could be forthcoming ? Quickly was a spontaneous reaction . The lineman on the tug Kenosha had severed the tow line with a single stroke of an axe when the Eastland started over . Now , its captain , realizing that the tug's powerful propeller would do more harm than good in the maelstrom of the thrashing humanity , quickly backed his vessel against the now horizontal bow of the stricken steamer , letting his bow swing over to the dock , thus forming an impromptu bridge over which many of those passengers who had gained the upper side of the Eastland got ashore without even getting their feet wet . Ironically , the single lifeboat that drifted away from the wreck was picked up with one passenger , a red-haired boy of six , whom someone had apparently rescued and hoisted over the side .

Natalie Zett

We'll continue next week with this . While this is not a primary source , this is an incredible secondary source , don't you agree ?

Reflections on Historical Credit and Integrity

Natalie Zett

Source , don't you agree ? And this particular chapter is very seldom cited as a source for Eastland disaster history , except by George Hilton . Of course . I would expect no less from him , because he is a scholar and very conscientious and ethical . And there's one other article that cited this chapter in this book as a source for one of their articles and I will share that with you next week because it's quite a story and it's never been shared as far as I can tell . Here's the thing Just because a source isn't cited , that doesn't mean it hasn't been used .

Natalie Zett

For example , in another couple of publications I have seen things that appear just appear to be paraphrasings of this book and I want to bring that to your attention because credit does matter , integrity matters , particularly with something like the Eastland disaster , where source citation has been hit or miss in the past and also this . He's no longer alive , but for all of his hard work Dwight Boyer deserves to be recognized . That's it for this week . We'll continue with Dwight's chapter and another article that talks about Dwight's chapter . Take care of yourselves and take care of each other .

Natalie Zett

I'll talk to you next week . Hey , that's it for this episode and thanks for coming along for the ride . Please subscribe or follow so you can keep up with all the episodes , and for more information , please go to my website , that's wwwflowerintherivercom . I hope you'll consider buying my book , available as audiobook , ebook , paperback and hardcover , because I still owe people money and that's my running joke . But the one thing I'm serious about is that this podcast and my book are dedicated to the memory of all who experienced the Eastland disaster of 1915 . Goodbye for now .

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Natalie Zett

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