The Savannah morning news., 1901-08-15
AWFUL HOLOCAUST
r,,y MEN MEET HORRIBLE END IN
BURNING CRIB.
CAUGHT WITHOUT WARNING.
r,Vo MILES OF WATER BETWEEN
THEM AND LAND.

The Tunnel Work Has Already
Thirty Deaths to Its Credit.
cleveland, O.. Aug. 14.-Five men
we're burned to death, four were
drowned, three, and possibly four.
were suffocated and several injured as
+be result of a fire which destroyed a
temporary waterworks crib two miles
of the Cleveland harbor early to-day.
The dead, SO far as known:
Arthur Hasty, drowned, body recov-
cred.
Mark Strider, drowned.
Arthur Hastings, burned.
Plummer Jones, suffocated.
John MARITIME, drowned.
John KowolslSy, drowned, body re-
covered.
Four unidentified men burned.
The injured so far as known:
John Leese, probably a broken back,
fatal.
0. Braddock, burned about hands and
face.
Charles Smith, overcome by gas in
tunnel
David Kelly, rescuer, overcome by
gas.
Still imprisoned in tunnel:
Victor Kaufman, Canton, probably
dead.
John Enging, probably dead.
Twenty-six men obeyed the orders of
Manager G. c. Van Deusen, when the
flames broke out and took refuge in
the water on floating pieces OF wreck
ages. Four of them lost their hold up
on their frail floats and sank beneath
the waves just as help reached their
comrades.
Van Deusen and three of his men
were hanging in the water from a two
inch line suspended from the crib. Just
as the line was burning away above the
mems hands a yawl boat from the
barge Wilhelm, manned by two men,
dashed into the veil of heat and smoke
that enveloped the crib and rescued the
four men on the rope at the risk of the
boatmen's lives. The remaining men
were picked up in the water and
brought to the city. They We're naked.
exhausted and badly burned. Many OF
them were cut by falling timbers.
The crib is a total loss. 1t was a
frame building, 200 by so feet, the sides
sheathed with iron. 1t contained valu-
able machinery. 1t is now a charred
shapeless mass of wreckage and min
gled with the blackened timbers are
=,
and plates of iron and steel.
The crib and machinery were the
property of Shailer & Schninglau, con-
tractors. Their loss will exceed $780,
900.
Mayor Johnson expressed great in
dignation to-day when he learned that
no boat or life preservers were pro-
vided as a safety measure by the con-
tractors at the crib. He declared that
Ea closest
vestigation, and that those found
guilty of criminal negligence in the
matter would be prosecuted to the full
extent of the law.
Late this afternoon Plummer Jones
Of Warren, o., an employe of the tun-
mel contractors, and one of party OF
rescuers who descended into the shaft
to look for the missing men, was over
come by gas and expired within few
minutes. His body lies in the tunnel IS
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, another member of the
rescuing party, was overcome by gas
and is in precarious condition.
The Work of Rescue.
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 seeth-
Ing mass of flames and all hope of saw
ing 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 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
Grip picking up men from the water
and meantime playing heavy streams
upon the flames.
After an hours hard work the flames
We're diminished enough so that the
nremen could climb up the charred
steps and fight the fire from the IN
tel1or Then the horror of the calamity
was first realized. Everything was
Total wreck. While the firemen were
pouring water on the flames there was
roaring furnace beneath which could
not be reached. But the firemen clung
70 their places and fought every inch
oI the way until the fire was under
control. After two hours of hard work
nVe charred human bodies were found
burned beyond recognition. Two were
N the attitude of prayer They must
nave been awakened by the fire but
nhe rats in trap. One body was
burned to almost nothing. All that
could be found of it were a skull and
some bones. The bodies of two other
men lay close to those that were on
thelr knees and it looked as though
.ney never knew what happened to
.nem They must have been suffocated
DeIore the flames reached them.
as soon as the five bodies were dis
covered the tug Kennedy returned to
eue harbor at once and notified the
coroner of the discovery. While this
was going on, ways and means were be-
ing devised to reach the men impris-
pHed in the tunnel, whose air supply
huu apparently been shut off entirely
uy me burning of the compressed air
machinery. At times 1t was thought
lnat voices could be heard down below
ana the life savers and the firemen
lFered down with ears intent, but the
sounds ceased again. At the mouth of
ene shaft ii was like furnace, the
"qn work was red hot from the flames.
finally, after a deluge of water had
ne,a thrown on the smoldering shaft
n,rance, voice was heard from the
Do'tom, calling for help.
Nine Were Rescued.
=. For Gods sake. throw down a rope
'HIow down ropel" a man called.
"A