Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1913-07-09
Terrific Storm Sweeps
Cities in Northern Part
of State.
WIND 60 MILES HOUR
Towns Left in Darkness and
Crops Injured-Estimat- y
ed Damage S125,000. i


were lost. houses set on fire, cities left
in darkness and hundreds of farm
buildings f1attened by the tail-end OF
a northern Illinois gale which swept
this section late yesterday afternoon.
News of the havoc began to creep
into Aurora today over crippled tele-
phone wires. The dead are:
DAVID FRAZIER, salesman, Gene
va, touched a live power wire blown
over the house.
RICHARD WALLENBURG, farmer,
near Bristol, killed when wagon blew
over on him.
ARTHUR PETERSON, age IS, Ell.
gin.
FRANK oLEARY. age so, Wood
stock, killed by lightning
OTTO HAMLIN, Pine Grove, fatally
injured in collapse of a building.
The injured:
PERCY REAM, 20, St. Charles,
skull fractured by flying tree, will die.
MRS. FRAZIER, wife of the man
killed at Geneva, badly burned on
hands and arms attempting to rescue
her husband.
ANDREW NELSON, Batavia, buried
under roof of his house which blew
through the air.
The city of Batavia has been in
darkness since last night Only parts
of the circuit were working in Geneva,
and st. Charles last night. Street
car service is still crippled in Elgin
and telephone wires are down. One
man was killed in Elgin during the
storm. One hundred thousand damage
was done to buildings. The storm
unroofed several Aurora houses, but
! the damage here is not over ten thous-
and. Loss in the surrounding country
is $125,000
| CHICAGO ALSO SWEPT.
Chicago, H., July Chicago and
northern Illinois were swept yester-
day by an electrical storm which
caused loss of life and heavy damage
to property. A lasning gale on the
lake sent all craft hurrying for the
shore. Hail damaged crops at Whea-
ton. Barns, silos, and outbuildings
were wrecked and blown away in the
environs of EIgin, where the wind
seemed to do the most severe dam
age. Communication was cut of with
a number of north state towns.
STORMS FORCE EXTENSIVE.
Among those towns in the storm
belt which have been heard from are
Rockford, Sycamore, Lyons, Des-
PLANES, La Grange, Elgin, Riverside,
Woodstock, Wheaton, Dundee, Syca.
more, Hartland and Harvard.
A northeast gale with a velocity of
46 miles an hour was registered in the
Chicago weather observation station,
where it also was recorded that 80
of an inch OF rain fell before o'clock.
The storm was said to be local and
the result of low pressure area in
the region of Lake Superior. The
weather observer said the condition
might continue today.
In Chicago extra crews of men were
put TO work by the telephone and tele,
graph companies and by the Common
wealth Edison company. Wires down
in various parts of Chicago brought
darkness at different times during the
night.
STORM DAMAGE IN ELGIN.
Elgin was struck during the day b.
wind and rain storm which tore tn,
roofs from buildings, toppled owe
chimneys, uprooted trees, made tn
. streets impossible with wreckage, dc
stroyed communication with adjoinin
communities, and passed on, leavin
the town without light or electrics
power.
Horses were electrocuted in III
J., street by falling wires. A number @
: places were struck by lightning. On
man was killed by lightning. heay
rain followed in the wake of the storm
drenched the contents of the wrecket
stores and homes, and flooded base
. ments with water Hundreds OF shade
trees were blown down and window
all over the town were bhoken.
BRINGS BLINDISG Dust.
Muffled in dark clouds of blindinl
dust. the storm reached Elgin at 3:2.
D. IN. 1t was followed Immediately by
rain, thunder. and lightning. The
storm came from the west. 1t broke
with a suddenness that ripped off un
furled awnings in the business streets
/ and took them sailing through the air
The roof was blown of the Lynch
i building, a two story stone building al
, 1926 West Chicago street. The ROOT
was carried across the street and
1cont,nued on Page TweIYal