Image provided by: University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries, Lincoln, NE
About The North Platte semi-weekly tribune. (North Platte, Neb.) 1895-1922 | View Entire Issue (July 30, 1915)
THE SEMI-WEEKLY TRIBUNE. NORTH PLATTE. NEBRASKA. THOUSAND DROWN , AS BOAT UPSETS EXCURSION STEAMER CAPSIZES IN CHICAGO RIVER. MOSTLY WOMEN AND CHILDREN Pleasure Seekers, Bound for Trip Across Lake Michigan, Perish In Sight of Relatives and Friends. Chicago, 111. A thousand persons iost tholr lives In the Chicago river by tho capsizing of the excursion steamer Eastland while warping from its wharf with moro than 2,400 em ployes of tho Western Electric Co. and tholr relatives and friends on board, bound for a pleasure trip across Lake Michigan. Tho Eastland, said by marine archi tects to have been top-heavy and bal lasted In an uncertain manner, turned over inside of five minutes after It be gan to list, pouring its passengers into tho river or imprisoning them in its submerged hull. Every effort was made by thous ands of persons on the river wharf to rescue the drowning men, women and children. But many drowned al most within grasp of tho river bank. Mothers went to their death while their children wero snatched to safe ty. Other children died in the arms of their parents who wero finally saved. Hundreds of girls, freed for a day from their tasks of making tele phones and other electrical apparatus in the factory of tho Western Elec tric Co., dressed in their smartest white frocks, drowned miserably. Kolin avenue, a small street near tho factory of tho Western Electric Co., is In universal mourning. Every bouse lost from one to all Its occu pants in the disaster. Efforts to discover the cause of the accident wero begun long before the work of rescue was over. Federal and county grand Juries were ordered, a coroner's jury was impaneled and all the officers and crew of the Eastland were arrested. W. C. Steele, secretary and treas urer of St. Joseph-Chicago Steamship Co., which owned the steamer East land, built on Lake Erie In 1903, and remodeled later because top-heavy, it ia said, was arrested and locked up at a police station. The steamer was leased by the Indiana Transportation Co., whose officers said they were not responsible for the licensing of the ship and did not control the crew. 7,000 Off For Holiday. Under misty skies, 7,000 men, wo men and children wended their way to the river wharf to fill five large lake steamers with holiday mirth in a trip to Michigan City. The steamer Eastland, brought to Chicago from Lake Erie, after an unsatisfactory career, was tho first to be loaded. Rain began to fall as the Miarf su perintendents lifted the gang plank from the Eastland, declaring that tho soyernment limit of 2,500 had been reached. White dresses peeped from Talncoats along tho shore rails, as those aboard waved good-bye to friends on shore waiting to board the other vessels. Then the passengers swarmed to the left side of the ship, as the other steamers drew up the river towards the wharf. A tug was hitched to the Eastland, ropes were ordered cast off, and tho engines began to hum. The Eastland had not budged, however. Instead the heavily laden ship wa tered sideways, leaning first towards tho river bank. Tho lurch was so startling that many passengers joined the large concourse already on tho other side of tho decks. Tho ship then heeled back. It turned slowly but steadily towards its left side. Children clutched the skirts of mothers and sisters to keep from tailing. The whole cargo was Im pelled towards the falling side of the ship. Water then began to enter low er portholes, and the ropes snapped off the piles to which the vessel was tied. Screams from passengers attracted the attention of follow excursionists on the wharf awaiting the next steam er. Wharfmon and picnickers soon lined the edge of the embankment, reaching out helplessly toward the wavering steamer. Ship Keels Slowly. For nearly flvo minutes the ship turned bofore It finally dived under tho swift current of tho river, which owing to the drainage canal system, flows from the lake. During tho mighty turning of the ship with its cargo of humanity, llfo boats, chairs Will Inquire Concerning Orduna. Washington. Formal Inquiry will ho mado at the Berlin foreign office by American Ambassador Gerard for tho Gorman official version of tho re cent attack by a submarine on tho nrltlsh liner