The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1909-01-22

Sewer and Tunnel Miners ASSOCi-
alton. expressed the fear today that
the death list in yesterdays accident
may reach 100. = am told" said he,
that there were about 10 men work
ing at the crib when the fire started.
If this proves true, the number of
dead will easily reach one hundred.
Many of the men who are missing are
undoubtedly at the bottom of the lake
and their bodies viii probably never
he recovered. Our organization will
make an investigation.
Shifting Responsibility.
RESPONSIBILITY for the accident at
the Seventy third street intermediate
crib in which fifty or more workmen
lost their lives, is being shifted rap
idly from one department of the pub
lie service to another
The United States engineers Of
fee issued a permit for the erection
of the crib. but we merely see TO il
that buildings of this kind do not OBJ
struct navigation" said the chief
clerk of the United States engineers
Office
My department supervised the
work done at the crib to see that it
was carried out in compliance with
the terms of the city's contract That
was the extent of our inspection,
was the statement of the city en-
gineer.
The building department sent no
inspectors to the intermediate GRIP
because it has no jurisdiction over
buildings erected in the lake. or, if it
has such Jurisdiction, I never heard
of it." said the. building commits.
sioner.
1T is not the duty of the fire de
partment to inspect structures such
as the intermediate crib" declared
the fire chief. in this case we were
never called on by the building de-
partment to do So"
The public works department OF
the city is responsible for such
structure" said the deputy building
commissioner. 1t was specified in
the contract with the George w
jackson company that precautions
should be taken against fire. There
was no specification that the stTUc-
tura be of steel"
ut would be absolutely impossible
for me to erect a steel crib for tenn
pOrary purposes unless it were paid
for by the city" said George w.
Jackson, of the construction COM
pany IF the city had been willing
to pay for a steel intermediate crib
certainly would have had no objec-
lions 10 erecting IL
Criminal prosecution Of those re-
sponsible for thei conditions at the
crib is threatened
Efforts Resumed.
Efforts were resumed at daybTeak
today to ascertain whether or not
any woTkmen were still living in the
shaft beneath the crib. Shortly af
ter the fire which burned the tempo
rary crib structure and compelled the
workmen who were not entrapped by
the flames to jump into the lake and
try to float on blocks of ice. it was
discovered that the smoke had de-
seconded into the shaft and had suffO-
Gated several men, but the hope was
still sustained today that the smoke
did not perhaps penetrate far into
the shaft All the air pumps were
kept working and it was believed that
some men would be found still living.
George ". Jackson, of the con-
struction company, today informed
the coroner it would be impossible
for several days to- give a complete
list of the dead Many of the work
men had the choice of remaining at
the crib and of having their food fur
nished by the company instead OF
going home every night.
Whether or not many of the men
we're taking advantage of this ar
rangement at the time OF the fire can
only be learned at their homes. AS
il will be impossible to identify more
than a few of the dead, it is probable
that a single funeral will be held for
all of them. The interment will be
at the cemetery and probably sin
gle tombstone concentrating the
tragedy will serve for all
Gloom in Chicago
A thick grey mist hanging over the
city today lent the last touch neces-
sary to complete the gloom of the
scene in the vicinity of Murphy's
morgue, where rest the bodies OF the
victims of yesterdays crib fire. In
side the undertaking rooms, like the
granary of some terrible bluebeard,
unrecognizable bOdy-ln many cases
only the torso-Of those who met
death in the charnel house in the
lake. In the street a quiet, grief
stricken crowd stood talking softly
in groups or plodding up and down
the slippery walks.
ANY news?" was query always
answered in the negative by some
wife or mother who sought to learn
if husband or son had been recog-
nized or otherwise identified.
Poor Andy CTled one watcher, a
friend of Andrew Anderson, who is
among the missing He hadn't been
here long and it's hard on his mother
and father in Brooklyn
Unless very persistent inquirers
are not allowed within the morSue.
The bodies have no human sem
blance. all look alike and where II
was possible il Eas desired 10 spare
friends and relatives the shock of
gazing on the awful spectacle