Chicago Marks 100th Anniversary of Eastland Disaster

CHICAGO (AP) – Chicago is marking the 100th anniversary of the Eastland Disaster, when a ship carrying more than 2,500 passengers and crew members capsized in the Chicago River.
The SS Eastland turned on its side in the river on July 24, 1915, killing 844 people.

It was one of five boats chartered to take Western Electric workers and their families across Lake Michigan to a park in Michigan City, Indiana.

The ship was top-heavy with several lifeboats and rafts, and a crowd watching other boats made it more unbalanced. It rolled over, trapping passengers in the lower decks, where they drowned.

The Eastland Disaster Historical Society plans a public ceremony Friday on the Chicago Riverwalk. Saturday activities include a cruise and sunset ceremony lighting 844 candles on the river.

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