What would you do if you narrowly missed a disaster that claimed hundreds of lives? In this episode of "Flower in the River Podcast," we uncover the riveting stories of Tom Milton and Dr. Willard Calvin Haynes, two unsung heroes forever linked by the 1915 Eastland disaster. First, we journey with Tom George Milton, a man who narrowly escaped the tragedy but led an adventurous life filled with service across continents and wars. At 70, Tom's zest for life was unquenchable, as highlighted by a Houston Chronicle article that captures his intriguing journey, including his stint with Western Electric, his military life, and his life as an actor.
We then shift focus to Dr. Willard Calvin Haynes, who reached out to Tom after reading his story and shared his own haunting experience from that fateful day. Dr. Haynes' life was a complex web of roles——from farmer and oilman to doctor and fruit seller—each thread revealing his resilience and dedication.
The episode culminates with an intriguing discovery on eBay of items related to Tom Milton and Willard Haynes, now digitized and preserved for future generations. Join us as we honor the quiet courage and historical significance of these two remarkable men.
What would you do if you narrowly missed a disaster that claimed hundreds of lives? In this episode of "Flower in the River Podcast," we uncover the riveting stories of Tom Milton and Dr. Willard Calvin Haynes, two unsung heroes forever linked by the 1915 Eastland disaster. First, we journey with Tom George Milton, a man who narrowly escaped the tragedy but led an adventurous life filled with service across continents and wars. At 70, Tom's zest for life was unquenchable, as highlighted by a Houston Chronicle article that captures his intriguing journey, including his stint with Western Electric, his military life, and his life as an actor.
We then shift focus to Dr. Willard Calvin Haynes, who reached out to Tom after reading his story and shared his own haunting experience from that fateful day. Dr. Haynes' life was a complex web of roles——from farmer and oilman to doctor and fruit seller—each thread revealing his resilience and dedication.
The episode culminates with an intriguing discovery on eBay of items related to Tom Milton and Willard Haynes, now digitized and preserved for future generations. Join us as we honor the quiet courage and historical significance of these two remarkable men.
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. Hey, this is Natalie, and welcome to Episode 69 of Flower in the River Podcast. Today, you will meet two talented and somewhat restless individuals whose paths intersected more than once. The first time was in Chicago in 1915, and then much later in Texas.
Natalie:
After last week's episode featuring the fake over-the-top hero, arthur Loeb, I wanted to introduce you to two real heroes. Okay, they are nowhere near over-the-top, but they exhibited this quiet strength and courage when the Eastland capsized. I have never seen these two men mentioned in any other Eastland stories until now, and I'm guessing from what I've learned about both of them, they likely wouldn't call themselves heroes either, nor would they try to draw undue attention to themselves, but that's often the case with those who step up when it matters the most. These are people who are intelligent, restless and don't follow a single path in their lifetimes. They always take the road less traveled. These individuals have a natural curiosity and a drive to explore various fields and endeavors. They thrive on intellectual challenges, constantly seeking new experiences and places. The two men I'll introduce today couldn't stay in one place or do one thing for very long. They were constantly moving on to the next place or even profession, unbeknownst to them. Their paths crossed during the Eastland disaster of 1915 in Chicago. Nearly 40 years later, in 1954, their paths crossed again, when both had moved to Texas. One man lived in Houston while the other lived nearly 300 miles away in a town called Falfurius. It was a newspaper article that finally brought them together. Never underestimate the power of newspapers. Finally brought them together. Never underestimate the power of newspapers. How did I find this out? Now, that is a story too. It all started with me placing my very first really big bid on an eBay item. I will explain the whole backstory later, but now I want to launch into this article. It is from the Houston Chronicle and the date is January 15th 1954.
