Charles Reginald Elias Bowles - Unsung Hero of the Eastland Disaster 1915
He rests now in Lone Fir Pioneer Cemetery Portland, Multnomah County, Oregon, but decades earlier, he was living in Chicago -- in the wrong place at the right time.
Known as a “local troublemaker, but a top-notch swimmer,” according to Tommy Henry, host of the Chicago History Podcast, 18-year-old* Reggie dove into the Chicago River and single-handedly pulled out approximately 37 bodies from the Eastland’s hull. Reggie, clad in just his swim trunks, dove where trained divers refused to go—and kept diving for hours. (** some sources have him aged 17)
More about Reggie
He seemed wired for bravery. According to the Chicago History Podcast, at age 11, he saved two friends from drowning. And, just one year before the Eastland Disaster, he rushed into a burning building to rescue a baby.
While I’ll never know if my great-aunt Martha Pfeiffer was one of those whose body Reggie recovered, I wanted to give him some recognition and love for his courage.
Photos of Charles Reginald Elias Bowles from Find-A-Grave
Article from the The Rock Island Argus - Mon July 26, 1915
Boston Post, Monday, July 26, 1915
