Flower in the River: A Family Tale Finally Told

True Tales from the Eastland: Admiral Rickover Remembers, Survivors Battle for Redress

• Natalie Zett • Season 4 • Episode 132

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Admiral Hyman Rickover—father of the nuclear navy and one of the most influential military figures of the 20th century—had a connection to the 1915 Eastland disaster that’s been virtually forgotten. As a 15-year-old Western Union messenger in Chicago, young Rickover delivered telegrams to grieving families throughout the night following the tragedy. What haunted him most? The undertakers who swarmed the scene, exploiting grief-stricken families for profit. “Where money is involved,” Rickover later wrote, “some people will stop at nothing to get it.”

This discovery emerged from a 1979 newspaper article—one of many overlooked historical threads I’ve been pulling while researching the human stories behind the Eastland Disaster. The revelation pairs perfectly with another significant find—court documents from the National Archives containing detailed personal injury claims filed by survivors against the steamship company.

These legal records give voice to survivors whose experiences have remained buried for over a century. Frank Brady described being “violently thrown” into the Chicago River, leaving his “nervous system greatly injured, shocked and shattered.” Harold Durkee detailed broken ankle bones and lost wages totaling what would be thousands in today’s dollars. Mrs. Abby Wiley recounted being trapped in the water, suffering injuries that prevented her from working while medical bills mounted.

These documents are invaluable primary sources—actual testimony rather than newspaper accounts or later retellings. They reveal not just the physical and emotional trauma of survivors, but the financial devastation many faced. A $10,000 claim in 1915 represents roughly $320,000 today, showing the magnitude of what these working-class families lost.

These stories were never truly hidden—they’ve been waiting here all along. Join me as we uncover the forgotten voices of the Eastland Disaster, stories that have lingered in plain sight, just waiting to be seen and heard.

Resources:

  • Hyman G. Rickover, “Eastland Disaster,” Union Leader (Manchester, NH), May 28, 1979.
  • National Archives and Records Administration. (n.d.). Folder 14: Claims and libels (Record Group 21, Records of District Courts of the United States, Law Case Files, In the matter of the petition of St. Joseph-Chicago Steamship Company, owner of the Steamer Eastland, for limitation of liability) [Court records]. National Archives Catalog. https://catalog.archives.gov/id/485300049?objectPage=83
Natalie Zett:

Hello, I'm Natalie Zett and welcome to Flower in the River. This podcast, inspired by my book of the same name, explores the 1915 Eastland disaster in Chicago and its enduring impact, particularly on my family's history. We'll explore the intertwining narratives of others impacted by this tragedy as well, and we'll dive into writing and genealogy and uncover the surprising supernatural elements that surface in family history research. Come along with me on this journey of discovery. Hey, this is Natalie, and welcome to episode 132 of Flower in the River. Okay, we have so much to talk about. This is going to be another one of those podcasts for Tadas with all kinds of information, so let's get going here. I'm going to start with a brief biography of Admiral Hyman G Rickover, born in 1900, and he died in 1986. And I bet you've heard of him. You might not know the details about his life, but I bet his name is familiar. Rickover was one of the most influential military figures of the 20th century, often called the father of the nuclear navy. Born in Poland to a Jewish family, he immigrated to the US as a child and grew up in Chicago. He entered the US Naval Academy in 1918 and went on to pioneer the development of nuclear-powered submarines and ships, fundamentally changing naval warfare. Rickover was known for his brilliance to Ronald Reagan and shaped not just naval technology but also American Cold War strategy. He retired in 1982 as the longest-serving naval officer in US history at that time. What does that have to do with the Eastland disaster? Hold on, this is an article from the Manchester Union leader. That's in New Hampshire. The date is Monday, may 28, 1979. There's a commentary here. The title the Eastland Disaster. The author Admiral Hyman G Rickover. Editor's note. The following item is from Admiral Hyman G Rickover, world famed as the developer of the atomic submarine. Here are Rickover's own words about the Eastland disaster.

