Hello, I'm Natalie Zett and welcome to Flower in the River. This podcast, inspired by my book of the same name, explores the 1915 Eastland disaster in Chicago and its enduring impact, particularly on my family's history. We'll explore the intertwining narratives of others impacted by this tragedy as well, and we'll dive into writing and genealogy and uncover the surprising supernatural elements that surface in family history research. Come along with me on this journey of discovery. Hello, this is Natalie, and welcome to episode 45 of Flower in the River podcast. Today's journey begins with a fascinating update, an email from Austria that weaves directly into the tapestry of the Eastland narrative that we've talked about in previous episodes. We're going to then dive into the remarkable tale of a very resilient woman whose life was touched not just once but twice by maritime tragedy, miraculously surviving. Wait for this one, both the Eastland disaster and another harrowing incident. A dozen years on, and in a twist that ties reality to the silver screen, we uncover the true valor of Johnny Weismiller, whose portrayal of Tarzan paled in comparison to his real-life heroics. Stay tuned as we unfold these incredible stories where history, family and legacy intertwine. So let me tell you about this email that I received earlier this week from Austria, from Vienna, austria. To be specific. If you remember, a few episodes ago I told the story of George Dobek and his sweetheart fiance, teresa Danda, who were both killed on the Eastland and whose families decided to bury them together in Bohemian National Cemetery in Chicago. Remember them? The title of the episode was something like before Jack and Rose, there was George and Teresa, and one of the biggest thrills that I have in genealogy work is connecting with previously unknown family who I never heard of and who live outside of the United States. This experience of meeting different people all over the globe has provided a larger, more expansive view of my DNA family. So when I was a kid, I knew that all four grandparents came from what they used to call the old country that's how they used to pronounce it and it never occurred to me back then that other family members might not have immigrated, thank you. And as I've gone on in this Eastland disaster journey, I realized early on that I'm also part of another type of family too, and those would be all of the people, living or dead, who share the Eastland disaster in their history. So when I think of family now, it's not just my DNA matches that I'm considering, but it's also these people who have the Eastland disaster as part of their family history.
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So back in November, when I felt inspired to start doing the Eastland Chronicles series and that would be taking time to honor people beyond my own DNA family, it's been both rewarding and very enjoyable to put their stories out there, and my wish for that series is that I would make the stories as accessible as possible so anyone looking for any of their relatives that they might not have heard of or that they want more information on they can come to my website or my blog or my YouTube channel or download the podcast and learn what I know about their family and hopefully augment it with their own stories. One of the stories that I shared several episodes ago was about George and Teresa, and just this week I got a most informative email from one of George's family members who lives in Austria. I can't tell you how exciting that was. He enriched the narrative with a deeper dive into the lineage of George's family, offering a wider lens through which to understand where George's people came from and who they were. I love this stuff as a genealogist and the surname of the person who reached out to me is none other than Pfeiffer. Again, I can't believe some of this stuff that happens. And it doesn't look as if this person and I are related via DNA but, as I told him, since we both lost people in the Eastland disaster, that is our bond and we are that type of family. So it was a thrill to hear from him, it was so gratifying to know that somebody else caught this story, somebody that normally might not even know where to look to find additional information about his relative, especially if there's an ocean that separates us. And that makes it really satisfying, because it tells me that I'm reaching the people that I want to reach, among them other people who have the Eastland disaster in their family history.
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And one thing I want to say to anybody putting out any type of creative work a lot of people are reluctant to do so, understandably, because you think, oh, who's going to care? Who's going to hear this or see this, or whatever? Fact is, you don't know. The fact is, a lot of people might jive with your work long after you're gone. But the important thing is to get it out there, because if it's not out there and not accessible, people will have no way of finding it. And once they find it. If they gravitate toward it, toward your message, toward the story that you're sharing, then you have made a new connection and then you have enriched somebody else's life with your work. So I would encourage all of you creatives who maybe are sitting on the fence or who feel kind of, oh, what's going to happen when it gets out there? What's going to happen when it gets out there? I'll tell you. It will get out there, and after a while you don't even worry about reactions and things like that, because there is so much joy in the creative process and so much joy in creating a community of sorts for me, of the departed as well as the living, and connecting all those lives that are. They're already connected, I know that, but connecting them in a deeper way through their stories. And for me, again, having this additional information about George Daubeck's family, I can add to his little family tree that I created and that fills out his story as well. So genealogy is constant course correction and I will always say that. But it's a fun flight to be on Tarzan's Chicago Adventure. But on to last week's Cliff Hanger.
