The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1927-06-30
DAMAGE TO
PROPERTY IS
VERY HEAVY.
Tourist Killed at Tourist Park
When Tree Falls Across
His Bed
WIFE IS ONE OF INJURED
Roof Blows Off Patterson HO-
tel-Many Buildings Bad
ly Wrecked
WIFE Is ONE OF INJURED

One man was killed. three wo-
men were injured and property
damage totaling thousands of dol
lars was caused by heavy storm
which struck here early this MORN
ing.
The dead man is George Afflcck
Of Bay City, Michigan. Those in
iured are Mrs. Affleck, Mrs. E. S.
Delaney, Bismarck, widowed mother
Of eight small children; and Mrs.
NJ. Glover of Bay City.
The Afflecks were en- route to the
Yellowstone National Park and the
Pacific coast in company with Mr..
and Mrs. NJ. Glover, also of Bay
City. and had driven hard all day
Wednesday in an effort to reach
the Bismarck tourist camp.
Having pitched their camp they
played bridge and then retired, Mr..
and Mrs. Affleck in a tent and Mr..
and Mrs. Glover in trailer fitted
up with sleeping compartment.
Killed Instantly
Mrs. Glover became nervous, how
ever, and she and her husband
transferred to the tent, Mr.. and
Mrs. Affleck going to sleep in the
trailer. AS the wind rose, Mr.. and
Mrs. Affleck started to put on their
clothes. Mr.. Affleck was sitting
on the edge of the cot in the trailer
putting on his socks when a large
tree fell upon him, killing him in
stantly, according to Coroner f. J.
Gobel. Three men had to saw the
tree trunk twice before his body
could be extricated.
Mrs. Affleck was knocked from
the edge of the cot on which she
was sitting and escaped with
severely strained back
Appearances are that Affleck
may have been str"qk ny lightning
or touched with electricity from
wires carrying current to light the
camp, Gobel said. The mans face
and chest were badly burned, he
said, and an effort is being made to
ascertain the cause.
It is pointed out that Affleck,
sitting as he did on an iron bed
under tree, was in most hazard
Gus position. His bed being ground
ed caused his body to be super
charged and the lightning, striking
the tree, had an excellent connec-
tion through him, since lightning
is in reality discharge between
the ground, charged with one kind
of electricity, and cloud Of the
opposite polarity.
There will be no inquest, Gobel
said. since the death was plainly
accidental.
Injuries Not Serious
Mrs. Affleck was taken to local
hospital where she was said to be
recovering today. Mrs. Clover was
suffering from shock. She is at a
local hotel.
Affleck was in the electrical busi-
ness at Bay City and had left his
affairs in the hands of his son-in-
| law while he took vacation. He
was a thirty-second degree Mason.
| Mrs. Delaney was cut about the
legs by flying glass which resulted
from the blowing in Of a window
of her home. The cuts are not
serious.
Although reports from surround
ing territory indicate that many
barns were unroofed or blown
down and that farm property dam
age will be severe in some cases,
the heaviest losses occurred in Bis.
marck.
The cellars of scores of business
houses were flooded and on others
the roofs were SO badly wrecked
that stock was seriously damaged
by water.
Patterson Hotel UnroOfed
The roof Of the Patterson Hotel
was blown off and crashed against
business houses across the street
causing additional damage there
The roof Of the Lasken block was
severely damaged by the falling
debris and the glass fropts were
broken, so that the stocks of ths
stationery, clothing and other store.
in the block suffered considerable
water damage. The northwest
corner of the Lasken building was
partially torn away and much OF
the Patterson hotel wreckage
was deposited on the root
and in the alley alongside e
Much Of the brick work on tn,
eighth story of the hotel also was
blown down, the storm apparently
having assumed the characteristics
of q twister in that locality. Tive
inches Of rain fell during the storm