Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1889-07-29
S Wild Rage
Dreadfully Visited Upon Two
Families in Chicago.
EIGHT PERSONS SENT TO ETERNITY

And All the Other Members Severely
wounded-An Unfinished Three Story
Brick Falls Cottage with Frightful
Enect-The Work of Rescue and Names
of the MATHEMATICIAN Unprecedented
Fall of Rain-The Windy City Inun-
dated, with Heavy Loss in Property.
CHICAGO, July 29.-The most terrific rain
storm in the history of this city literally
flooded everything Saturday evening. Be
ginning shortly after o'clock, it continued
with slight decreases in violence for nearly
three hours, and caused a heavy loss in prop
erty. But the most serious occurrence dur
ing the storm was the wreck of an unfinished
brick building at the corner of Twenty first
and Leavitt streets. The building was three
stories high. The wind was blowing at the
rate of about twenty-four miles an hour dur
ing most Of the storm, and about o'clock
the walls Of this building toppled over and
fell with fearful crash upon a cottage by
the side of which it was built Two families
occupied the cottage, and one of them was
just about sitting down to supper when the
disaster occurred. Charles Buck, laborer,
occupied the front rooms of the cottage and
a blacksmith named Cornelius Ferdinanches
the rear rooms-in all twelve persons.
The Killed and Wounded.
The following are the killed and wounded:
Killsd-Mrs. Amelia Buck, ~ years old /;
Annie Buck, 5 years old; Albert Buck, q
years old: Cornelius Ferdinanches, SO years
old; Areka Ferdinanches, 81 years old; Cora
Ferdinanches, 4 years old; Aida Ferdi-
nanches, years old-alive when taken out,
but died shortly afterward; Mea Ferdr
nanches, l year old
Wounded-Charles Buck, AZ years old,
badly cut on the head, back aud legs; August
Buck, l3yea-S old, skull fractured, but physi-
clans at the hospital think he may recover;
Luda F, rdnanches, years old, injured in
trnally, arm broken, AMI cut about the
head and Iace-she may recover; Ada
Ferciinanches years old, wounded in the
side and severely cut across the top of the
head
Strong Hands to the Rescue.
At the time of the disaster the rain was
pouring down in perfect torrents, and the
flashes of lightning and peals of thunder
were almost inceSsant So heavy was the
rain that it WAS some time before the neigh
bors discovered what had happened An
alarm was turned in to the Human street
police station, and Lieut. Beck, with nine
teen officers, at once went to the scene of
the accident, and engine companies Nos %,
Ia IL and Sd. The cries of the wounded be-
meath the ruins, mingled with the roaring of
the wind and cries of the alarmed women
and oAildren in the vicinity, made it an
APPALLING scene The officers and firemen
iostno time, but rushed to the rescue of the
suffering victims beneath the debris.
Buck Taken Out Alive.
The first BODY recovered was that Of AL
bert Buck. 1t lay in the front part of the
house and was badly mangled When this
body was taken out the officers heard the
Sroans Of the boys father, and with re
doubled efforts they soon removed the rub
bish which held him down and carried him
across the street He soon recovered sufh
GENTLY to tell the rescuers how many wer'
in the ruins, and his information was the
first intlmation they had Of the enornlity Of
the disaster.
Poor Little Aida Ferdinanches-
The cries of child now attracted their at
tention, but owing TO the noise of the wind
and thunder IL was impossible TO locate the
exact spot where she lay. And for nearly
four long hours Aida Feriinanches called
pitifully for help before they were able to
give il. She among the last taken out.
She was horribly cut up, Her face was a
mass of cuts and bruises, and her skull wa:
fractured in the forehead. How she man.
aged to call So necessarily for aid when SC
badly njured was a mystery 60 all
Mother and Babe.
The body of Mrs Ferdinanches was found
all doubled up and maDgled frightfully. In
her arms she carried her l-year-old baby.
Judging from the positions in which they
were found she must have been walking
across the room with the babe in her arms,
and was crushed down without a moments
warning.
In spite of the efforts of the police and fire
men it was nearly an hour before any bodies,
dead or alive, were recovered. There was
full six feet of brick and mortar to be re-
moved before the wrecked cottage was
reached, and that any of the occupants e.
capped is a marvel Their sufferings during
the time they were buried must have beer
awful
Cause of the Accident
When asked If the brick building wa
| faulty in its construction, Lieut. Beck said
The building inspector was here and saiC
/ the accident was unavoidable. The building
had been well put up but owing 10 its un
| finished condition il was not strong enougl
| to withstand the wind The roof had no
been put on, and the windows were still out
so the wind got full play. 1t was in no wa,
due 70 the construction of the bull ling.
ELSEWHERE IN THE CITY.