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I promised to tell you about Tarzan's Chicago Adventure and that's a riff off of Tarzan's New York Adventure, which was the final film with Maureen O'Sullivan as Jane, for you trivia people, but I digress. So back in 1927, just five years before he starred in his very first Tarzan film, tarzan the Ape man, weissmiller won at least five Olympic gold medals and set 67 world records. He was living in Chicago at that time, where his family relocated after initially immigrating to Winbur, pennsylvania, from Europe, what you don't know from Johnny Weissmiller. Hmm, maybe this will help, do you remember now? Yes, tarzan, johnny Weissmiller, after all these years, is probably still the best known Tarzan, and not just because of that yell. So back before he was Tarzan and he was just your basic Olympic star.
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On July 28, 1927, johnny Weissmiller and his brother Pete were working out or lifeguarding I've heard conflicting stories. By the way, they were on the shore at Lake Michigan, chicago, near Lincoln Park. At that same time, a small excursion boat capsized. The Weissmiller brothers saw it and sprang into action Enter the favorite. But just 20 minutes before, happy folks, mostly families with children, were standing in line milling about waiting to board this small excursion vessel called the favorite. It was a hot July day and in 1927 air conditioning as we know it did not exist. So this little adventure would have been a welcome relief, but a chill went down the spine of Gertrude Berndt, who was about to board the ship.
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Just 12 years prior, she had incredibly survived the Eastland disaster which killed over 800 people. Still haunted by memories of that fateful day, she was hesitant to step onto another boat. But friends and family called her a crepe hanger. Do you know what that is? A crepe hanger is someone who has a knack for seeing the glass as half empty, endlessly predicting gloomy outcomes and just spreading a general vibe of doom and gloom. The origin of the word comes from the early 20th century, where crepe and that's C-R-E-P-E, which is a type of black cloth while it was used as a symbol of mourning, it was often hung on doors or even worn as part of mourning. Attire M-O-U-R-N-I-N-G. I should say attire. When someone passed away, gertrude eventually capitulated and boarded the ship with her husband Edward, 5-year-old daughter Lois, lorraine, mother-in-law and other family members. Sadly, gertrude was about to relive that earlier nightmare.
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The Fateful Voyage. The fateful voyage the favorite left Lincoln Park on the north side of Chicago filled with around 70 passengers, mostly women and children, eager to enjoy the sights and cool lake breezes. On the short trip to municipal pier, which is now Navy Pier. Once aboard, gertrude's fears increased. She didn't like the feel of this ship. But less than a mile offshore, the weather suddenly turned Dark. Clouds rolled in, bringing heavy rain and fierce winds. As passengers rushed to take shelter on the port side away from the downpour, the small boat became dangerously unbalanced, sudden disaster. In an instant, the favorite tipped violently and capsized just half a mile off of North Avenue, sending screaming passengers into the water.
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Rescue efforts Johnny Weismiller and his brother Pete, who were training for a marathon nearby, rode out to the ship and dove repeatedly to retrieve victims. Along with retrieving bodies, they rescued many Wealthy Yatzman William Hoffnauer rescued over 20 people with his boat, the Doris. Other swimmers and lifeguards also helped. Makeshift hospitals popped up on beaches as nurses and doctors tried desperately to revive the unresponsive. Many were saved that day by the brave rescue teams. The aftermath In the end 27 people perished, including 16 children.
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It was a devastating loss of life. Investigations pointed to the sudden storm as the cause rather than any criminality. However, the aged life jackets and rafts raised concerns over proper safety regulations, prompting calls for reform. For those who survived the horrific accident, the memories of that day surely lived on A sorrowful reminder of both tragedy and community spirit along Chicago's lakefront. But before we go any farther, let's hear an eyewitness account. Chicago Daily Tribune, friday, july 29, 1927.
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Mother again escapes death but loses four Eastland survivor talks of new disaster by James O'Donnell Bennett, saved when the excursion boat Eastland tipped over. Mrs Gertrude Bernt, 7655 South Hermitage Avenue, was saved 12 years and four days afterward when the excursion boat favorite tipped over. Yesterday. The scenes of both her escapes are within signaling distance of each other. By steamboat whistle, 7 members of the Bernt kindred were on the favorite. Four were drowned. Before she plunged from the favorite into Lake Michigan, mrs Bernt threw her five-year-old daughter, lois Lorraine, into the water.
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Quote I have heart trouble, said the mother, and to avoid dragging my baby down if I should collapse in the water, I kept away from her. I knew she could swim and after we both struck the water I saw her swimming without any panic. I knew it was my duty to keep away from her and to keep my mouth shut. I asked some men in a rowboat to pull us into their boat, but they refused. Finally they threw us a rope. We were towed to a beautiful yacht that took us on board Headline said she fears boat.