Natalie:
At 70, adventure-loving actor keeps young with excitement. The article is by Gilbert Gorman of the Chronicle staff. Tom Milton's quest for adventure has involved wars, revolutions and disasters on three continents, and he's not ready to quit. Yet he's only 70, which to him still is in the prime of life. Quote did you ever see an Englishman admit he was getting old? The Liverpool man asked with a laugh. His adventures finally led him to Houston and eventually to the one phase of his career for which his family members of an old English theatrical family had been hoping acting. He is currently appearing in Theater Inc's the Eternal Eve, and it is this nightly activity, he claims, that is helping to keep him young. I have these wonderful people at the theater to thank for it, he enthusiastically exclaimed.
Natalie:
Young Tom ran away from home after completing his schooling because he didn't want to become an actor. Instead, he shipped on a cattle boat to Dublin, ireland, and enlisted in the 16th Queen's Lancers, a regiment that later saw distinguished service in South Africa during the Boer War, where he spent five years. Quote I never got a scratch in any of my wars, he declared. The regiment went back in England in 1905, and soon after Mr Milton was discharged as a sergeant scout. Still thirsting for adventure, he came to America the next year and worked for a while as a horse trainer, locomotive fireman, brakeman and construction worker. He joined the Western Electric Company in Chicago just in time to be on the sensational Eastland ship disaster of July 24, 1915. The Eastland, loaded with several hundred Western Electric employees on their way to a company picnic, suddenly overturned at the Chicago River Pier and 812 lives were lost. Quote I missed catching that boat by a minute. Mr Milton declared I was late in picking up my date and just as we crossed the bridge toward the boat we saw it turn over. We just stood there. It was awful.
Natalie:
After his stint with Western Electric he enlisted in the 1st Illinois Cavalry Division, in time to be sent to the Mexican border where Pancho Villa was causing trouble. In 1917, his outfit was sent to Camp Logan near Houston for training, where it became part of the 33rd Division. It was while I was there that I met Eloise DeLay in Houston. We had an understanding before I went overseas. The actor exclaimed he had gone to officer's training school in Texas and emerged a second lieutenant In France. He won promotions to captain and joined Army Intelligence. When the conflict was over he returned in Houston to marry Miss Delay, who came from an old French family. They had two children, a son, thomas, now serving with the army, and a daughter, Eloise, who took up ballet, went to New York and became successful with the City Center Opera Ballet Company, ballet Theater and several Broadway shows ballet theater and several Broadway shows. His wife died 11 years ago and he now lives alone in the family home at 412 McGowan.
Natalie:
But life is far from lonely for Tom Milton. Still alert and vigorous, he insists he's not through yet. No use giving up because you're 70, the aggressively friendly man said. There are plenty of things to do yet and I intend to do them. Then there's a photo of Tom and the caption beneath it says he doesn't need a diary.
Natalie:
Tom Milton, a veteran of four wars and campaigns with the American and British armies, doesn't need a diary to remember the events of the years gone by. He has a collection of medals, ribbons and commissions to remind him of the old days. Here he holds the campaign medal he received from the British government for service in the 16th Queen's Lancers Regiment in South Africa during the Boer War. So the Boer War, and that is spelled B-O-E-R. It's also known as the South African War and it consisted of two conflicts between the British Empire and the Boers, and they were Dutch settlers in South Africa, and it took place at the turn of the 20th century, and I won't go into details about the Boer War, but that's where Tom was involved for five years.
Natalie:
Now, if you remember last week's episode, I don't know how you could forget that one I certainly can't about a man who pretended to do all these feats of daring do and wore fake medals wherever he went. Tom Milton is a real hero. He had indeed done all those things that he said he did. He probably did more and I found most of the records available online that backed up his claims. In the article Tom said that he enlisted in the 1st Illinois Cavalry Division in time to be sent to the Mexican border, and I did find some records about his time there and this is probably going to be very intriguing to you. I found a report called the Adjutant General's Report and it has rows and rows of guys' names and it has their status. Let me read Tom's report.