Orduna as it was bound for New York with a score of Amor lean citizens among its passenger. A report on an Investigation con ducted by Collector of Cfistoms Dud loy Field Malono at Now York was prosented to the State department. It eubmlts affidavits of ofilcors, seamen and passengers, Including Americans. and other looso appurtenances on tho decks slipped down the sloping lloors, crushing tho passengers toward tho rising waters. Then there was a plunge, with a sigh of air escaping from the hold, mingled with crying children and shriks of women nnd the ship was on tho bottom of tho river, casting hun dreds of Its passangers into tho wa ter. Many sank, entangled with cloth ing and bundlos and did not rise, but scores came to tho surface, giving tho river the appearanco of a crowded bathing beach. Many seized lloatlng chairs and other objects. Those on shore throw out ropes and dragged In thoso who could hold those llfo lines. Employes of commission firms with houses along tho river threw crates, chicken coops nnd other floatablo things Into tho current, but most of these wero swept away by tho stream. Boats were put out, tugs rushed to tho scene with shrieking whistles and mnny men snatched off their coats and sprang Into tho river to aid the drowning. With thousands of specta tors ready to aid, hundreds went to their death. One mother grasped her two chil dren In her arms as she slipped from the steamer Into tho water. One child was torn from her, but she nnd tho other were saved. Fathers wero drowned after aiding tho wives and children to safety. Ship Lacked Ballast. Captain Pederson said that a broken "air chute" lot tn, water that resulted In tho boat careening. William J. Plamondon, nephew of the Lusitanla victim, who was a passenger, laid tho accident to the system of water bal last In vogue. This ballast, he said, was not to be taken until tho boat had gone Into tho lake on her way to Michigan City. The excursion was canceled, and the other boats disgorged their pas sengers, some of whom had relatives or close friends on the boat that went down. An official of the Western Electric company declared that several de partments, in which only girls wero employed, had undoubtedly been wiped out. Most of the employes in departments where only girls and women wero employed were assigned to the Eastland. Relief Work Organized. At a meeting of the mayor's advis ory committee, called by Acting Mayor Moorhouso, It was planned to immediately raise a fund of $200,000 by public subscription for tho relief of tho families of the Eastland vic tims. In addition to this sum offi cials of the Western Electric com pany, who attended the conference held in the mayor's office, nnnounced that tho Employes' Benefit associa tion had $100,000 available for relief work. The Western Electric company offl. clals stated that not more than one third of the victims wero employes of the company, the others being members of the employes' families and friends. Orders Rescuers Off. "Hey! stop that! yau'll spoil -the boat!" That was Captain Harry Peder son's greeting to the fifty steel work ers called from work on a new sky scraper to cut holes in the side of tho overturned steamer Eastland to roscue a thousand imprisoned men, women and children. Tho men, armed with powerful acetylene burn ers, were melting holes in, the steel hull. "Who told you to do that?" tho captain demanded! "The police," answered E. Nelson, a welder. "Woll, I don't want tho boat spoiled you got off hero," shouted Peder son. Just then First Assistant Superin tendent of Police Hermann Schaut tier saw Pederson. "Arrest that man and every mem ber of his crow!" shouted tho com manding police official. "This damned tub ought to have been burned before this happened. Spoil tho boat!" f Wilson Orders Probe. Cornish, N. H. President Wilson has ordered that a complete investi gation he mado by the Department of Commerce into the sinking of the excursion steamer Eastland in tho Chicago river with a consequent loss of many hundred lives. Acting Sec rotary Sweet of tho department sent him word that the cause of the dis aster would be looked into and tho president directed that nothing ho left undone to place the responsibility. Alleged Drug Dealer Ho'd. Chicago, 111. John Davis, alias "Omaha John," together with two Chicago druggists, was Indicted by the federal grand Jury, charged with conspiring to furnish drugs to users In