The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-04-21

h1IhAIhEr. pm ~ iAcSe At4-aAs
full disaster occurred here this morning
caused by wind and waves. Fourteen
human lives were lost. The house over
The crib at the terminus of the new water
works tunnel was washed away and the
men in the air lock below, where they had
gone for safety, were suffocated. As soon
MS the catastrophe became known several
efforts were made to rescue the imprison-
ed men, but they we're unsuccessful be-
cause of the heavy sea that was running.
Finally the life saving station manned the
tug Welcome and succeeded in reaching
the crib and rescuing one man. The man
rescued from the wrecked crib by the
Welcome and the life saving crew was so
exhausted when taken on board the tug
that ne was una b!e to speak. He recover
ed sufficiently just l.pfore being taken to
the hospital TO be able TO tell those about
him that his companions were all in the
air cham bers below the crib. 1t Is believed
that they are all suffocated. Two bodies
were seen floating aro4>l in the well of
the crib by the life saver who reached the
crib. His name is Olson, and he was
badly handled by the sea while perform
ing his noble work. Captain Petersen Of
the life saving crew was badly hurt about
The head. He is now at the station and
physicians have been summoned for him.
II WAS an anxious crowd that stood on
the shore and looked at the crib this
morning. Some of the spectators were
relatives of the men who were in peril.
Their hopes were kept alive by the state
ment of the foreman, who said that if the
men were in the air chamber they cOu ID
live for quite "A while. The sea was the
most awful one anybody in this vicinity
had ever seen. The waves were fully fif-
teen feet high and dashed over the crib
with terrific force. All that was left of
the crib were a couple of posts that had
supported the house and one OF the pumps.
The two large boilers, the engine, one OF
The two pumps the air compressor plant
and the twenty thousand brick that were
on the crib had been washed off. Shortly
after 9 O'Clock one of the spectators, who
had heen looking intentiy at the crib,
could see the figure of a man moving
slowly about. 1t was only by clinging to
the few timbers that he was saved from
being washed off by the waves. A couple
of men ran along the shore to little
headland and waved their bandkerchefs,
to let the man know that he had been
seen. Those looking through the glasses
could see that the man on the crib answer
ed the signal by waving one of his hands.
while with the other he clung to the pump
for his life.
North Point Mrs. g. S. Stebbins witnessed
the destruction of the house which occu-
pied a position on top OF the crib. She
says it was washed away about $50 O'Clock,
and that it disappeared in some huge
waves which seemed TO swallow ii. When
the waves had spent their force Mrs. Steb-
bins saw the machinery and other heavy
articles alone remaining upon the spot
where the house had stood Twenty min
utes after the house WAS wiped out of eX-
istence the entire machinery and what
ever else that had been left was lifted iuto
the air. apparently by the combined force
of wave and wind, and everything was
hurled into the raging sea below the CRIB.
Mrs. Stebbins was able to discover no evil
dence of life or activity about the place be-
fore or after the destruction of the house,
and she WAS inclined ID think that the
men had long before that time gone below
to escape the frightful waves and awful
wind, which She declared 10 have been the
most terrible and severe witnessed from
her place of observation in twelve years.
The wind blew at the rate of eighty miles
ali hour.
One of the most pitiful incidents in con-
nection with the disaster was the spectacle
of the aged father of Engineer Dwyer pac-
ing TO ard fro on the beach, vainly trying
10 see through the mist and catch II
glimpse of the man cliuging to the crib.
Johnny is home sick-good for HIM
he said, but Mike is out there, and
wish he was home sick. too"
The wind blew him around and the rain
pelted him in the face, but the old man
stood his ground and would not leave.
Mrs. Dwyer. wife of the imprisoned engI-
neer, socn found the old gentleman. He
wanted 10 send her home bat she would
not go. When the man WAS discovered
on top of the crib she took heart and be-
gan 10 pacify the crying women who
Were gathered around her.
They are not dead, she said. "and
while there is life there is hope The
life boat Is coming, and II they can held
on little while longer, PERHAPS they will
be saved "
But some of the women were not
so hopeful, and cried in the most pitifu.
manner. As the news reached the families
of the unfortunate men and the women
folks rushed TO the scene. it WAS pitiful to
see them running about yainly seeking
information about their relatives. Tney
then stood crying in the wind and rain.
gathered In little groups, the picture of
woe
The huge waves beat against and over
the government breakwarer mercilessiy,
and literally demolished about fifty feet
of the superstructure OF the north end of
the outer arm OF the structure The
scow Laurlan, laden with hardwood went
ashore short distance north of juneau
avenue. The crew had no difficulty in
stepping ashore from her.
ANOTHER ACCOUNT.
MILWAUKEE. April 20-Fourteen labor.
ers employed In the lake tunnel found 4
grave i'll the icy waters of Lake Michigan
this morning. The dreadful storm raging
throughout the night had tossed the lake
into a seethlng mass Of foam. Immense
waves were rolled towards the shore by the
furious east wind and carried away the
house built on top of the crib ut
the mouth of the tunnel, about three
quarters of mile from the pumping
works at the foot of North street. The
house on the crib contained two station
AIRY engines and the tools used by the men.
Ii WAS built of heavy timbers. faced with
IRON bands; yet II was swept into the roar
ing waters like an egg shell and It's pRrts
washed ashore For a mile or two the
shore OF the lake Is strewn with tilnber>
and boards and the tools aud the articles
of clothing worn by the men In the i'll
fated crib.
The catastrophe is supposed to have oc-
Cured about O'Clock this morning. At
day-break the men at the pumping STA
-tion noticed that the house on The crib
had disappeared. They telephoned the
news at once to the police department.
who notified Captain Petersen OF the life
saving station. On account of the fright
ful sea, the tug Welcome took life
boat with a crew or i've, in tow end