The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1901-08-15
Three Miles From Shore Workmen
Are Caught in the Flames,
With No Aid at Hand.
Others Fled Into the Tunnel,
Where Two Were SuffOcated
Burned Bodies Found in
Attitude of Prayer.

Cleveland. o.. Aug. 14-Ten men were
burned to death and two fatally injured to-
day by the destruction. by fire. OF a TEN
porary water crib in the lake.
In addition TO large number of work
men who Were in the crib, eleven others
| were at work in the tunnel leading from IL,
| go feet below the bottom OF the lake, 10 the
| shore.
As the air. which was pumped from the
\ crib to supply the men working in the tun-
| tion. it was at first supposed that these
| men had all perished.
| Subsequently. however, nine of the men in
| the tunnel We're rescued after heroic work
| upon the part of their felow-workmen
| II is said that two men are still in the
| tunnel. but those rescued state that one OF
/ these. Victor kaufman of Canton. is dead.
Fire and harbor tugs. with rescuing par
ties On board. reached the crib soon after
the flames broke out, but when they ar
rived the structure was mass of flames
| and all hope Of saving il was abandoned.
Sought Refuge by Swimming.
Men stark naked could be distinguished
swimming ana floating in the water, shout
Ing for help. Others were ciinging to
ropes which they had tied TO the raIters
but the flames We're burning 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 mean
time playing heavy streams Upon the flames
After an hours hard work the flames were
diminished enough SO that the firemen could
fire from the interior. Then the horror of
the calamity was first realized. Everything
was a total wreck. While the firemen were
pouring water on the flames there was a
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
recognition. Two were in the attitude of
prayer. They must have been awakened
by the fire. but could not escape. They
were caught like rats in a trap. One boy
was burned to almost nothing. All that could
be found of it was a skull and some bones.
The bodies of two other men lay close to
those that We're on their knees. and it
looked as though they never knew what
happened to them. They must have been
suflocated before the flames reached them.
AS soon as tn five bodies We're found the
tug Kennedy returned to the harbor at
once and notified the Coroner OF the discov-
cry.
Rescuing the Imprisoned Men.
While this was going on strenuous efforts
were being put forth to reach the men i'm
prfsoned in the tunnel. whose air supply
had apparently been shut off entirely by
cry.
At times it was thought that voices could
be heard down below. and the Hfe-savers
and the fremen peered down with ears in
tent. but the sounds ceased again. At the
mouth of the shaft ii was like a furnace
and the tronwork was redhot from the
flames.
The water that was thrown on 1t turned
into steam at once.
Finally, after a deluge of water had been
thrown on the smoldering shaft entrance
a voice was heard from the bottom calling
for help.
For Gods sake. throw down a rope;
THROW n ta6
A line was quickly dropped down the
shaft, and, as it frightened. shout Of joy
ly observed that the man at the bottom
was able to grasp it. He yelled again to
the rescuers to pull him up.
Slowly and carefully he was raised His
pallid face covered with slime. his staring
eyes and heaving chest, told of the horror he
had gone throush in the hours he had spent
He was William Curry of Canton As
soon as he could gasp. Curry said: They
are all at the bottom of the shaft. Hurry
up
In quick succession seven others were
brought up from the foul and sitting air
OF the tunnel; All were in a most pitiable
conoltion- Ihey reported that two other
of the shaft.
work OF Heroic Volunteer.
A workman volunteered to rescue these
shaft.
In a few moments the unconscious men
were brought up more dead than alive
One and possibly two men are supposed
to be lying dead in the tunnel too far away
from the shaft 10 be reached
The tugs that hurried out to the scene as
soon as the fire was discovered succeeded
In rescuing twenty men. who were found
ciinging to wreckage and ropes tied to the
burning structure.
The tunnel, which has been under course
OF construction for several years past, ana
Is still far from complete. has been the
cause, all told. Of the loss of more than
thirty lives.
-Four years ago an explosion in the shore
section of the tunnel resulted in the suffo-
cation OF eighteen men, Two years ago in
similar accident. several more men were
killed at almost the same place. and to-
days catastrophe adds at least ten addition
al names to the death list.
The fire which destroyed the crib this
morning was due to an overheated boiler
smokestack. The boiler exploded soon after
the flames broke out. The crib itself was
of pine timber built up straight from the
waters edge.
The men who were asleep in the bunks
sprang up to find themselves in the midst
OF flames. The boards all around them
were burning fiercely. Down in the shaft
under the lake. eleven men We're at work
digging. unconscious, until the air supply
was cut off, Of the awful holocaust above
them.