Evening star., 1899-03-04
ICE ON THE LAKE.
Sounds Like That of a Cannon Wheu
IL Breaks,

From the Chicago Daily Tribune
The immense ice field which covered the
entire head Of Lake Michigan during the
recent cold wave. and which is estimated
to have contained not less than 900 square
miles of ice. has disappeared. The warm
weather of the last two days, coupled with
the southwest gale which has been sweep
ing out from land, loossned the ice from
the shore and drove IL far down the lake.
Sounds like the discharge of cannon were
heard when the big foe took its departure,
and so violent were the detonations that
buildings on shore were shaken and a globe
on hanging lamp in the four-mile crib
was shattered by the shock. The occupants
of the 6Sth street crib were at the table
when the shocks came, and they were so
startled by the heavy reports and the trem-
bling of the structure that they ran out
of doors hatless
THE noise was like the sound Dewey
guns must have made when he cleaned out
the Spanish fleet In Manila bay" said Capt
William Smith of the Morford. THE water
had been falling at the crib, and we were
in the house when the first report came.
The crib trembled like an earthquake, and
we all rushed out of doors in time to see
the field begin TO move. 1t tore past the
crib about three miles an hour. The ice
between the crib. South Chicago piers and
6Sth street pumping station piers was held
by the crib for time, but that gave way
during the night and commenced piling up
against the structure. First a big cake
would slide over the rest and land almost
on the breakwater. and then fall back to
be ground into powder by the one riding
over it in turn. The roaring and cracking
We're terrible, and the hard, foUrteen-inch
ice kept up heavy grinding against the
breakwater of the crib until the last had
gone by. l think the loud cracks were
caused by the water falling faster than
the ice and air getting under, which became
compressed and blew up the ice"
The tug Morford, which was compelled TO
remain at the 6Sth street crib a week,
owing to a hole which was cut In its side
by the ice, was brought into porv yester-
day. and in the entire trip II encountered
no ice. A few detached cakes are in sight
and fringe of ice along the shore but
the rest of ii is gone. Nesselmen say the
next north wind will bring most-af the ice
back, unless long warm spell comes to
melt it. st ~
Capt. Kelley. keeper of the 8Sth street
crib, had narrow escape from being host
He started to walk ashore over the ice on
Tuesday afternoon. and soon afterward the
first noises indicating the disruption of the
ice began. The men at the crib feared he
might not escape, but two hours later Capt.
Kelley telephoned from shore that he was
all right.
Capt. Miller, keeper of the four-mile crib
reported that the ice ran by his castle in
the lake at a rate of two miles an hour.
1T shook up everything pretty freely"
he said. ''and it piled up against the crib
as il il would overwhelm the structure.
For about eighteen hours it kept up a con-
slant cannonading, every loud report being
plainly felt in the cribhouse."
The ice was pretty well broken up when
ii passed the Lake View crib, and the keep
ers there did not have such thrilling experi-
ences as those at the other cribs.