'Eastland': Legacy of the 'Titanic' [Paperback]

George Hilton (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 1997

More than 800 people lost their lives when the steamer Eastland capsized in the Chicago River in 1915. This is the full story, with more than 100 illustrations, of the worst disaster of any kind in the history of Chicago and the worst in the history of the Great Lakes.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Irony and tragedy combine in this account of America's worst marine disaster. The Eastland was a Great Lakes excursion vessel that capsized while moored on the Chicago River, killing more than 800 people. The subtitle of this book is particularly telling, since following the loss of the Titanic a nationwide "boats for all" movement occurred. In anticipation of legislation mandating such changes, the Eastland added lifeboats. The additional weight contributed to the vessel's top-heaviness, causing the disaster. Hilton (American Narrow Gauge Railroads, LJ 2/1/91) constructs a careful account of the events leading up to the calamity. The disaster itself is recounted minute by minute, based on the court transcripts following the accident. The fate of the vessel after it was raised and recommissioned as a Coast Guard training vessel is also recounted. The numerous illustrations and period photographs as well as numerous appendixes make this a definitive account. The style is also accessible for nonnautical readers. Recommended for general collections.
Daniel Liestman, Seattle Pacific Univ. Lib.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

“This is a great book, the first full revelation of how one of America’s most appalling marine disasters actually happened. The world of maritime history will find the work invaluable. Hilton’s account of this exciting yet tragic story reflects a deep understanding of history, of naval architecture, of Chicago’s ethnic makeup, and of law, both civil and admiralty. One hopes that this work will serve as a model for other maritime historians to follow.”—Edwin F. Dunbaugh, Webb Institute of Naval Architecture

“The numerous illustrations and period photographs as well as numerous appendixes make this a definitive account.”—Daniel Liestman, Seattle Pacific University Library

“Hilton has written a comprehensive and exhaustive study of the worst disaster in Chicago’s history. . . . Alterations and the addition of more lifeboats and rafts after the Titanic sank made the Eastland so unstable that it rolled over in the Chicago River. . . . The vessel’s entire career is examined, and . . . the disaster itself is meticulously described and analyzed. Hilton also critically evaluates the subsequent civil and criminal court proceedings, raising a number of issues relating to marine safety regulations and the compensation of the victims’ families.”—Choice

“Irony and tragedy combine in this account of America’s worst marine disaster. . . . Hilton constructs a careful account of the events leading up to the calamity. The disaster itself is recounted minute by minute. . . . The numerous illustrations and period photographs, as well as numerous appendixes, make this a definitive account.”—Library Journal

“It contains vivid accounts of drownings and rescues, heroism and cowardice.”—Chicago Tribune

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Stanford University Press; 1 edition (March 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0804728011
• ISBN-13: 978-0804728010
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,381,156 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb documentary of Major Marine Disaster in US, September 16, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: 'Eastland': Legacy of the 'Titanic' (Paperback)

Outstanding documentary of the events leading up to the disaster of the Great Lakes steamer in 1915. Author provides solid documentation tying the loss the Titanic three years previous and the consequences it had on regulations of lifeboats and rafts. Great explanation in layman's terms on shipboard stability. Good illustrations throughout the book. Organization of story chronologically superb. I got this book off the library shelf becuase my grandmother was a survivor of the Eastland disaster. Hilton has, after 80 years, told the story correctly erasing myths concerning the actual reasons leading up to the disaster. Great detail concerning the lives of the people involved.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thoroughly researched--great information, January 11, 2000

By 

"nutmeg02" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Eastland: Legacy of the Titanic (Hardcover)

Hilton has researched this subject extensively. If you are looking for flowery personal stories of the disaster, you won't find them here. What you will find is a massive source of information about the ship's construction, a detached account of the disaster, and an account of the legal proceedings and investigations following the disaster. The amount of researched facts in this book is unmatched and this amount of information about the EASTLAND cannot be found in any other source.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Good Research, Biased Conclusions, July 8, 2005

By 

Thomas Hartman (Royal Oak, MI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: 'Eastland': Legacy of the 'Titanic' (Paperback)

The two stars are for the amount of information in this book. The fact that it only gets two is because most of the book is blatantly spun to try and support Mr. Hilton's economic beliefs and dislike of the LaFollette Act.

There are a number of places in the book where it appears that Mr. Hilton deliberately twists or conceals the facts. For example, he states in the prologue that the president of the Pacific Mail Steamship Company announced that his company would be going out business immediately after the application of the requirements of the LaFollette Act in 1915, which he uses as evidence that the Act destroyed American shipping across the Pacific. What he DOESN'T mention is that the company did NOT go out of business and was bought out by another American company, and was still in operation as late as 1949.

Everything in the book is spun to support his theory that the Eastland capsized because of its added lifeboats, and that the lifeboats were added because of the LaFollette Act. In order to do this he ignores other theories and information that he must have known because they occur in sources he quotes for other information. For instance, he insists that the Eastland wasn't overloaded with people based on the testimony of the dock agents (who have an obvious motive for lying.) He fails to address a statement in a book by Dwight Boyer which he quotes elsewhere that the dock agents actually let on quite a few more people than the Eastland's capacity because of how passengers were counted based on ticketing.

I feel there are several other omissions and distortions of this type in the book. Let the reader beware, and don't rely on this book for information about the Eastland sinking unless you've read a number of other books and articles on the subject.