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Chicago Tribune
5 days ago
- Climate
- Chicago Tribune
Michael Peregrine: The SS Eastland tragedy shocked Chicagoans 110 years ago. Its relevance endures.
It began like so many other summer Saturdays in Chicago. Workers from around the city began gathering for their employer's traditional annual family picnic. On this July 24, 1915, the employer, Western Electric, and the picnic location, the Indiana Dunes, were grand. Over 5,000 people were expected to participate. But before the morning ended, over 840 people would perish in what remains the greatest tragedy, in terms of death, in Chicago history. More than the Great Chicago Fire, more than the 1995 heat wave, more than the Our Lady of Angels School fire and more than the crash of American Airlines Flight 191. And it had collateral implications for three Chicago historical figures. To get its employees to and from the Dunes, Western Electric hired a small fleet of excursion boats, including the SS Eastland. Somewhat unpublicized was the Eastland's troubled history with instability, dating to its initial launching and to several subsequent listing incidents. Additional federal-mandated lifeboats, prompted by the Titanic disaster, created additional stability issues. On July 24, the Eastland began loading passengers about 6:30 a.m. from the south side of the Chicago River between Clark and LaSalle streets. Among those scheduled to board was a young George Halas, who was working a summer job at Western Electric. The weather was clear and the river calm. A timeline prepared by the Eastland Disaster Historical Society describes the unbelievable terror of the subsequent, tragic minutes. As quickly as 10 minutes after boarding started, the ship listed starboard to the dock. The ship then listed to port (north) before slowly righting after the crew took countermeasures. At 7 a.m., the list to port returned as 1,000 passengers boarded. Boarding closed at 7:10 a.m. when the ship reached a maximum capacity of about 2,500 passengers. Over the next 15 minutes, the ship vacillated between stability and a list to port, with water accumulating on the port deck. By 7:27 a.m., the list increased to 25 to 30 degrees, and the engine room crew abandoned its station. Minutes later, the list reached an unrecoverable 45 degrees; the ship slowly and silently sank, its starboard side resting on the river bottom. Rescue efforts began immediately but were frustrated by rapid internal flooding and a lack of emergency access. The dead and suffering were transported to a triage station in the Reid, Murdoch & Co. warehouse. The victims included 22 families. Many of the victims were recent immigrants from Eastern Europe, a circumstance that moved Carl Sandburg to pen the angry poem 'The Eastland.' Halas arrived too late for the boarding process — but not too late to witness the disaster. His friend, future Bears general manager Ralph Brizzolara, escaped by being pulled through a porthole. Ultimately six men, including senior executives of Eastland's owner, as well as its captain and chief engineer, were indicted by a federal grand jury for various crimes. Famed Chicago lawyer Clarence Darrow represented the chief engineer. All of the defendants were found not guilty, basically for want of evidence that they had failed to take proper precautions to prevent the tragedy. A parallel civil case took almost 18 years to resolve, and while it found the chief engineer to have been negligent, the damages were limited to the scrap value of the ship and were paid over to the creditors, with none to the victims' families. The Eastland was later raised, repaired, sold to the Illinois Naval Reserve and converted to a gunboat, which served as a training vessel on the Great Lakes during the two World Wars, as the USS Wilmette. One of the Wilmette's most notable assignments was to carry President Franklin D. Roosevelt and key aides Adm. William Leahy, James Byrnes and Harry Hopkins on a 1943 cruise. Most of us have seen the grainy black-and-white photos and films of the partially capsized Eastland, its grimy hull protruding above the river waters. And most of us have passed it off as the product of another time, another setting, another milieu. That it was all so primitive and it couldn't happen again. Indeed, one would hope and expect that human nature, technology and regulation have all advanced over the last 110 years to prevent future Eastland-like tragedies. That investment in public safety has been exponentially increased and maintained. That responsible officials — government and corporate — as well as consumers and other stakeholders are now so attentive to warning signs that they are willing to intervene, especially when those signs have accrued over time. Have the right lessons truly been learned? Probably. But just in case, pause a bit the next time you're on Wacker Drive, between Clark and LaSalle. When you're looking across the river at the beautifully restored Reid, Murdoch & Co. building. And when you are looking straight down where the Riverwalk meets the waters, where the Eastland once lay. And then think about your answer to that question and where it might take you. Michael Peregrine is a Chicago lawyer and a graduate of Oak Park High.