Natalie Zett:

The Eastland was an excursion steamer built in 1903 at Port Huron, michigan. It operated from Chicago to other cities on Lake Michigan. On Saturday, july 24th, the ship was moored to a pier on the Chicago River. On board were employees of the Western Electric Company, which had a large manufacturing plant on 22nd Street and Cicero Avenue. At about 5 pm a tragic disaster occurred. At about 5 pm, a tragic disaster occurred. The Eastlands passengers were attracted to the railing to watch another ship pass close by. Due to the resulting imbalance of the ship, it capsized and 812 passengers and crew were drowned.

Natalie Zett:

I was a Western Union messenger at the time and nearly all these people lived in the area where I worked. The telegraph services immediately knew of the tragedy and the story went out on the wires to all parts of the United States. Shortly thereafter, a large number of telegrams started coming into my office and it was my job to deliver them. I remember this kept me busy into the early hours of Sunday morning. As I delivered these telegrams, many of them asking for a word on members of a family or expressing sympathy to families of the deceased, I noticed particularly that the undertakers were out in force. In addition to grief-stricken family members, there was a frequent presence of an undertaker seeking to get business.

Natalie Zett:

From that day on, I have had a dislike of those who are in this occupation. It was an excellent lesson to me that where money is involved, some people will stop at nothing to get it. I'm in Rico. That time had gone by. Of course he got some details wrong here in terms of the time of the Eastland disaster, but that's what remained in his memory those many years later the behavior of the undertakers. Of course, not all of the undertakers involved with the Eastland disaster took advantage of people. Rickover is just talking about his point of view, his experience as a 15-year-old working for Western Union, and that's what he saw. But Rickover has a point. Rickover said that where money is involved, some people will stop at nothing to get it, and I can't help but think that the same holds true today, only it isn't just about money. Where attention or control or publicity is involved, some people will also stop at nothing, and that too often comes at the expense of the real history of an event such as the Eastland disaster.

Natalie Zett:

So did you know that Rickover was involved in the Eastland disaster? Did you know that he was there? I didn't Part of my job, and I do treat the research of the people of the Eastland disaster as a job. Part of my job is researching papers nearly daily to see if anything new has come up, and that's how I found this article about Admiral Rickover. And then I did a search to see if Rickover and Eastland popped up in any search results. They did not.

Natalie Zett:

So, as far as I can tell, this story too was never picked up and carried forward, which is a typical thing that we've seen happen with the Eastland disaster history. Still, this is kind of a big deal, because Rickover was one of those big deal larger than life guys, and yet he was affected by the behavior of the people around him during that time and he couldn't get it out of his head. That speaks of his sensitivity, although I'm sure he wouldn't want to be called quote-unquote sensitive, but he was. He was very sensitive to people being exploited during their most vulnerable time. We're never more vulnerable when we are in a situation of tremendous loss, and so that remained with him. What a life lesson.

Natalie Zett:

This segues perfectly into what I want to discuss with you today. But first, in personal news, I'm happy to announce that I completed my Applied Public History Places, people and Stories class at the University of London. They give you a cool certificate at the end of that too. I liked that so much that I'm now taking the next class at the University of London, called Understanding Research Methods. It might not sound exciting, but it really is. I'm learning so much.

Natalie Zett:

I started taking these classes because I wanted to understand the work of a historian. I thought I knew what that was, but I really don't. I was so intrigued after my podcast with the chief historian of the Chicago History Museum, and that's Peter Alter and I told him this as well, and I wanted to understand that world and also see where it converges with my work as a genealogist and an independent researcher and, frankly, I want to do right by the people of the Eastland disaster, all of the people whose lives were affected and those who came after them. All in all, I have to say that being in this virtual classroom has been an extremely invigorating experience. Plus, it's really fun to share my Eastland history research with classmates and professors and to get their feedback and they do have a lot of feedback on how this history has been handled.