Natalie:
Tom Milton reported for duty on June 29, 1916, and was transferred to a supply train unit by early August. He went AWOL from October 29 to 31, 1916, for which he received a summary court sentence of two days of hard labor. Court sentence of two days of hard labor shortly after he was reported sick in quarters and was put under medical observation by mid-November. You're thinking, wait a minute. This doesn't sound like a hero to me. But hold on, hold on For all of us.
Natalie:
If we do genealogical research or any type of history research, we have to understand our person in context. There's a way where I won't probably ever know the details behind this, but on this page where Tom's name appears, there are many, many men cited for the same thing, for going AWOL for a day or two, and they all seem to be ill. This time period was too early for the flu epidemic, but I can't help but wonder if there was some kind of illness that was being easily spread from person to person in that situation, and that's what was making everyone sick. There's a way that if you see something historically out of context, you can jump to all kinds of inaccurate conclusions, and so I don't know what the deal is, but I also know that Tom wasn't the only one. And so I don't know what the deal is, but I also know that Tom wasn't the only one, and this, in terms of his military career, was the only aberration, as it were. So I have to wonder what was going on there with the CO. But don't worry, Tom redeems himself.
Natalie:
This is from another newspaper called the San Antonio Light from May 21st 1926. Headline 36 Reserve Officers Take Part in Division Maneuvers. 36 reserve officers here reported for duty with units of the 2nd Division during the two weeks of the march in the annual maneuver. Assigned to the General Staff Section of Division Headquarters are the following Major Frank Marlin Hicks, field Artillery Reserve. Major John Chester Warnock, infantry Reserve. Captain Munford Harrison, specialist Reserve. First Lieutenant Tom George Milton, military Intelligence Reserve. So that's our Tom and the short article goes on. Mostly it just mentions names, but I wanted you to see that just a few years later Tom is doing very well after his AWOL adventure and he's well-respected and follow-up.
Natalie:
There's another fairly small blurb in the Houston Chronicle from Wednesday January 25th 1928. Headline Houstonian on board to study operations of War Department. Captain Tom George Milton, military Intelligence Reserve of Houston is one of a board of 21 reserve officers who have arrived in Washington to study the operations of the War Department for a period of 15 days. The board which, in operating through general staff, will study a number of special problems with a view, bringing to the War Department the experience of the various members in their civilian occupations. The band consists of four attorneys, three teachers, three investigators, two brokers, two administrators, a banker, a mechanical engineer, an electrical engineer, a civil engineer, an editor, a cipher expert and merchant. Although this is not mentioned in the article, tom, throughout his civilian career, worked in the oil industry, mostly as clerk, accountant and similar white-collar types of jobs.
Natalie:
I want to take a bit of a detour to mention Tom's daughter, eloise. She was a big deal. There was an article in the Houston Chronicle about her being selected by none other than George Balanchine to be part of his ballet company and, for those who may not know, george Balanchine was one of the most influential choreographers of the 20th century and, according to Wikipedia, he is styled as the father of American ballet. He co-founded the New York City Ballet and remained its artistic director for more than 35 years. There's a lot about him if you're interested, but Eloise did ballet and other stage work for a number of years. She married a comedian called Georgie Kay in 1956 and stayed married to him until he passed away, and she doesn't seem to be as active after her marriage as she was prior to her marriage and as far as I know, they did not have children, but she's going to come up again, so that's why I'm mentioning her. So, in summary, tom was born in Liverpool in 1883. Then he made his way to the United States and he married Eloise in 1921 in Harris Texas. They had two children during their marriage and Tom died on November 14th 1968 in Houston, texas, at the age of 85. And there he was buried, in the country that he adopted and the country that adopted him.
