The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1909-01-20
eorty Men Employed on Crib Out in
Lake Michigan Face Death
by the Flames or by
Drowning.
AL TOOK LAKE CHANCE
When the Fire Broke Out the Men
Were Trapped-It is Reported
That Several Were
Drowned.

CHICAGO. ILL.,, Jan. 20.-Forty men
,mployed on a crib several miles out
IN Lake Michigan, jumped into the lake
h,,s morning when the cribs were des-
,toyed by fire. A telephone report
saws several were drowned. When the
fire broke out the men were trapped
snd had the alternative of burning
IN death in the crib or risking death
BY drowning. All took chances with
the lake.
Between sixty and seventy
men we're caught in the crib.
+ The number drowned is impos
| sible to ascertain. The survivors,
brought from the crib to Sixty-eighth
street, say about fifteen were drowned
after holding to the burning edges of
the crib for an hour. At $3.50 forty
seven men were removed from the wa
ter about the crib by tugs, nearly all
badly burned and 1t is feared several
will die. The crib was temporary and
VStu do WI ihSiiOB IOt iopoi CID nui
lng the construction of the Intake tun-
mel from the shore to point five miles
out The tunnel is being built for the
city water department
II Is feared between six and thirty
men were caught in the tupnel with
NJ means Of egress. The water is;
rapidly filing the tunnel. The crib
vas wooden, circular shape, with a
diameter of forty feet. The super
structure was twenty-five feet above
The surface and was used as a work
shop and sleeping place. Forty feet
below is tunnel connected with the
crib shaft There was steam ele-
gator for hosting the men up and
o'Vn Between sixty AMI seventy
were on the crib when the fire started
from an unknown cause The engine
IAN the buckets over a cable carrying
aift 10 the mainland. A minute after
started the crib was mass of
names Many sleeping were burned
severely before awaking. The engine
vas put out OF commission by fire and
prevented escape on the cable. It
also cut out the hope of running the
elssa'or. thus preventing resucing the
Heh Imprisoned in the tunnel. The
men remained on the crib until the
sapsrstfucture was almost destroyed.
sia.y We're burned SO badly they
,ould hardly float when they jumped
NV zoe water The survivors say they
ssw William Scully. assistant superin-
,'uueht, and John Coners, the time
Aesuer' and Mcdonald sink.
iHe CRIES OF the surviving workmen
salslng to the edge of the crib were
nedrd by the men on the tugs before
,nes reached the cribs. The men
.sAs''s on the edge were seen to let
- = anu sink into The lake. 1t is
s ,avush' that they perished. The heat
~ a' 80 intense the tugs were unable
% reach the men.
N'er bringing the injured ashore
ss n. 'uss f2turned to the crib in an en-.
A., 'Vs 70 fecove. the bodies of those
eu u the fire or drowned. The
'"ors declare they believe six men
s.,e ss,easorlng to escape the flames and
fe..a, sl'a down the tunnel. 1t is
A. ny tne Imprisoned men are lost as
lann,. Hlp burned SO low the water is
tnnpa, s over and probably filing the
,uos WIN water. At II o'clock the
na !. .ie seen pumping air to the tun-
)" hopes of keeping the men alive.
,e.r;. aooii hre tugs ceased dousing,
psn '.s . 70 food the tunnel where the
Nh Nere Imprisoned. One man had
,iss.s a eyes h'cvn out and others larg,
~ eSn, "esh torn from their bodies
Bits ~ osichs. s supposedly by smnn
used IN N,aamlte ~ and Illuminating caps
so,s. ~ u The construction work. The
blown injured a,.a are Thomas Green, ewes
nona Ju'' :, Charles Rose. James Red.
man, Rosan,y Rnenry Franklin, Home. Hos
James n0oert leffries. Slogan Mi,ler.
Thomas : William p. Nye, j. Mantle.
Charles !. sallahan Ralph johnson.
shse sest TO-, ef these were almost mud,
they huns ~ from the ice cakes where
On the s sns an hour. All were asleep
tie lake eslperstructure ~ !, and leaped into
d elIns sae ). unclothed These were forcao @
en so tirht 81 tue ., ice cakes and were froz-
Mere torn A. ~ mat portions of the flesh
1he 'p,n '.1 away when rescued.
'seen twenty ss,lmates sna "a dead is be-
--y Vy and thirty. 1t is thought
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