River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1889-08-01
KILLED BY FALLING WALLS

Chicago Visited by a Disastrous storm o
Wind and Rain. During which Newly
Erected building L. Blown Down. Crush
ing Cottage ia Its Deseent-Eight o.
the Inmates Killed and Several Wounded.
CHICAGO, July % A rain and wind-storm
of extreme violence. accompanied by thun-
der and lightning. broke upon the city
about o'clock Saturday evening and ragged
furiously for three hours It was a more
severe storm than Is recollected since the
one in June, 1SSl A half-dOzen houses
were struck by lightning and fired;
several buildings were blown over. killing
or wounding their occupants; hundreds OF
Easements on the North and South sides
were flooded, destroying a ~ eat deal OF
stored property, and hundred minor &C
cldents are reported An estimate Of the
damage wrought exceeds $4,000
In the terrific storm new three-story
brick building on the northeast corner of
Leavitt and Twenty first streets fell to the
ground, crushing in the wreck a cottage
which stood near by, and killing
eight persons, rs follows. Ms. Chris
tina Boeh, aged 81 Yeas, Hannah Boch
years old; Albert Boch years;
c. Ferdinanchus, IS years; Mrs Ferdin-
anchus, 81 years; Cora ferdinanchus ,
years; Aida FerGinanchus, IS years:
Mary Ferdinanchus. years The wounded
are: Charles Boch 4: years: August BOch.
Is years; Luda FerdiEanchus. : years, Ada
Ferdinanchus, years
The cottage was a One-story and base
ment building, and was occupied by two
families In the front rooms lived Cor
nelius FerdinanchUs with MS wife
and five children The rear rooms
were occupied by Charles Book, his
wife and three children The
building which fell upon it was so new
that the fresh mortar offered little resistance
TO the furious gusts OF wind and rain Its
foundations were laid only five weeks ago
hut the walls were finished and the roof
was partially on. II was owned by William
c. Brueshaber, of $50 Vest Twentv-first
street, and August karshbock. OF Four
teenth street and Ashland avenue, was the
contractor.
The accident occurred at 30 Saturday
evening when every member of the two
families were on the first floor But so
sudden was the crash that engulfed them
that not one escaped from the house. all
going down under mass of fiying bricks
and mortar. a slight swaying Of the tail
structure, a swinging of its roof and before
a word of warning could be given it utterly
collapsed
The only victim able to extricate himself
was Charles BOch, powerful mau, who
succeeded in freeing himself from the de-
bris. Bruised and bleeding he crossed the
street to grocery store and gave the
alarm. In a few minutes members OF
the fire department, under Fire Mar
shall Meyer, and twenty policemen, un-
der Lieutenant Thomas Beck, were en-
gagged in the work of rescue. But nearly
an hour passed before the first body was
taken out It.was that OF little Mary Ferd-
inanchus who was nearly dead Cora
Ferdinanchus and August Boch were then
recovered, the little girl dead. but the boy
not seriously injured Mrs. Boch's body
was found doubled up BY a heavy beam
that r. ted on her neck ami head, and her
little son was near her.
Little Ada Ferdinanchus was located by
her crying and taken out after three hours
of work She and her sister Luda were the
only ones saved in the Ferdinanchus fam
ily, both parents and three children being
dead when taken from the debris All the
dead We're taken to the morgue and the
wounded are cared for at the county hos
pitaL
The rain-stOrm was the most remarkable
deluge ever experienced in Chicago. IN
four hours more than four inches of rain
fell, an amount whose excess is only ap-
preciated by those who remember that two
inches of rain seldom falls in twenty -four
hours
The storm was also severe in the suburbs,
the rain flooding cellars everywhere. Thou
sands OF dollars damage was done In HYDE
Park, Lake and all the adjacent districts
great damage was done. wind. lightning
and rain contributing TO the work of de-
struction
The unprecedented rainfall the high
wind and the incessant lightning caused
loss OF property that is difficu to estimate.
All kinds Of property suffered goods
in cellars and Easements, streets,
shade-trees, sidewalks lawns, shrub
berry, driyeways, unfinished houses
and dwellings There were forty
four alarms of fire many from
lightning and most from the destruction
the insulation Of the electric light wires.
In no case, however, was the loss heavy
one from this source One fact was made
clear by the storm: the sewers of Chicago
were unequal to the task u carrying off the
water that fell result of the storm will
probably be an agitation of the matter
looking towards a radical improvement in
the drainage facilities
SEVERE STORMS ELSEWHERE.
PARKERsBURG, W Va. July 2g-Tele-
phone reports from above say there was
terrible rain and flood Friday night in the
upper waters of the Little kanawha Re-
ports from EVANSVILLE say Calhoun County
was devastated and crops, fences and
houses were washed away during the night
Several lives are also reported lost Par
ticulars are hard To get The river at
Grantsville is reported t. be fifteen feet
and rapidly rising. Reports from other
sections along the Little Kanawha state
that fearful storm occurred during the
night and much property was destroyed
Middle Island and all big creeks above in
Pleasant County are reported rising rapidly
Bear Run. Ritchy County. suffered terribly
The loss is reported at not less than $780,
600
NIL 1 IONS OF MONEY