# 94 years ago today... (SS Eastland disaster) **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 24, 2011, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/94-years-ago-today-ss-eastland-disaster/590159 "2011-07-24T06:49:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![edhsinc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9fc348/32.png) [@edhsinc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/edhsinc)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2011, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/94-years-ago-today-ss-eastland-disaster/590159/21 "2011-08-02T12:30:22Z")
> [@neuroman](#): > > The “Damned Interesting” link has several tales of how panicked people were directly responsible for the deaths (or inability to save) several others. That really drove home to me how scary it can be for rescuers of those who are in the water. One of the most chilling accounts to your point, neuroman, came from J.V. Brown. He was one of the very few to escape of those who were caught on the river side of the lowest deck. He described his escape: “Suddenly I saw water begin to come in through the portholes. My idea was to get up the stairs to the deck above, which was more open. I swam over and started to go up – or rather along – them, for the boat was on her side by this time. But suddenly one of the people in the water grabbed my legs, another got hold of one arm, and a third got me by the hair. Let me tell you, no man is a hero under water. I fought. I finally got loose – still under water – and managed to get to the top of the stairs. It was pitch black.” His one quote – “no man is a hero under water” – could only have come from someone who was engaged underwater in a fight for his life. ---
**Author:** ![edhsinc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9fc348/32.png) [@edhsinc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/edhsinc)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2011, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/94-years-ago-today-ss-eastland-disaster/590159/22 "2011-08-02T12:32:27Z")
> [@JXJohns](#): > > I did a paper on this while at DePaul several years ago. Here is an interesting link to what happened to the ship after the disaster: > > [Link](http://www.eastlandmemorial.org/wilmette.shtml) > > It was recovered, sold, and re purposed as a Naval war ship. JXJohns – Were you in [Dr. Susan Fournier’s Sociology class](http://www.eastlanddisaster.org/depaulsoc1012000.htm) when you did the paper? ---
**Author:** ![edhsinc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9fc348/32.png) [@edhsinc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/edhsinc)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2011, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/94-years-ago-today-ss-eastland-disaster/590159/23 "2011-08-02T12:35:20Z")
> [@Mr\_Downtown](#): > > The part about the _Eastland_ that always gives me a catch in my throat is that there were 22 entire families that died. Somehow thinking about 22 Lawndale apartments or Cicero bungalows where the lights were never turned on that night makes the terrible numbers less abstract. > > [Some photos here.](http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showpost.php?p=4114444&postcount=157) Interesting observation Mr. Downtown. There were also 19 families that were left without parents. Imagine coming to one of your grade-school classrooms one day for school only to find out that the entire class – all of your classmates – had been orphaned. ---
**Author:** ![JXJohns](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jxjohns/32/469_2.png) [@JXJohns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JXJohns)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2011, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/94-years-ago-today-ss-eastland-disaster/590159/24 "2011-08-02T14:49:06Z")
> [@edhsinc](#): > > JXJohns – Were you in [Dr. Susan Fournier’s Sociology class](http://www.eastlanddisaster.org/depaulsoc1012000.htm) when you did the paper? No, but that would have been an interesting look at the event. I Graduated in 1998. I believe the class was a History of Chicago elective course. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/94-years-ago-today-ss-eastland-disaster/590159.md?page=1)