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A faded, barely readable newspaper scan kept the Eastland Disaster survivor stories tucked away for decades, hiding them in plain sight. When a clearer copy finally surfaced, it was like prying open a sealed time capsule. We dive into two interviews from 1935, marking twenty years since the SS Eastland tragedy in Chicago. What leaps from the page is vivid and unfiltered: a heated argument at the gangplank, the sharpest screams, the moment the deck lurches, and the heart-stopping decisions that separate survival from loss.

We immerse ourselves in the voices of Western Electric workers and passengers—Rose Smoller, Walter H. Flinn, Lisle (Lysle) Goyette, Ethel Stephenson, Jennie Turbov, William Kaunt, Frank Terdina, and Charles Borovansky. Their memories shrink the disaster to the scale of white-knuckled hands clutching rails, bodies squeezing through cabin windows, and floating debris that transforms into lifelines. The trauma lingers, echoing for decades as nightmares and a lasting fear of water. The Berwyn Life account adds unforgettable color: Terdina pausing at the edge, reluctant to ruin his new suit, only to be ensnared by ropes underwater as the Eastland crashes down.

Then we pause to face a sobering truth about the Eastland Disaster’s history: so many names have faded from the digital record, or appear without stories or sources, making them nearly impossible to trace. We share what we’ve uncovered, what still slips through our fingers, and how this podcast is becoming a living archive for the Eastland’s forgotten voices. If the Eastland Disaster, Chicago history, survivor stories, or the craft of family storytelling resonate with you, subscribe, share this episode, and leave a review to help keep these memories alive.

Resources:

• “The Eastland Disaster—20 Years Ago Next Wednesday: Survivors Recall the Deeds of Heroism,” by Joseph J. Dugan, Chicago Tribune (Chicago, Illinois), July 21, 1935, p. 3.
• “Recount Harrowing Scenes: Twenty Years Ago Today-Horror of Eastland Disaster,” Berwyn Life (Berwyn, Illinois), July 24, 1935, p. 1

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