The record-union., 1893-04-21
Special to the REcoRD-UNIox.

Special to the RECoRD-UNIoN.
MILWAUKEE, April 20.-A dreadful
storm last night carried away the house
built on top of the crib at the mouth of
the tunnel about three-quarters of mile
from the pumping works at the foot of
North street, and fourteen men were
drowned. The shore of the lake was
strewu with timbers, boards, tools and
articles of clothing worn by the men in
the Inflated crib. The catastrophe is sup
posed to have occurred about O'Clock
this morning.
At daybreak the men at the pumping
station were notified that the house on
the crib had disappeared. The news was
soon known to the public, and it was an
anxious crowd that stood on the shore
and looked seward this morning. Some
OF the spectators were relatives of the men
who were in peril, and pathetic scenes
were witnessed. The sea was the most
awful one anybody in the vicinity had
ever seen. The waves were fully fifteen
feet high, and dashed over the crib with
terrific force. All that was left on the
crib was couple of posts that supported
the house and one of the pumps. Two
large boilers, one of the two pumps, the
alr-compressor plant and 10000 brick
that were on the crib had been washed
away.
Shortly after o'clock, one of the spec
tators, who was looking at the crib ex-
claimed: 81 can see a man." Others
strained their eyes, and sure enough they
could see the figure of a 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 hand
kerchlefs and let the man know he was
seen, and those looking through glasses
could see the man on the crib answer the
signal by waving one of his hands, while
with the other he chung to the pump for
life.
From her station in the lighthouse at
North Point Mrs. g. S. Stebbins wit
messed the destruction of the clubhouse.
She says it washed away about $50
o'clock, and the waves came with great
frequency and awful force. Just before
the house disappeared Mrs. Stebbins saw
several boards from the side of the build
ing torn loose. The opening thus made
seemed to give the angry wind the OPP
portunlty 1t sought. and with one mighty
effort the entire house was lifted into the
air, and second latter the building dis
appeared as if swept away by an ava
lanch. Less than ten minutes after the
house was wiped out of existence. the
entire machinery and whatever else was
left was lifted bodily into the air with
the force of the waves and wind and
hurled into the raging sea.
The tug Welcome was DISPATCHED to
the scene, and on account of the fright
full sea, she took lifeboat with crew of
five in tow. The battle of the Welcome
against the angry waves was watched bv
thousands of people on the shore. whom
the report of the accident had drawn
thither. When Captain Petersen. after
almost superhuman efforts, succeeded in
reaching the crib by means of rope. and
with lite-preserver around his body, he
met horrible sight. One man, James
Miller, was still alive and clinging to n
post. About him were the corpses of
two or three of his comrades. Miller
was rescued and conveyed to the Emer-
gency Hospital, where he gave the fol-
lowing account of the accident tonight;
ut was o'clock in the morning when
L found the water entering the air-tight
compartment of the shaft where we had
taken refuge for the night. We took a
vote to decide whether we would risk
leaving the shaft. 1t was decided to leave.
Only five of US succeeded in reaching the
outside. Nihe men who were not strong
enough to get out were drowned bv
water coming into the shaft, and four
out of five who got out were mangled or
drowned by the tremendous floods which
dashed over the crib. AT what hour the
house washed away I do not know. 1t
had disappeared when we got out of the
shaft"
The list of drowned is as follows: John
Mcbride, engineer, Chicago: Michael
Dyer, fireman, Milwaukee; William
Pruesner, foreman, Chicago; George
Gregg, locl-tender, Milwaukee; James
Murphy, miner, Milwaukee,; Joseph Pc
zol, miner, Milwaukee; Gustav Lono-
witch, miner, Milwaukee; Peter Scener,
miner, Milwaukee; William Marion.
miner, Chicago; Charles Johnson, miner,
Chicago; John Healy, miner, Milwaukee:
Frank Brown. miner, Milwaukee,: John
Donovan, miner, Chicago; Edward Cam
brian, colored steward, Chicago.
The seas which washed the beach and
the shore breakwaters at this port were
the heaviest since the great storm of Jan
uary l, 1891. Huge waves beat against
and over the Government breakwater,
and mercilessly and literally demolished
about fifty feet of the superstructure.
BIG BLOW AT CHICAGO.
CHICAGO, April 20.--The high wind of
last night continued throughout the day,
accompanied by heavy rainstorm. To-
night the wind veered to the west and the
rain changed to snow, which, however.
melted as fast as it fell. The weather is
now colder than it has been at this time
of the year for long time, with every
prospect of growing colder through the
night. Despite last nights tremendous
storm, the damage done at the Worlds
Fair grounds was comparatively slight.
A large section of the glass roof of the
main building was broken in, and the
rain caused considerable wetting of goods
stored below, but as stated in last nights
dispatches, a large force of men was put
to work and everything covered up be-
fore serious harm was none. Some
lighter buildings in the Midway Plais-
ance were partially wrecked.