...stopped at the liquor store...
On his way downtown to board the Eastland, Morris Dempsey was joined by his good friend Harry Kleinfelder and Harry's younger brother Ed. Before reaching the wharf, Morris, who was described by Harry as a "happy-go-lucky Irishman," stopped at a liquor store to get a bottle of the "good stuff" in case the trip got boring or the girls got thirsty.
When they reached the wharf it appeared to the three young men that the Eastland was listing, but they didn't think anything of it and boarded anyway. Once aboard, the Kleinfelder brothers headed for the galley to get a couple of cups of coffee, while Morris instead charged to the promenade deck because that's where the girls and his other friends were.
When the Eastland rolled into the Chicago River, Morris swam away from the ship, got out of the river, and jumped on the first train headed to the south suburbs. Morris was greeted by a large crowd as he got off of the train as they had already heard of the Disaster.