The star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1908-1909, 1909-01-20
Fatal Holocaust 10 Big
Intake Crib Close
to Chicago.
MEN, tIEMMED IN,
TELEPHONE FOR AID
Wires Burned Before the Plea
for Help Is Com
pleted.
20 WOUNDED ARE
RESCUED BY TUG
Many Leap from Blazing Struc-
ture Into oe=choked
Michigan.

CHICAGo.Jan. 20-Twenty-flree men
lost their lives in a fire which destroyed
the intermediate waterworIxs intake
crib, 1-2 miles from shore of Seventy
first street, ia Lake Michigan. today.
fort.-five injured, rescued by the tug
asorford. were brought into the city.
The first notice that the fire broke
cut came In telephone messaGe TO
he offices CT the Jackson Company ON
the shore. The message read,
''The crib Is on fre. For GODS sake
send help mt once or dozen ar more
of as will he burned alive. The
tug"
Then the telephone wire burned off
and the men On shore heard no more.
The dead are supposed to be I'M
prisolled in the tunnel under the crib
Death might have come either from
fire, smoke, an explosion or dynamite
stored there or the shutting off of air
pipes.
In the tunnel the men worked under.
air pressure Little hope was expressed
that any of .ri1srn esc1per, although sthis
cannot be known until the wreclxage
blocking the entrance to the bore is re-
flames. and an attempt to enter the
tunnel was begun.
The crib is constructed wholly of
wood, with the exception of steel
shaft installed to keep it in place, and
the flames spread rapidly.
Three shifts Of men were working on
the crib. Through the cold months the
men have been living in hunks con-
structed at the crib.
The tug T. I. Morford, which vas
stationed there and which was used as
q means of escape by the workmen,
i1otgnt forty-iive of the injured men
20 Tie city. The boat itself had mar
row escape from the flames She pulled
sway at the first warning and stopped
. short way off while workmen Were
!saping INTO the water and swimming
10 tie tugs side
Many OF the men rescued were suf-
fering either from burns or from the
effect OF smoke and heat
Tie aerial tramway was utilized in
lighting the flames, but II was prac-
iicaliy useless as an avenue of escape.
Those who were not killed or injured by
the first fiery blasts rushed out of doors,
to find no means of escape.
On every side were the waters of
Lake Michigan, it's surface almost COW
cred by great cakes of broken Ice. A
mile and half distant near the shore
at Seventy-third street, lay their only
hope, the tug Morford It could be
dirnly seen through the haze of fog and
smoke.
When Captain Johnson, of the tug,
after what seemed to him an intermin-
able trip, reached his goal, scene
worthy the brush of Dore greeted his
eyes. Frantic victims of the fire, their
hair singed off and their skins black
ened, were struggling in the water and
ice. Some of them fought against their
rescuers, only to sink unconscious on
deck when forced aboard the tug.
when / neared the crib" said John
son, II saw a number of men, their
clothing ablaze, run out of the blazing
structure and jump into the lake. 9th
ers rapidly twisted ropes about any
thing they could find and jumped into
the water to prevent them from bein;
drowned. Others used boxes and pieces
of timber as life-preservers.
Men Frozen in Water.
Wnen weagot within fifty feet Of the
crib | slowed down the engine and we
began throwing out ropes and life-belts
to the lnen in the water. Some of the
men found US and others were so cold
and stiff from their Icy baths that we
had to reach over and drag them in.
CONTINUED ON Second Page,