Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1901-08-22
FIGHT With FLAMES.
Fire Tugs Have a Hard Time At
a Waterworks Crib.
ABOUT A DOZEN LIVES WERE Lost.
Everything Was Totally Wrecked-indig'
nation Of the Mayor That No boat
or safety Measures Were Pro-
vided at the Crib.

Clc'ciunl, Va Hub' Ao'
were burned to death, four were
drowned, three and possibly four were
sutfocated and several injured as the
result of fire which destroyed a
temporary waterworks crib two miles
off the Cleveland harbor early yester-
day. Twenty-six men obeyed the Or
der of Manager G. G. VanDeusen when
the flames broke out and took refuge
in the water on floating pieces OF
wreckage. Four of them lost their
hold upon their frail floats and sank
beneath the waves just as help
reached their comrades.
The crew of the tug ]. Il. Sprenkle
heard the fire whistle blown from the
crib and raced to the scene from the
harbor. She picked up IS of the sur
vivors who had drifted to the west OF
the crib on their floats of boards and
wreckage. Vanbeusen and three OF
his men were hanging in the water
from a two-inch line suspended from
the crib. just as the line was burn
ing away above the mems heads a
yawl boat from the barge Wilhelm,
manned by two men, dashed into the
veil of heat and smoke that envelobed
the crib and rescued the four men on
the rope at the risk of the boatmens
lives. The men picked up in the
water were brought to the city on the
tug Sprenkle. They were naked, ex-
hausted and badly burned. Many of
them were cut by falling timbers.
The crib is total loss 1t was a
frame building, 200 by so feet, the
sides sheathed with iron. 1t con-
tanned valuable machinery. It is now
a charred, shapeless mass of wreck
aged and mingled with the blackened
timbers are blackened, rusted and
twisted pieces and plates of iron and
steel. The crib and machinery were
the property of Smaller & Schninglau,
contractors. Their loss will exceed
100000.
Fire and harbor tugs with rescuing
parties on board reached the crib
soon after the flames broke out, but
when they arrived the structure was
a seething mass of flames and all hope
of saving it was abandoned. Men
stark naked could be distinguished
swimming and floating in the water
shouting for help. Others were cling
ing to ropes which they had tied to
the rafters, but the flames were burn
ing the ropes away and one by one
the men were falling into the lake.
The tugs circled around the burning
crib, picking up men from the water,
and meantime playing heavy streams
upon the flames. After an hours
hard work, the flames were diminished
enough so that the firemen could
climb up the charred steps and fight
the fire from the interior. Then the
horror of the calamity was first
realized. Everything was total
wreck. While the frcmen were pour
ing water on the flames there was
roaring furnace beneath which could
not be reached. But the firemen
chung to their places and fought every
inch of the way until the fire was
under control. After two hours of
hard work five charred human bodies
were found burned beyond recogni-
ton. Two were in the attitude of
prayer. They must have been awak-
ened by the fire but could not escape.
They were caught like rats in trap.
Mayor johnson expressed great in
dignation when he learned that no
boat or life preserers were provided
as a safety measure by the contract
ors Mt the crib. He declared that the
case would receive the closest investi-
cation and that those found guilty of
criminal negligence on the matter
would be prosecuted to the full ex-
tent of the law.
Late yesterday afternoon Plum
mer Jones, of Warren, o., an employe
of the tunnel contractors and one Of
q party of rescuers who descended in
to the shaft to look for the missing
men, was overcome by gas and ex-
pired within a few minutes. His
body lies in the tunnel rs feet from
the bottom of the shaft and is covered
with water. The life line attached
to the body became fouled and could
not be pulled out. David Kelly, an
other member of the rescuing party,
was overcome by gas and is in pre-
M r;,ue condition