River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1893-06-22
Lightning Strikes Circus Tent.
SEVEN PERSONS KILLED AND
MANY MORE INIUREDi
A Community Mourning For Its
Untimely Dead!
The Saddest Calamity That Has Ever
Happened to the Inhabitants of this
Place Fell Upon Us Yesterday
Shortly Before a O'clock
In The Afternoon

Few occasions have ever called to
this city from the surrounding coun-
try larger concourse of people than
that which yesterday assembled here
to witness the Ringing Bros. Shows.
In the morning the streets were lined
| with an eager and joyous throng to
view the splendid pageant of the street
parade. In the afternoon the great
tents were filled with the same gay
and curious crowd.
The weather had been sultry and
hot. Early in the afternoon great banks
of ominous clouds were gathering in
the west and the deep roar of the
thunder was almost continuous. Not
long after 3 O'Clock the heavens were
inky black with the portending storm.
The rain fell il torrents; the flashes
of lightning were frequent and in.
tense; the crash of the thunder was
terrific.
The performance in the main tent
was over. A large number of the
residents of the city had left for their
homes at the commencement of the
storm. A large number of people
were still in the menagerie tents view
ing the Gagged animals.
A binding flash of lightning filling
the tent with sheet of fire followed
instantly by terrific crash as of the
discharge of heavy cannon paralyzed
the groups of sightseers. A cry of
terror went up that the great white
tents were struck! No description
can be adequate to the scene that fol.
lowed. 1t was at once known that
several people were killed and an I'M
known number Frustrated and more
or less injured.
Two separate shocks were felt
with distinct interval between.
The bolt struck one of the center
poles near the main entrance,
around and near which was a
group of one hundred or more people.
The bolt of lightning in striking the
pole caused gasoline reservoir that
was attached to it for lighting the tent
to explode scattering the burning con.
tents over the crowd, burning few
of them.
The scenes of confusion and con.
sternation that followed when the
survivors began to realize the extent
of the fatality and the nearness of
their own peril beggars description
DaZed men, women and children surg.
ed in great crowds, some forced by
curiosity towards the scene of disaster,
some terror.stricken fleeing by every
exit out into the pouring rain, some
white with horror seeing the sheet of
flame that flashed on their vision be-
lieving the great tents were on fire
raised the cry Leave the tentl' IL
was only by great presence of mind on
the part of the proprietors and their
employees that the panic was stayed
before fatal results followed from this
incipient stampede.
The Ringlings exerted themselves
to render every assistance to the dead
and injured.
An ambulance was furnished and
the dead soon gathered up and taken
to the Engine House where they were
generally identified in a short time.
Their names, four full grown men and
three little boys, are as follows: Al
fred o. Deans, young married man,
son of j. A. Deans of Kinnickinnic
township, Eugene Reynolds, unmar.
ried, of Kinnickinnic, James A. Glen
denning, married, leaves wife (her-
self dangerously injured) and a little
boy also dangerously hurt-his only
other child boy twelve years old was
killed. Mr.. Glendenning was town
clerk of Oak Grove. Clark Mapes,
single, son of the late James Mapes of
Kinnickinnic. Claude Aldrich, the
twelve year old son of Curtis Aldrich
of Troy and little Floyd Smith, son of
Wallace Smith of Clifton.
The names of some of the injured
| are: Mrs. James A. Glendenning seri.
ously injured. the doctors say danger.
ously. She is now at the fremont.
Her husband and one son were instant
| ly killed, the other son badly hurt.
This is the entire family. a fearful
awakening will come to this poor
woman when she can realize the full
extent of her awful loss. 1t seems
that one might wish to be spared such
fate by sharing that of those we
mourn. They experienced no suffer
| ing, their death was absolutely in
Simultaneous, and who would not pre-
fer so to make his departure rather
than by lingering disease. 1t is re-
ported that Mrs. Alfred o. Deans is
also injured. She is sister to Mrs.
Glendenning both being daughters of
Mr.. Morgan of pleasant Valley.
Earnest and Howard Deans brothers
of Alfred were also injured. Alfred
Mapes brother of Clark Mapes was
hurt, also Pat Collins. Harding Kelly,
James Kelly, Mrs. G. w. Maier of
BeldenvIlle, Curtis Aldrich of Troy,
sydney Symes, William B. Delhorbe,
Joseph Phenning. Louis Turnquist,
Lewis Roses and Lars Larson. Mrs.
Ault, niece of Jay Loucks. was some
what injured.
Many others received severe shocks
and yet feel the sensation in partially
paralyzed limbs. One young man had
his thumb split probably a splinter Of
the tent pole, and was so dazed that
he did not regain control of his senses
until an hour after the shock when he
found himself mile from home and