The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1895-07-11
A FIERCE STORM PASSES OVER
THE CITY OF CHICAGO
AND VICINITY.
SAD NEWS Is FEARED FROM
THE LAKE.
Many Were Out Sailing ION Its Waters
Narrow Escapes Recounted-Life-
Saving Crew Does Noble
Work-Other Storms.

Gus wind and rain storms known in years
passed over this city today, coming from
the northwest. The day had been in
tensely hot and there were many people
ON the lake in sailboats, and as the storm
came very suddenly, it is feared many lives
. are lost. The lifes saving crews have been
busy all night tracing up rumors of
wrecked boats, and up to 10 o'clock have
brought the occupants of three capsized
boats to shore. 1t is hoped no more are
out. The police at the Cottage Grove sta
ton say they saw sailboat, with three
occupants, disappear during the Height of
the gale. The life-savers Soutnside crew
were out in that locality for some time,
but found no traces of a wreck. 1t is
probable that more missing will be re-
ported from the various suburbs at a later
hour.
Up to within 20 minutes of the descent
of the storm the sky had been clear and
the sun shining. Suddenly heavy, black
clouds began to gather and in q few min
utes later a terrific gale of wind. accom-
panied by a perfect flood of rain and furi-
Gus thunder and lightning, was sweeping
over the city. Shade trees were broken
OFF close to the ground, awnings and signs
torn away and much other damage done
an the city proper. The wind moderated
after about half an hour, but the furious
ram continued for fully two hours, during
which the streets were running with
water.
The parks had been crowded all day
with people seeking relief from the in
tolerable heat, and when the storm be-
gan there was a stampede for the vari-
Gus elevated lines. The surface lines
were all equipped with open cars. the
canvas curtains of which afforded but
sllght protection in the furious gale
which brought the rain in torrents from
every direction. AS q result the occu-
pants of every train made a sorry looking
sight before they had travelled q block
and most of them, after getting a thor
ough soaking, deserted the cars and
sought shelter in convenient starways
anu stores along the street on which they
were travelling, and there they mad TO re-
mann until after 1870, taking the chances
ol another Wetting by taking the cars.
MANY easements We're flooded all over
tne CITY, and in some instances fire on
glnes had to be called for to pumn ont
STORES: Several buildings were struck nv
ngntnng and seriously damaged. Two
SniaL residences We're completely de-
noonr' pul no one, was injured. The
,NSt2 VII DOLl cases was small
During the height of the storm q si@no1
lower beside the Panhandle wards was
ploWn down and the towerman, Dam Rige.
low was seriously injured.
a. I1:oO, 1t is thought that all tba
p9 1i are accounted for, though il is nos
Slole tnat few may yet be ont. The
people IN the boats which were blown ont
intU one e., lake by the hurricane report
70 aaVlng an awful experience. So far tbe
only fatality actually verified is the case
OF Odiarles Klein, John Ross and Charles
Il; Shook, whe We're out in n sail hoot
When the storm burst and of whom No
trace had been found. nv
Inc .yaWl boat of the yacht Hattie r
was picked up this evening off Twenty
sIAln street, but it is thought the yacht
Weathered the gale and is at some other
port. 0'iiei
me damage to telephone and telegram
wires Is great Every telegraph wire
northwest was Frustrated, many poles
DelDg earned away, and it was 10 o'clock
before Geographic communication was
restored to Milwaukee. Even then it was
very precarlous, there being but two very
shaky wires working.
Two gangs of line repairers are ont
from both ends of the route. Herbert
Terrell and John Fitzgerald who went out
IN sail boat, had a narrow escape. If
the tug Success had not been near, they
Would have been drowned. The boat
capsized. A line was thrown which was
grabbed by Fitzgerald and he was pulled
on board. Alex Lotion, engineer of fhe
tug, seeing that Terrell was sinking.
jumped in to save him. Terrell GRABBED
the engineer in such manner that he was
unable to use his arms. A line was
thrown out from the tug and as they
were sinking the engineer managed to
grab the line and both pulled on board the
tug. Terrell is in a serious condition.
Later reports coming into the police and
insurance patrols this evening, show the
loss in the down town district will ag
gregate great sum.
The department store of Rothchilds &
Co., occupying nearly three-quarters of a
square and fronting ON State street, suf
fered most, nearly all the plate glass
windows on the State street side being
blown in and windows for some distance
back badly damaged by the storm of rain.
Several persons who happened to be pass
ing the store at the time received painful
injuries from bits of flying glass, pices of
hagstaffs from the roof, etc.
Plate glass windows were also blown in
in several other stores.
Up to midnight no other fatalities
had been reported and it is thought that
every boat that was on the lake has been
accounted for. The report of the drown
ing of three men off Cottage Grove
avenue is without foundation, as a small
boat containing three men put ashore
near the boat house, which is thought to
have been the one seen by the officers.
Dispatches from many points in the
central and northern portions of Illinois
End Southern Wisconsin, tell of furious
storms this afternoon and evening,
though in no place did the damage reach
so high a point as in Chicago. The
weather all through the State, was op-
pressiyely hot all day and the storm
came with remarkable suddenness.. All
along the lake shore north of here, there
was much minor damage done and 1t Is. Is
. feared that when all returns are IN. 1t VIII
b. found that there will be greater loss
of life Than heard so far.
At Savannah, ILL.,, the storm Almost
reached cyclonic proportions. A NUMBER
Of small buildings were blown down. AT
Peoria. the mercury had stood at " near
" all day. until O'Clock; then the storm
swept down on the city. Several bulld-
;ngs were unroofed, one completely des-
troyed and much damage done to trees.
awnings and windows. Many boating
narties were on the lake, but so tas as
known no fatalities occurred.
DROWNED DURING A STORM
Lake Geneva, Wis, July IA heavy