Evening journal., 1889-07-29
CHICAG0'S AWFUL STORM
Over -Four Inches of Rainfall
in Three Hours.
MORE LIVES LOST IN THE CITY.

Many Houses Were Blown Down by the
Wind and an Immense Amount Of Dam
age Done-A Yacht Struck by Lightning
and sunk.
CHICAGO July 90 The storm which swept
across the praries and struck Chicago was
without parallel in the history of this sec
ton Of the country. The records Of the /
local signal service station show nothing ap |
preaching the nights deluge From $50 to
9:3l four and twelve-one-hundreths inches Of
raia fell. Without going into figures, it may |
be stated that the volume Of water which |
fell inside the city limits would make lake
on which could be fioated the greatest navy
in the world. 1t is impossible to estimate
the damage with any degree of accuracy |
Hardly house in the city escaped the fury
Of the storm. Buildings were blown down,
Easements flooded, plate glass windows shat
tered and valuable shade trees uprootod or
broken by the fury of the gale. 1t is safe to
say that the loss will reach into the hun
| dreds of thousands
blinded by Rain and Killed.
Ernest Blocter, the owner Of a lumber
yard, was instantly killed by an Eastern
Illinois engine during the storm, and Henry
Dues, one Of his employees, was badly hurt
The men we're crossing the track at Sixty
sixth street They waited for freight train
10 pass and then started to cross. The rain
blinded them. An engine approaching from
the opposite direction struck them Blocter
was about As years old and single. Dues
recovery is doubtful
BOY struck by Lightning.
Charles Shaffer, a boy years old, who
lived with his parents at 1888 Yorktown
street. was killed by lightning during the
storm He was sitting by the fireplace of his
home when lightning struck the house and,
gong down the chimney, killed the lad in
stantly. The house was damaged to the ex-
tent of several hundred dollars. Other mem
hers Of the family were considerably shocked.
The killed and Injured.
A corrected list OF the killed is as follows:
Albert Boch, aged 8.
August Boch, aged 10 died in hospitaD
Mrs. Christina Boch, aged 49,
Hannah Boch, aged s.
Ada Ferdinandchus, aged Z died in hos
. pitaD
Aida Ferdinandchus, aged 3.
Christopher Ferdinandchus, aged 3S.
Mrs c. Ferdinandchus, aged 81
7 Cora Ferdinandchus, aged 8.
& Mary Ferdinandchus, aged 4
Charles Shaffer, aged 9.
Ernest Bloctor, aged As.
: The injured are:
Charles Boch, aged 43.
Luda Ferdinandchus, aged s.
Henry Duer.
An Electric Bolt Strikes a Yacht.
While the storm was at its height here e
r Walsh, superintendent of the Union New,
company, saw a yacht between the Lake
Shore and outer pier off Peck court struck
by lightning, the sails catch fire and the YES
7 sci, To all appearances, go down. Mr.. Walsh.
with his glass, could distinctly see the sails
burning and Tapping in the wind and the
vessel making rapidly for shore, but he could
not distinguish any one on board. The sails
I burned brightly for few minutes, and sud
denly the blaze was extinguished- 1t seemed
: to Mr. Walsh and his wife that the boat hao
sunk.
e Many Houses Blown Down.
-Four unfinished brick houses at Rock well
and Sixteenth streets were blown down
Shortly before D. m the storm struck the
row. They swsyed for a few seconds and
then fell About fifteen minutes before the
crash came a pedestrian was seen TO tal,
refuge from the rain in one of the houses
Y but it is thought be escaped the falling brick
and timber There were no workmen in Oh,
building at the time, and it is not thought
that any one was ini,Aed The houses ar,
, wrecked completely, nothing but the founda
tions remaining, with a pile of ruins on top
A fifth house, similar in construction to tn,
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 inside work was done The houses viii
be almost total loss brick building in
the course Of construction at the northeas,
corner Of Oakley avenue and Twenty-firsi
, street. not far from the Leavitt street dis
aster, was blown down and struck cottage
in the rear, but fortunately none OF the occu
pants were killed The families Of w. n
Keefe, the owner os the building, and Johr
Hayes occupied the cottage. The only per
|, sons seriously hurt were little girl OF Il
years, who received a cut two inches long
across the side Of her head, and boy Whose
spine was injured. Neither wound is neces
sarily fatal