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When we started to go on the favorite I said to my husband I don't like the looks of this boat. It has a tendency to lean to one side. He said oh, don't spoil the party. They all laughed at me and my mother-in-law said oh, you're tired and cranky. But I know a good deal about boats and I didn't like the looks of the favorite. So I said before we got on, why not wait until the other larger boat comes in and take it? They all laughed again and called me a crepe hanger. So I went aboard Go to the other side. I hollered, go to the other side. But that was the side the rain was driving in on and they wouldn't. Headline jokes with passengers Go on, get wet. I shouted you won't shrink.
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Some men said mind your own business and the words were hardly out of his mouth before the boat keeled over. The crew was very dumb and very slow about helping. The screaming was terrible. It entered my mind and I think I said the words if it's my time to go, it's my time and my baby's time to go. After that I kept my mouth shut when the favorite tipped over. It was not a slow tip but a rush.
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Even if the life preservers had been convenient it would have been hard to get into one in time. But they were not convenient and I said to my folks soon after the favorite started if this boat goes over we'll never get a life preserver. They're so inconvenient. The children's life preservers were below the deck and the ones above would not come loose as they should have. Even one of the men himself said he couldn't untie them. They had a little girl on the boat to blow the whistle. I think she was about twelve years old. She untied the ropes. When they pulled the gangplank out I saw only four men who looked like crew. Her Eastland Escape.
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When Mrs Berndt escaped death in the Eastland disaster, she jumped from the second deck into the Chicago River and was picked up by men in a small boat Of the Berndt party. The saved were Mrs Gertrude Berndt, her husband Edward, daughter Lois. The lost were Mrs Berndt's mother-in-law, amanda Berndt, her sister-in-law, mrs Clara Young, mrs Young's daughter Lois, age five, and Mrs Berndt's nephew Robert Erickson, age four. Edward J Berndt, clinging with one arm to the overturned favorite, sustained his mother with the other, but she died of shock when the rescue boat carried her and her son ashore. End of article. We're not done yet, though, because I've got a few more articles for you, so here's another one from the Belvedere Daily, republican, 29th July 1927. Survivor was also rescued from Eastland, chicago, july 29th, mrs Gertrude Berndt, survivor of the Eastland disaster 12 years ago which took the lives of 812 pleasure seekers, was among the rescued passengers on the ill-fated excursion boat Favorite, which sunk in Lake Michigan yesterday, near Lincoln Park.
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Four members of her family went down with the Favorite Quote. My experience 12 years ago made me reluctant to board the vessel. Mrs Berndt sobbed, but rather than be a grape hanger and spoil the family's outing, I went along. I told my husband before we went aboard that I didn't like the looks of the craft, as it appeared to lean to one side, and that is the end of that article. So afterward I did quite a bit of research on Gertrude and I found out that, wow, all the way around, her life was not easy.
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She had a large family who immigrated to the United States from England and Ireland and she was born Gertrude Robjohn or in some reports it's Gertrude Robjohns While her dad was working as a carpenter and when she was six her mom died At age 12, gertrude and one of her brothers was living with her married brother and the brother's family. Her father had remarried and none of the children from his first marriage were living with him and Gertrude while she was just 16 years old when she survived the Eastland disaster. It's a mystery as to why she was there in the first place, but maybe another family member worked for Western Electric. She married Edward Berndt two years later and probably never thought she'd be cheating death by boat disaster twice in her life. She eventually left Chicago with her husband Edward and daughter Lois, and they settled in Alleria, ohio, which is not that far from Cleveland where I grew up. Later, gertrude and Edward retired to Florida. Gertrude died in 1973, and Edward died in 1980. Lois married and had a family, and she passed away in 2015.
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As always, I have to wonder did the three of them ever discuss what happened that day On July 27, 1927, when the favorite capsized? I also have another article from the Belvedere Republican. This article appeared in the same issue. In fact, it's right below the article that I just read to you about Gertrude. Headline Weissmuller assists Chicago July 29th.
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Johnny Weissmuller, world champion swimmer and diver of the Illinois Athletic Club was one of the volunteer rescue workers who risked his life to recover bodies from the wrecked excursion boat favorite, which sunk in Lake Michigan. Weissmuller, diving from a nearby launch, brought the bodies of several children to the surface. I want to read a little bit more about Johnny Weissmuller. I mean, I always love those Tarzan movies, but he really was a hero. This is another article from the Olympians magazine. It was written by Roy Tamizawa on June 1st 2017, so this one is more recent, and the title is the Effortless and Legendary Life of Johnny Weissmuller.
