The morning call., 1893-04-21
UNDER THE WAVES.
An Awful Story of the
Lakes.
MEN DROWNED LIKE RATS.
Fifteen Went Out to Work and Only
One of Them Ever Came
Back.
Special to THE ~NINs CALL.

MILWAUKEE. April 2O.-Not il years has
there come upon Lake Michigan such gale
as swept down from the northwest to-day,
piling the water into foam-tipped noun
tains and dashinE 1t upon the shore and
against the bredkwater with a roar such as
the ocean makes when it beats upon a
rocky coast before the winds of winter. So
high were the seas running that not YES
sci that was safely in dared venture TO leave
the harbor, and those outside scudded
away toward open water that they might
not be blown upon the shore and dashed to
pieces. How many saved themselves and
how many met the fate of shipwreck will
be told after the storm shall have subsided.
A. this time there is no means of telling,
but no vessels are known to have been lost
save 4 small one that was reported ashore
ct the bead of Juneau avenue early in the
day.
SO far the worst feature of the storm, the
feature that has fallen upon the city with
crushing force, is the probable loss of the
lives of twenty men by the washing away
of tine house over the crib at the terminus
of the new water works tunnel out in the
lake.
Last night fifteen men went out to work
In the crib ever the end of the tunnel. At
O'Clock tonight but one man had been
brought back. The rest had either been
washed into the lake by the force of the wind
ana water and drowned or they had been suf-
focated like rats in trap in the air cham
Der below the house on the crib.
As the wind came up this morning early
and as the waves came rolling in higher
and higher and faster it became evident
before daylight that the men in the crib
were in grave danger and that an attempt
ha ma 10 fol- han
tain of the life e-saving station accordingly
prepared to undertake the rescue, but was
paralyzed upon calling for his men to man
the lifeboat to be met with blunt refusal
TO risk their lives for the hope of saving
those lives cut there in the waves already
risked Urging did no good, nor did per-
emptoTy orders. The men simply would
not 20. and So far as the life-saviug service
was concerned there was an end IF it.
The captain of the crew communicated at
once, however, with the port authorities Of
the city. and it was resolved to send tug
TO the rescue. 1t was now daylight, and il
was known that the crib had gone. A
great crowd had collected oD the shore, and
one man could be made out clinging to the
timbsrs of the water-works crib. Water was
sweeping over him as the waves rose and
fell. and at intervals he could be seen to
raise one hand, as though appealing for
help. Then Il great wave would come and
the wind would dash the water high over
the crib and The man would be out of sight.
Just at $3.50 the tug Starke made her way
out of the harbor in the teeth OF the gale,
but as she rounded into the lake great sea
broke upon her. smashing in the windows
of the plCt-hOusP, and she fell back beaten
into the smoother water. The gale had
literally forced her into port, and when she
came closer in it was seen that Captain
Chris Miller. who had been in the pilot
house when the wave smashed it, was cut
and bleeding from the broken glass. Still
the man could be seen clingiug to the wood
work Of the CRIB.
The crowd on shore grew frantic and
there was talk of manning the revenue cut
ter johnson and sending her to the rescue.
Captain Davis offered to take her out il he
could get a crew to man the lifeboat. This
project was abandoned, however, and the
tug Welcome went out upon the mission of
mercy. It was a terrific battle, the tug
being almost buried at times but she made
it after long struggle and was seen TO take
the man of the crib He was so weak that
he could scarcely move hand or foot to help
himself. Then the Welcome was put about
and the run back TO her dock was made in
safety and the rescued man was taken to
the hospital. Before that, however, he had
recovered sufficiently to say that his name
was James Miller and that be was a miner
employed On the new water-wurks tunnel.
One of the crew that went in the lfeboat
from the tug 10 the rescue Of Miller says
that he saw two bodies floating about in the
well of the crib, but could not reach them
The life-sayer, by the way whose name is
Olson, had rather a rough time Of II in the
water himself and came near drowning be-
fore he could save Miller. Captain Peter
son Of the life-saving crew. who was in the
liieboat, was also badly hurt about the
head.
One of the most pitful incidents in con-
nection with the disaster was the spectacle
Of the aged father of Engineer Dwyer pac-
ing to and fro on the beach yainly trying TO
see through the mist and catch a glimpse OF
the poor boy clingiDg to the crib.
Jose is at home sick; good for him." he
said, "but Mjkey is out there, and wish he
was home sick, too"
The shore from the water works to the
Government pier was strewn with the
wrecks of houses, and among the timbers
were articles Of furniture used by the men.
Washtubs, pillows, pals, cans, bedcothiug
and hundreds Of other things lay washing
about in the surf.
Early in the morning small party pa
trolled the beach, searching Tor possible
bodies, but none were found.
The vessel that went ashore at juneau
avenue was the seow Larena, laden with
hardwood lumber for Racine. She dragged
her anchor, and when she reached shallow
water her crew bad no difficulty in stepping
ashore.