New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-04-21
DROWNED IN THE SHAFT.
FOURTEEN LABORERS PERISH.
THEY WERE At WORK on THE CRIB IN
TIE LAKE AT MILWAUKEE.
HUGE WAVES DEMOLISHED THEIR SHELTER
AND THEY PERI SIZED MISEEABLY-DYING
WHILE SPECTATORS AND RELATIVES
WATCHED THEM FROM THE SHORE
ONE MAN RESCUED HALE

WILLIE SPECTATORS AND IfslSAIlN I-o
WATCHED THEM FROM THE SHORE
ONE MAN RESCUED HALE
DEAD FROM EXPOSURE.
Milwaukee, April aO-Fourtcen woikmcn lost
their lives to-day in the fierce storm when lashed
Lake Michigan. They were employed in the con-
struction Of the new watcrwork' intake tunnel,
being engaged in brcking up a shaft in the cut
5000 feet from the shore The hurricane swept
away the frail structure which had bccn built
upon the TOP of the cut to shelter the men and
df shed them into the SETTLING lake.
Through the hcri @ ort~ of the life avng crew
James Miller was saved. He is the only man who
escaped with his life He is lying at the Emer-
gency Hospital too weak 70 tell his awful story.
The work WAS in charge OF Shailcr X S"hniglon,
Chicago contractors, whose loss Will bc ABOUT
Sl0,0OO Work npOn the tunnel will be delayed
for several months
4 terrible sea has been raging since vest 'rday
morning. Last night the swell increased, ana
toward / / clock the sea hocam" so furious that
the she'd built on the crib began 10 trrmbc. To-
ward IL o'cock the timb"rs supporting the house
gave away and the pIanks began . wash ashore
Al O'Clock this morHing the last rafter oi the
shed FELL from the top of the crib, leaving the men
at the mercy OF the
At o'clock Captain Peterson and the life say
Ing crew arrived at the waterworks. The sea
WAS running high Waves fifteen and twenty feet
were wa-hing over th" piers and the crib. ii"
said il was imp0s~ibl" To reach th" ciip with MS
lifcboat II n tug could be obtained there might
bc some hope of anding. Tn" tug Siarke was
sccnreI and the dangerous trip begun. The tug
cleared the harbor, but was Obliged 10 turn back,
~ She could not be- controlled in the raging -?a
a. anftll b.
reached was announced NJ the watcrwor;s, great
.Yct.ment prcvailcd Relatives of the missing
men volunteered to attempt the trip if a boat
could be- secured. There WIS no boat 70 br ha'l,
however,, An attempt to reach the crib in a small
hon, would have resulted in sure death for its
occupants Al o o'clock about 800 people had as
s,mhlcd on the shore The scenes were the most
pathrtic witnessed in this city since III" Ncwhail
House fire Wives and children of th" victims
patroled the shore for the bodies of their loved
ones. No bodies were found, however. AT $3.50
tle beach was crowded with weeping women.
Some were wives, others sisteIs. Children wcr"
moaning for their fathers.
At 10 o'clock every hope for the safety OF the
men had vanished. when suddenly i2ur" Was
seen creeping ont of the shaft. Then cam"
another In "A few moments sX men were on the
crib onging 10 the engine. which was still IN
tact With the aid Of Il powerful fed glass the
movcmcnts Of the men were plainly diScerned.
Ihcy must have suffered f'arlully from III"
cold, a. their actions sgniicd. lhcy hnddled 10
qcther closely and tried hard 10 warm Themselves
They remained the crib about M
teen minutes when, ono ny one, theN
dix,ppcarcd. Their disappearance did not worry
the spectators, who now thought that the mon
were all safe. II was thought that the men on
I,I bncls int no
i, wn- supposed their comrades were In sale
refugr.
The sea became calmcr. and Captain Peter
son. of the lifc.ayng station, notified tile ofii-
Gers at the pumping station that another az
,cnpt 10 reach the crib would be ina le ~
II O'clock the tug Welcome, towing Il crew Ill
n lifcboat. steamed ont OF The harbor ani headed
10 the northward At II 80 the crib was reached
and lngrr Olsen one oi the surlmcn, lann'h.
All eyes were now turned ,"award. ulseh
worked about for fifteen minutes, ana theh hiN'"
into the water. Every body on shore Knew whh'
the man action meant irle "dS ~ .',,n a'''
doubt that tlt, men were lost, ana tlla' so"ic Vi
Them had died. while the helpless spectators Oh
shore were looking on When Olsen was hi4Wh
back TO the boat 1t was seen that u' h,IpcSS
form of "A man wa, strapped To his back IL WAS
.Jnrcs Miller the only SURVIVOR, who was hai-
dead from cold and exposure The tug ana tho
iiieboat returned To the harbor win dlhculp, anu
Miller who was rescued from the crib by the
lif-sovine crew. was able this evening 20 give
tLe story of the tragedy. He said that tn" CRIB
house was 80 dangerous last night that al 10
o'clock all hands-Gitrrn in numbcr-w"nt down
into the airlock. They were quite comiortabl"
there until the house blown away. lhry
knew il was gone when the air pump ceased work
ing This was about o'clock When the pump
stopped the air kept growing worse until $50,
when il b.came 50 bad that il was proposed ny
some 10 leave the lock and take chances outside.
The subject was discussed for some" time. an
finally ali agreed 10 il, as II was found they could
not live much longer wh"r" they were.
Accordingly, the air lock was opened ana IN"
water allowed to come in. Mclrid" Dwyer,
Gregg johnson, LeikOwt2 and Miller succeeded
in getting ont Of the lock and TO the surface. To
do this they had to climb mp through ten feet
of water The other ninc Miller SAYS. could not
find the ladder, he supposed, they did not get on
the crib and were drowned III the lock. When j"
got on the crib Miller wound the wire
cable which runs from drum toward shore
around his arm and then able to held on
until the Ufeboat arrived. He says that Dwy"r
Gregg johnson and LcikowitZ held on about
half-hour and then one by one were swept away
Mcbride held on until within ten minutes Of the
arrival of the boat, and he too Succambcd and
was washed of with help in sight
There is a great deal of feeling among citizens
over the manner in which the men on the crib
were left exposed TO the fury of last nights