The Winchester news. [volume] (Winchester, Ky.) 1908-19??, 1909-01-21
ELEMENTS UNITE
IN DEATH PACT
ty-Three Men Burned and Drown
ed-Were Working On
Crib.

a half of treacherous drifting Ice cut
ting them off from ready communica-
ton with the shore, at least SO work.
men are included among the list OF
missing, and the majority of these
already are known to be dead, as the
result Of fire which had its origin
in powder vault attached to the in.
termediate crib used in the corstruc-
ton of a new water tunnel connect
ing with the South Side of the city.
1t is known that 80 workmen were
employed in the crib and the con-
Meeting tunnel at the time of the fire,
but the WORK of the destroying ele-
ment was begun so Unexpectedly and
reaped its harvest of dead and in
jured with snch swiftness that the
contracting firm of George w. Jack
son and the rescuers have been uu-
able to arrive at anything like an
accurate list of those who persisted
and others who escaped the fury OF
the flames or the icy waters of the
lake.
AS nearly as the Investigators have
been able to ascertain, the explosion
had its origin in a powder house of
small dimensions, situated about 100
yards fror, the crib structure proper,
but at the same time being a part Of
the general structure, built on foun-
dations resting on the bottom of the
lake at this point
The dull defamation, muff1ed as Il
was by the crunching of floating ice
against the, crib and the atmosphere
laden with heavy fog, simply aroused
the attention Of the workmen, ac-
cording to survivors, and it was not
until the head of the flames and the
sitting smoke penetrated the so.
called living room" of the crib and
the tunnel beneath the waters of the
lake that the full import of the dis
aster dawned upon the little colony
of workmen cut off almost completely
from human succor.
One of the workmen, with a cooler
head than his fellows, abandoned the
shouting and frantic group on the
crib platform and made his way
through the smoke to the little en-
closure in which telephone communf-
cation had been established with the
shore station. The drowsy attendant
at this point was brought into action
by violent ringing of the bell, and
this was the message which set on
foot the work of rescue: THE crib is
on fire; for Gods sake send help at
once or we will be burned alive! The
tug -
At this point communication ceased
and through the fog the men on
shore barely discerned occasional
bursts Of fame and an unmistakabIe
odor of smoke made it known to the
watchers on shore that a tragedy was
probably being enacted a mile and @
half out in the lake. The tug T. T.
Morford, in charge of Captain John
son, had forced its prov to an an
chorage within a short distance OF
the imperiied crib, and this was
placed In service at the outset in the
work of rescuing the frenzied work.
men. The ice made it impossible for
the tug to reach the improvised pier,
but small boat was placed in ser
vice to carry the injured to the
steamer and rescue those who had
plunged into the waters Of the lake
rather than face the flames which
were raging on the crib structure.
After several hours of work on the
part Of the rescuers, in which hero
ism stood forth even in the heavy fog
and drifting smoke, SO workmen were
rescued, and wnen the fire tug Con-
way and its crew had succeeded in
quenching the flames, SO bodies had
been carried to the shore and placed
in morgues in South Chicago, await
ing Identification.
ing Identification The bodies recov.
cred were all badly burned and in
some cases Identification will be diff
cult.
Until such time as the rescuers are
able to enter the water tunnel which
connects the shore with the crib It
will not be known how many perish
ed below the surface of the lake. Air
pressure was used in this portion Of
the work, and as the generating plant
became disabled soon after the dis
covery of the fire it is thought GER
tain that those who were at work In
the tunnel must have persisted.