Natalie Zett:

The one thing I've learned and I thought this might be true is that there really is a lot of overlap between being a genealogist and being a historian. Both of these areas demand rigorous standards, and one of the main things that they talk about is transparency. In other words, you can't share a story or bit of information without being able to back it up, without telling us where it came from, and historians have their own version of what we in genealogy call reasonably exhaustive research. I try to do that, and because I try to do that, I end up uncovering people that have been lost for years and years to the telling of the Eastland disaster history, people like Hyman Rickover. Of all people, I still can't believe that one, but it just shows me time and time again. Each week I find somebody who is completely missing under the radar from this history, which tells me that this history of the people of the Eastland disaster not the ship, the history of the people of the Eastland disaster has a long, long way to go, but we are making progress and that's the good news.

Natalie Zett:

History also has another layer as well the history of the history, and they call that historiography. As I've researched the lives of the people connected to the Eastland disaster over the past couple of years, I've also stepped back and have been paying attention to how this history has been handled over the decades. On one side, we have copious amounts of information courtesy of the Chicago papers as well as national papers, and it also includes international coverage. This information is accessible and of course it needs to be studied, compared and contrasted and verified. And then we have all sorts of publications that came afterward, for example Dwight Boyer's True Tales of the Great Lakes, where he had that chapter on the Eastland disaster. Then in 1995, we have George Hilton's Eastland Legacy of the Titanic, still the most comprehensive book written about the Eastland disaster by a scholar with no agenda other than wanting to tell what happened.

Natalie Zett:

The 21st century is something of a puzzle. That's where the work seems to be leaning more toward publicity and branding, which can be useful, but sometimes at the cost of collapsing the history into just a handful of stories. So looking at the Eastland means doing two things at once recovering the stories of the people themselves and also asking hard questions about how their stories have been packaged and shared over time In between classes. I've been hanging out at the National Archives virtually as one does, and I found something extraordinary, Another one of those documents more or less hiding in plain sight that also acts as a portal to understanding the people of the Eastland disaster from a different perspective. As far as I can tell, it's not been cited or mentioned in any 21st century literature or website that I could find, and as it is.

Natalie Zett:

With so many of the documents I've located, this one too, hiding in plain sight, is an absolute treasure. This is actually a collection of documents, of court documents. It doesn't have a cover or a title, but I'll share a link so you can see it in its natural habitat. You know what I mean and ironically it was another legal proceedings document that led me into studying the people of the Eastland disaster and this is also a similar type of document that this document contains multiple damage claims filed in the US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois against the St Joseph Chicago Steamship Company, which owned and operated the Eastland. The steamship company petitioned the court to limit their liability under maritime law. I know that doesn't sound exciting, but wait until you hear what's in this document. I know that doesn't sound exciting, but wait until you hear what's in this document.

Natalie Zett:

Wrongful death claims of course there were multiple families who were seeking $10,000 each for deceased relatives. The next claim type personal injury claims. These were survivors seeking damages for things like physical injuries, broken bones, bruises, internal injuries, nervous shock and trauma, medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering and property damage. We also have property loss claims, including musical instruments, personal belongings, clothing and baggage, and business equipment and supplies. And, of course, the allegations of negligence. The claims consistently allege that the steamship company was negligent in improper ballasting of the vessel, overloading with passengers beyond safe capacity, faulty construction and design, careless operation and management, inadequate safety measures. No arguments there.

Natalie Zett:

A document like this. It shows the human cost of the disaster, while also documenting the legal framework used to seek compensation and establish accountability for maritime accidents. The stories that I'm about to share with you, as far as I know, have never been shared outside of these legal documents, that is. The other thing to note about this document is that it is a scan of the original document, in other words, it's not a transcription, so we're seeing it as close to the original as possible. That's really exciting. This is an actual primary source.

