Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1906-1908, 1906-07-27
BOLT KILLS FIVE PERSONS
LIGHTNING WORKS DEADLY HAVOC
AMONG FANS IN MANIToWOC
GRANDSTAND.
MANY ARE INJURED.
Pitiful Scene Follows Binding Flash
When Frantic Mothers Search for
Boys During Terrific Storm.

MANITOWOC, Wis, July 23.-L Spe-
cial. Five persons are dead and score
or more are injured, many Of them Sc
riousIy, rs a result Of a bolt of lightning
striking the grand stand Of Athletic park
just before a ball game at , O'Clock yes
tcrday afternoon
The Dead and Injured
The dead are:
skUIIRA, ALBERT D.. aged 81
WOELLERT, IRVING, aged Ia, son Of
Charles Woclcrt
IIANDL, WALTER. aged II, son Of Al
bert IIand
kLAUK, ANTON, aged -, son of Mrs. I.
Elauk
KNUDsoN, WILLIAM, aged II, an or,
tDban.
The injured:
Theodore Burmoister, aged II; burned
about the legs, Knocked lnsnnsibie by shock.
Harvey Kono, aged u; burned about the
legs, rendered unconscious.
Frank Boehm, aged ~. burned about the
legs, stunned
Walter Boehm, aged -. his, brother,
slightly burned about the legs and stunned
Lester Reuther, aged 10; slightly burned,
sitting behind Albert u. Skuhra, who was
Killed
Walter sadusky, aged =; burned by the
shock
John sadusky, aged II, his brother; also
burned by shock.
Twenty or more persons, including bah
players knocked down by the shock, re.
covered soon aftcrWard.
Five Funerals Tomorrow.
OF the boys seriously injured, all but
Harvey Kono, will recover. The Kono
lad will be paralyzed for life, it is
feared The wife Of Albert Skurha is
seriously i'll.
The funerals Of the dead will be held
tomorrow.
The game was between the Plymouth
Juniors Of Plymouth and the Schicharts
Of this city. Because n storm threat
ened before the game was called only
1876 persons were on the grounds.
Some time before time for the game
to begin it became so dark that the Ply.
mouth team was unable to continue its
practice.
Then fierce storm set in. Heavy
clouds rolled over the ball grounds fol.
lowed by torrents Of rain. There were
repeated flashes of lightning and heavy
laundering. Everybody scurried for
the grandstand.
Fatal Bolt Strikes.
While the fans and opposing teams
were thus huddled under shelter there
was q terrific crash. At the same in
slant a bolt of lightning ripped its why
through the roof Of the stand The
flames seemed to hit the stand and follow
a wire over the roof to the gate, where
the bolt entered another building.
When the panic had partially subsidized
it was found that four were dead, an.
other dying and about twenty or more
injured, though most of them not seri.
ously.
Skuhra and Klauk had been killed
outright The bodies of Handl and
Woelert, who were leaning against the
stand, were found just outside of the
stand on the field. knudson was picked
up in an unconscious condition and died
half an hour later.
Panic Follows Crash
There was the widest sort of panic
IS soon as the lightning struck. A mad
.ush was made for the exits. In the
scramble many of the injured and help
ess were trampled upon. The one aim
Of everybody was to get out of the
tand.
Outside it was raining torrents. But
hat was preferable to remaining in the
tand.
Crash after crash follow ed the fatal
)olt Many hurried from the field tC
heir homes, but most of the uniniured
emained to assist i'll caring for the liy-
ng. The alarm was Immediately given,
md every available doctor i'll Mantowoc
hurried to the ball grounds.
There, in the drenching rain. the work
II assisting the wounded went on
Mothers Search for Sons
Frantic women came out to the park
is soon as they heard of the accident
ind began searching for sons they knew
we're at the game. For more than the
lour the widest excitement prevailed
While the last of the injured was being
AIKEN home
Among the injured it was found that
our of the Plymouth team had been
snocked down and suffered from shock.
Harvey kono seemed to be paralyzed
completely about his limbs and was I'M
BILE to stand up. So serious is the con
tition of Theodore Burmeistcr, that doe
ors fear he will not survive the shock.
dany others We're stunned by the bolt,
nut were able to go home unassistcd.
A peculiar coincidence was that al
most all of the seriously injured were
II.