The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1893-04-21

AnAbWAU4kkv ApIu W-xu0 0xSo0IOl
storm of last night carried away the house
built on the top Of the crib at the mouth of
tunnel, about three-quarters of mile
from tho pumping works at the foot Of
North street, and fourteen men were
thereby drowned. The shore of Che lake is
strewn with timbers, boards and articles of
clothing worn by the men in the ill-fated
crib. The catastrophe is supposed to have
occurred at about 5 o'clock this morning.
At daybreak the men at the pumping
station were notified that the house ON the
crib had disappeared. The news soon be-
came known to the public, and it was an
anxious crowd that stood on shore and
looked seaward this morning. Some Of
the spectators were relatives of tho mon
who were in peril, and pathetic scenes
were witnessed. The sea was the most
awful one anybody in this vicinity had
ever seen. The waves were fully
fifteen feet high, and dashed
over the crib with terrific force. All that
was left Of the crib were some posts that
supported the house and one Of tho pumps.
Two large boilers of the engine, one of the
two pumps. the air compressor plant and
OOO0 brick that were on the crib had been
washed of. Shortly after o'clock one of
tho spectators who was looking at the crib
exclaimed. II can see . man." Others
strained their eyes and sure enough they
could see the figure of . man moving
cautiously about on the crib. 1t was only
by clinging to the few remaining timbers
that he was saved from being washed off
by the waves. The men waved handker-
chiefs at the man to let him know that he
had been seen, and those looking through
the glasses could see the man on the crib
answer the signals by waving one of his
hands while with the other he clung to the
pump for life.
From her station in the lighthouse at
North point, Mrs. g. Stebbins witnessed
the destruction of tho crib house. She
says it washed away about S 80 o'clock
and that the waves came with great fre-
quehcy and awful force. Just before the
house disappeared Mrs. Stebbins saw sew
eral boards from tho side of the building
give way. The opening thus made seemed
to give the wind the opportunity it sought
and with one mighty effort the entire
house was lifted into the air and second
later the building disappeared as If swept
away BY an avalanche. Less than ten
minutes after the hoase had bSen swept
out of existence the entire machinery and
whatever else was left was lifted bodily
into the air by the force of waves and
wind and hurled into the raging sea.
The tug Welcome was dispatched to the
scene and, on account of the frightful sea,
she took lifeboat with q crew of five in
tow. The battle of the Welcome against
the waves was watched by thousands of
persons on shore, whom the report of the
accident had drawn thither. When Capt.
Peterson, after almost superhuman efforts,
succeeded in reaching the crib by means
of a rope and with life preserver around
his body, he met horrible sight. One
man. James Miller, was still alive and
clinging to post, and about him were the
corpses of two or three of his comrades.
Miller was rescued and conveyed to the
emergency hospital. where he gave the FOL.
lowing account of the accident tonight:
1t was o'clock in the morning when ws
found water entering the alright compartment
OF the shaft where We had taken refuge for the
night We took . vote to decide whether We
would risk leaving the shaft It was decided to
leave. Only hve Of us succeeded In reaching
the outside. Nine men who were not strong
enough to get out were drowned BY the water
coming into the shaft, aud four out of the five
who got out were drowned or mangled BY the
tremendous flood which dashed over the Glib
At what hour the house was washed away I
don't know. It had disappeared whom We got
out OF the shaft
The list of the drowned is a. follows:
JOHN MCBRIDE, engineer. Of Chicago
MICHAEL DYER, fireman, of Milwaukee
WILLIAM PRUEsNER, foreman, OF Chicago
GEORGE GREGG, lock tender, of Milwaukee
JAMES MURPHY, miner, of Milwaukee
JOSEPH PEzoL, miner, Of Milwaukee.
GUSTAV LoNovITCH, miner, Of Milwsukea
PETER ScENIR. miner, of Milwaukee
WILLIAM MARION. miner, OF Chicago.
CHARLES JOHNSON, miner, of Chicaeo
JOHN HEALY, miner, OF Milwaukee.
FRANK BROWN, miner, of Milwaukee,
JOHN DoNoGAN. miner, of Chicago.
EDWARD CAxBRIAN. colored, steward. Of
Chicago.
The seas that lashed the beach and shore
break aters at this port were the heaviest
since the great storm on January l, 1891.
Huge waves beat against and over the gov.
ernment breakwater, and literally denol-
ished about fifty feet of the sunerstruc.