On 24 Jul 1915 the steamer Eastland rolled over while docked in the Chicago River. 844 passengers and crew died making it the worst loss of life in the Great Lakes.

The SS Eastland was a passenger ship constructed by Jenks Ship Building Company for the Michigan Transportation Company that was launched in 1903.  It would go through different owners throughout the years and the owner in August 1915 was St. Joseph-Chicago Steamship Company of St. Joseph, Michigan. It was noticed early on the ship had stability issues when loading cargo and passengers. On 17 July 1904 it nearly capsized after leaving South Haven passenger capacity was reduced and some cabins removed along with repairs to the hull and adding lifeboats. On 5 August 1906, another listing occurred resulting in serious complaints filed against the owner. In 1909 the remaining cabins were removed and before 1912, the top sections of the smokestack were removed. The ship listed again on 1 July 1912 while loading passengers in Cleveland.

In response to the Titanic tragedy, the Seamen’s Act was passed by Congress in 1915 requiring that passenger vessels refit to have a full set of lifeboats. During debate over the bill, concerns were raised that this could cause problems as the additional weight would make some ships top-heavy. However, the law was passed, and the Eastland owners had to choose between a lower passenger capacity or add lifeboats. With the added lifeboats, the Eastland could carry up to 2,570 passengers. In 1914 the old hardwood flooring of the forward dining room was removed and replaced with concrete. A layer of concrete near the aft gangway was added adding an additional 15-20 tons of weight.

Western Electric chartered the Eastland and two other steamers to take employees to a picnic in Michigan City on 24 Jul 1915. For employees, especially those who did not take off holidays, this was a major event. Boarding began at 6:30 am and by 7:10 am the Eastland was at capacity. Passengers filled every possible place on the upper decks. The Eastland began listing to port and the crew tried to stabilize using the ballast tanks; it failed. On the upper decks, many passengers went over to the port side making the situation worse. Then at 7:28 am, the ship lurched sharply to port and rolled over. Those below decks were trapped by the sudden rollover. Making it worse all the heavy furniture–pianos, bookcases, tables–fell on passengers often crushing them to death.

The nearby Kenosha rendered assistance quickly by pulling alongside the hull and picking up passengers stranded on the hull. Two notable heroes were Peter Boyle, a deckhand from a nearby ship, who drowned saving passengers, and Helen Rapa. Rapa was a nurse for the company and commanded the rescue operation. Most of the passengers who died were immigrants from Austria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Italy and Sweden. The recovered bodies were taken to makeshift morgues for identification. The Western Electric Company gave $100,000 for relief and recovery for those who lost family members on Eastland.

The disaster was extensively covered in the local media. Some journalists who were there when it turned over wrote of it. It was a shocking event that so many died right there while docked. Images of people trapped and crushed to death horrified many. Those who escaped by getting out of portholes counted their blessings. Demands that the ship captain and owners be held accountable were loud and fierce and a grand jury was empaneled. It indicted the company president and three officers of the company for manslaughter. The Eastland’s captain, Harry Pederson, and the engineer were charged with criminal carelessness.

In hearings to extradite witnesses to testify, it was uncovered that the company that built the Eastland built the ship to transport fruit quickly (up to 20 knots) and carry 500 passengers. There were no stability problems, and it was clear they had no idea it would be used to carry 2,500 passengers. However, the court decided the four company officers, since they were not aboard the ship, had nothing to do with the disaster. And neither were the captain or engineer since the work they did was the ordinary course of business. The court reasoned they had no reason to believe the ship was not seaworthy. In the end no one faced any criminal prosecutions nor was the company that owned the ship fined.

Civil litigation where families sued the owners for wrongful death claims dragged on for years. However, due to limited liability maritime laws, the value of the Eastland was set at $46,000. The salvage company filed a claim for its services as did the coal supplier. In the end families received little or nothing for their claims. Experts who have studied the ship, its specifications, and other things have generally concluded the ship, refitted from its original design to accommodate more passengers, was top heavy. And that the additional weight required under the Seamen’s Act, ironically to make ships safer for passengers, were also to blame.

As for the Eastland, she was put up for auction and purchased by the Illinois Naval Reserve and renamed the USS Wilmette. The ship was refitted as a gunboat and was used primarily for training. It never saw combat in World War I but did sink a captured German U-boat after the war. The last twenty-five years saw her used as a training vessel for naval reservists. Its most illustrious moment came in August 1943. The Wilmette transported President Roosevelt, Secretary of Commerce Harry Hopkins, Chief of Staff Admiral William Leahy, and John F. Byrnes, Director of the Office of War Mobilization on a 10-day fishing vacation in McGregor and Whitefish Bay. It was a high-level conference to discuss important issues about World War II.

After the war, she was decommissioned and delisted from the Navy list. She was sold in 1946 and scrapped in 1947. A memorial marker was put up on 4 June 1989 near where it occurred. It was stolen at one point and has since been replaced. On 12 July 2015, a memorial in the shape of a ship wheel was dedicated at the Bohemian National Cemetery in Chicago. Many have commented that despite the large loss of life, the disaster is little remembered. Between the sinking of the Titanic in 1912 and the sinking of the Lusitania in May 1915, it seems to have fallen into those areas of historical forgetfulness.

Sources

“Eastland Disaster.” Encyclopedia Britannica. Last modified July 17, 2026. Accessed August 5, 2026. https://www.britannica.com/event/Eastland-disaster.

Klein, Christopher. “SS Eastland Capsizing: Chicago’s Deadliest Day | HISTORY.” HISTORY. Last modified May 27, 2025. Accessed August 5, 2026. https://www.history.com/articles/chicagos-deadliest-day-100-years-ago.

Stranahan, Susan Q. “The Eastland Disaster Killed More Passengers Than the Titanic and the Lusitania. Why Has It Been Forgotten?” Smithsonian, October 27, 2014. Accessed August 5, 2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/eastland-disaster-killed-more-passengers-titanic-and-lusitania-why-has-it-been-forgotten-180953146/.

“Eastland Disaster – Preserving the Memories and Stories of the Eastland Disaster.” Accessed August 5, 2026. https://eastlanddisaster.org/.

Videos

Fascinating Horror. “The Eastland Disaster | a Short Documentary | Fascinating Horror.” Video. YouTube, September 21, 2021. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4vcKX0l2VA.

Oceanliner Designs. “The HORRENDOUS Disaster of SS Eastland.” Video. YouTube, May 25, 2025. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iw0agyJb9yk.