Copyright USGenNet Inc., 2016 All Rights Reserved USGenNet Data Repository Please read USGenNet Copyright Statement on this page: Transcribed and submitted by Linda Talbott for the USGenNet Data Repository http://www.us-data.org/ =========================================================================== Formatted by USGenNet Data Repository Chief Archivist, Linda Talbott All of the above information must remain when copied or downloaded. =========================================================================== The Milwaukee Journal Thursday, April 20, 1893 DEATH IN THE CRIB Twenty Workmen Out There Are Drowned in the Frightful Gale Which Swept the Lake Last Night. INTAKE CRIB WASHED AWAY The Life Boat Brings Back the News from the Scene of Death. WRECKAGE STREWS THE SHORE Scenes on the Shore This Morning - Weep- ing Women - Destruction Everywhere. Efforts to Save the Men - Story of the Disaster - A Storm Hardly Before Equaled on the Lakes. The most desperate storm known for years prevailed on the lake last night, and it will be memorable in Milwaukee for the loss of probably a score of lives washed into eternity from the crib at the outward end of the intake tunnel. JAMES MILLER, the only survivor, lies at the point of death, and will, in all likelihood, never be able to tell the terrible story of the struggles of himself and comrades against the frightful fate that doomed them. Amid the deafening roar of billows rolling mountain high, the whistling of a gale the like of which has never been experienced here before, the crashing of massive timbers and the commingled cries of pain and distress, the frail structure in which the men were huddled together was torn from its foundation. The following are known to have been on the crib: MICHEL DWYER, engineer JACK McBRIDE, engineer GEORGE GREGG, lockman JOS. MUELLER, miner WM. PRIESTLY, miner JOS. McCARTHY, miner EBEN ALLEN, cook GEORGE WHOLLY, miner FRED SPANNER, miner WILLIAM PRESSUER, miner J. PRETZALD, miner GUS LAVATACY, miner WILLIAM BOYD, miner The only vestige of the works that appears above the sur- face is the great compressed air pipe filled to the top with water and containing the dead bodies of most of the unfortunate. It was in this immense reservoir that the men apparently sought safety when all other hope had vanished and it was here they met death as the water flowed in upon them from above and below. As the shaft filled the men were gradually forced to the top, where the bodies of some of them were seen floating about when the single survivor was taken off. It was about noon when the tug Welcome reached the scene of the disaster after plunging through a sea that threatened every moment to overwhelm the little craft. She carried the lifesaving crew in command of CAPT. PETERSON, consisting, be- sides himself of eight men. At first nothing could be seen and it was thought that all were lost. A line was thrown to the shaft and made fast while the tug plunged and tugged at it in a way that threatened to part it every instant. In the midst of the terrible scene INGRAM OLSON (sic - INGAR OLSEN) one of the crew, threw himself over the side of the tug and crept along the line hand over hand to the shaft. Here a sight met his eyes that he will probably never forget. Floating around inside were two dead bodies and below them evidence of others, while hanging to the side of the pipe sus- tained by a slight projection was the almost exhausted MILLER, gasping for life. MILLER was hauled up to the top of the pipe and here OLSON made a desperate but unsuccessful attempt to get him to the tug. As a last resource he tied the rope around the body of the helpless man and taking a firm grasp of the line himself both were hauled aboard of the tug, more dead than alive. At this juncture CAPT. PETERSON made an attempt to reach the shaft, but in doing so was hit over the head with a heavy beam and knocked senseless. He in turn was taken aboard and transferred to the Emergency hospital, where his injuries are pronounced serious. The tug landed MILLER at the Milwaukee Tug Boat office, where he was placed in charge of DRS. LEWIS and O'BRIEN, and at last accounts was unconscious. From muttered ravings of the unconscious man it was gleaned that with him this morning in the shaft were five others who were alive but one after another succumbed to the cold and exposure. He was afterward removed to the Emergency hospital where each spell of semi-consciousness was succeeded by a blank in which it would seem his life would pass away. It was not until after noon that any definite intelligence of the lost could be ascertained and the suspense in conse- quence was terrible. Along the shore were hundreds of people vainly seeking for some trace of the men whom they feared to think were lost. Every speck, every indication of life upon the horizon inspired some hope, and the vicinity of the disaster was scanned by thousands of anxious eyes. Every foot of the shore was patrolled and every bit of floating debris eagerly examined but no evidence of the lost came to light. No bodies were washed ashore and the assumption is that they are all imprisoned in the shaft. The people living along the shore were horrified at day- light this morning when upon looking through their blinds to notice the intensity of the fearful storm that they had felt all night, they could see no vestige either of the crib or the house that surmounted it and but faint traces here and there of the government breakwater that was hidden in the mountains of surf that broke over it. The entire prospect as far as the eye could reach was one awful spectacle of seeth- ing, boiling, roaring billows that seemed to unite with the clouds out in the bay. On the beach were two lumber laden craft that had vainly sought shelter behind the breakwater and the shore was strewn with wreckage. About 200 feet of the breakwater which was thought to be staunch enough to withstand the severest storm had been washed away and the massive timbers and planks were tumbled in disordered heaps upon the shore. The perspective was one of awful scene of destruction and instantly the mind reverted to the dreadful situation of the men who were every morning such familiar figures on the works. