A terrific windstorm struck the city of Sheboygan. It came very suddenly from the north, and in ten minutes eight large buildings were completely wrecked and 200 small houses were blown down. The loss will be more than $300,000. At noon it was as dark as night and intensely hot..

Chicago, Dec. 3 - Five railway employees were instantly killed and thirteen persons were injured by the explosion of a boiler in the power house of the Chicago & Northwestern road this evening. Several of the injured are hurt so badly that they may die. The dead:

August Clamman, section foreman, crushed by falling walls.

Anthony Kraus, fireman at power house, internally hurt, died on way to hospital.

August Weiss, section hand, struck by boiler.

Joseph Specht, section hand, caught under boiler.

Henry Snurr, eighteen year old clerk in auditing office of the road, neck broken by flying debris.

The injured:

John Butterworth, chief electrician of power house, skull fractured, internal injuries, will probably die.

Anthony Kraus, badly scalded, chest crushed, both elbows dislocated; will die.

Aug. Beck of Milwaukee, injured by part of roof of parlor car falling on him.

Mrs. Aug. Beck, Milwaukee, thrown against seat; internally injured; may die.

William Becker, Sheboygan, Wis., severely bruised.

Mrs. Becker, Sheboygan, Wis., slightly bruised.

Michael McGregor, severely burned; may die.

Joseph Kovelski, severely burned.

George Gillis, severely burned.

John Brown, severely burned.

Carl Peters, arm broken.

August Holtz, side and arm bruised.

Eugene Gingrick, blown through door of power house, slightly bruised.

The power house was a two story structure, which stood west of the passenger station and north of the tracks leading into it. On the first floor was the boiler room, containing a battery of four boilers and the dynamo room, which held nine dynamos. Twelve men were employed about the building and in addition to such of these as were at work at the time a number of strangers were watching the dynamos. At a few minutes past 5 o'clock one of the boilers in the center of a row of four burst with a report that was plainly heard at points a mile distant. The end of the boiler nearest the tracks was the weak part of the structure, and it flew toward the depot tracks and landed fully seventy feet away from its starting point. The boiler itself, which weighed ten tons, lies sixty feet from the boiler house.

Just as the explosion occurred the Ashland limited train was pulling from the station. The greater part of the train had passed, and although the cars were all heavily battered with falling bricks and debris, none of them was badly damaged, and the passengers escaped unhurt. The last two cars, Pullman sleeper and a drawing room car, were not so far but that the boiler struck the rear car, while the head ploughed through the one in front. Fortunately both flew high and struck the cars above the windows carrying away portions of the roof and vestibule. But few of the passengers happened at the time to be in the ends of the two cars hit by the flying metal and such of them as were as were (sic) hurt were struck by flying splinters or suffered from being thrown to the floor. In the train were Mr. and Mrs. Beck of Milwaukee and Mr. and Mrs. Becker of Sheboygan, Wis. Both couples were returning from their bridal tour and all four were injured, Mrs. Beck perhaps fatally. The destruction of the electrical lightning plant plunged the depot into darkness and the pile of debris which was thrown across the tracks temporarily blocked the suburban trains of the road.

Every attention to the wounded was shown by officials of the Northwestern. All were conveyed as quickly as possible to hospitals, where their wounds were dressed..

Sheboygan, Wis., Dec. 16 - The plant of H. W. Zeechistsche {sic - Zetzsche} & Sons, tanners, was totally destroyed by fire this morning. The plant covered an entire block. Loss $180,000; fully covered by insurance..

A circuit court jury at Sheboygan, Wis., awarded Mrs. Bouska, of the town of Adell, a verdict for $500 as balm. Peter Hugent was the defendant in the case. He promised Mrs. Bouska one dollar for every kiss she gave him. Failing to collect she instituted suit. She asked the court for $3,000 damages..

Sheboygan, Wis., Aug. 12 - John Malloy, the last survivor of the Preble's crew, that was the first to land American troops in Japan, is dead at his home at Hingham, aged 82 years. He was born in Ireland and entered the navy on his arrival in this country, shipping on the United States steamship Independence. He was honorably discharged and again joined the navy at the outbreak of the Mexican War, being assigned to the United States steamship Preble, on which he made an 50,000 mile cruise, covering almost five years and embracing the Sandwich Islands, China and Japan. At the close of his service he came to Sheboygan. His first wife dying in May, 1898, he again married the following September, his second wife and four children surviving him..

Chicago, September 8 - A dispatch to the Tribune from Sheboygan, Wis., says: Four prisoners, one a forger and three burglars, have sawed their way out of the Sheboygan County Jail while the Sheriff was playing with his twin babies in an adjoining office.

All are supposed to have escaped from the city on a freight train.

San Antonio, Tex., Oct. 4 - In a street duel here to-day between J. M. Chittim, known as the Texas cattle king and W. W. Jones a cattleman and banker of Besville (?), H.S. Elwell, a traveling man, of Milwaukee, Wis., chanced in range and was accidentally killed. The bullet, it is said fired from Chittim's gum. Chittim was placed in jail, charged with murder.

Elwell worked for H. C. Miller, stationer if Milwaukee. From letters in his possession it appears he has a brother in Sheboygan. Neither of the participants was injured..

Sheboygan, Wis., Nov. 23 - Herman Gletter, the 4-year-old son of a noted German surgeon, has his feet crushed by a street car while visiting here. Photographs showing his injuries were taken today and rushed to Germany to secure his father's approval of the amputation of both feet.

Sheboygan (Wis.) - Herald W. Kundo, a well to-do young farmer of Mitchell, was in the village one day last week and renewed his subscription to the Herald.

Thomas Johnson, a young farmer near Waldo, was in yesterday and ordered the Herald for family reading.

Charles Martch, and up-to-date farmer of Scott, was here Saturday and renewed his subscription to the Herald.

G. Piper, one of our well-to-do farmers near the village, has ordered the Herald.

Charles Wildermuth had a very great surprise last week when Rev. George Wildermuth and wife, of Sheboygan Falls, Wisconsin, came to pay him a visit. The Rev. George Wildermuth had never heard of Charles Wildermuth, his half brother, until he was visiting another brother at Baltimore a few years ago and decided to pay him a visit and make his acquaintance at his earliest opportunity, so came to Hulmesville on Tuesday of last week and remained until Saturday, when Mrs. Charles Wildermuth, accompanied them to Philadelphia to visit other relatives.

Sheboygan, Wis., Feb. 15 - Nicholas Hoffman, who is 64 years old, bathed today for the first time in fifty years. He made a vow when he was 14 years old that he would never take another bath. A sheriff, who stood by the bath tub while Hoffman bathed today forced him to break his vow.

Sheboygan, Wis, July 27 - The mysterious disappearance of a thirty-seven acre farm on the shore of Long Lake in Fond du Lac county was cleared today by the discovery that the tract had worked loose and drifted into the lake as floating bog.

Sheboygan, Wis. - Because he found hair on his plate at breakfast, Frank Demann, a real estate dealer and contractor, smashed the plate, broke up the diningroom furniture, and beat his wife. He was arrested and fined $14.

Return to the Sheboygan Page

Return to the Newspaper Articles & Index Page