25-Jul-16 – The stories of survivors of the 1915 Eastland Disaster are no less harrowing when told by their grandchildren.

At this year’s memorial along the Chicago River, Scott Long told of the loss of his great-aunt, Mabel Deichman. When the steam-powered passenger ship rolled over on July 24, 1915, Long’s grandfather, John J. Petersen, got his wife and four-year-old son to safety but his wife’s 21-year-old sister was missing. Petersen tried three times to find her and although he could not save Mabel, while looking for her, he rescued three other people.

844 people died in the Eastland Disaster, including 22 entire families. They were on their way to a picnic in Michigan City, Indiana, for Western Electric employees.

A memorial has been held every year on the anniversary since 2000, organized by Eastland Disaster Historical Society, to honor victims, survivors, first responders, and other heroes of Chicago’s greatest loss-of-life tragedy.

“There are lessons here for not only us and our families but for the city of Chicago and for America,” said Long, “and the lesson is, how we react to a given event, how we respond to news, and the actions we take.”

The Titanic may not have had enough lifeboats but the Eastland arguably capsized because it had too many. Long says after the Titanic sank in 1912, a new federal law required lifeboats to be added to the Eastland, making it unstable.

(Right) Scott Long speaks at Sunday’s memorial for the Eastland Disaster. At left is Ted Wachholz, executive director of Eastland Disaster Historical Society. (Click on image to view larger version.)

In addition to the public ceremony, this year’s events included a cruise on Lake Michigan and a luncheon. At a presentation on the Eastland Disaster at Mesirow Financial on Monday, three recently discovered film clips were shown, along with photographs, first-hand narratives delivered by descendants, and animation that shows how the Eastland rolled over.