Daily Mirror
26-06-2025
- General
- Daily Mirror
Investigators reach crucial stage in probe of one of worst aviation disasters
A member of Michigan Shipwreck Association said she "feels like we have failed" following the key juncture in the probe into the Northwest Orient Flight 2501 crash in the US Investigators have decided to end a desperate 20-year search for a plane which crashed into a lake - killing all the 58 people on board. The Northwest Orient Flight 2501 tragedy actually happened in 1950 but, since 2004, a dedicated team at non-profit organisation Michigan Shipwreck Association has engaged in a huge mission to find the bodies and remains of the plane. The crash was, at the time, the worst aviation disaster in US history and saw flight controllers lose radio contact with the aircraft, which reportedly experienced engine problems and careered into Lake Michigan. Only body fragments of the 58 victims have been discovered and the wreckage has never been recovered. Michigan Shipwreck Association used sonar technology and even got support from an acclaimed adventure writer amid the 21-year mission to find the remains. It was to no avail but the decision to halt the search has left the organisation with mixed feelings. Valerie van Heest, executive director, said: "It's a hard thing to have to say because part of me feels like we have failed, but we have done so much to keep memory of this accident and these victims at forefront that I feel like we've done better for them than if we'd found the wreckage." READ MORE: Expert details Air India plane's 'problem' she believes led to horror crash Scientists believe the plane, which was a propeller-driven DC-4, now in very limited use, broke up into pieces too small to be detected by side-scan sonar and likely "sunk into the muck" on the bottom. They reached this conclusion having scoured the 700 square miles (1,813 square kilometers) of Lake Michigan, one of the largest lakes in the world. The plane left LaGuardia Airport in New York City at night on June 23, 1950, with two stops planned on the route to Seattle. An intense storm suddenly appeared and the plane went down. Debris and body parts washed ashore in South Haven, Michigan. Ms van Heest continued: "We know this plane hit the water with great force, and we know there was no way to survive this." The expert has now written a book Fatal Crossing, which is about the mystery. Clive Cussler, an author whose adventure fiction has sold in the millions, financially supported a search until 2017. Also known for his own shipwreck hunting and underwater exploits, Mr Cussler died in 2020. Writing in 2018, the author said: "I hope someday the families of those lost will have closure." Mystery, though, remains for any living families of the 55 passengers and three crew members, who were travelling on the plane 75 years ago. Further atrocities have become the US' worst aviation disasters in the decades since, not least the American Airlines Flight 191 disaster on May 25, 1979. Some 273 people died when the McDonnell Douglas DC-10's engine detached from the wing, causing a loss of control as it took off at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, Illinois.
Newsweek
23-06-2025
- Newsweek
Woman Recalls Avoiding Fatal 1985 Plane Crash After Last-Minute Change
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. A woman from South Florida has gone viral on TikTok after recounting how her family narrowly avoided boarding a doomed Delta Air Lines flight in 1985—a twist of fate that may have saved their lives. In a video posted on June 13 from her account @ 56-year-old Karine Shashoua recalled being booked on Delta Air Lines Flight 191, which crashed during a thunderstorm at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport on August 2, 1985, killing 137 people. Shashoua's clip has since racked up over 360,000 views. "I was supposed to be on a plane that crashed back in 1985," Shashoua said in the video. "Here's the story about it … I'm reminded of it every time there's a tragedy like Air India yesterday …" Shashoua was referencing the crash of an Air India flight earlier this month that killed all but one of the 242 people on board. A 40-year-old British national was the sole survivor, escaping through an emergency exit. Shashoua, who was 15 at the time, was due to go on a family trip to Los Angeles with her father and brother for her dad's high school reunion. They were initially booked on Flight 191 departing Fort Lauderdale on August 2, but changed plans two weeks before. "We were originally booked on Delta Flight 191 … a couple of weeks before the trip, my dad decided we should extend our stay and fly out early to explore California," Shashoua told Newsweek. "Our travel agent changed the tickets, and we left on July 31." At first, the change seemed too costly. "My father was told it would cost $1,000 to change the tickets, so he declined to make the change," Shashoua said in her video. "However, the travel agent called him back the next day and said, 'I made a mistake. It's only gonna cost $300 to change those three