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - SCENES ON THE SHORE Relatives and Friends of the Imperiled Men Crowd the Beach Great excitement prevailed about the pumping station at the head of North avenue all last night and early this morning. Weeping and disheveled women were ringing their hands in agony and peering out into the darkness in hopes of seeing some sign that those dear to them were still in the land of the living. The wind howled with a fury and force that shook the solid foundations of the engine house until it rocked like a cradle. Between the roar of the storm and the beat of the surf on the lake it was an awful night. The crib was washed ashore a little below the south pier. Those in the engine house and on the beach rushed down to the spot where the dismembered crib was beating against the shore but no signs of life were discovered. It then became certain that the gang had secured themselves in the air lock and hopes were entertained that they might be saved after all, although the chances seemed to be doubtful. Within the crib proper a shaft had been sunk to a depth of seventy feet, which was about twenty feet in circumference. This shaft was lined with an iron pipe made perfectly air tight. The shaft extended over the normal level of the lake about six feet and it has a cover which is fitted on to exclude the air. The men at work on the tunnel, labor inside of this shaft and the air is kept at a pressure of thirty pounds. The people acquainted with this state of affairs on the shore concluded that the men had, as soon as there was danger, made for the shaft and secured themselves. But the trouble was that the opening to the shaft could not be secured from the inside and again it was likely that when the crib was torn from its fastenings it would tear away the connecting pipes and let the water into the shaft. Another fear was that the leak in the bot- tom of the shaft would soon fill and drown the men. It was an awful sight at 8 o'clock to see the huge waves washing over the bottom of the crib, which, being anchored by stone work to the bottom of the lake, still remained. Only the Platform Remains The main house and accompanying sheds and compartments were chained firmly to the substructure and it was not thought that the fiercest storm could dislodge any part of it. Every vestige was swept away however, the only visible thing remaining being the head of the air shaft and a small platform arranged around it and fastened to it. This evidently withstood the shock and affords an indication that the crib is still secure as it forms a part of it. Around this unmovable speck the waves raged and boiled in demoniacal fury, affording slight hope that any living thing could have lived within it. Where the Men Were When the storm struck, one of the subcontractors stated, there must have been about twenty men in the house and the tunnel, of which number, probably twelve in the house constituting the two gangs that were off while the third was at work. Of the twevle about half were in the bunks, having been relieved but a short time before. As near as can be ascertained the house was so firmly fastened down that it did not all wash away at once, but was torn from its foundation piece by piece, the unfortunates exposed to the ele- ments, making the best shift they could for their lives as the frail structure drifted in fragments toward the shore upon the crest of the great mountain of water that rolled high upon the bank. THE HOUSE GIVES WAY At 5:45 o'clock this morning the engineer at the North point pumping works saw the last remnant of the house topple over and bury itself in the flood. For several minutes there was nothing visible but the foam and froth, lashed up by the waves, but final- ly the engineer thought that he could discern human beings upon the top of the air shaft and they looked to be changing from one position to another as though struggling to save themselves from being washed away. This proved to be the fact, as it was ascertained shortly after- ward, during a lull in the storm, that there were six men hanging on to the air shaft hoping for assistance that it was unable to give. THE INSPECTOR'S OPINION Sam Brockman, the inspector appointed by the city engineer, said at 11 o'clock that he had hopes some of the gang would be saved. His impression was that there were twenty-two men on the crib yes- terday and as none of them could come away they were no doubt there yet. He was afraid, he said, that when the crib was washed away a rush was made for the air shaft and that some of those in the superstructure torn away must have perished. The entrance to the air shaft was very small and only one at a time could get in. DROWNED IN THE SHAFT He was of the opinion that in the rush for the air shaft the six men who are now seen on the deck of the crib were the only ones saved and that all the rest were drowned. This opinion is shared by others who had worked on the crib. George Bentley, one of the miners, was to have taken his place in the regular shift and he and Inspector Brottom had attempted to make the crib, but did