Natalie Zett:

What I'm about to read comes straight from court documents. The stories inside are remarkable, but the legal language of the time can feel heavy, repetitive and sometimes downright weird. While I seldom edit documents like this, I read them to you as I find them. In this case, there was so much use of words like aforesaid, or said boat, said city, said river. I got rid of a lot of the saids and replaced those with the, so it sounds less irritating. Even as I was reading it, I was actually losing my ability to focus, so that's the only modification I did, and I will share this document in its original so you can see it, but I did not change the meaning. I just made it a little more easy on the ears. For listeners outside the US it may sound even stranger. I'll explain things a bit at the end of each reading. But the main reason I'm doing this is to stay true to my original intent for this podcast to share the documents as I found them, not to embellish them for entertainment or branding. These documents are pieces of long-lost history that, without this research, would probably remain hidden. And the podcast gives me a way to bring these stories, these people, back into the light, to make their voices and stories accessible around the world.

Natalie Zett:

And we'll jump into this document and read several personal injury claims. I think you'll find them intriguing. Here we go. Personal injury claims. I think you'll find them intriguing. Here we go. Cover sheet reads United States District Court, northern District of Illinois, eastern Division, admirality, in the matter of St Joseph Steamship Company as owners of the Steamer Eastland for a limitation of its liability, versus the claim of Frank Brady, february 21st 1916, so not quite a year after the Eastland disaster. And the other signer's handwriting is difficult to read but it appears to be Charles C Spencer and Arthur, a House attorneys.

Natalie Zett:

Your claimant, frank Brady, represents and shows that on the 24th day of July AD 1915, he was a passenger on the steamer Eastland at Chicago, illinois, within the district, and that while he was such passenger and was on board, the steamer Eastland was overturned in the Chicago River by reason of the negligence of the St Joseph Chicago Steamship Company, a corporation, its lessees, servants, agents and employees, whereby your claimant was then and there thrown from and off the steamship with great force and violence to and into the river and was thereby greatly hurt, wounded and injured, and his nervous system was greatly injured, shocked and shattered. And he became shocked, sore, lame, diseased and disordered and he was put in imminent peril of his life and suffered and will continue to suffer in the future as long as he lives. And thereupon the claimant prays that this honorable court will be pleased to decree and award him damages for his injuries and otherwise right and justice to administer in the premises. Now what's interesting about this document is there's a handwritten note that says no amount. Frank Brady claimant signs this and that's all the information or documentation we have on this.

Natalie Zett:

So Frank Brady filed a claim and testified that he had boarded as a passenger that morning and, through no fault of his own, was caught in the overturning of the steamer. He described being thrown violently into the Chicago River, where he was injured, bruised and badly shaken. Injured, bruised and badly shaken More than just the physical pain, frank emphasized how the disaster left his nervous system shocked and shattered. He said he became sore, lame and disordered, with his health permanently undermined. In his petition, frank asked the court to recognize that he had been placed in imminent peril of his life and that the injuries he suffered would follow him for the rest of his days. He sought damages, appealing to the court for what he called right and justice to make him whole.

Natalie Zett:

We don't yet know what happened to Frank Brady's claim, but we're going to go on to the next person. All right, our next claimant is Harold G Durkee. I'll read the document that is in his file. Read the document that is in his file State of Illinois SS libel and petition. County of Cook to the Honorable Judges of the District Court of the United States in and for said division.

Natalie Zett:

