The Ogden standard. [volume] (Ogden City, Utah) 1902-1910, 1909-01-20
TERRIBLE DISASTER AT WATER
CRIB NEAR SHORES OF
LAKE MICHIGAN
Powder Magazine Expodes Wrapping Wooden Structure Flames and
Lives of TWentyhree Men Are Snufed Out-Foyeven Are
Rescued by Boat Which Narrowly Escapes Destruction

Chicago, Jan 20-Twenty-three men
lost their lives today in a fire which
destroyed the intermediate water sup
ply crib, one and a half miles from
shore in Lake Michigan. Forty.seven
suffering from burns, cuts or immers-
icn III the icy waters into which they
jumped TO save their lives were res
cued. This statement of casualties
was made by George w. Jackson.
whose company was constructing tho
tn-take tunnel under the lake and of
which the crib formed base OF opera
tl0nS The dead are supposed to be
imprisoned In the tunnel under the
crib. Death might have come either
from fire, smoke, An explosion of dy-
| Mantle stored there, or the shutting
eff oil the air pipes In the tunnel,
the men worked under air pressure.
Little hope was expressed that any Of
them escaped although this cannot be
! known until the wreckage blocking the
entrance to the bore is removed Fire
tugs eXtinguished the flames and an
attempt to enter the tunnel was begun.
The crib is one that was establish
ed by the George w Jackson COM
pany contractors. and is connected
with the shore by an aerial tramway.
Early reports stated that nearly six
ty men were working In the crib when
tho fire broke out. 1t was possible
that there were fifteen men working
in the tunnel who might have escap
ed, although their lives. if in the tun-
nel, would he endangered by smoke.
| The tug r. T. MoTford in charge of
I Captain Johnson, was stationed at the
! crib and twenty-siX OF the workmen
many of whom were suffering from
burns. were taken on board the tug
and brought 10 the city.
The boat Itself had narrow escape
from the flames. She pulled away
from the crib at the first warning ani
stopped a short way off while work
men on the crib were leaping into
the water and swimming to the tugs
Side.
Many of the men rescued from the
| crib were suffering either from
burns or from the effect of smoke and
| beat. The aerial tramway was utlliz-
ed in fighting the flames, but it was
practically useless for the men at the
crib TO take advantage of attempts
TO escape.
Those who were not killed or injur-
cd by the first fiery blasts rushed out
OF doors to find no means Of escape.
| On every side were the waters OF
Lake Michigan its surface almost COW
} cred by great cakes OF Ice. A mile
snd half distant near the shore at
| Seventy-third street, lay their only
hope, the tug Morford. 1t could be
dimIy seen through the haze OF fog
: and smoke. AT the shore office, the
last word received from the crib was
tragic in its incompleteness.
The crib is on fire For Gods sake
send help at once or we will be burn
/ ed alive The tug -
Then the telephone wire broke and
the men on shore heard no more. Cap
| tain Edward Johnson of the tug had
/ already hosted anchor and the sturdy
/ little craft was bucking the ice. The
/ liremen in the hold worked desperate
~ getting up full head of steam.
From the deck OF the boat. the crib
could be dimly seen. Black spots ap-
reared and then disappeared into the
waters below. Some of the imprison-
| tu ltlBu h6lt oCChln6 w tctuPN ~
swimming Some of them were seen
to cling TO cakes of ice for time and
then TO disappear. The crib is a tenn
| porary structure erected in the con-
stluction of a new three-mile tunnel
| into the lake for the ultimate purpose
of adding to Chicagos water supply
The wooden material used in the
crib made it an easy prey for the
| FIRE. Powder and dynamite used In
blasting were both stored there. Or
| dinarlly from sixty to seventy-five
zen were employed. They worked III
shifts of eight hours each, eating on
the premises and sleeping in the
| hunks with which the place was pro-
vided A suspended tramway con-
nected the crib with the shore. Inn
mense buckets, suspended from heavy
wire cables and worked by machinery
carried supplies to the place. When
The fire was first discovered, an at
tempt was made by few daring spir-
its to reach the crib in the buckets,
but the motive mechanism failed TO
work and the attempt was abandoned.
When Captain Johnson, after what
seemed to him an interminable trip,
reached his gcal, he saw victims oi the
fire, their hair singed OF and their
skins blackened. struggling in the wat
er and Ice. Some of them fought
against their rescuers only to sink un-
conscious on deck when forced aboard
the tug. When everybody in sight
had been taken aboard, second mut'
flea explosion was heard, probably
marking the snuffing out of more lives
In the tunnel under the crib.
when | neared the crib. SAID Cap
tain Johnson, Il saw number oil men,
4, their clothing ablaze. run out oil tne
blazing structure and jump into the
lake. Others rapidly twisted ropes
about anything they could find to pre-
vent being drowned. and jumped into
the water. Others used boxes ana
pieces of timber as life preseryers.
when we got within fifty feet OF
tho crib | slowed down the engine
and VIC began throwing out ropes ana
life belts to the men in the water
When We bumped against the rune
! structure. some OF the men 1umit