violation of tho Harrison act. declaring that tho ship was attacked without warning. Secretary Lansing will direct Am bassador Gerard to make his inquiry at Dorlln Tor tho information of tlio department. Northern States Need Men. St. Paul. Minn. Farmers In Can ada will not have much trouble, but in tho northwest, In tho United States, harvest hands urc badly needed. WILL DEAL DIRECT FARMERS ARE READY TO SHIP TO CONSUMER BY MAIL. FIFTY-ONE TOWNS NOW LISTED Lincoln Postofflce Bulletin Shows Far mora Anxious to Build Up Produccr-tcCustomer Trade. Lincoln. Fifty-one towns nro now listed In tho Lincoln postofflce bullo tin showing names of farmers resid ing thereat who are anxious to fur nish people here with butter, eggs, poultry nnd fruit. The produce hst is prepared for the purpose of estab lishing a direct producer-to-customer trade. Fifty-six Osceola farmers head the local list and tho number of pro ducers at each of the towns varies from that number down to just a few who are anxious to build up this post age stamp dealing. Towns Included are as far west as Benkleman, as far north as Dakota City, as far north west as Lodge Pole and as far south east as Rulo. Designates Good Roads Days. Lincoln. A good roads proclamation Issued by Governor Morehead roads as follows, in part: "Realizing the excessive rains In Nebraska and lateness of the season, I havo delayed asking tho commercial clubs and other organizations to co operate with mo in devoting two days to the making of good roads In Ne braska. "The travel by auto to tho Pacific exposition through Nebraska Is great and I am desirous of having tho peo ple who pnss through our state, credit us with being progressive In the way of good roads as well as In legisla tion. And our rouds nre In sonstant use by all the people of Nebraska. "I have designated Thursday and Fridny, July 29 and 30, ns "Good Roadn Days.' Traveling as I by, by automobile, it lias been a sur prise to mo to find our roads In as good condition as they are, consider ing the wet weather wo have had. If each person would spend a few days on tho roads near their homo tho re sult would be good dirt roads in Ne braska. "1 ask all tho farmers, business men. commercial clubs and other or ganizations to co operate in this mat ter and I fool that every man should don his overalls and give at least tje length of time stated, to putting our roads in good condition. "It is just as essential to havo good roads ns it is to havo good houses and barns and the people of tho city use them as much in going to tho country as tho fnrmers do in coming to tho city. We can all join In boosting and working for good roads as all are In terested. "It Is my earnest desire that all may take an Interest in this Important movement." Relic Millions of Years Old. In the discovery of a fairly com plete skeleton of a prehistoric mas todon, together with a largo number of horse teeth, bones of camels and probably what are tho remains of deer, Nebraska scientists bollcvo that one of the richest pateontologlcal finds of the year has Just been mado at Brlstow in the extreme northern part of Nebraska by Dr. E. H. Bar bour and Prof. C. II. Eaton of the university museum. Tho mastodon is said to be of be of peculiar Interest and valuo because of being probably nine million years old. Most Babies Fed On Bottle. Sixty per cent of tho babies of Ne braska are bottle-fed as nearly as tho state authorities can gather the Information. Tho figures nre given to show tho necessity of pasteurizing milk and as Retiring State Veteri narian Klgln says: "There's greater need of combating the diseases that thrive In tho milk wo give our babies than fighting against tho things that lead to war for tho mortality is greater in our peace pursuits, through our carelessness, than on the battle fields through our indiscretions." Says Warehouse Law Defective. Tho public warehouse law, passed by tho last leglslaturo, in tho opinion of Attorney General Reed, cannot be enforced by tho Stato Railway com mission. Ho gives ns IiIb reasons that tho railway commission was created for tho purpose of supervising rail road rates and that It has no author ity to take over any other mattors not set out in the law which created tho commission. Kansas Wheat Crop Short. Gustav Dilgort of Atchison, Kan., a cousin of Philip Ackerman, hotel com missioner, while visiting him, said conditions surrounding tho harvesting of tho wheat crop in his locality aro alarming. It Is estimated, according to the Kansas man, that tho wheat crop of that state will bo 90,000,000 bushels short this season. 