On July 24, 1915, the SS Eastland , filled to capacity with 2,500 passengers and crew, capsized in the Chicago River while still moored to the pier.
Trapped belowdecks, crushed by the crowds attempting to escape the rising waters, or hurled into the river from the upper deck of the ship, roughly one-third of the passengers, mostly women and children, perished th.
Happy picnic-goers headed for an employee outing across Lake Michigan suddenly found themselves in a struggle for their lives.
On July 24, 1915, the SS Eastland , filled to capacity with 2,500 passengers and crew, capsized in the Chicago River while still moored to the pier