The enterprise. [volume] (Harlem, Mont.) 1899-1926, 1909-01-27
CRIB DEATH ROLL 70
Lake Horror Off Chicago
Worse Than Supposed.
CORONER PLANS WIDE PROBE
Latest Estimate Of Victims Of Fire
and Drowning Places. List Far
Above That First Given Out
Forty-seven Bodies Out; rs Missing.

Above That First Given Out
Forty-seven Bodies Out; rs Missing
Chicago, Jan. 22.-Search for vic
Tins of the lake crib fire disaster, of
| Seventy-first street, during the &c
hours since the occurrence, conducted
under the direction of Coroner Hoff:
man, resulted in the recovery of Al
bodies of dead victims, the discovery
that 46 were injured and that Is
more are unaccounted for, according
to an official announcement made by
the coroner yesterday. According to
this estimate the number of dead is 20,
which number, with those injured, is
in excess of the roll of employees of
George w. Jackson Inc. This is ex-
planned by the fact that some of the
victims were men who were waiting
at the temporary crib of the new
southwest land tunnel for an oppor-
tunity to go to work.
AII-Night Vigil Is Kept.
An all-night vigil was kept at the
scene of the horror under orders of
the coroner by Deputy Coroner Cal.
Hartney and two policeman and con-
slant watch will be maintained there
until the coroner's jury and Coroner
Hoffman with States Attorney Way
man complete their investigation.
Coroner Hoffman declared that he ex-
pected to have the states attorneys
Office and the city law department
send out experts to take active part in
the investigation.
Special care is being taken by Cor
oner Hoffman in the selection of the
coroners jury and orders were given
to conduct Investigations along vari-
GUS lines to determine the cause of,
and to fix blame for, the disaster.
Leaves the Scene Late.
1t was about II o'clock at night
when Coroner Hoffman left the scene
where the tunnel workers met their
doom in fire and water and he was up
in the morning completing prepare
lions to take up the work of the in
quest and further search. Accom-
panied by his stenographer and some
experts, Coroner Hoffman remained at
the scene of the horror for some
time during the day.
Preparations for impaneling the
jury have been completed and this
body consisted of three South Chicago
business men of high standing and of
three others, among whom may be
with construction work.
Inquest to Be Adjourned.
The coroner intimated that after the
preliminary inspection by the jury the
inquest will be adjourned for about
one week, to give the police, the city
law department, the states attorney
and expert investigators an eppor.
tunity to ascertain the cause and
blame for the disaster and also the
exact scope of the horror, so far as
the number of dead is concerned.
II propose to make the investigation
the most thorough one of it's kind and
to bring about results which will dc
justice to the poor victims, to their
families and to all concerned, and also
to get at the bottom of the cause of
the catastrophe, to make a repetition
thereof impossible" continued the coro-
ner. II will be on the job personally
from now until it is over and will put
into service as many assistants and
experts as We find will be needed"
Conjecture as to Clause.
There has been much conjecture as
the cause of the fire, but although the
police under Assistant Chief Scheut-
tier are making every effort to learn
the truth, nothing definite is yot
known. Survivors who were interro-
gated were ready enough to relate the
stories of their escape from the
flames and the freezing waters-mt
raculous escapes, in many instances
but when asked about the supposed
cause of the disaster they only shook
their heads, frightened their lips and
said:
1--WE have been told not to talk
about that to newspaper men or law
yers."
Attempt to Kill Vermin.
A few were found, however who
were willing to suggest causes. These
men were among those most bitter in
their denunciations of the alleged ut
ter lack of safeguard against fire and
other dangers at the crib.
II guess you could lay it to vermin
as much as to anything else" said one
workman. 1.-THE bunkrooms were full
of them. They never bite me, but one
of the boys, big colored fellow, used
to be annoyed by them. He got can
of gasoline the other day and began
to apply it plentifully to the cracks in
the boards. l suppose he kept up
this treatment, until yesterday morn
ing the gasoline caught fire in some
way-probably from one of the stoves.
We had to keep up red-hot fires to
keep from freezing way out there in
the lake. OF course the minute that
gasoline caught it would run all around
the place, following the cracks, quick
| as flash of powder. The whole house
was dry and in exactly the right condi-
ton to make good fuel"