People's Pilot, Volume 2, Number 37, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 3 March 1893 — SEVEN WERE KILLED. [ARTICLE]

SEVEN WERE KILLED.

A Failing Wall Crashes Two Adjoining Buildings ta Chicago at Dead of Night —The Sleeping Occupants, Ten in Namher. Buried in the Rains—Seven hose Their Uses, the 'Others Being Badly Hart. Chicago, March 1. —Criminal negligence caused the death of seven people and the injury of several others at 1:15 a. m. Tuesday. The five-story north wall of the fire-gutted York building at 765 and 781 South Halstead street, permitted to stand, although it had repeatedly been declared unsafe, fell, burying two other buildings and their unconscious occupants in the ruins. The tottering wall had stood without adequate support since January 11, when the John York dry goods establishment was destroyed by fire. Immediately to the north of the wall, facing on Halsted street, were the saloon of John Schmidt, at 761, and the jewelry store of William Kunze at 763. Both had families, and all were asleep when the crash came. The wind was blowing a gale. It swept along the street, leaving destruction on all sides It caught the high wall. For a moment the obstruction tottered. Then, with a noise like thunder, it fell, crushing the two adjoining bujldings like cardboard. Not one of those who were in the building escaped death or injury. Ten persons were buried in the ruins. Of these seven wei-e killed, as follows: William Kunze, aged 8" years; Mrs. Mary Kunze, aged 65 years: Jobs Schmidt, aged 40 years: Lizzie Schmidt, aged 11 years; Hattie Schmidt, aged 3 years; Paulina Mortina, aged 21 years; George Mesterle, aged 28 years. Mrs. Carrie bchmidt, skull fractured and Internally injured, taken to the county hospital; Annie Schmidt. 8 years of age, shoulder-blade broken, taken to P. Pfeiffer’s bouse, will recover: Fred Kunze, aged 26 years, head, limbs and body bruised, taken to the county hospital, will recover. Young Fred Kunze, who was with his father in the jewelry store immediately next to the John Yprk ruin, was the first to be taken out and the least injured. His escape, however, was the purest accident. He had gone to bed and was asleep when the crash of bricks and broken roof threw him out upon the floor and over against the wall. A door that was broken from its hinges slid down over him and caught one end on something just above him, while the other end ’rested on the floor. Though he was closely imprisoned under the door he was saved from the piles of brick and mortar that crashed through the house from the broken wall. Young Kunze was taken out a short time after the accident and sent to the county hospital, Mrs. Schmidt was far less fortunate. She was found still alive under a pile of broken timbers in the basement of the building, on the first floor of which her husband kept a saloon and on the second floor of which the family lived. The saloon had been closed for the night an hour before the disaster and Mr. Schmidt had retired. Mrs. Schmidt had been in bed, too, but she must have been in the kitchen at the time of the accident, as she slept in the middle of the house. When taken to the county hospital her right arm was found to be broken in three places and her head terribly bruised. Her body and limbs were also bruised and it is doubtful if she can recover. Little Annie Schmidt, the third one to be rescued, was found in the central part of the basement floor, where, with the others, she had been plunged. The floors,, roof and everything gave way under the great weight that struck them and landed everything in the basements One of the little girl’s shoulder blades was broken and her left arm was bruised, but otherwise she was uninjured. The first body ite moved was that of the bartender, George Mesterle. It was found under a mass of loose debris near the front of the Schmidt house. A pile of brick had struck him on the head and had killed him instantly. After two hours’ more work the firemen came upon the body of Lizzie Schmidt, which was carried to Charles Pfeiffer’s place across the street Another hour passed before the firemen had pushed their way far enough into the wreckage to uncover any more bodies. The first sight was that of a white arm and hand raised above a huge mass of -wood and brick. When at last the body was uncovered it was found to be that of the servant girl, Pauline Mortina, in the Schmidt household. A wide gash over the forehead indicated bow death had come. About noon the bodies of John Schmidt and his little child Hattie were found close to the south wall of the building. By some mysterious aetion of the wreckage the bodies had been forced directly agaihst the wall. The child was cuddled close to her father, as if she had been frightened in her sleep apd had turned for protection. Both bodies were covered with ruins and the flesh was somewhat burned. It was impossible to tell whether death had come instantaneously or they had lived long enough to realize what their fate was to be. John Kunze’s body and that of his wife were the last to be removed from the jangled pile of brick, mortar and splintered timbers. They were found at 2p. m. The bed in which they were sleeping on the first floor of No. 763 was turned over on its way to the basement and the bodies were covered with the mattress and bedstead. Both Mr. and Mrs. Kunze had been killed by flying bricks and timbers. Their faces were bruised almost beyond recognition.