7,689 Negroes n State. Reports of tho federal census bu reau Just forwarded to tho stato house show tho residence of 7.C89 negroes in Nobraska, of which -1,259 aro males and 3,130 arc femulcs. Apple Crop to Be Large. Tho applo crop of Nebraska will bo an immense ono nnd tho quality of the apples will bo tho beat for many years, according to Ernost M. Pollard, president of tho Applo Grow ers' association, who was in Lin coin recently CONDENSED NEWS OF INTEREST TO ALL. A now broom factory will bo built at Peru soon. A German picnic Is to bo given at Syracuse August 2C. Arlington Chautauqua will be held Avgust 23 to 27. Odd Fellows of Avoca will hold their annual picnic July 29. A Community Interest club has been organized at Lyons. A new municipal concert band has been assured for Hastings. The New Era Is tho name of a new paper being published at Hobron. The Adams county fair will be held September 27 to October 2. Petitions nro being circulated In Adams for a water works system Soveral hundred dollars dnniago was done In tho town of Wlnslow by Flro caused by lightning destroyed tho electric light plant In Seward. Colfax county has 671 autos this year, according to reports of asses sors. August 31 to September 4 are tho dates of Omaha's Merchants' Market Week. Lincoln county fanners say they aro harvesting tho finest crop ever known. The $2,000 barn of Ed Westphnl, south of Elkhorn, was destroyed by lightning. Tho cornerstono of the Masonic home for orphans at Fremont, will bo laid August 1. Fremont's watermelon nnd musk melon crop suffered heavily as a re sult of hail. Two large bridges wero washed out by high water In drainage district No. 1, near Humboldt. Thousands of dollars of loss re sulted in tho vicinity of Omaha from a severe hail storm. Frank Lchmkuhl's $1,500 barn at Wahoo was struck by lightning and burned to tho ground. Hebron citizens arc agitating tho question of curbing and guttering tho business section of tho city. Tho first annual picnic of the Ne braska Knights of Pythias will be held In Ashland August 12. Firo destroyed thg Sclavonic Im plement store at Becmer, tho loss being estimated at $10,000. the overflowing of tho Elkhorn river. Falrbury Is to havo a ladles' band with twenty-four mombors. J. Herbert Rlggs Is succeeding his father, who died recently, as editor of tho Waterloo Gazette. II. E. Willis, formerly of Omaha, Is now editor and manager of the Loup City Times-Independent. Alfred Swanson, a farmer living near Craig, was struck and Instantly killed by a bolt of lightning. Harvey Ward, son of J. M. Ward of Tecumsoh, was run over by an auto mobile in Falls City and killed. Twenty-threo bushels to tho aero of CO test wheat wero threshed from B. B. Mills' field west of Hastings. A picnic will b held at Crab Orch ard August 19, under the direction of tho Commercial club of that town. C. H. Musselman's shoo store at Alma was badly damaged by fire. Tho loss on stock and building Is $2,500. N. P. Updlko of Omaha has pur chased J. S. Hamilton's one-third in terest ih tho Hastings Milling com pany Soventeen head of cattle, valued at $800, wero killed In a Btorm on tho A. B. Cornelius farm, near Hum boldt. Work has begun on tho construction of a now St. John's Evnngellcal Luth eran church-' at Daykln. The church will cost $8,000. John McGuIro received twenty bushels to the aero from wheat near Inland thought to havo been dam aged ono-thlrd by hall. Samuel Dickey, a wealthy farmer living near Ponca, was killed when his automobile crashed through a bridge railing and fell Into a small stream. Hans Anderson, a farmer residing north of Malmo, sustained Injuries that may prove fatal, when an au tomobile In which ho was riding ran off a bridge. William Ferguson, who resides near Fremont, lost flvo valuable hogs when a herd of forty was swept down stream Beveral rods during high water. A display of Lincoln c6unty prod ucts for tho stato fair and for tho Lincoln county fall festival Is to bo arranged by John Gllman, Leaven worth, Kns., an export. Tho total assessed valuation of Gago county according to tho returns made to tho county assessor, Is $11, 727.C87, a gain of a .little over a hun dred thousand dollars over that of last year. A coroner's jury found that tho death of Francis B. Bobbins, 