Died at the age of 19 in the Eastland Disaster. He was employed as a bookkeeper for Western Electric.∼Louis Bilwach, 2846 S. Avers, was 19 years old and a bookkeeper at the time of his death. He was the son of Frank Bilwach and Anna Novacek. He perished during the S.S. Eastland Disaster in Chicago, IL.
Early on the morning of Saturday, July 24, 1915, with a light rain falling and the air filled with much anticipation and excitement, thousands were gathering along the Chicago River for Western Electric's fifth annual employee picnic. In fact, over 7,000 tickets had been purchased.The S.S. Eastland, known as the "speed queen of the Great Lakes," was part of a fleet of five excursion boats assigned to take Western Electric employees, their families and friends across Lake Michigan to Michigan City, Indiana, for the day's festivities.But the Eastland, docked at the Clark Street Bridge, never left the Chicago River. It instead rolled into the river at the wharf's edge with over 2,500 passengers, including crew members, on board. Close to 850 people lost their lives, including 22 entire families.
Early on the morning of Saturday, July 24, 1915, with a light rain falling and the air filled with much anticipation and excitement, thousands were gathering along the Chicago River for Western Electric's fifth annual employee picnic. In fact, over 7,000 tickets had been purchased.The S.S. Eastland, known as the "speed queen of the Great Lakes," was part of a fleet of five excursion boats assigned to take Western Electric employees, their families and friends across Lake Michigan to Michigan City, Indiana, for the day's festivities.But the Eastland, docked at the Clark Street Bridge, never left the Chicago River. It instead rolled into the river at the wharf's edge with over 2,500 passengers, including crew members, on board. Close to 850 people lost their lives, including 22 entire families.
Died at the age of 19 in the Eastland Disaster. He was employed as a bookkeeper for Western Electric.∼Louis Bilwach, 2846 S. Avers, was 19 years old and a bookkeeper at the time of his death. He was the son of Frank Bilwach and Anna Novacek. He perished during the S.S. Eastland Disaster in Chicago, IL.
Early on the morning of Saturday, July 24, 1915, with a light rain falling and the air filled with much anticipation and excitement, thousands were gathering along the Chicago River for Western Electric's fifth annual employee picnic. In fact, over 7,000 tickets had been purchased.The S.S. Eastland, known as the "speed queen of the Great Lakes," was part of a fleet of five excursion boats assigned to take Western Electric employees, their families and friends across Lake Michigan to Michigan City, Indiana, for the day's festivities.But the Eastland, docked at the Clark Street Bridge, never left the Chicago River. It instead rolled into the river at the wharf's edge with over 2,500 passengers, including crew members, on board. Close to 850 people lost their lives, including 22 entire families.
Early on the morning of Saturday, July 24, 1915, with a light rain falling and the air filled with much anticipation and excitement, thousands were gathering along the Chicago River for Western Electric's fifth annual employee picnic. In fact, over 7,000 tickets had been purchased.The S.S. Eastland, known as the "speed queen of the Great Lakes," was part of a fleet of five excursion boats assigned to take Western Electric employees, their families and friends across Lake Michigan to Michigan City, Indiana, for the day's festivities.But the Eastland, docked at the Clark Street Bridge, never left the Chicago River. It instead rolled into the river at the wharf's edge with over 2,500 passengers, including crew members, on board. Close to 850 people lost their lives, including 22 entire families.
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