The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1909-01-22
A TERRIBLE
Lake FIRE
FIFTY-THREE WORKsfEN IN LIST
OF MISSING AT WATER
WORKS CRIB FIRE.
N1NETY-FIvE WE'RE OUT OFF
FROM CITY BY MILE AND A
HALF OF DRIFTING ICE.

them of from shore, at least fifty
three workmen are included In the
list of missing and the majority Of
these are known to be dead. as a
result of fire which originated in
4 powder vault attached to an in
termediate crib In Lake Michigan,
Used in the construction Of the new
water tunnel to the south side of the
city. Ninety-five workmen were
employed at the time of the fire and
the South Chicago hospitals are nll-
ed with the injured. The city fire.
boat is making frequent trips to the
scene of disaster, through heavy ice
ioes. AS far as known the fire
originated in the powder house.
house, about one hundred yards
from the crib, but a part of the gem
oral structure resting on the bot
TOM of the lake.
In this building there was stored
the powder and dynamite for urgent
Use in constructing the tunnel. The
lull detonation, muffled by the
punching Of floating ice against the
crib where many workmen. slept
owing to the difficulty Of reaching
The shore. simply aroused the work
men hut not until the sitting smoke
and heat Of the flames penetrated
living room "B" did the full import
Of the disaster dawn upon the little
colony of workmen, cut OF almost
completely from human succor. One
head, cooler than the rest, made his
way through the smoke to the tele-
phone and aroused the drowsy at
tendant on shore with the message,
"The crib is on fire, for Gods sake
send help at once or we will be
burned alive" At this point the
communication ceased, but through
the fog occasional bursts of fame
made known to the watchers on
shore the tragedy that In all prob
ability was being enacted mile and
half out in the lake.
Capt. johnson started at once
with the tug at. T. Morford" for
the scene, but the ice made 1t i'm
possible to reach the pier and q
small boat was used to carry the in
jured to the ting. They rescued
those who had plunged into the lake
rather than face the flames and who
had been able to survive in the ice
cold water. Thirty-nine had been
rescued when the fire-boat Con
way" succeeded in extinguishing the
flames. Fifty-three bodies have
been brought ashore and placed in
morgues awaiting Identification.
News OF the disaster spread
through the city and men and wo-
men gathered on the shore and stood
for hours shivering in the cold as
the tugs laboriously plowed their
way through ice foes with cargoes
of burned victims. The scene was
piteous, women thinly clad offered
money to owners OF small boats to
be taken to the scene of the disaster.
The tunnel, of which the crib Is
part of the construction work, is
being driven from the shore also.
but the two sections have not yet
been connected. A superstructure,
barn-like affair two stories with an
aerial tramway, gave physical con-
nection with the shore, by means OF
which supplies were furnished. I'm
til the rescuers are able to enter the
tunnel it will not be known how
many persons are below the surface
Of the lake. Many persons plunged
into the icy waters and kept them
selves afloat clinging to ice.
Fire Chief Koran ordered the ting
Illinois to patrol for victims dur
ing the night, with the hope of max
ing farther rescues. The police
have started an investigation to
place the responsibility for the dis
aster.