Natalie:
Moving on, I now want to share a letter with you that was sent to Tom shortly after the article in the Houston Chronicle was published about him in 1954. The date of the letter is January 16th 1954. So that was one day after the interview with Tom was published. Dear Sir, stranger things have happened, but it so happens that I was just on the approach of the bridge in Chicago the morning the Eastland turned over to over 800 drowned. I was among the very few firsts on the scene and assisted as far as I could, pulling some from the water, and I note from the clipping I enclosed that you too went there and assisted all you could. The dead laid out in the old Iroquois theater for identification was as bad a scene as I ever witnessed, and no doubt you too can still see those instruments and drowning men, women and children floundering in the water screaming for help. I am 77 now, but I will never forget the horror of that scene or the news and the throngs of dead laid out in the rooms in the old Iroquois theater for people to identify their dead. God grant I never see such a disaster again, and no doubt you join me in that hope. Sincerely, wc Haynes, md. Falfurious Texas. Falfurious Texas. We're going to pause here just for a second to take a breather.
Natalie:
So what happened was this article about Tom Milton appeared in the Houston Chronicle. Dr WC Haynes read it and responded to him right away with a letter, and it is interesting with both of these men that number one of all of his adventures. Tom called out the Eastland disaster in the article. If I were the writer, I would probably have pressed him more to find out about why, of all of the things that you could have discussed, did you call that particular incident out? But it meant something to him. It profoundly imprinted him with something, and the same with Dr Haynes. He was there too, for whatever reason, and as both men are in their 70s at this point. That is one of the things that remains with both of these men. That is one of the things that haunts them and has haunted them throughout their lives. Although they probably would not have expressed it that way Now, while there's no indication that they got together to discuss this meaning in person, I have the feeling that they just might have. Otherwise, I don't think that Tom would have held on to that letter. It obviously meant something to him. We'll discuss Dr Haynes' life now, which also has a lot of twists and turns, and we'll talk about how, with the Eastland disaster, there are so many stories like this that demonstrate the powerful connective tissue that is formed when persons share these types of things, these types of traumas, these types of experience. It never goes away, but is buried, or people keep a lid on it until somebody again ignites that flame, that memory, and that's what the article did for Dr Haynes.
Natalie:
Before we go further, I want to explain the reference to the Iroquois Theater. The Iroquois Theater fire. It was a catastrophic fire in Chicago that broke out on December 30th 1903, during a live performance that was attended by approximately 1,700 people. The fire caused about 602 deaths and many more injuries, and it ranks as one of the worst theater fires in the United States. After this horrible fire happened, they decided to build a hospital near the site. This is from the September 3rd 1910 Buffalo News Hospital to Mark Iroquois Theater Site, chicago, september 3rd. Construction work on the Iroquois Memorial Hospital has begun and the contract calls for completion of the building by December 30th, the anniversary of the Iroquois Theater fire, in which nearly 50 persons lost their lives. The building at 87 Market Street is to be put up and equipped by the Iroquois Memorial Association and then turned over to the city of Chicago to be operated as an emergency hospital.
Natalie:
Of course, the building is not the only one. Anytime you talk about these disasters, you get wildly different numbers in terms of who perished and who survived and things like that. So they were way off in terms of who did die. But a hospital was formed and a number of people who were responsible for this hospital's creation were those who had lost somebody in the Iroquois Theater fire. So when there were so many people that needed tending to after the Eastland disaster, some of them were taken to what the doctor referred to as the Iroquois Theater.
Natalie:
Now let's go back to Dr Haynes. Now, let's go back to Dr Haynes. What's interesting, too, is that Tom Milton died in 1968, and just a year before Dr Haynes died in 1967. And I'm going to read his obituary to you. Dr Willard Calvin Haynes, falfurious.
Natalie:
Dr Willard Alvin Haynes, 89, died at 4.15 am Tuesday in a Premont nursing home after a long illness. He was born in Hope and that would be Hope, arkansas, or Hope, texas, and has been a resident of Brooks County for 34 years. Haynes had practiced medicine in Gonzales and Wilson counties for 20 years. He was a graduate of the Maryland Medical College in Baltimore. Funeral services will be at 4 pm Wednesday at the Howard Williams Funeral Chapel. Burial will be at the Falfurious Burial Park. Surviving are his wife, iona of Falfurius, one daughter, mrs Blanche Haynes of San Antonio, one son, cecil Haynes of Houston, one stepdaughter, mrs Sam McQueen of Groveton, one sister, mrs Kitty Watson of California, and one grandchild.