tickets.'" So, her family left for Los Angeles on that Wednesday (July 31) instead of Friday (August 2). It was only after they had arrived in L.A. that the family learned of the disaster they had sidestepped. "By the time the crash happened, we were already in L.A. My father heard about it on the radio and was visibly shaken—I remember him pulling over to collect himself," she said. "At the time, it felt like I'd just narrowly avoided disaster, but I didn't grasp how deeply it would stick with us." The crash, one of the deadliest in U.S. aviation history, was caused by a microburst—a powerful downdraft from a thunderstorm. The National Weather Service says that the crash led to significant changes in aviation weather safety. "The Delta Air Lines Flight 191 accident marked the 3rd event between 1975 and 1985 in which more than 100 fatalities occurred due to a microburst in the United States," the NWS states. These tragedies "helped to drive the need to reform aviation weather safety" through better hazard detection and pilot training, the national weather body adds. Remarkably, this wasn't the only brush with death for her dad. "Would you believe that my father missed a flight that crashed in the early 1960s when he was in college, so it's happened to him twice," Shashoua said. Despite surviving the incident unscathed, the near-miss had lasting psychological effects. "Over time, my fear of flying grew," Shashoua said. "I was raised by my amazing, albeit superstitious, family including my grandmother, and the combination of early trauma, magical thinking, and a desire to control the uncontrollable made it worse." That fear became so overwhelming that she began canceling flights and required medication just to board a plane. "At one point, I couldn't get on the plane at all." Research shows that Shashoua is far from alone. A 2021 study in Frontiers in Psychology estimated that between 10 and 40 percent of people in industrialized nations have some fear of flying. An earlier 2019 study in Aerospace Medicine and Human Performance found turbulence, unfamiliar aircraft noises, and the threat of terror attacks were among the top anxiety triggers. Shashoua eventually sought help through therapy, including EMDR (eye movement desensitization and reprocessing), which helped her confront the trauma. "What helped was therapy … and a shift in mindset. I stopped trying to avoid the fear and instead visualized being calm in the worst-case scenario." Over time, she said, her outlook changed: "With age, perspective, and a deeper faith in how the universe works, I let go of needing control. I no longer engage with the fear … it may resurface someday, but, for now, I've made peace with it." In an ironic twist, flying is now part of her daily routine. In 2024 alone, she completed 57 flights for her business, TLK Pet Transport. "I've finally found something I love doing, and I refused to let fear stand in my way any longer," she said. "I travel all over the country and do private one-on-one transportation usually for people who have seasonal homes in the northeast or cross-country." Shashoua added that every tragedy brings her story back to the forefront. "Every time I hear about a crash, like the recent Air India incident, I think of the people who changed their plans last minute," she said. "That's why I don't let delays or travel stress get to me anymore—it's all out of my control. I choose to focus on living, and that mindset has made all the difference." A screenshot of a viral TikTok video of Karine Shashoua recalling the time she nearly got on a plane that crashed back in 1985. A screenshot of a viral TikTok video of Karine Shashoua recalling the time she nearly got on a plane that crashed back in 1985. @ on TikTok Do you have a travel-related video or story to share? Let us know via life@ and your story could be featured on Newsweek.
Chicago Tribune
25-05-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Today in History: 273 people killed in American Airlines Flight 191 at Chicago's O'Hare Airport
Today is Sunday, May 25, the 145th day of 2025. There are 220 days left in the year. Today in history: On May 25, 1979, 273 people died when an American Airlines DC-10 crashed just after takeoff from Chicago's O'Hare Airport. Vintage Chicago Tribune: American Airlines Flight 191 crashed near O'Hare airport 45 years ago. These are the 273 on this date: In 1787, the Constitutional Convention began at the Pennsylvania State House (Independence Hall) in Philadelphia after enough delegates had shown up for a quorum. In 1946, Transjordan (now Jordan) became a kingdom as it proclaimed its new monarch, Abdullah I. In 1961, President John F. Kennedy told Congress: 'I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the earth.' In 1964, the U.S. Supreme Court, in Griffin v. County School Board of Prince Edward County, ordered the Virginia county to reopen its public schools, which officials had closed in an attempt to circumvent the Supreme Court's 1954 Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka desegregation ruling. In 1977, 'Star Wars' was