The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1893-04-26

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| tremendous floods which were dashed
over the crib. At what hour the house
was washed away l don't know. It had
disappeared when We got out OF the shaft"
The Huge Waves.
The sea was the most awful one ANYBODY
1 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 a couple OF posts
/ that had supported the house and one OF
the pumps. The two large boilers, the
| compressor plant and the 10000 brick
that were on the crib had been washed
/ off
Shortly after o'clock one of the spec
tators who Ind been looking at the crib
exclaimed. Il can zee a man." and the
| others strained their ewes and sure enough
they could see the figure of a man NOV
/ ing cautiously about the crib. 1t was
| only by clinging to the few remaining
timbers that he was saved from being
washed off by the waves. At times he
would be hidden from view for several
seconds by big wave Some of those on
/ shore doubted that a man had been seen
and the powerful glasses in the engine
house were directed at tho crib. a couple
of men ran along the shore to a little
headland and waved their handkerchiefs,
to let the man know that he had been
seen. Those looking through the glasses
/ could see that the man on the crib an-
sWered the signal by waving one OF his
hands. while with the other he chung to
/ the pump for his life.
What Mrs. Stebbins Saw.
From her station in the lighthouse at
North Point, Mrs. G. S Stebbins witnessed
the destruction OF the Louise which occu-
pied position on the top of the crib
She saws it was washed away about 900
/ o'clock and that it disappeared in some
+ huge waves which seemed to swallow it.
For some time before the waves could be
seen dashing to the top OF the house
/ and for several seconds at a time
not vestige OF the crib
or building could be seen. The waves
came with great FREQ uency aud awful
/ force was apparent by the manner in
which they could be seen dsshIng against
the breskwater and crib, striking which
+ they would apparently explode with ter
I
! in the air Just before the house disap-
peared. Mrs. Stebbns saw several boards
+ from the side of the bui ding torn loose
and shoot upward with the waves. The
/ opening thus made seemed to give the an
Rry wind the opportunity it sought in its
work Of destruction, aud as though II was
one mighty effort, the entire house was
lifted into the air, and a second later
/ mighty wave engul!ed the entire building
+ and II disappeared as If swept away Ivy an
avalanche. When the wave had spent its
force Mrs. Stebbins saw the machinery
and other heavy articles alone remaining
upon the spot where the house had stood
The waves would frequently cover and
hide these from her sight,
aud ten minutes after the
house was wiped out of existence the
entire machinery anu whatever else was
left was lifted bodily into the air with
the force of the waves and wind and was
hurled into the raging sea. The desiruc-
ton of the house and machinery was the
work OF but few minutes Mrs. Stebbins
was able to discover no evidence of life or
activity ABOUT the place, before or after
the house was taken, and she was In
clined to think the men had long before
that gone below to escape the frightiul
waves and awful wind She de-
higher and came with more apparent
force than has been noted by her in her
twelve years observation She was on
duty nearly all night and thinks that it
was the most awful night on the lake pos
slble to imagine. The roaring was soUas-
thing beyond description. Nothing could
be heard in or about the lighthouse ex-
cept the dasiIinR of waves and the long.
awful moan OF the wind as il swept along
at an eighty mile an hour rate.
one Boy at Home.
One of the most pitlful incidents in con-
neclion with the disaster was the specta-
Gle of the aged father of Engineer Dwyer
pacing to and fro on the beach yainly try
ing 10 see through the mist and catch
glimpse of the poor boys cingiug to the
crib. Johnnie is home sick good for
him, but Mikey's out there aud | 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. Tears filled his ewes and he
shook with cold and excitement, but he
braced up manfully. thankful that both
his boys were not on the lake. Mrs.
Dwyer, wife OF the imprisoned engineer,
soon found the old gentleman. file want
ed to send her home. but she would not
go. When the men were discovered on
the crib she took heart and began to paci-
fy the crying women gathered around her.
They are not dead, she said, and while
they're alive there's hope The lite boat
is coming and if they can hold out little
while longer perhaps they will be saved"
But some OF the women were not so
hopeful. On the shore from the water
works to the government pier was strewn
the wreck oil the house. Among the tim
Der and boards were the articles of furni-
ture used by the men. Wash tubs, pi-
lows, pals. cans, bed clothing 0nd hun.
dreds of other things Law washing about
in the eurf.
Scenes Mt the Beach.
Early in the morning a small party
patrolled the beach, searching for possible
bodies, but none were found. As the news
reached the families of the unfortunate,
men and women rushed to the scene. 1t
was pitiful to see them running about
Yanly seeking information about their
relatives. They stood crying In the wind
and rain, gathered in little groups, the
picture OF woe. Now and then attention
would be directed to something
in the water or on the crib and