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She Took the Call. He Dove for the Lost. She Wrote Their Story.
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In this week’s episode of Flower in the River, we unearth a powerful 1952 article written by author Olive Carruthers—an overlooked piece of Eastland Disaster history that should be widely known but has remained hidden for over 70 years. Through Carruthers’ evocative writing, we meet three remarkable figures:
- Catherine O’Reilly, the telephone operator who took the call about the Eastland disaster—and whose own brother, Patrick, was among the victims.
- Enoch Moberg, a deep-sea diver from Evanston who pulled more than 60 bodies from the wreckage and yet remains mostly unrecognized today.
- Olive Carruthers herself, a poet and author whose beautiful, human-centered storytelling reminds us why these names matter.
We also unpack why these stories were forgotten—and how rediscovering them reframes what we know about that tragic day in 1915.
What you’ll hear in this episode:
📞 The call Catherine O’Reilly made—and the call she dreaded to receive.
🤿 The incredible heroism of Enoch Moberg, a city diver who worked nonstop in pitch-black waters to retrieve the lost.
✍️ The literary legacy of Olive Carruthers, who wrote with clarity, compassion, and historical insight.
🕵️♀️ Why so many Eastland stories remain sidelined —and what it takes to bring them back.
Resources:
- Carruthers, Olive. “How Evanstonians Assisted in the Eastland Disaster.” The Evanston Review, October 23, 1952. In Evanston’s First 100 Years.
- The Piper City Journal, December 20, 1917. “Diver Works in Bitter Cold.” A piece that references Enoch Moberg’s service as a diver for Evanston, including his role in the Eastland Disaster.
- “From Ashes to Action” (about the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire (1911) and the Remember the Triangle Fire Coalition. Fill to Capacity Podcast (host, Pat Benincasa)
- Threads of Tragedy: The Triangle Shirtwaist Fire and the Eastland Disaster. (Flower in the River Podcast)
- Additional music in this episode sourced from Pixabay Music.
- Book website: https://www.flowerintheriver.com/
- LinkTree: @zettnatalie | Linktree
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natalie-z-87092b15/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zettnatalie/
- YouTube: Flower in the River - A Family Tale Finally Told - YouTube
- Medium: Natalie Zett – Medium
- The opening/closing song is Twilight by 8opus
- Other music. Artlist
View all episodes
By Natalie ZettSend us a text
In this week’s episode of Flower in the River, we unearth a powerful 1952 article written by author Olive Carruthers—an overlooked piece of Eastland Disaster history that should be widely known but has remained hidden for over 70 years. Through Carruthers’ evocative writing, we meet three remarkable figures:
- Catherine O’Reilly, the telephone operator who took the call about the Eastland disaster—and whose own brother, Patrick, was among the victims.
- Enoch Moberg, a deep-sea diver from Evanston who pulled more than 60 bodies from the wreckage and yet remains mostly unrecognized today.
- Olive Carruthers herself, a poet and author whose beautiful, human-centered storytelling reminds us why these names matter.
We also unpack why these stories were forgotten—and how rediscovering them reframes what we know about that tragic day in 1915.
What you’ll hear in this episode:
📞 The call Catherine O’Reilly made—and the call she dreaded to receive.
🤿 The incredible heroism of Enoch Moberg, a city diver who worked nonstop in pitch-black waters to retrieve the lost.
✍️ The literary legacy of Olive Carruthers, who wrote with clarity, compassion, and historical insight.
🕵️♀️ Why so many Eastland stories remain sidelined —and what it takes to bring them back.
Resources:
- Carruthers, Olive. “How Evanstonians Assisted in the Eastland Disaster.” The Evanston Review, October 23, 1952. In Evanston’s First 100 Years.
- The Piper City Journal, December 20, 1917. “Diver Works in Bitter Cold.” A piece that references Enoch Moberg’s service as a diver for Evanston, including his role in the Eastland Disaster.
- “From Ashes to Action” (about the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire (1911) and the Remember the Triangle Fire Coalition. Fill to Capacity Podcast (host, Pat Benincasa)
- Threads of Tragedy: The Triangle Shirtwaist Fire and the Eastland Disaster. (Flower in the River Podcast)
- Additional music in this episode sourced from Pixabay Music.
- Book website: https://www.flowerintheriver.com/
- LinkTree: @zettnatalie | Linktree
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natalie-z-87092b15/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zettnatalie/
- YouTube: Flower in the River - A Family Tale Finally Told - YouTube
- Medium: Natalie Zett – Medium
- The opening/closing song is Twilight by 8opus
- Other music. Artlist