St. Paul daily globe., 1892-06-14
occupants of the bank escaped with

slight bruises.
The driving rain deluged the bank
and did considerable damage. One large
window in Armour IL Co.'S office was
blown in. but no one was hurt. On the
upper floors number of windows were
broken. Three or four young women
employed in the Office tainted. and there
was a precipitate rush for the staircases
and elevators. TO make matters worse.
lightning burned out a switchboard near
the dynamo and all the electric lights in
the building went out at the height OF
the confusion.
Seventy men were at work in the big
Democratic wigwam. A quarter post
holding the northeast corner of the UNI
brella-Shaped canvass roof gave away
and tore through the canvas. The wind
got under it, guy wires snapped like
twine, and an instant later the great
nlnety-feet center mast snapped and
fell with crash, smashing through the
floor and running hundred chairs. The
canvass cover then went in tatterS and
rain flooded the wigwam. The work
men marvelously escaped injury. Con-
tractor Allen said this evening that the
damage to the wigwam would amount
to fully $4,000. He has had enough of
canvass and timber roof will be begun
at once, so that the structure will be
be ready for the convention.
Several large stores in the business
district had plate glass windows blown
in. and suffered some damage from
rain. The flagstaff was torn from the
tower of the Pullman building and fell
into Michigan avenue, narrowly missing
a buggy occupied by two women. Dur
ing the progress of the storm the grip
men OIL the cable lines experienced con-
siderable difficulty in handling their
trains because of the electrical current
on the cables being in some instances
conducted through the levers in their
hands. Several of the gripmen on the
State street line were quite severely
shocked.
The storm played havoc with the
great piles of lumber in the district
about Blue Island avenue and Twenty
second street. For half an hour the air
seemed full of flying boards and shin
giles, and the repiling of the lumber
will entail considerable expense. Three
employees in one yard were badly in
jured. An idea OF the force of the
that siX-inch timber was picked up
and driven endwise through a box car
standing near by.
Late this evening number of adj
ditional casualties were reported to the
police. Several men working Oh new
buildings were badly hurt by being
blown from scaffoldlng or struck by fly
ing debris.
A cottage fell and caught carpenter
named Zerin in the ruins, fracturing his
skull. 1t is thought he will die.
Twenty minutes before the storm
broke a boat with three men in it was
noticed about five miles out in the lake.
After the storm had passed the lake was
swept to the horizon with long distance
glasses. but no trace of the craft could
be seen. There seems to be but little
doubt that the three men lost their lives
and that the boat went down.
About $50 o'clock tonight another
severe storm swept over the city, last
ing for about three-quafterS of an hour.
Two buildings were struck by light
ming and set Oil fire, and other minor
damage done. The storm had the effect
of demoralizing the telegraph service
again, and for long time Chicago was
cot off from communication with the
East
Armour's Elevator s'D,'' on Morgan
street, was struck by lightning and
portion of it destroyed. In the ruins
was found the body of Charles j. Rob-
erts, foreman, who had,'been at work
in the boiler room, crushed under
heavy iron door.
William Lossea, of 63S South Oakley
avenue, was struck OH the head 10y
bricks from falling chimney and his
skull fractured. He will probably die.
John Lial, roofer working on the
roof OF a Douglas Park greenhouse, was
blown to the ground and so seriously in
Jured that he will die.
A steam launch found the row boat
mentioned above capSiZed, and the three
men missing without doubt lost their
lives.