The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1893-04-21
DROWNED LIKE RATS.
A Terrible Death 0vertakes Work.
men on Lake Michigan.
FOURTEEN IMPRISONED IN A CRIB.

Ehey We're at Work on bsiiwaukes's
Water Tunnel, and Perished In an Air
Shaft Whence They Had Taken Refuge
from the Storm.
MILWAUKEE, Wis, April 21-In a gale
which for years has not been equaled on
the great lakes, the crib at the end of the
Intake tunnel, situated some 5000 feet out
In Lake Michigan washed away, and OF
fifteen men employed there in the shaft,
which reaches to the shore, only one was
rescued. The dead men persisted in the
air shaft, where they had sought shelter,
and which filled with water. James Miller
is the only survivor.
The dead are: John Mcbride, Michael
Dwyer, William Pruesener, George Gregg,
James Murphy, Joseph Pezol, Gustav
Liekowicz, Peter Scenes, William Marion,
Charles job nson, John Healy, Frank
Brown, John Donovan and Edward Cam
brian.
The people living along the shore were
Mortified when they could see no vestiRe
either of the crib or the house that sur
mounted it, and but faint traces here and
there of the government breakwater, that
was hidden In the mountainous surf that
broke over 1t. The entire prospect as far
as the eye could reach was one spectacle Of
seething, boiling, roaring pillows, that
seemed to unite with the clouds On the
beach were two lumber laden craft that
had vainly sought shelter behind the
breakwater, and the shore was strewn
with the wreckage About 200 feet Of the
breakwater, which was thought to be
staunch enough to withstand the severest
storm, was washed away.
The tug Welcome took a lifeboat in tow
and steamed out to the crib. Only one
man was found alive at the crib, and hs
was brought ashore in an unconscious
condition and will probably die. His
name is John Miller. A search will be
made for the bodies of the drowned men
as soon as the lake becomes a little safer.
James Miller, the man rescued by the
tug Welcome, was SO exhausted when
taken on board the tug that he was unable
to speak, He recovered sufficiently just be-
fore being taken to the hospital to be able
to tell that his companions were in the air
chamber below the crib. There is no doubt
that they are all drowned. Two bodies
were seen floating around the wall of the
| crib. Miller was badly handled by the sea.
| From her station in the lighthouse at
North Point Mrs. G.. S. Stebbins witnessed
| the destruction of the house which oc-
| cupied position on the top of the crib.
| The destruction of the house and ma
| chinery was the work of but few minutes.
| Mrs. Stebbins says it was the most awful
night on the lake possible to imagine.
Miller said that the crib house was SC
dangerous that all hands went down into
the air lock. They were quite comfortable
| there until the house was blown away. They
| knew it was gone when the air pump ceased
working The air became so bad that the
air lock was opened and the water allowed
to come in. Mcbride, Dwyer, Gregg, John
son, Liekowicz and Miller succeeded in
| getting out Of the lock and to the surface.
The other nine were drowned in the lock.
| Dwyer, Gregg johnson and Liekowicz
held on about half hour, and then one
by one were swept away.