Natalie:
Sounds pretty normal, right? I mean it sounds like the guy practiced medicine all of his life in Texas and maybe had a detour up in Chicago in 1915, where he happened to be by the Chicago River when the Eastland capsized. But no, wait until you hear his bio and I really can't figure out his employment situation. So Willard Calvin Haynes, if we want to be very formal, is a figure wrapped in layers of mystery and intrigue. His life journey is anything but straightforward, weaving through different professions and personal upheavals. So I want to take a closer look at this enigmatic timeline of his life.
Natalie:
He was born in Hope, texas or Arkansas, in 1887 to a farming family. By 1896, young Willard, just 20 years old. In 1896, young Willard, just 20 years old, married Margaret Grissom, who was three years his senior. They settled in Texas where, by the 1900 census, willard was listed as a farmer in Jackson, texas. Despite his humble beginnings, he had ambitions that took him beyond the fields.
Natalie:
In 1903, willard had made a significant leap, graduating from Maryland Medical College in Baltimore at the age of 26. With a medical degree in hand, one might expect him to embark on a stable career in medicine. But Willard's path was far from predictable. In 1909, there was an article in the San Antonio Light that said Dr WC Haynes was at Nixon the latter part of the week in the interest of the Stockdale Land Company. What was that about, I don't know. And fast forward to 1910. To the census, he's working as a salesman in San Antonio, and that same year he divorced Maggie, leaving behind three children Grissom, blanche and Cecil. Curiously, in the San Antonio City Directory of 1910, maggie, his former wife, is listed as the widow of WC Haynes, despite his very much alive status. I don't know what that's about, but by 1915, willard's life took a dramatic turn. He found himself in Chicago during the Eastland disaster, and Dr Haynes was one of those who helped during this calamity. Though the details of his involvement, as with Tom Milton's involvement, are scant, known only through the letter he wrote Gant, known only through the letter he wrote. This heroic yet mysterious episode adds another layer to his multifaceted career.
Natalie:
In 1917, during the tumultuous times of World War I, willard's life took another turn. His draft registration card reveals he was living in Brown County, Texas, and working as an oil man. It appears his sister was listed as his next of kin. He was somehow connected to an oil company based in Cleveland but seemed to remain in Texas, a state that he never seemed to fully leave behind. By 1920, willard entered into a new marriage with Beulah Mary Wade, but this union was just another chapter in his complex personal life. By 1930, he had married, again, this time to Iona Inez Light, a widow with young children. Willard, now 54, was working in horticulture and it lists his location as plants. So maybe Willard was indeed a plant manager, I don't know. So this career shift to horticulture, from oil and medicine was just another unexpected twist. Oil and medicine was just another unexpected twist.
Natalie:
The 1940s saw Willard, still with Inez, living in Los Angeles and working as a landscape gardener. But his peripatetic lifestyle didn't end there. By 1942, he was back in Texas, this time in Falfurius. His occupations continued to diversify by 1950, at the age of 73, he was selling fruit. And again he died in 1967, and Willard's last wife, inez, outlived him. Outlived him, passing away in 1991 in Falfurius.
Natalie:
So again Dr Haynes' life. It really defies simple categorization from farmer to doctor, to salesman, oilman, horticulturist and fruit seller. His story is a testament to the unpredictable turns that life can take, and his role in the Eastland disaster adds yet another layer to this multifaceted man. So what's to be said? Well, a couple of things. With both Tom Milton and Willard Haynes, there's not that much information to go by to really make a deep assessment of their lives. Why they did what they did, we don't know. We never will know. But we do know that the Eastland disaster had significance for both of them, and that is one of those intriguing aspects of both of their lives. However restless they were and whatever they did, they were there and it affected them, and they are part of the Eastland disaster. And this is another one of those many stories connected to the Eastland disaster that would have gotten lost except for a twist of fate. So I'll give you the backstory now.