released by 20th Century Fox; it would become the highest-grossing film in history at the time. In 2008, NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander arrived on the Red Planet to begin searching for evidence of water; the spacecraft confirmed the presence of water ice at its landing site. In 2012, the private company SpaceX made history as its Dragon capsule became the first commercial spacecraft to dock with the International Space Station. In 2018, Harvey Weinstein was arrested and charged in New York with rape and another sex felony in the first prosecution to result from the wave of allegations against him. (Weinstein would be convicted of two felony counts in 2020, but an appeals court would overturn the conviction in 2024. A retrial on the charges began in April 2025.) In 2020, George Floyd, a Black man, was killed when a white Minneapolis police officer pressed his knee on Floyd's neck for 9 1/2 minutes while Floyd was handcuffed and pleading that he couldn't breathe; Floyd's death, captured on video by a bystander, would lead to worldwide protests, some of which turned violent, and a reexamination of racism and policing in the U.S. Today's Birthdays: Actor Ian McKellen is 86. Country singer Jessi Colter is 82. Actor-singer Leslie Uggams is 82. Filmmaker and puppeteer Frank Oz is 81. Actor Karen Valentine is 78. Actor Jacki Weaver is 78. Rock singer Klaus Meine (Scorpions) is 77. Actor Patti D'Arbanville is 74. Playwright Eve Ensler is 72. Actor Connie Sellecca is 70. Musician Paul Weller is 67. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., is 65. Actor-comedian Mike Myers is 62. Actor Octavia Spencer is 55. Actor Cillian Murphy is 49. Football Hall of Famer Brian Urlacher is 47. Olympic gymnastics gold medalist Aly Raisman is 31.
Chicago Tribune
25-05-2025
- Chicago Tribune
Today in Chicago History: ‘Spider' Dan Goodwin scales the Sears Tower, then the world's tallest building
Here's a look back at what happened in the Chicago area on May 25, according to the Tribune's archives. Is an important event missing from this date? Email us. Weather records (from the National Weather Service, Chicago) 1950: A Chicago Transit Authority Green Hornet streetcar slammed into a gas truck on State Street near 62nd Street in what remains the worst traffic accident in Chicago history and the worst streetcar accident in the United States. The streetcar's doors did not have emergency pulls to open them, which are now required on all CTA vehicles, so 33 passengers died trapped inside. The gas truck driver also died. The streetcar's motorman was blamed for failing to slow down to negotiate a switch. 5 things you might not know about Chicago native Ted Kaczynski — the 'Unabomber'1978: 'Unabomber' Ted Kaczynski left his first known bomb in a parking lot at the University of Illinois Chicago. A passerby picked it up and returned it to the person Kaczynski listed on the return address as the sender. That person, a Northwestern University professor, was suspicious about the package and turned it over to security there. A public safety officer at Northwestern suffered minor injuries when he opened the package and it exploded. 1979: At the start of Memorial Day weekend, 271 people aboard American Airlines Flight 191 died after the DC-10 aircraft they boarded crashed just 31 seconds after takeoff from O'Hare International Airport. Two more people on the ground also died in the crash that impacted an open field about 4,600 feet northwest of the departure end of the runway. It's still the deadliest passenger airline accident on U.S. soil. 1981: 'Spider Dan' Goodwin scaled the Sears Tower, which was then the world's tallest building. At least 200 people showed up to watch the 25-year-old Goodwin, clad in a blue-and-orange suit, scale the west side of the building using suction cups and a 'home-welded claw,' the Tribune reported. 'Spider Dan' wowed Chicagoans with his scaling of skyscrapersGoodwin finished a little before 10:30 a.m. and was promptly taken into police custody. He and partner in crime James Hackett were charged with disorderly conduct and bonded out the next day, with Goodwin walking out of the downtown jail still in his superhero suit. Hours later, Goodwin was holding court and dining on trout at the Ambassador East Hotel in the Pump Room's famed Booth One. Two weeks later, Goodwin and Hackett appeared in court. Goodwin pleaded guilty and was fined $35. Hackett had his charge dismissed. Goodwin went on to scale the John Hancock Center in November 1981. 1982: Fergie Jenkins became the seventh MLB pitcher to strike out 3,000 batters in the Chicago Cubs' 2-1 loss at San Diego. Jenkins reached the milestone by striking out Garry Templeton in the third inning. Vintage Chicago Tribune: Oprah Winfrey — 10 moments from her Chicago years2011: The final episode of 'The Oprah Winfrey Show,' which was filmed in Chicago, aired. Subscribe to the free Vintage Chicago Tribune newsletter, join our Chicagoland history Facebook group, stay current with Today in Chicago History and follow us on Instagram for more from Chicago's past.
