The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1893-02-28
MET DEATH WHILE ASLEEP
House Demolished and Ten Persons
Killed at Chicago Early This Morning.
Members of Two Families Suddenly Annihi-
lated by the Falling of Wall-Two-
Story Brick Building Crushed.

CHICAGO, Feb. 2S.-At 1:30 O'Clock this
morning the wall of a building. which was
lately burned at No. 767 Halstead street
was blown down. 1t fell upon q two-story
brick building at 765 Halsread street. oc-
cupied by the families Of John Smith. .
saloon keeper. and James Kunze, jeweler.
Ten people were killed by the falling wall.
The names of nine are:
MRS. CARRIE SMITH, wife of John Smith
.'BABE" SMITH, ten years OF age.
HATTIE SMITH, four years OF age.
PAULINE -, domestic in the Smith fam
iT.
JoEz.-,,--s. bartender in Smiths saloon.
MRS. JAMES KUNZE.
The building which collapsed was owned
by John York. a large dealer in dry goods.
and was destroy ed by fire few weeks ago.
1t was five stories high, nearly $50 teet
deep and had heavy front of white stone.
York began to rebuild immediately after
the fire. and, as not all Of the walls were
down. he had built tho new wall on the top
of what remained of the old one. 1t is sup.
posed that the green wall was not suf-
ficlently braced. although York said that
both the contractor and himself believed
il to be entirely secure.
The weather during the early part of the
evening was calm. with little rain fall
ing, but about IL o'clock the wind began to
rise. and by midnight it had increased to
gale. The high walls or the York Building
began to shake IN tie wind. and q police
man who passed in frcnt of it shortly be-
fore it fell informed the Canalport-avenue
station that he thought it would bear
watching He was told TO look at it close
IL. and If in his mind there was any danger
to warn the occupants of the neighboring g
buildings to move out. He turned back TO
the building, and when within two hun
dred feet of it there was q deafening roar.
large white dust cloud, n succession of
shrieks from the building occupied by the
Smith and KunZe families and 1t was over.
nue. station and the patrol wagon from
there. the wagons from Maxwell street
and Thirty street station were
at once dispatched to the rescue.
Before the aid from Canalport-avenue sta
ton could arrive tho ruin OF the demol-
iohed building had caught fire from the
stoves and began to blaze furiously. The
efforts of the fire department.. which had
also responded to the alarm. were enough
to extinguish the blaze without much diff
Guilty. and the work of rescue was begun.
The fremen kept pouring q steady stream
| of water on the ruins and the police began
to dig in the debris. The Kunze family
UiIGns buiidinS. % and be0' the first ' body found
was that of Mrs. Kunze. whose
head had been crushed by q
falling beam. Close beside her lay her hus-
band his white night clothes dyed red with
blood that had flowed from q dozen fear
ful cuts in his head and body. He was not
found dead as at attirstreported. Ats o'clock
the tiremen were still pouring water on the
ruins. and the police were picking the dead
bodies out of the debris.
Shortly after finding the body of the
girl, Pauline. the tiremen heard a voice ex-
claiming: Lift this stuff off of me
and let me out" They had him
free in few minutes. and be
then announced himself to be Fred kunze.
the son of the proprietor of the iewelry
store. He was removed to the county
hospital, and will probably recover.