From the September 9th Chicago Tribune "Hazy future for relic of past" by Robert McCoppin and Wikipedia.
It was the worst ever open-water disaster on Lake Michigan and took place 150 years ago, September 8, 1860, when 350 men, women and children lost their lives when the Lady Elgin sank returning to Milwaukee from Chicago after being rammed by another ship.
The worst-ever loss of life on all of the Great Lakes took place on the Chicago River in Chicago when the SS Eastland capsized July 24, 1915, and 884 died.
Its anchor still stands upright and a long chain is attached to it. The ship's wooden beams stand upright like a whale skeleton and pieces of broken china lie scattered on the lake floor along with a boiler and even a Civil War era rifle.
The site of the wreck is in 60 feet of water, several miles offshore of Highland Park (a suburb north of Chicago)
Some 200 artifacts from the wreck are still in storage, waiting for a museum to take them.
Most people Have never heard of the Lady Elgin. More to Come. --DaCoot
No comments:
Post a Comment