9-year-old boy, who drownnd in n pool at Elmwood park, In Omaha, was duo to negligence of tho park commis sioner. Humidity in tho atmospliore, with tho thermomoter 98 in tho shnde, re sulted In death to three horses near Hnstlngs. Boy scouts nro to camp on tho Hastings Chautauqua ground this yoar. They will keop tho ground In good condition. Tho Ord Chautauqua will open Au gust 3. William J. Bryan, Senator Goro and Oplo Reed aro among tho headllners on tho program. Tho county fair will bo hold tho last day of August and tho first two days of September. FOR THE BUS! M NEWS EPITOME THAT CAN SOON 'BE COMPASSED. MANY EVENTS ARE RATIONED Homo and Foreign Intelligence Con densed Into Two and Four Llr.B Paragraphs, WAIi rMfc3W. Germany contemplates n new war loan In September, says an Amster dam dispatch. The now Russlun ministry of mu nitions, with powor to mobilize ull In dustries, Is to bo created. It Is reported that an enormous mass of war munitions Is pouring lu to Vladivostok port for tho Russian armies. Tho Russians nro said to be suffer ing from lack of artillery and ammu nition and n shortage of oillcers to command their forces. A second Italian cruiser has fallen victim to an Austrian submarine. Tho Guesoppo Garibaldi, ono of n squad ron of four which bombarded Cattaro, wus torpedoed and sent to tho bot tom. Tho allies total casualties of tho Dardanelles expeditionary forces .to dnto In killed, wounded and missing havo been 42,434 oillcers nnd men, Premier Asqulth told the House of Commons. Tho Swedish bark Cupolla and the Norwegian bark Nordlyset, both tim ber laden and bound for England, wore sot on firo In tho North sea by German submarines. Tho American nolo to Germany, which is declared to bo the final word of tho United States govern ment with roferenco to further trans gressions of Its rights, has been dis patched to Berlin. It Is reported in Borne, Switzer land, that the German government has Issued an order prohibiting tho export of all Gorman boor. Tho mo tlvo suggested Is that production al ready has been reduced by the war to CO per cent. A new voto of credit of 150, 000,000 ($750,000,000), was Introduced In tho British liouso of commons. This second supplementary voto will bring tho sum actually appropriated by par liament for war expenditures to the total of XG50.000.000 ($3,250,000,000). A Bulgarian ministerial order was Issued, says tho Times' Sofia, Bul garia, correspondent, definitely sus pending railroad communication with Turkey. Tho stop appears to havo been taken in consequence of contin ued Turkish Interference with traffic. Labor troubles are affecting tho na tions at war. Tho Btocks of war munitions of Great Britain and Franco nro likely to bo considerably courtalled through a strlko of tho Remington Arms and Ammunition company at Bridgeport, Conn., where largo contracts aro outstanding. Alberta, Can,, voted dry, lu a re cent election, two to one. Theodore Roosevelt told a crowd at Portland, Ore., ho will speak on sub jects of national interest, but not for capheads and mollycoddles. Flvo deaths resulted from tho heat in Philadelphia and a sixth man com mitted suicide while temporarily in- sano from oppressive weather. Ton dictographs havo been Install ed in the Illinois penitentiary In an effort to detect tho murdorer of Mrs. Odetto M. Allen, wife of Warden Ed mund M. Allen. Nebraska has suffered at least $1, 500,000 hall damage to crops , tills year, In tho opinion of C. O. Talmago, manager of tho Columbia Flro Under- writers, an Omaha firm. Germans working In American fac tories producing war munitions which may be used against Gormnny are llablo to prosecution for treason, ac cording to an official declaration pub lished in Berlin. Rovongo prompted Christian P. Bcrthscho to turn Informant, accord ing to his own Btory as related in tho trial of bribery charged against for mer Detective Sergeants Walter O'Brien and William Egan at Chicago. Leo M. Franfc, whoso death sen tenco for tho murdor of Marp Phngan recently, was commuted to llfo im prisonment, wus nttacked by anoth er prlBonor at tho stato prison farm at Mllledgoville, Ga., and seriously Injured by being cut in tho throat. Colonel Roosevelt, In discussing United StatcB preparedness for war, at San Francisco, said ho believed that this country should havo military training for young men similar to tho Swiss method. Nnco, Mexico, has been ocupicd by4 Cnrranza troops in