The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1871-07-15
A Church Demolished "A Sunday.
School Buried in the Ruins-Tratn
Blown from Railroad Track.

Blown from u Railroad Track.
The telegraph reported from Dayton,
Ohio, on Sunday last, Il terrific storm Of
wind and rain which visited that town,
doing much damage to property and i'll
volying painful loss Of life. The Dayton
Journal of Monday contains L detailed ac-
count of the occurrences, chief among
which was the destruction Of the German
(St. John's) Lutheran Church. The church
editice was q new structure. erected during
the years 1869 and 1870. The cost OF the
building Was $780, 900. The building was
neat and imposing structure, 100 feet deep,
with handsome front of G6 feet on Sd
street, the side walls being 60 feet in height,
and the front walls surmounted by tower
| So feet in height. The side walls were 13
inches in thickness. substantially built, and
apparently Of sufficient strength to resist
the force Of any ordinary storm. The
] Journal says:
The destruction of the German Lutheran
Church proved to be the great calamity of
the day. The storm had struck the church
when the Sunday-Scho0l scholars aud the
| teachers were assembling. Between three
and four hundred children and teachers had
gathered when the storm burst i'll ali lis
fury. .-.
The school-room is on the ground lloor
~
Messrs. Degenhart, Tschudi, and Franck,
| teachers, and Mr.. Thomas, superintendent,
went up stairs and discovered the north
gable FILLING Inward, and that the wind was
| lifting the roof. The side walls had not yet
begun falling in, but the danger being I'M
mnent, the teachers and superintendent
hastened down stairs and gave the alarm.
Rev. Mr.. PritZe, pastor Of the church, also
warned the school of the impending dam
ger, and urged them to save themselves by
flying from the building. The panic-strick-
ell children and teachers crowded towards
the front door, filling up the aisles, falling
over each other in their frantic flight. A
few had reached the sidewalk, and others
were still inside the lecture-room when
the roof and walls came crashing
through, breaking down the rear end of the
second floor over the altar, and about one
third OF the extent of the whole room,
piling up q mass of brick and timbers on
the floor of the lower room. Fortunately
the larger portion of the assemblage had
reached the front portion of the room. and
escaped crushing by the fallen mass, which
fell with such force as to break down the
lower floor partly into the cellar. Others
less fortunate were caught and buried
under the timbers and mass of brick.
Three of them were Instantly crushed to
lCuIu3 ttbu IOlll oCISls iSSNiNNt SI' 'oo' ~
jurieS, but were taken out alive. The
frightened survivors--nearly all OF whom
were children, there being only fifteen or
twenty teachersina attendance at the school
rushed Ell masse from the fallen building,
and sought shelter from the storm IN the
residences in the neighbOrhhOd. While the
storm was still raSin. at its height the fire.
bells. rang out the alarm, and before the
rain ceased hundreds of people had con-
gregated at the sceuc of the disaster.
u number of ,fremen and other citizens
commenced the work of cXtrlcatlng the
dead and wounded from the mass of ruins.
1t was dangerous task, for the heavy TIM
bers of The roof and loosened brick OF the
walls resting on that portion OF the second
floor which still remained intact were. liable
to fall ut any moment and crush all engaged
beneath them. Nevertheless the work was
vigorously prosecuted, fortunately without
further accident. ... ..ts s-..
THE DEAD AND WOUNDED.
? 1t was sad sight to witness the agony of
relatives anu friends waiting to ascertain
the fate of the missing ones known TO be
buried beneath therufns. BY the time the
storm subsidized the news, of. the calamity
had spread throughout the city, and THOU
sands Of people had gathered on the street
in the Yicinity of the building. a a-
The first body taken from the wreck was
that of Leonhart Weyrsugh, one Of the
pupils OF the school, aged about IL years.
He had been crushed under the falling
rubbish, and doubtless Instantly killed.
The remains of MIR. Christian Thomas,
worthy and .highly-esteemed citizen,
tue superintendent of the school.
were next eXtricated from the ruins.
On returning from upstairs, whittier
he had gone with Mr.. Degenhart aud
Others, when the first alarm was heard, he
had evidently remained behind in order to
assist the children in making their escape
from the building, and was caught in the
wreck, thus sacrificing his own life in he
roic attempt to saYe others. He leaves a
wife and five children.
Mrs. Theresa Randall, one Of the teach
ers, was next eXtricated from the wreck.
Sne had been doubtless instantly killed.
The bodies of all the, deceased were terri
bly, crushed beneath the heavy mass OF
ruins, and it is supposed that they were
instantly killed. No examination of the
wounds were made until after the removal
Of the bodies Of the deceased to their
homes. -Four of the pupils and one other
teacher were wounded more or. less Sc
ri0usly. Jacob Wolfram, one OF the schol-
ars, WAS aXtricated from the mass OF tim
oers in sadly crushed and bruised condi-
toin; Lizzie Egry, aged about II years,
was badly bruised about the head; Mary
Siesse, aged 10 years, received severe i'll.
juries about the shoulders and back, and
mad one Of her fingers broken Anna Fa-
ber, aged z years, was buried under the
t1moers and escaped with slight injuries,
| Iahd Miss Bodecker,, one OF the teachers in
the sixth district school, was severely
bruised.s.Agthorough search of rubbish was
made by the heroic men, who. worked Mt
The risk of their own lives for over: three
hours, and happily no more victims were