Rensselaer Republican, Volume 25, Number 35, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 27 April 1893 — WILD WAVES’ WORK. [ARTICLE]

WILD WAVES’ WORK.

"TTrsck of the Milwaukee Tunnel 'Crib. Fourteen Live* Lott—Lake Michigan a Foaming Sea—Storm Notes. Fourteen laborers employed in the lake tunnel at Milwaukee were drowned in the icy waters, Thursday. The dreadful storm raging throughout the night had lashed the lake into a seething mass of foam, immense waves were roiled toward the shore by a furious east wind and carried away the house built on top of the crib at ihe mouth of the tunnel, abont threequarters of a mile from the pumping works at the foot of North street. The house on the crib contained two stationary engines and the tools used by the men. It was built of heavy timbers fastened with iron bands. It was swept into the roaring waters, however, like an iggshell, and its parts were washed ashore. j James Miller, the only survivor,was rescued by a life boat and told the following story of the catastrophe: “It was 5 o’clock in the morning when we found that the water was filling the airtight compartment of tho shaft where we had taken refuge for the night. We took a vote to decide whether we would risk leaving tho shaft. It was~decided to leave. Only five of us succeeded in reaching the outside. The nine men who were not strong enough to get out were drowned by the water coming into the shaft, and four of the five who got out word mangled or drowned by the tremendous floods which were lashed over thecrlb. At what hour the house was washed away I don’t know. It had disappeared when we got autofthe shaft.” At Chicago the galoofThursday worked great damage. Grave fears are entertained for the safety of vessels on the lake. Many aro believed to have certainly gone down. At Detroit the wind was the heaviest ever known, attaining a velocity of seventy miles an hour. At the Signal Office the instruments were blown away. At New York the storm was disastrous, heavy rains and high winds being the characteristics. Reports from al I points on the Atlantic coast indicate similar conditions. In various parts of Minnesota snow fell to the depth of thirty Inches and railroad traffic was paralyzed.' In North Dakota stock perlsned from the cold in unknown numbers. The calamity is appalling in all that region. Snow fell throughout central and northern Indiana. The country farthirty: Julies surrounding Meridian, Miss., was devastated by a cyclone, Wednesday. Many people were killed. Buildings by the score were swept away. Reports of similar catastrophes are coming in from all over the Smith.