Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1889-08-01
DESTRUCTIVE STORMS.

Destructive STORMS.
A He.vy storn ut chicago Attended with
fatal Res0lts-Stornaa Elsewhere.
CHICAGO, July 29.-The records of the
local signal service station show nothing
approaching Saturday nights deluge.
From $3.50 to $3.50 4.12 inches of rain fell.
Without going into figures it may be
stated that the volume Of water which fell
inside of the city limits would make .
lake on which could be hoated the
greatest navy in the world. Il is impos-
sib.e to estimate the damage with any
degree of accuracy. Buildings were
blown down, Easements flooded. plate
glass windows shattered and valuable
shade trees uprooted or broken by the
fury Of the gale. 1t is safe to say that
the loss will reach into the hundreds of
thousands.
Charles Schaffer about eight years old.
who lived with his parents at S33 York
town street, was sitting by the fireplace
at his home Sa urday night when lightning
struck the house and going down the
chimney killed him instantly. The house
hundred dollars. Other members of the
family were considerably shocked.
Ernst Biockter, the owner of a lumber
yard, was instantly killed by an Eastern
Illinois engine during the storm
and Henry Dues, one of his workmen,
was badly hurt The men who were
crossing the tracks at Sixty-sixth street
waited for freight train to pass and then
started to cross. The train blinded them
and an engine approaching from the OPP
posite direction struck them down. Block
ter was about forty-eight year, old and
single. Dues recovery is doubtful.
-Four unfinished brick houses at Rock
well and Sixteenth streets were blown
down while the storm was at its
height. Shortly after eight O'Clock the
storm struck the row. They swayed for a
few. seconds and then fell. About fifteen
minutes before the crash came man was
seen to take refuge from the rain in one of
the houses. but it is thought he escaped
the falling brick and timber. There were
no workmen in the building at the time
and it is not thought that any one was in
jured. The houses are wrecked completely,
nothing but the foundation remaining.
with pile of ruins on top. A fifth house.
SINH ar in construction to the other four
and adjoining them. remained standing.
The wrecked houses were two stories high
with basement. The outside walls and
roofs were completed, but none of the in
side work was done. They will be almost
a total loss.
A brick building in the course of con-
structon at the northeast corner of Oakley
avenue and Twenty-first street not far
from the Leavi't street disaster, was
blown during the storm on cot
tage in the rear, but fortunately none of
the occupants >were killed. The families
of W. II. Keefe, the owner of the building.
and John Hayes occupied the Gotta ge.
The only persons seriously hurt was
little girl twelve years old who received
a cut two inches long across the side of
her head. and boy whose spine was in
jured. Neither of their wounds is neces-
sarily fatal.
While the storm was at its height E R.
Walsh. superintendent of the Union News
Company, saw, as he supposed, a yacht
between the lake shore and outer pier off
Peck court struck by lightning, the sails
catch fire and the vessel to all appear
ances goes down. Walsh, with his glass.
could distinctly see the sails burning and
Tapping in the wind and the vessel max
ing rapidly for shore but he could not dis
tinguish any one on board. The sails
burned brightly for few minutes and
suddenly the blaze was extinguished. Il
seemed to Walsh and his wife
that the boat had sunk. Yesterday
afternoon, however. a fisherman named
White, who owns small sail boat. stated
that he was sailing in the h sin when the
storm came up and let go his sails. A
large headlight, which be always carries.
refiected its rays on the Tapping sails I'M
til he put it out and lowered the canvas
and then cautiously worked his wav tc
the pier It was undoubtedly the redec-
ton on the sails which Walsh saw
which led him TO suppose a boat had been
struck by lightning and burned.
THE LITTLE KANAWHA AGAIN.
PARKERSBCRG, w. Va, July .9.-Tele-
phone reports from above say there was a
terrible rain ard food Friday night in the
upper waters Of the Little Kanawha. Re-
ports from Grautsvilie say Calhoun
County was devastated and crops,
fences and houses were washed
away during the night Several
lives were a so reported lost. Particulars
are hard to get. The river at Grantsvilie
is reported TO be fifteen feet and rising
rapidly. Reports from other sections
along the Little Kanawha state that a
fearful storm occurred during the night
and much property was destroyed. All
big creeks in Mount Pleas ant County are
reported rising rapidly. Bear Run, Ritchy
County, suffered terribly. The loss is re-
ported at not less than $3.50. 0O0.
AN AWFUL STORM IN EUROPE.
VIENNA. July 90 "A Terrific cyclone
swept over portions Of Hungary, Tran
sylvania and Bukovina yesterday, taking
in tract several thousand square miles
in extent in its pathway. The ruin
wrought by the visitation is terrible.
u pcOple nave DeeH kitiSu ana
a great many more have been manned
and crippled. All crops in the path of the
cyclone are a total loss and houses and
churches are leveled to the ground in all
directions. t--.
STORM IN ARKANSAS
MEMPHIS, Tenn, July ga heavy
wind aud rain storm struck the city about
4:30 O'Clock yesterday afternoon and con-
tinued until late hour. No damage was
done in the immediate vicinity of Mem
phis, but the Western Union wires. with
the exception of TWO to Little Rock. are
all down and it is supposed the storm was
much more severe in the surrounding
country.
MUCH HAIL
PRAIRIE Dc CHEN, Wis, July 29.-The
severest hail storm of the season visited
this locality at seven a. M. Saturday.
Hail fell continuously for ten minutes and
people gathered it up in wheelbarrow
loads. Great damage has been done to
small grain. corn and vegetables all over
this country. '
STORM IN MISSISSIPPI
NATCHEz Miss. July pa severe
storm passed over this city and vicinity
last night, doing great damage to crops.