The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1901-08-17
Ike RATS IN A TRAP.
Ten Lives Lost by the Burning
of a Crib in Cleveland
Harbor.
five cHARRED BoL,Es IN THE RUINS.
Men Forced Into Water by Flames
and Drowned-ThrillinE Rescue of
Men in the Tunnel-Believed Two
Perished There-Men Almost Dead
from Suffocation When Taken Out.

Men in the Tunnel-Believed Two
Perished There-Men Almost Dead
from Suffocation When Taken Out.
Cleveland, o., Aug. 15.-Fire early
Wednesday destroyed temporary wa
ter-works' crib two miles out in the
lake, resulting in the death of at least
ten men, while two others were prob
ably fatally injured. In addition to
large number of workmen who were in
the crib, II others were at work in the
tunnel leading from it, 200 feet below
the bottom of the lake.
AS air which was pumped from the
crib to supply the men working in the
struction, it was at first supposed that
these men had all persisted.
Subsequently, however, nine of the
men in the tunnel were rescued after
heroic work upon the part of their fell
low workmen.
At this writing it is said that two
men are still in the tunnel, but those
rescued state that one of these, Victor
Kaufman, of Canton, is dead.
List of Dead and Injured.
Following is list of the dead and
injured so far as now known:
DEAD: John Martina, drowned. Mike
Snyder, drowned. Arthur Hasty, drowned.
Victor Kaufman, Canton, suffocated. Five
INJURED: John Lee, broken back. o.
Braddock, frightfully burned.
Tugs to the Rescue.
EErn o~5 h., r1o,, +,,rre o,,S,,r ~
parties on board reached the crib soon
after the flames broke out, but when
they arrived the structure was seeth-
ing mass of flames and all hope of
saving it was abandoned.
Men could be distinguished swim
ming and floating in the water, shout
ing for help. Others were clinging to
ropes which they had hitched or tied
to the rafters, but the flames were
burning the ropes away, while the men
were stark naked, and one by one they
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.
Horror of Calamity Realized.
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. Every
thing was total wreck.
While the firemen were pouring wa
ter on the flames there was a roar
Ing 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 con-
troll.
Chnrrcd BODIES Found.
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. Theywere caughtlike
rats in a trap. One body was burned
to almost nothing. All that could be
found of it were skull and some
bones. The bodies of two other men
lay close to those that were on their
knees, and it looks as though they
never knew what happened to them.
They must have been suffocated be-
fore the flames reached them.
AS soon as the five bodies were dis
covered the tug Kennedy returned to
the harbor at once and notified the
coroner of the discovery.
Rescue of Men in Tunnel.
While this was going on ways and
means were being devised to reach
the men imprisoned in the tunnel,
whose air supply had apparently been
shut off entirely by the burning of
the compressed air machinery. At
times it was thought that voices could
be heard down below, and the life
savers and the firemen peered down
with ears intent, but the sounds
ceased again. At the mouth of the
shaft it was like furnace, and the
ironwork was red-hot from the
flames.
The Call for Help.
Finally after deluge of water had
been thrown on the smoldering shaft
entrance, voice was heard from the
bottom calling for help.
"For Gods sake throw down a
rope, throw down rope" a man
called.
A line was quickly dropped down
the shaft, and as it frightened a shout
of joy went up from those about, for
it was quickly 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, COW
cred with slime, his staring eyes and
heaving chest, told of the horror he
had gone through in the hours he had
spent in the tunnel. 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"
Faces Death to Save Others.
In quick succession seven others
were brought up from the foul and
sitting air of the tunnel. All were in
most pitiable condition. They re-
ported that two other men were ly-
ing unconscious at the bottom of the
shaft. A workman volunteered to
rescue these men, and he was quick
~ lowered into the shaft.