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This is part four. Real life hero saves eleven lives. There are sports heroes and there are true heroes. Duke Kahanimoka, a three-time Olympian, was in Los Angeles on June 14th 1925, and saw Ayat overturn in the choppy waters. He dove into the ocean and ended up saving 12 people, eight solely on his own. Two years later, johnny Weissmuller, who took over Kahanimoka's champion mantle in the 1924 Paris Olympics, was able to match the great Duke's heroism on Lake Michigan in Chicago.
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On July 28th 1927, weissmuller and his brother, peter, were on the choppy waters of the lake training for an upcoming Chicago River Marathon race. Johnny was in the water while Peter was in a rowboat, following a long, coaching and encouraging. On this particular day, the winds were whipping up and the bright and sunny day suddenly turned dark and stormy. Unfortunately, a double-decker excursion boat called the Favorite was on the water carrying 71 passengers and was unable to handle the sudden appearance of a squall with cyclonic force accompanied by heavy rain. As Weissmuller biographer, david Fury, noted, powerful winds quickly tossed passengers from the top deck into the roiling waters. As the boat rolled violently side to side, it took on so much water that the lower decks were plunged under the surface. The brothers Weissmuller rode to the favorite as fast as they could. When they arrived, they were surprised to see the catatonic face of the captain, who sat in a chair on the top deck holding the hand of a child, clearly in no state to do anything. The brothers, in contrast, dove into the dark water to find passengers. They both brought up two children each. At that stage, johnny barked out for his brother to start reviving the survivors and that he would go in and pick up the others. According to Fury, johnny repeatedly dove in the water in search of passengers, primarily women and children. Eyes burning, lungs burning. In the end, the brothers pulled up and treated over 20 people, while 27 of the 71 passengers died in this calamity. The Weissmuller brothers alone saved 11.
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One thing to note is that just four years prior, newspapers were reporting that Johnny Weissmuller had congenital heart problems that threatened to put an end to his burgeoning Olympic career. Johnny just kept going and just five years later Starden charsened the ape man and became permanently merged with that identity, heroes to the city of Chicago. The brothers viscerally understood this was nothing to celebrate. They received their recognition with solemn appreciation. But, as is often in the case where lives are saved, we often forget there are implications beyond time for such bravery.
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35 years later, johnny Weissmuller received a letter from a woman he did not know. I have seven children and one day my seven children will have their young ones. This circle of life will continue forever or as long as God grants this earth to remain fertile within the atmosphere. But only you, mr Weissmuller, are responsible for this fast miracle that has come to touch my life, because it is you who rescued me from certain death and enabled me to marry and have my children. I shall always impress upon the minds of my young ones to say a prayer of thanks on your behalf and, god willing, these prayers will last through a part of eternity. That's the end of that article, and what an ending. That's a hard one to read because it is so emotional.
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But one thing I do want to ask you do you find, when you have a premonition or something close enough to a premonition, do you find yourself sharing that with other people? Do you find yourself listening to your own premonition and following the guidance that you feel that you're getting? I just wonder about that. I wonder if anything has changed about how we perceive or understand this guidance that we all occasionally get. For Gertrude, you could say it's part premonition, part experience. But how do you divide that up? A lot of people can put these types of experiences behind them, but in a case like this, where she survived the Eastland, which was pretty epic, I'm not sure how she was able to even muster the courage to put one foot in front of the other to get on that boat, but the fact that she was able to keep such a clear head in the midst of another overturned ship is just amazing to me.
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So next week? Well, I actually never know what's going to happen in a given week as I research these newspapers. I don't know who is going to come forward who wants their story told. But you know, I'm pretty open, I'm pretty flexible, and the one thing I have started doing and I haven't posted this yet on my website is that I'm starting to create my own database of the people that I'm finding, not just the victims, but people like Gertrude, who I looked at all of my reference books and I looked online to see if she ever appeared in any of the Eastland stories. I have not found her to date. I mean, I found her in newspapers, but I have not found her in any other databases or anything like that. So, in the name of doing exhaustive research, I will continue researching Gertrude and her family and see if anything else comes up. But in the meantime, make sure to go to my website too, because I will post a photo of Gertrude, edward and their daughter Lois right after they were rescued. It took a long search to locate that photo, but it is there in one of the less known Chicago papers. So make sure you tune in next week, because goodness knows what's going to happen In the meantime. Have a great week, take care, and I will talk to you soon.
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Hey, that's it for this episode and thanks for coming along for the ride. Please subscribe or follow so you can keep up with all the episodes. For more information, please go to my website, that's wwwflowerintherivercom. I hope you'll consider buying my book, available now as audiobook, ebook, paperback and hardcover, as I owe people money and I'm just kidding about that. But the one thing I'm not kidding about is that this podcast and my book are dedicated to the memory of the 844 who died on the Eastland. Goodbye for now.