Said division, harold G Durkee, being first duly sworn, deposes and says that on the 24th day of July 1915, he was accepted as a passenger on the steamer Eastland, then lying at a certain point in the Chicago River, for the purpose of being conveyed to Michigan City, indiana, that while on the steamer for the purpose, the steamer was so carelessly, negligently, willfully, wantonly, wrongfully and improperly managed, controlled and operated that the steamer then and there turned over on its side in the Chicago River and your libelant, while in the exercise of all due care and diligence, was thrown with great violence upon the piling of the structure known as the Clark Street Bridge. One or more bones in the ankle of Libelund were broken and one of his ankles was dislocated, and he was otherwise greatly bruised, hurt and wounded. And this Libelund lay out diverse large sums of money, amounting to $ twenty dollars, endeavoring to be cured of the injuries received, as mentioned. And also your libelant became sick and lame and so remained for a long time and was hindered and prevented from following his usual occupation and thereby lost the wages which he would otherwise have earned and acquired, amounting to two hundred dollars, to the total damages of your libelent in the sum of two hundred and twenty dollars. Therefore, he claims a lien upon said vessel, her boilers, engines, machinery, boats, tackle and furniture, and prays that the court may declare his lien and give him such relief and redress as he as entitled to. It is signed by Harold G Durkee, subscribed and sworn to and before me on the third day of December AD 1915. The signature looks like AB Allhouse. Harold Durkee describes some pretty serious injuries multiple broken bones in his ankle, a dislocation, and other bruises and wounds. Because of these injuries, he said he was unable to work for a long time, endured great pain and lost wages he would otherwise have earned. He also had to spend a substantial amount of money. He also had to spend a substantial amount of money about $200, on doctors and treatments. Durkee valued the total damages of his libel at $2,200, $2,200, and he formally claimed a lien against the Eastland and its owners for that amount.

Natalie Zett:

So these claims there are some similarities and there are some differences. You'll hear those. Each libelant did hire their own lawyer or sometimes firms that specialized. Our next claimant is Mrs Abby Wiley. You'll hear some of the same language that we've heard in Fred's and Harold's claims, but she also has some distinguishing characteristics about her claim and in the documentation she is referred to as Mrs Wiley. I didn't know what her first name was until I saw her signature. Her engines, boilers, machinery, boats, tackle, apparel and furniture, and against all persons having or claiming to have any interest therein.

Natalie Zett:

In a case of damage, civil and maritime, alleges and articulately propounds as follows First, that the steamer Eastland is a steam vessel of the United States of more than 20 tons burden, engaged in the business of commerce and navigation upon the Great Lakes, their connecting and tributary waters. Second, the libelant upon information and belief alleges that on the 24th day of July AD 1915, at about 8 o'clock am, the steamer Eastland was engaged in receiving passengers at a certain dock in the Chicago River, a connecting and tributary water of the Great Lakes, the dock being located in the city of Chicago, county of Cook and state of Illinois, and that at said time Steamer Eastland was moored to the dock so described. Third, on that day and date, mrs Wiley was a passenger for a reward in and upon Steamer Eastland and was at all times in the use of due care and diligence for her own safety. And that while she was a passenger in and upon the Steamer Eastland, the Steamer Eastland was so carelessly, negligently and improperly operated, driven, loaded, placed, ballasted, kept and built that she then and there overturned and sank, causing Mrs Wiley to be thrown into the water and there remain for a long time, and was severely injured by diverse parts of the boat and was wet and chilled by reason of being in water. Fourth, that the overturning and sinking of the boat was without any fault whatever on the part of Mrs Wiley but was due solely to the negligence, carelessness and want of skill on the part of the steamer Eastland and those in charge of her navigation, building and loading. Fifth, by reason of injuries and by reason of wetting and chilling, libelant, then and there, became sore, lame, disordered and sick, and so remained and sick and so remained and in the future will so remain.

Natalie Zett:

