The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1897-08-30
A Storm Dealing Death and De-
structiOn
Strikes a Picnic at LaurelwO0d
Park Near Chicago.
PAVILION ROOF FALLS
COllapses on the Heads of 800
People Gathered There
For Protection From the Rain
and Flying Debris.

| Chicago, Aug. 30-Death and injury
| that came in a tornado's path, wind
that battered down solid walls and tore
| thriving trees from their rooted seats of
years. rain that pelted with a whip
| lashs sting, flying timbers from shat
tered buildings and trees that fell right
and left; these turned Laurelwood park
| into a pandemonium Saturday evening
! and ended the picnic of the Catholic
| Total Abstinence union of this city.
| The dead:
Brown, Mrs. Kate, 244 Townsend
| street; top of head torn off by falling
| timber.
The injured:
| Barry, Mrs. Kittie, 5249 Fifth avenue;
| confusion of arm.
Carney, Patrick, 915 North Marshfield
| avenue; left leg sprained.
| Grow, Helen, Miller and Taylor
streets; chest crushed by falling roof.
Foley, Lille, years old, 423 Mount
avenue; right foot crushed.
Hageman, Francis, years old, 5249
Fifth avenue; right hand severely cut.
Kline, Frank, 495 West Twelfth street;
| Frustrated by heat while racing and in
| serious condition.
Malady, Irene, Is years old, 523 North
Franklin street; right arm broken in
restaurant panic.
| Nash, M. B.; right arm sprained.
| Oils, Sadie, Winthrop place; severe
| confusion of right arm.
| Scofeld, J., 5543 Fifth avenue; scalp
wound and injury of right shoulder.
| Tierney, Mrs. Kate, 453 Elston ave-
nue.; nervous prostration after fright.
| There were twenty-five hundred pic
! nickers in the grounds when the hurri-
| cane burst in Fox river valley, and
| most of these were women and chill
| dren. The first patter of rain merely
| hurried them under cover, but the wild
| blow of wind that came but little after
| brought terror to even stout hearts.
They saw great elmS and spruces
crash to the ground, overwhelming
| whatever lay beneath; they saw roofs
| fly apart, fall or go off in whirl of
| shingles; they were struck by debris
| that came buIlet-like on the wind, their
umbrellas turned inside out and every
| where about them was destruction.
| When the storm was at it's height the
| roof of the dancing pavilion fell on 300
persons who had gathered under its
protection. Several were hurt, but in
| the dismay and excitement of the mo-
| ment none of these was given atten-
| ton. A woman had been killed and
| the panic-stricken picnickers fed in
\ fresh and greater fright out into the
| open, that the disaster might not be
Besides those injured in the collapse
/ of the dancing pavilion, a young WOO
| man was hurt in a similar panic at the
restaurant.
The wounded were taken to their
| homes on the arrival at the Northwest
ern depot of the first train from the
| picnic grounds and Mrs Browns body
| was taken to the Cook county mOrgue.
There had been a few threatening
| clouds fitting across the sky earlier in
| the day and because of them the first
| train for return to the city had been
| ordered to be ready at o'clock. Con-
| ductor Bonholzer had just backed in on
| the sidetrack when the first f1utter of
rain drops came.
| When the first of the picnickers
| reached the train the rain was coming
| down heavily. The doors were found
| locked and brakemen who were appeal
ed to refused to open them. 1t is the
| custom at picnics to keep the trains
| locked and in this case orders were
| strictly obeyed.
The area of high wind included in its
circumference nearly all of the western
| suburbs of Chicago. Austin and Oak
| Park, close at hand, were both wind
| swept, though the damage was confined
| to the destruction of shade trees. La
| Grange and Wheaton were also dealt
with severely from the standpoint of
street beauty. In La Grange several
! of the forest landmarks were blown
| down. Geneva was near the storm
| center. The storm struck the town
| about $50 o'clock and ragged with vio-
! lence for twenty minutes. In that
! time the footbridge leading across Fox
river to Island park, the beautiful rec
| blown down and branches were torn
away from the trees by the score. A
| heavy tree came near falling upon three
! persons who were passing underneath.
| They were warned by the cracking and
| reached safety just as the trunk fell.
The wind did not reach the north
| shore towns, though the rain fell in
| torrents. At Evanston not a breath
| of wind disturbed the air when the
| rainfall was the heaviest. Lake For
| est also experienced rain, but wind.
At HinSdale the wind, accompanied
| by rain and hail. did considerable dam
| age. Large shade trees were blown
| over and chimneyS demolished. A pic
| mic party from the University of Chi
| cago was caught in the storm at Brush
| creek. The picnickers fed for refuge
| to the icehouses and sheds. One young
woman was observed to fall and roll
| over in several inches of mud and
| water. A greater portion of the
| crowd walked about two miles over
| clay roads to Fullersburg. The Camp
| bell Park Christian Endeavorers es-
capped the worst of the storm by taking
possession of a church near the picnic
| grounds.