Oh Susannah

 

In mid-April I found some interesting articles about the construction of the RMS Titanic, its sinking, and the aftermath. In the days of library card catalogues and leather-bound encyclopedias, when you move on to other subjects, that’s the end of it. The Internet doesn’t work that way. For weeks I’ve been bombarded with Titanic stories, whether I want them or not. Occasionally I’ll see one worth reading, like this: The public was understandably upset that the Titanic had insufficient lifeboats for passengers and crew. So, congress quickly passed the LaFollette Seaman's Act, mandating more lifeboats. July 24, 1915, the Great Lakes excursion steamer Eastland “turned turtle” in the Chicago River, killing 844. Like most Great Lakes ships, Eastland had no keel. It was top-heavy, carrying many more passengers than it was meant to, along with the additional (completely useless) lifeboats. It simply flipped over. Lawmakers were actually warned this might happen, but they felt they had to do SOMETHING.