And so, by means of the premises, libelund was injured both internally and externally and suffered a severe nervous shock to her system and was severely injured in her left leg and knee and has been rendered unable to follow her usual vocation and will be in the future deprived of diverse incomes which she might otherwise have earned but for the injuries occasioned. She has been compelled and has laid out and become liable and indebted for certain sums of money, to wit $ dollars in and about endeavoring to be cured of illness and injuries, and the further sum of fifty dollars, the value of her clothing which was ruined beyond repair. And your libelant will in the future be compelled to lay out diverse large sums of money, to wit $1,000, in and about endeavoring to be cured of her said illness and injuries, all to the damage of the libelant in the sum of $1,500. And also, by reason of the premise, this libelant claims a lien on the steamer Eastland, her engines, boilers, machinery, boats, tackle, apparel and furnishings for the sum of $1,500. Six, that your libelant has called upon the owners of the steamer Eastland for an amicable adjustment of said damage, but they have neglected and refused and still neglect and refuse to pay the same or any part thereof. Seventh, that all and singular the premises are true and within the admiralty and maritime jurisdiction of this honorable court, wherefore your libel and praise that process, in due form of law, according to the course and practice of this honorable court, may issue again at the steamer Eastland her engines, boilers, machinery, tackle, apparel and furnishings, and that all having any interest may be cited to appear and answer all and singular the allegations of this libel. And that, upon final hearing, this honorable court may be pleased to announce in favor of libelous claim and to decree the payment thereof with interest and costs, and that the steamer Eastland may be condemned and sold to pay the same and for such other and further relief as the libelant may be entitled to receive in the premises, signed by Mrs Abby A Wiley and LW Bestel, attorneys for Libelund.

Natalie Zett:

In her court filing, abby Wiley said that she had boarded the steamer as a paying customer, expecting, as anyone would, to be carried safely. Instead, she found herself caught in the chaos when the ship rolled and went over. She described being thrown into the river and struggling there for some time, wet and chilled, before she was finally pulled to safety. She claimed that the Eastland was negligently built, ballasted and operated and that the disaster wasn't the fault of the passengers but of those responsible for the vessel. She suffered lasting injuries and illness from the ordeal, including weakness and pain that affected her ability to carry on her normal work. She also noted the financial strain doctor's bills, ruined clothing and other expenses piled up. Her libel asked the court for compensation both for her suffering and for the money she was forced to spend afterward. Remember this is during a time where there were very few government services there for people, so they more or less had to fend for themselves.

Natalie Zett:

Now I know everyone's probably wondering what happened with all these individual cases. I'm wondering the same. It is very difficult to trace each individual not impossible, but it's going to take a little bit more work, but right now I am at the beginning of this particular leg of this research journey. What I can tell you now is that overall justice for these people was elusive, to say the least. The owners of the Eastland fought hard to limit their liability and in the end very little real accountability or compensation came to the survivors or to the families who lost loved ones. So these court documents also remind us of the frustration of the Eastland story. Powerful people maneuvered to protect themselves while ordinary working-class people bore the loss.

Natalie Zett:

Sadly, this is a story that doesn't just apply to the people of the Eastland, and we will continue discussing stories from this document, because this is one of the rare times where we get to hear stories of individual survivors. Plus, these aren't newspaper articles, these are court cases and hopefully that means the information is a lot more accurate. And finally, when we look at the Eastland court claims, the dollar amounts might not sound like much today $2,000 here, $10,000 there but if we adjust for inflation, the picture changes. In 1915, $20 would have been about $640 today and $10,000 back then. That's more like $320,000 in today's money. These weren't small requests. They were families and individuals trying to recover the equivalent of years of wages or the financial stability of a whole household.

Natalie Zett:

So thanks for slogging through these court documents with me. I hope that you got something out of this, and this is also a part of the history of the people of the Eastland disaster. I enjoy making stories engaging, but sometimes you have to bring in these types of documents as well to make sure you get the full depth and breadth of what happened here. And Admiral Rickover, who knew Well, I'll have more stories for you next week. God knows who's going to show up. I didn't expect this guy to show up, but you never know. But there's one thing for sure the history of the people of the Eastland disaster is a lot more exciting than even I realized.

Natalie Zett:

So thanks for coming along on this journey. I'll talk to you next week. Goodbye, hey. That's it for this episode and thanks for coming along for the ride. Please subscribe or follow so you can keep up with all the episodes, and for more information, please go to my website. That's wwwflowerintherivercom. I hope you'll consider buying my book, available as audiobook, ebook, paperback and hardcover, because I still owe people money, and that's my running joke. But the one thing I'm serious about is that this podcast and my book are dedicated to the memory of all who experienced the Eastland disaster of 1915. Goodbye for now.

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