Los Angeles herald., 1890-03-29
THRILLING INCIDENTS.

others in private hospitals are in a criti-
cal condition.
THRILLING INCIDENTS.
Notes of the Disaster at Louisville and
Vicinity.
LOUISVILLE, March 2S.-Major Gait, OF
the louisville and Nashville railroad,
and family, who lived in two-story
brick house, were sitting in an upstairs
room, when suddenly the walls fell upon
them. Major Gait succeeded in getting
out without injury, but his wife was
buried in the ruins. She was not badly
hurt, but the shock to her nervous sys-
tenn was great, however, and she is now
lying dangerously ill.
Three lives were lost at the corner OF
Eighteenth and Maple streets. The
killed were: John Werrick, aged 40 his
daughter, aged years, and James Fitz-
gerald. Werrick kept grocery, and at
the time of the accident there were in
the store the proprietor his wife, daugh-
ter and Fitzgerald. AT the first gust of
wind the walls doubled up and the roof
dropped in. Werrick was crushed by
falling timbers and taken out dead His
wife was extricated in an unconscious
condition. Later on in the night res
! cuing party saw tiny hand protruding
from the debris, and the mangled form
of baby girl soon lay beside its dead
father. The body of Fitzgerald, Louis
vile and Nashville brakeman, was neut
taken out. 81
Eleven men were crowded into the
little barber shop of john Berther, No.
1903 Broadway, when the storm burst.
The roof was torn off, the second story
was carried away and the sides were
tumbling in, when the men broke the
windows and doors and ran into the
street. Not one OF them was hurt, but
the building was totally destroyed.
In going down Main street, in the op-
posite direction to the course pursued by
the tornado, the first evidences of seri-
Gus destruction are topless trees and
windowless houses. On the north side,
between Sixth and Seventh streets, the
wind took the roof from and deranged
the top story of building occupied by
Sutcliffe & Owens. Their stock of boots
and shoes was greatly damaged. The
next two upper stories of Agerst & Co. g
four-story notion store, were destroyed.
The two top stories of Bamberger,
Strong & Co.'s four-story building were
DESTROYED.
A thrilling experience was that of
Mrs. Roemele, who kept dry goods
store at Colgan and Seventeenth streets.
At the time of the storm her, nephew,
Willie Killmer, was with her. When
the walls began to shake both
of them rushed to- the front door,
just as the whirlwind was passing.
1t gathered in both of them and
carried them into the air distance of
forty feet. At Maple street they were
both hurled against fence, and re-
mained there unconscious until found
by neighbors few minutes later. The
lady was badly bruised, and, perhaps,
hurt internally. Killmer's right arm
was broken, his ankle sprained, and
there was deep cash in his throat.
All the entire western portion of Park
land, which lies just beyond the south
western limits Of the city, was wrecked.
The storm struck that place just before
reaching the city, and its course was
most peculiar one. Ii did not move in a
line, moving down path before it, but
went about it's dreadful work in a zig-zag
fashion,. AT the outskirts of the town
the two-story brick residence of Mayor
Keepers was struck by the wind and en-
tirelv demolished. The occupants es-
capped. A great number of houses were
blown down, but the inmates we're all
up and every one miraculously escaped,
only a few being injured and they not
seriously. The track of the storm in
Parkland was about three blocks wide.
To the west of the town from the direc-
ton in which the wind came, path
several hundred feet wide is moved
down, trees being cut off like stalks of
grain before reaper's scythe.
At the corner OF Sixteenth and Maga-
zine streets one of the most horrible in
cidents occurred Three men were caught
in the falling timbers of two-story
building, and burned entirely to black
ened and charred mass in full view of
the people in the street. They were
Budd Sullivan, William Deemer and Ben
Sehildt. Nick Phineman, owner of the
building, escaped badly burned and
bruised. 1t was three hours before the
fire was stopped and the wreck cleared
away enough to get at the three men and
so charred were they that their friends
were unable to identity one from the
other.
At the Thirteenth and Walnut-streets
Odd Fellows hall colored lodge was in
session. About eight colored men were
badly injured.