Weekly Watertown leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1908-1909, 1909-01-22
DEATH LIST IN
CRIB DISASTER
MAY REACH 100
THIS IS ESTIMATE OF SEWER AND
TUNNEL ASSOCIATIONS
PRESIDENT.
CORONER BELIEVES Sc DEAD.
Bodies of Victims Are Burned Beyond
Recognition and None Are
Identified.
SCENES AT MoRGUE PATHETIC.

! CHICAGO, Ill, Jan. 21.-preSidcntt
Joseph -. Andrea, president of the Sew
ar and Tunnel Miners association, ca
pressed the fear today that the death list
in the crib fire yesterday may reach.
100. Il am told he said, that there
were about 10 men working at the
crib when the fire started. If this prove
true the number of dead will ensiIy
reach 100. Many of the men who are
missing are undoubtedly at the bottom
Of the lake and their bodies will prob
ably never be recovered. Our organiza-
ton will make an investigation.
Possibility that the list Of dead may
reach siXty-six was expressed by Coro-
ner Hoffman
There are forty-seyon bodies at the
morgue which corresponds with the
number reported missing by the Jackson
company. But the company's payroll
was incomplete, and inquiries have been
received for nineteen men whose names
were not on the payroll, but who We're
said by relatives to have been working at
! the crib by the day.
OF the thirty-nine injured who were
rescued yesterday, fifteen remained at
the hospital today. Of these the condi-
ton of five was said to be serious.
Tells Thrilling Story.
Nathan Daltz the last workman to be
rescued from the ruins, told Il thrilling
story OF his experience today. Daltz was
entombed for eight hours and was I'M
conscious when taken from the wreck
age.
Il went to the crib and started to
work at 7 o'clock yesterday morning.
! said DaltZ. My partners and | were
about to 90 down in the shaft when |
,1no 10 from no
floor. l think it was little after
| o'clock I wasn't surprised at the smoke
because | knew there was a blast down
in the tunnel every morning about that
time. There were ten or twelve other
men standing around and | remarked,
Look at that smoke coming up there
One of the fellows said, We'll, I'm go
ing to smoke my pipe and make some
more smoke, in a joking way and we all
laughed and thought no more about it.
My partner and l then got into the buck
ct and were lowered into the pit.
1--WE had been down in the tunnel
only a short time when | felt an awful
heat on my face and hands. The bucket
in which we had been lowered had been
! pulled up. | remarked to my partner
that we must find out what was wrong.
We stood there waiting for the bucket
! to come down again, but it did not
! come. instead the tunnel was filling with
smoke and the air was getting thick
| and heavy.
Eyes Begin to Smart.
'Finally it got so bad that we could
hardly breathe, and our eyes began to
smart and run water, finally my partner
put his hand on my shoulder and said.
! Nathan, surely something has happened
up in the crib. This is awful and |
can't stand it much longer
Then / felt his body culver and he
fell to the ground. | was in awful pain
{ IL / Il, Io,, IL
for few moments, but there was no re
| spouse. He died there, but | did not
know it until | was told this morning
When l left him | felt along the wall
Of the tunnel and found a crevice. Into
this | put my face. 1t was cool and it
| seemed to me that | stood there for
hours. That's the last thing that l re-
member. The next thing | knew ! was
here in the hospital They told me | had
been unconscious i'll bed several hours
and there is no knowing how long i'll the
tunnel
Daltzs partner was identified today
as George Chidlow.
Search for Living
Efforts were resumed at daybreak to.
/ day to ascertain whether or not any
/ W0rkmen were still living in the shaft
, beneath the crib.
Shortly after the fire which burned
/ the temporary crib structure ana com
PEELED the workmcn, who were not en-
! trapped i'll the flames, to jump into the
lake. descended into the shaft and SuffO-
| Gated several men, but the hope was
| still sustained today that the smoke per-
hape did not penetrate far into the shaft
| All the air pumps were kept working
and it was believed that some men
would be found still living.
George w. Jackson of the construc-
ton company which built the crib to-
| DAY informed the coroner it would be
impossible for several days to give a
complete list of the dead. As it will be
impossible to identify more than a few
! of the dead. it is probable that single
funeral will he held for all of them.
DesoIate Scene at Morgue
\ thick gray mist hanging over the
city today lent the last touch necessary
to coplete the gloom of the scene in the
vicinity of NIurphy's morgue where rest
the bodies of the victims of the fire. In
| side the undertaking rooms, like the
granary of some terrible bluebeard, rest
ed forty-seven sacks. each containing the
/ understandable bOdies-in many cases
/ only torses of those who met death in
the charnel house i'll the lake. in the
street a quiet, grief-stricken crowd. stood
talking softly III groups, OF plOdding UP
and down the slippery walks.
Any news was a query always
answered in the negative as some wife
or mother sought to learn if husband or
! son had been recognized or otherwise
identified.
Poor Andy" cried one watcher. Il
friend of Andrew Anderson, who is
among the missing. He had not been
here long. and its hard on his mother
and father in Brooklyn"
Visitors Not Permitted Inside.
Unless very persistent, inquirers were
not allowed within the morgue The
bodies have no human semblance: all
look alike, and where possible it was
desired TO spare friends and relatives
the shock Of gazing on the awful spec
! tacle.