By James Heinz
The steamer EASTLAND was launched in 1902 at Port Huron, Mich. Later odifications made her top heavy. She was originally allowed to carry 3,000 passengers, but after a 1904 incident where she tipped so badly that fire hoses had to be used to control her passengers, her capacity was reduced. That did not prevent another near capsizing incident in 1906.
The 1912 TITANIC disaster caused Congress to pass a law requiring all ships to carry enough lifeboats, which the EASTLAND’s owners installed on the top deck, along with a concrete dance floor, both of which made the EASTLAND even more unstable.
On July 24, 1915, the EASTLAND was tied to the south bank of the Chicago River between Maxwell and Clark Streets. Loading of employees of the Western Electric Company for their annual company picnic began at 6:30 a.m. By 7:10 a.m. 2,500 people had boarded the ship.
At 7:28 a.m. the EASTLAND rolled over on her port side and sank for reasons never clearly explained. She came to rest on the bottom of the Chicago River in 20 feet of water. Hundreds of people were thrown into the river with others falling on top of them, and hundreds of others were trapped below decks, crushed by furniture. Most of them could not swim.
841 passengers and 2 crew died on a ship that never left the dock. It was the greatest loss of life in a maritime disaster on the Great Lakes. The bodies were taken to a nearby National Guard armory where the bodies were laid out in rows on the floor of the drill hall to be identified.
The drill hall was converted to a TV studio in the 1950s. In the 1980s, Oprah Winfrey purchased it for her TV show. When Oprah appeared on TV in front of her audience, they were all sitting on the floor of the drill hall, once the largest temporary morgue in American history.
Rumor has it the building was haunted by the ghosts of the EASTLAND.
Windycityghosts.com says “A specific women’s restroom, located near the corner of the Armory’s old drill floor, became infamous among female employees. Women repeatedly reported entering the empty restroom only to hear the agonizing, disembodied sound of a mother sobbing uncontrollably from one of the stalls. When investigated, the stalls were always completely empty.”
Americashauntedroadtrip.com says: “One common apparition is the Lady in Gray, the shadowy figure of a woman in a long, flowing dress and ornate hat who is seen drifting through the halls. …studio employees and security guards have reported hearing crying, the laughter of children, and old-time music. The footsteps of crowds of invisible people are heard going up and down the lobby staircase, accompanied by opening and slamming doors.”
Although in 2016 the building was demolished and replaced with McDonald’s corporate headquarters, some believe that the site is still haunted. Windycityghhosts.com says “Passersby walking down Carpenter Street late at night still occasionally report a sudden, unexplainable drop in temperature, the faint scent of river water on a dry summer night, and the distant, tragic echo of a weeping woman crying out for what she lost a century ago.”
Although internet sources say that Oprah has admitted to seeing ghosts and to talking about the EASTLAND on her show, this cannot be confirmed and Oprah.com only says: “Today, some say the Harpo building is haunted by the ghost of the “Grey Lady.” We should remember that internet sources also tell us that you can see the Roswell Aliens on the grassy knoll in Dallas.”
The EASTLAND would rise from her watery grave to participate in another bizarre episode in Great Lakes history. No one who sailed on her in her second life reported any ghosts. Stay tuned for that story.
Photos courtesy of Todd Gordon.
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James Heinz is the Wisconsin Marine Historical Society’s acquisitions director. He became interested in maritime history as a kid watching Jacques Cousteau’s adventures on TV. He was a Great Lakes wreck diver until three episodes of the bends forced him to retire from diving. He was a University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee police officer for thirty years. He regularly flies either a Cessna 152 or 172.
