Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1899-08-15
THREE STORM VICTIMS.
Details of the Terrific Windstorn1
Which Visited Waukesha
County.

Waukesha, Wis, Aug. t. Special
which indicate that it was the good for
tune of this city to escape a tornado
which did much damage in surrounding
towns Thursday, and as result OF which
three fatalities are reported.
The dead are:
MRS. JOSEPH FRIESE of the town of Rich
GEORGE JONAS, farm hand of JOSEPH
Will WILLIAM H. KR1EG of the town of Brook
field.
The storm struck at Friese's lake, il
the town of Richfeld which is just
across the county line in Washington
county. According to eyewitncsses, there
were two clouds coming from different
directions. They met at FrieseS lake
and from there started on their trail OF
destruction. At the lake there was
large picnic OF people from the surround
ing country. The wind was accompanied
by severe hailstorm, and as there was
little shelter available the pcnickers re
ceiyed severe handling from the elements
The storm gathered force as it proceed
ed, and, when passing over the farm OF
Joseph Triese, it took the roof off of his
barn. The hired man was drawing grain
from the field 70 the barn at the time the
storm struck. Mrs. Friese saw it APP
proach and ran to the barn to open ths
door for the man. She had just got tn.
door open when the roof was blown off
She was caught beneath it and instantly
killed
George Jonas, a farmland, did no
reach the barn before the storm struck
but was lifted from his load and ear
ried several rods. He sustained injurie!
which resulted in his death several hour!
later.
Edward Worth, who works the Green
go farm in the town of Menomonee, haC
a narrow escape. He was drawing grair
from the field and saw the storm ap
proa ching. He was nearly half mile
from the barn and started his team on
run for home. He reached the barnyarC
just as the storm overlook him. Jump
ing from the wagon he unhitched the
horses. The wind took the loaded Wagon
and carried 1t several rods and made
kinding wood Of it, Worth escaped I'M
hurt.
The storm did not travel near the earth
all Of the time, but would rise high in tbs
air and then dip down to the earth again
1t passed to the west Of the village Of
Menomonee Falls and high in the air
Witnesses say that in their opinion i
was 1000 feet in the air when it passet
over MenOmonee Falls. The sky was
red as though there was n big fire some
where. The air was filled with rubbish
limbs torn from trees, boards. shocks %
grain, etc. On the Haylet farm tn,
storm dipped and moved swath seyera
rods wide through a piece Of timber.
The corn crops were laid fiat, and graiI
which had been cut and put in shock:
was carried from one farm to another.
The storm passed to the east Of Wau
kesha and struck in the town OF New
Berlin. where considerable damage wa:
done to grain and outbuildings and some
stock was killed. The people of Wan
kesha knew nothing of the storm unit
the reports began to come in yesterday
1t rained here Thursday afternoon, bu
the storm was just an ordinary shower
and no one realized that tornado wa:
raging within a few miles.
William H. Krieg was standing under
tree on his farm in the town of Brook
field. The tree was struck by lightning
and Krieg was killed. What looked like
a picture Of a tree was traced on hi
body by the lightning. krieg was a sin
gle man.