not succeed. It was a narrow escape. At 9:30 o'clock a great shout arose from the watchers on the beach. "There they are' There they are." cried a little man, dancing up and down excitedly. "See, they are out on top. See them, see them." Sure enough on the top of the little pier could be discerned the dim forms moving about. Cries of "Thank God, God be praised!" went up from the women, while one anxious wife threw herself upon her knees in the wet sand and cried fervently. Telescopes were procured, but owing to the flying surf it was with difficulty that the men could be distinguished. But there they were, six of them, the remainder presumably in the lock. That the men on the pier were aware of the excitement on the beach was apparent. It was also evident that they were laboring under a great strain of excitement and fully realized their perilous position. Cold, they must have been, too, for every now and then they could be seen swinging their arms to and fro and rubbing their hands. A little flag sent up on the pumping station as a signal, was answered with the waving of hats, and one man swung his coat. Then the crowd on the beach again broke into a huzzah loud and long, while the women prayed, wept and kissed each other alter- nately. Foreman Barber said he knew that there were at least seventeen men in the crib. A schooner, name unknown, washed ashore during the night and now lies beating against the breakwater. At 9 o'clock City Engineer Benzenberg sent word down to the life-saving crew to come up to the pumping station and make an effort to save the men. A TUG TO THE RESCUE At 10 o'clock work (sic) was received by the anxious watchers on the beach at the foot of the pumping station that the tug Welcome had started out with the lifeboat and would try and reach the crib. But the waves ran mountain high and there was little hope that the tug would be able to accomplish its object. Capt. Peter Peterson of the lifesaving crew, was at the pumping station to see what could be done from there, be he declared the lifeboat could not live one minute in the surf and he said the only thing that could be done was to reach the crib with a tug. The crib is only about 3,000 feet out in the lake, but the breakwater to the south caused the waves to run so high that it could not be seen half of the time. With the aid of a telescope five men and sometimes six could be plainly seen on the dis- mantled crib. Every few minutes a wave mountain high would sweep over them and hide them from view. When the wave came they fell flat on the floor they were standing on and when it had passed they arose with the water running down from them in streams. They seemed to shout and waved their arms and one man had a rag or a piece of clothing and he waved it as if in mortal agony. During the intervals between the waves they ran about the deck of the crib as fast as they could to keep themselves warm, no doubt. One man got a pole and fastened a white cloth of some kind and waved it in the air, beckoning to those on shore to come to their aid. HOPE FOR THE MEN Only five men were counted at one time and the surmise was that the rest of the gang were in the shaft protected by the airlock and there was hope that they would all be saved if they could hold out until a boat was sent there. The danger, Foreman Barker said was that the air pressure would allow the water to rise from the bottom of the shaft and force them on the deck of the crib from which there was danger that they would be washed away. The foreman said that about 10 o'clock the men in the crib answered his signal from the roof of the engine house and he had hopes if the shaft did not fill from the bottom the whole gang might be saved. The story early this morning that a man had come from the crib on a piece of timber was false. No one from the crib had come ashore at 10:30 o'clock. HEART-RENDING SCENES Mrs. McBride, wife of Engineer McBride, was wildly running up and down stretching her arms toward the crib and calling for her husband. She turned upon the spectators and implored them in the name of God if they were men to do something to save her husband. She threatened to enter the terrible waves alone and single-handed to go to his rescue. Her friends had difficulty in keeping her from jumping into the lake. Mr. Dwyer, father of Engineer Dwyer, an old man, tottered up the beach and wildly called upon the people standing around to get a boat and go to his son's assistance. SWEPT BY THE WAVES At 10 o'clock an unusually large wave was seen to sweep over the crib, and when they had passed a cry of horror arose from the shore. The men were gone. For several minutes those on shore were certain that all on the deck had been swept to a watery grave. But it seems that they had only been thrown down, for one after another they arose slowly as if in utter exhaustion. Then one after another they slowly crawled to the air shaft and two of them disappeared. Three still clung to the frame work about the air shaft. HOIST A SIGNAL They rigged up a pole with a cloth on which they raised, but it was not up half a minute before the gale swept the cloth into the raging waves. The waves seemed to run higher and higher as the weary minutes to the shore-watchers crept along. All eyes were strained down the lake to catch the first glimpse of the tug with the lifeboat. It was generally believed that no vessel could survive in the sea then raging and word was sent to the life-saving station to bring the lifeboat to the pumping station. CANNOT REACH THE CRIB Finally Capt. Peterson announced over the telephone that it would be impossible to make the crib with the tug, and that he would at once