Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1909-01-27
s. PERISH
IN CRIB FIRE
MEN CAUGHT UNAWAREs BY Ex-
PLosloN AND FIRE MILE
FROM SHORE.
VICTIMS BURNED BEYOND REC
IGNITION LIE IN CHICAGO
MoRGUEs.
SURVIVORS KEPT THEMSELVES
AFLoAT BY cLlNGING TO
FLOATING ICE.


men are included among the list of
missing, and majority of these al
ready are known to be dead as re-
suit of a fire which had its origin
yesterday in a powder vault attached
to the intermediate crib, used in the
construction of the new water tunnel
connecting with the south side OF the
city at 73rd street. It is known that
90 workmen were employed in the crib
and the connecting tunnel at the time
OF the fire, but the work of the de-
stroying element was begun so unex-
pectedly and reaped its harvest OF
dead and injured with such swittness
that the contracting firm of George
w. Jackson, and the rescuers, have
been unable to arrive at anything like
an accurate list of those VINO persisted
and those who escaped the flames or
icy waters of the lake.
Owing to the dificulty of the small
steam craft to reach the crib during
the winter, the majority of the work
men employed on the work, and par
ticularly those without families, slept
in temporary structures, and it was
Just as these had been awakened foi
the days routine that the explosion
and subsequent fire caused the pande-
moLium which resulted in the loss oil
at least SO lives.
A. VIZ inUpGfiO1TnFC have
been able to ascertain, the explosion
had its origin in the powder house sit
uated about 100 yards from the crib
structure proper, but at the same time
being a part of the general structure
built on foundations resting on the
bottom of the lake at this point. In
some mysterious manner the deadly
explosives were put into action. The
noise OF the explosion simply aroused
the attep ion of the workmen, accord
ing TO the survivors, and it was not
until the heat of the flames and the
sitting smoke had penetrated the So
called Giving room" of the crio ard
tunnel beneath the waters of the lake
that the full import of the disaster
dawned upon the little colony Of work
men, cut off almost completely from
human succor.
One of the workmen made his way
through the smoke to an enclosure in
which telephone communication had
0een established tn the shore sta
ton and gave the alarm. Through
the fog an occasional burst OF flame
and the unmistakable odor OF smoke
made it known 10 the watchers on the
shore that a tragedy was probably be-
ing enacted a mile and half out in
the lake. The tug, T. T. Morford.
had forced it's prov earlier in the
morning to anchorage within a snort
distance of the imperiled crib and it9
crew set to work to rescue the men,
After several hours of work thirty
nine worknlen were rescued and when
, the FIRE rug Conway and its crew had
succeeded in quenching the flames SO
bodies had been carried ashore and
placed in the norgues In South Chi
cago awaiting Identification. The bod
les of the victims in a majority of in
SLdLctS were uuAcCOShiNdb'e esAiN NH@
contracting firm gave out the follow
ing list of the missing:
Barney O'Connor. fireman; H. D..
Mcdonald. timekeeper; J. Thorpe ?.
Lynch, C. Meyer E. Jennings. Peter
blake. William Kelley, j. Pfister, J.
Kelly. Edward MCGEE. Charles Kraper,
! Galadenis T Connolly, ]. Lucas, J..
Convel. NJ. Cassidy. w. Yandroius A.
KiIcoyne. T Mitchell. o. KELLEY. J..
Thomas. F Thomas, Edward Skinner
T Hanson. c. Patterson, J. Miller. w.
Reynolds, ]. Paddy J. Barnots. 7.
stankus ]. Mulholan, C. Soc. T.
Gavel. F. Miller J. Driscoll. ]. Fultz.
NJ. Shodish. T. Brennan. J. Anderson.
NJ. Mickson and T. Tameunis.
Until such time as the rescuers are
able TO enter the water on the tunnel
which connects the shore with the
crib it will not be known how many
perished below the surface Of the lake.
The air plant became disabled soon
after the discovery of the fire and 1t
is thought certain that those at work
in the tunnel must have persisted Tho
volume OF smoke which filled the lat
ter would be sufi { ent TO make breath
ing next to ir1rossible. The fore
man charge of the work is not GER
tain. however. whether any of the
workmen had proceeded far. enough in
10 the tunnel TO make escape imposst-
bic when the alarm was given.
Many survivors kept themselves
aaoat oy cling ng TO floating ice after
they had jumped from the burning
crib. 1t is known that a least three
who had sought safety in this manner
we're drowned. but the majority were
hauled from the water ard taken
aboard the tug Morford.
\ majority Of the 0odies taken from
the ruins OF the crib were found near
the mouth OF the tunnel. the terror
strIz ken men eviden ~ rushing to this
SPOT as a lest hone as the flames creFt
toward them. Acc nd ng 70 Capts 2
Garland he United States life saw
ing station who sis-ed n the M
OF rescue. many bodies cannot be idea