Albuquerque citizen. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1907-1909, 1909-01-20
.FORTY-SEvEh MEN
RESCUED BY TUGS
An Explosion Of Powder Set StruC-
ture on Fire and Brought Death
to Men Working In
Tunnel Under
the Crib.

Chicago, Jan. 2O.-Twenty-thre
men lost their lives today in a fire
which destroyed an intermediary wa
ter supply crib, a mile and a half
from the shore in Lake Michigan. A
telephone report from the crib at /
o'clock this afternoon says that TWEEN
ty bodies have been recovered from
the tunnel. There are three more
bodies at the bottom Of the shaft.
Forty-seven men, all suffering from
severe burns, cuts or immersion In
the water, were rescued. The men
Killed were imprisoned in tunnel un-
der the crib. Death might have come
to them from fire, smoke, an
explosion of the dynamite stored
there or by the shutting off the air
pipes. In the tunnel the men work.
ed under air pressure.
Fire tugs extlnguished the flames
and the attempt to enter the tunnel
was then made with the result that
twenty bodies were brought out and
three more at the bottom of the shaft
were located.
A survivor says that seventy men
| were employed at the crib Twenty
three of them were working in the
tunnel and most OF the others were
,asleep in their hunks when all were
( suddenly confronted by death through
the explosion of the powder magaA
zine, which lmm ediately wrapped the
wooden structure in flames. Those'
not killed or injured by the first fiery
blast rushed out. only to find no
means of escape. on every side We're
the waters of the lake and their only
hope of rescue was by a tug which
could be dimly seen through the haze
of fog and smoke
The captain of the tug, the Nor
ford, had already hoisted anchor to
go to the rescue of the threatened
men and the sturdy little craft was
soon Oucking the lee in the direction
of the crD. From the deck of the
tug black spots were soon to appear
on the surface Of the crib and then
disappear in the water below, show
ing that the imprisoned men were
lseeking to escape by swimming. Some
were seen to cling to cakes Of ice tor
a time, only to disappear.
Meanwhile, some of the imprisoned
men were trying to tell the shore Of
flee of the accident. The last word
received from the crib was tragic in
the extreme.
The crib les on fire. For Gods sake
Isend 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 At
tempts We're made to send .rescuers to
the crib from shore by the suspended
tramway connecting the crib with the
land, failed for the motive mechanism
would not work, and the few daring
spirits who attempted it were COM
PEELED TO desist.
After seemingly interminable trip
the tug Morford reached the crib
through the ice. All around were
victims of the fire. their hair signed
off, and skins blackened, struggling in
the ice water. Some half crazed,
fought off their rescuers.
| When everybody in sight had been
taken aboard a muffled explosion oc-
lcurred probably snuffing out more
lives in the crib. The tug started for
shore with 45 men aboard, a number
of them in serious condition.
On the way it passed three other
tugs, headed for the crib. A throng
met it at the pier. The wives and
lchildren Of many of the victims were
I'm the crowd ana the scene was heart
rending.