load the lifeboat on a wagon and bring it to the beach at the pumping station and make the crib from there if it was possible. He had doubts, however, about being able to do it. CROWDS ON THE BEACH At 11 o'clock the beach was lined with great crowds of people who kept coming in from every direction. They held the beach despite the wind and rain, which nearly took them from their feet. At 11 o'clock the life-saving crew had not appeared. The crowd impatient at the delay broke into loud denunciation of Capt. Peterson and his men, especially when it became generally known that Capt. Peterson had stated that it was an impossibility for the life-saving crew to work out to the pier. THE WIND TOO STRONG Capt. Connors, who was among the late arrivals, however, defend- ed Capt. Peterson and explained why a boat could not reach the pier. The wind was too strong, he said. If there were not such a gale it would be possible, as the crew after breasting one break- er, would have a few moments rest, while the boat slid down the incline to the next wave. As it was, he said, the wind would drive the boat against the breakwater and grind it to pieces despite the efforts of the crew. THE SITUATION DESPERATE "My God, must we stand here helpless and watch those men perish," broke out a big burly fellow, "can't we do something?" "The only way these men can be reached," said Capt. Connors, "is by a propeller. A steamer could work out into the lake to the east of the pier and then lay to and send in a lifeboat to the pier. I think this could be done." His remarks were partly addressed to Supt. Whitehead, the cap- tain and lieutenant of the central police station. To them the man appealed to send for a propeller, but just then word was received that another attempt was being made to bring out the life-saving crew and it was thought best to await the result. At 11:20 a loud shout from the shore announced that the tug was in sight with the lifeboat, it was presumed. The brave little vessel seemed to be in imminent peril. At times, on the crest of a wave, the black smoke rolled high in the air, then she sank out of sight and sometimes was hidden so long that it was feared she had gone to the bottom. But she appeared again and steamed on and on to the rescue of the im- perilled men left on the crib. THE MEN WERE WEAK Soon it became apparent through the mist and spray dashing around the crib that the weary, dripping, chilled men had also noticed the tug and they sprang to their feet and waved their hands, and a responsive shout and the waving of hats greeted them from the crowds along the shore. The weather had begun to moderate perceptibly about 11 o'clock. It ceased raining and the waves diminished in size and frequency, and there was hope that the tug would be able to reach the men with little difficulty before noon at least. HOPE REVIVED Mrs. McBride, Mrs. Dwyer and other wives who had husbands on the little speck out in the raging lake, greated the sight of the tug with wild exclamations of delight. They paced the beach anxiously, little heeding the fierce wind, with nothing about them but a thin dress and a shawl thrown over their heads. They ceased weeping and glanced anxiously from the fast approaching tug to the crib. In the shed north of the pumping station four women had stationed themselves and when the tug came in sight they fell on their knees and prayed aloud in thanksgiving. THE CRIB IS REACHED At 11:45 the tug with the life boat approached the crib. She was compelled to sheer off for fear of being dashed against the crib. But she kept getting nearer and nearer. Finally when within about 200 feet from the crib the life boat was dropped, Considerable difficulty was experienced in getting the boat manned after it had departed from the tug. But the men, four in number, had lines tied about their waists and every time the swell brought the boats together one of them jumped into the boat. All four thus gained the boat and it left the tug with a line attached however. The men in the lifeboat got out their oars and proceeded to move toward the shore. The tug went out into the lake. The object seemed to be to draw the line connecting the two boats over the crib and thus secure access. PERILOUS WORK OF RESCUE It was a fearful scene. The little lifeboat seemed on the verge of disaster time and again. But the boatmen worked about very cautiously. The least slip would have been fatal to the boat and it would certainly be dashed against the crib and destroyed. The boat worked nearer and nearer drawn towards the crib by the tug. JUMPS ONTO THE CRIB Finally one of the men on the lifeboat made a spring for the crib and succeeded in clutching an outer projection. He struggled there for some time to get his body upon the deck and the waves swept over him time and again. But the plucky fellow hung on and managed to get up safely. A wild cheer arose from the shore when his success was noted. The life saver ran to the air shaft and his actions were closely watched by those on shore. FINDS A DEAD BODY Finally he seemed to be lifting up something at his feet, and it was soon discovered that he held the form of a man in his arms. This body he dragged along the deck, but it seemed to be devoid of life. He laid it down and again went to the air shaft. Then he went to the verge of the crib and motioned to the boat to come up again. Another of the life-saving crew was then added and both hunted about the deck. FEAR THAT ALL WERE DEAD None of the gang on the crib appeared and the worst seemed to be realized. It was feared that every soul in the crib had been lost. ===========================================================================