Natalie:
I know you've been wondering about this eBay thing and what's going on here. So back when I revived my genealogical work in 2016, I started tuning into genealogy podcasts and one bit of sage advice came from Scott Fisher, who used to host Extreme Genes. Fish said don't forget to check eBay. You'll be surprised at what you could find there. And I had an aversion to eBay. I'm not quite sure why. I just had kind of a. I don't want to do that, but I was new to this and I thought I wanted to give this a chance. So, sure enough, fish was right. A few years ago on eBay, I hit the jackpot when I found my uncle's Navy rucksack from World War II, and occasionally I would find some old Eastland postcards, most of which have already been distributed and seen by people, but I do make digital images and post them on my website just to make sure.
Natalie:
Back a couple of weeks ago I stumbled upon the oddest, weirdest set of items grouped together. It was under the category of Eastland Disaster. This collection included the following items An 8x10 photo of a distinguished older man in a smoking jacket obviously a publicity photo a newspaper article about him that would be Tom Milton, and a handwritten letter that was really hard to read on the screen. I thought did a doctor write this? Yes, a doctor did write this, and the price for this collection was kind of steep and so I hesitated. I thought, oh, this doesn't make sense, but it bothered me for days and so I went back. It was still there me for days and so I went back. It was still there and fortunately the lovely folks who were hosting this auction accepted my more modest bid and they gave me the provenance.
Natalie:
The provenance is like the story behind the item, and it tells you where the item came from, who owned it and any interesting history that it has. You can think of it as a pedigree for objects showing their journey through time. This is really useful and essential when you're donating to an organization because they want to see now, where did you get this from? So I asked the seller for the provenance and her name is Michelle and she graciously provided all of the backstory, the provenance, saying that the items came from the estate of Tom and Eloise Milton. So we've been in contact with each other and it's really been nice, because she demonstrates a real love of history and a real love of the objects that she collects and sells on eBay. So, now that I've digitized this and have written this script and shared it with everyone, it is now going to go to its forever home, because I'm not a museum it feels that way sometimes, but I'm not and it deserves a place where, number one, it can be stored and cared for, but also shared again with a wider audience. I'm all about accessibility and transparency with these stories and I like to align with organizations that also do this. So I'll give you the details as soon as I work them out and let you know where it lands. And again, thanks, michelle and company, for your integrity, for the communication and for caring for these items. I know they'll mean a lot to a lot of people down the road.
Natalie:
As a coda to this episode of the podcast I want to talk about the many coincidences, synchronicities, in the lives of these two men. They were in Chicago at the same time, although they didn't know one another. They go back to Texas where they still don't know each other, and the connective tissue is that newspaper article in the Houston Chronicle in 1954. However, both of them were also featured on and off during the same time period in a smaller newspaper called the San Antonio Light. And the other interesting thing is Tom had a daughter named Eloise and Willard married Iona and she had a daughter named Eloise.
Natalie:
My interest in synchronicities and coincidences comes from being a journalist and also, of course, being a genealogist. But even prior to that, one of my early corporate job was as a workers' compensation investigator. I know I was doing this work when I was putting myself through undergrad and I liked it because it was so weird. But what I didn't realize is how it was kind of attuning me to look for patterns, look for details and trust my gut when something would seem out of kilter. You never know what these jobs, even though they might seem benign or not interesting, might hold for you. And certainly the two men I just discussed were no strangers to strange jobs. So with that I will close.
Natalie:
So next week I'll have more stories for you, even though at this moment, as I'm recording this, I have no idea what they are. But that keeps it exciting, right? So have a good week and I will talk to you next week. Thanks for joining me on this journey. 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, and for more information, please go to my website, that's wwwflowerintherivercom. I hope you'll consider buying my book, available as audiobook, e-book, paperback and hardcover, because I still owe people money and that's my running joke. But the one thing I'm serious about is that this podcast and my book are dedicated to the memory of all who experienced the Eastland disaster of 1915. Goodbye for now.