violation of agree ment with tho United States. The Wabash railroad property was? sold at auction to n creditors' corny mltteo for $18,000,000, In St. Louis. Chicago real estate Increased In, valuo during tho last year $311,708, 124, according to figures announced! by Paul II. WIedcl, real cstato ex pert of the Board of Assessors. WaUer J. Petersen, former chief of police at Oakland, Cal., offered segregation ns a solution of tho so-, clnl evil in cities to tho delegates off tho ninth International Purity con gress at San Francisco. P. Clay Ford, 72, formerly of BnlJ t lino ro, who was resident manager oC Ford's opera house at tho time pros Idont Lincoln was shot, died at St J Mary's hospital In Pasalc, N. J., foW lowing an operation, recently. l Hiram Maxim predicted In HarrlH burg, Pa., that tho United Stntes will' bo invaded following tho European; war. Tho Invader, ho declared will! bo the one which first sees tho weak ness of our navy and lack of national defenses Tho Disciples of Christ Church Ex-1 tension society has loaned altogether $2,974,103 to 1,77(5 needy churches: and has lost $1,99(5 of this amount, G.I W. Muckloy of Kansas City, Mo., corresponding secretary of tho socie ty, reported nt Los Angeles at tho' church's International missionary convention. SPORTING Maurlco E. McLoughlln, world's, chnmplon of singles, won tho Pacific Panama exposition tennis champion-, ship, In San Francisco, In men's sin gles. 1 Joo Steelier, Nebraska wrestling phonom, Is booked to moot Baba an ngaff, ono of tho flock of terrible Turks who nro In this country, at Dcs olnes on the night of July 31. "Deac" Myors, tho Germantown, Nob., pitcher, has joined tho Llncolu club of tho Western league. Myers has been striking out fifteen to twon ty batters in almost every gamo ho has pitched this summer. With tho dlsposaLof Eddlo Murphy to tho Chicago Whito Sox only eight of tho members of tho Philadelphia Athletics who participated In tho world's series games with the Boston Nationals last year remain with tho club. Franklin Baker, kiiown as "Homo Run Bakor," former third baseman for tho Philadelphia American league team, has been signed by tho Mor gantown club In tho semi-professional Western North Carolina league. They say Bakor will receive $50 a day for the remainder of tho season. Jnck Ness of tho Oakland team, In tho Pacific Coast league, hit In hla forty-ninth consecutive game. At Lob Angolos. Ness established a new world's record for hitting In consecu tive games on July 13 when ho pass ed tho previous record of hits In forty consecutive gnmes, mado by Ty Cobb. WASHINGTON. Tho Interstato Commorco commis sion has ordered a hearing held at! Omaha on Soptembor 21 on lumber rates from Hclenu, Ark., to Omaha, Dcs Moines and other points. 1 Tho Interstato commorco commis sion decided that tho revenues of the' principal express companies of the United States ure inndequato and' modified its former orders in order to provide additional incomo. Satisfactory progress with tho now school for tho training of submarlno officers was reported to Secrotary Daniels by Captain Albert W. Grant, recently designated as chief of tho submarine service afloat and ashore. Suits are about to bo brought by. tho government against American cit izens who, though apparently able to do so, rofuso to repay monoy expend ed for their relief when tjiey wero, stranded in Europo nt tho outbreak of tho war. James M. Sullivan, Amorlcan minis tor to tho dominican republic, has tondered his resignation to President Wilson and It lias been accepted. Mr Sullivan's resignation is tho conse quence of an Investigation conducted for tho stato department by Senatoi Phelan of California. President Wilson hns called for re ports on the subject of national de fense These will bo made to him porsonnlly by tho heads of tho war and navy departments. Ho particu larly wishes tho navy to stand upon equality with tho most efficient sea force maintained by any powor. Shipping Interests' agitation for an oxtra session of congress to repeal tho "seamen's labor law" is useless, it is stated at tho Whito houso. Tho president will convene congress for no caiiBo except an acuto diplomatic crisis. i Largo increases In osport3 of ex plosive, Iron nnd steel manufacturers, automobiles, leather, cotton and 'woolen goods, chemicals, all classes of metal goods and foodstuffs aro shown by detailed department o commorco statistics for May.