In 1915, the Chicago River was the scene of a maritime disaster that commanded headlines rivaling the Titanic's sinking three years earlier.The ship was the Eastland, and before she embarked on July 24 from her river dock, the vessel - crammed with 2,500 people and top-heavy from new lifeboats - listed and sank, killing more than 800.
Winfield resident David Nelson, director of the Eastland Disaster Museum in downtown Wheaton, collects artifacts from that dreadful summer day.
Standing Tuesday among the photos, deck chairs and even a cane that floated by a rescuer, Nelson points to the museum's most recent addition - an Uncle Sam costume worn by Eastland survivor Herman Edward Krause.
Proud of his prize catch, Nelson soon will loan the suit to the Museum of Science and Industry for an Eastland exhibit to open there in February.
"It's quite an honor," said Nelson, whose Eastland fascination runs deeper than historical curiosity. Nelson's grandfather, Elmer, cut a hole in the ship's steel hull with a welding torch to rescue survivors.
Recently, Nelson found a kindred spirit in the man who donated the suit - Krause's grandson, Arizona native Karl Sup, who is president of the Eastland Memorial Society (www.eastlandmemorial.org).
Though it was emotionally difficult, Sup knew donating the costume to Nelson's museum was right because his own organization doesn't collect artifacts.
"I was just going to pass it down to my children," he said. "But if I did that, who would know the story other than them."
That story, as told by Elsie Krause, Sup's grandmother, is that Krause dressed as Uncle Sam to march in a parade at the Western Electric Co.'s picnic in Michigan, the Eastland's destination that day.æ
When the ship sank, Krause was thrown into the murky, 21-foot-deep river along with hundreds of others. As rescuers pulled panicked passengers from the water, many around noticed Krause's patriotic suit.
"They (rescuers) began shouting 'Grab Uncle Sam!'æ" Sup said. His grandfather believed the suit was the only thing that saved him that day. "That, and he was a good swimmer."
Both Sup and Nelson hope to elevate the not-so-easy-to-remember disaster in the collective memory of the city.
Sup said one reason more do not remember the Eastland is because just weeks later, it was bumped from front page news by World War I.
Also, the trial into the disaster's cause - buried under war news - eventually, yielded few answers. So the sinking became an embarrassment most wanted to forget, Sup said.
"It was a dark time in Chicago history," Sup said.
But he added that forgetting betrays the memories of those who perished. He and Nelson hope their efforts change that.
Nelson wants to increase the visibility of his museum, which in turn, he said, could lead to further donations from people who may have artifacts and not know their significance.
One of Sup's goals is to get a larger memorial erected at the site of the Eastland's wreck. Today, only a plaque marks the spot.
The suit is a mean to those ends, Sup said, because it is tangible in ways a photo or news clipping can never be.
"It takes on human form," he said. "It brings it home."
The Eastland Disaster Museum, 124 N. Main St., is open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the first Saturday of each month. Viewing artifacts at other times can be arranged by calling (630) 630-4220.
