–11 Daily News Almanac and Book of Facts for 1902. “Events of 1901.” Chicago, 1902, p. 335.

–11 Evening Herald, Syracuse, NY. “Single Bolt Killed Eleven,” 8-2-1901, p. 2.

–11 Jefferson Bee, IA. “Lightning Kills Eleven,” 7-4-1901, p. 2.

–10 New York Times. “Ten Killed By One Bolt of Lightning,” July 2, 1901, p. 1., col. 6.

Narrative Information

Daily News Almanac: “Chicago, July 1 — Ten boys and one man killed by a single flash of lightning in Lake View.”[1] (Daily News Almanac and Book of Facts for 1902. “Events of 1901.” Chicago, 1902, p. 335.)

July 1: “Chicago, July 1. – Ten persons were killed and another was probably fatally injured this afternoon by a single bolt of lightning. The victims comprised four men and six boys. They had been in swimming in Lake Michigan, at the foot of Montrose Boulevard, on the North Side, and at the time were resting on a pier. The bolt struck the pier where they were seated and entirely demolished it. All were thrown into the lake, and only one of the party of eleven survived. He is

lying in a precarious condition, and is not expected to live.

“The lightning came during the progress of a terrific thunderstorm. As it struck the pier there was a sound of crashing timbers which was heard for some distance, and which attracted a policeman to the scene. The policeman, however, was unable to rescue any of the victims. The heavy timbers of the pier had been shattered and the whole structure had toppled into the water.

“The policeman hurried to a patrol box and called for assistance, but nearly half an hour elapsed before aid arrived. The work of recovering the bodies was then extremely difficult, but finally all were carried ashore. Owing to the storm the work at identification was extremely slow.

“It appears that, oppressed by the extreme heat, the boys had gone in bathing. When the rain began to fall, and it became evident that a severe electrical storm was coming, they rushed to a shelter they had built on the pier. Willie Anderson, twelve years old, was the only survivor of the shock which followed a moment later. To the policeman he gave a bare idea of the tragic ending to an hour’s sport and then fainted. He was carried to a near-by house, where medical assistance was rendered.

“The fatal stroke .was the most powerful seen here in years. The pier was demolished almost instantly, giving the boys not the slightest chance of escape. In age the victims ranged from twelve to twenty-five.” (New York Times. “Ten Killed By One Bolt of Lightning,” July 2, 1901)

July 2: “Chicago, July 2. — Huddled under Montrose pier, a mile…[unclear; across?] the end of Lincoln park, ten boys and one man were struck dead by lightning in a heap yesterday afternoon during the course of a tornado which swept Lake View. A twelfth victim, a boy, was found alive under the pile of bodies. He was unconscious and badly burned. He was taken as rapidly as possible to Alexian Brothers’ hospital, but it is not expected he will recover.

“The sole survivor is William Anderson. He regained consciousness at the hospital, but remained paralyzed from his hip down. He was so weak he could hardly talk, but he gave the names of two of his comrades who were killed and fainted. They are Fritz Kusel, 14 years old, of Rabey street, and George A. Braidnal [unclear], 11 years old, of Rabey [unclear] and Addison streets.

“The victims had been fishing and enjoying the cooling breeze and when the storm came up they got under the pier for safety. The lightning, which caused the catastrophe, burned out all the telephone wires in the vicinity and it was some time before the police arrived.

“The patrol wagons and ambulances from the Lake View Town Hall and Halsted street station were sent to the scene and removed the injured to the hospital, and the dead to the morgue.

“The top of the pier was covered with zinc, one of the best conductors known and the bolt of lightning tore it to pieces. Doctor Sawlett [unclear] of the Marine hospital, one of the first to arrive upon the scene, in describing what he saw upon reaching the pier, said the bodies were twisted together like so many worms or snakes and every one of the eleven was dead when he reached them….” (Evening Herald, Syracuse, NY. “Single Bolt Killed Eleven,” 8-2-1901, p. 2.)

July 2: “Chicago, July 2. — Crowded together in a little zinc-lined shanty under a north shore pier, ten boys and young men and one old man met instant death by lightning yesterday. They had left their fish lines and sought shelter from the fierce thunderstorm that deluged the northern part of the city about 1 o’clock. Ten minutes later their bodies lay, with twisted and tangled limbs….There were 12 who sought shelter and just one escaped….

“The dead comprised a party of men who were fishing and seeking relief from the heat of the day, joined by a number of boys who had come to wade and swim on the beach.

The names of the dead are: George Brabinat, 11 years old; Meyer Jacobs, 45; George Peribs, 12; Frank Coosey, 11; Carl Kruse, 18; Edward Bloch, 13; five unknown.

“Tfe storm was as violent a visitation as had been experienced in Chicago. The skies were filled with the flashing glare of the lightning, and the air rumbled steadily with thunder. Half a dozen houses, outbuildings and trees in the vicinity were struck, and almost all of the telephone wires burned out.

“There were 13 men and boys on the pier at the time. They rushed for the only available shelter and crowded themselves in through the little trap door in the top of the cabin till they were packed almost to a suffocation point.

“Then came the thunderbolt. It was the worst of the storm. Watchers in the pumping station saw the zig-zag lightning strike the water, as they thought. They did not know of its fearful work. There was one small boy, however, who saw the bolt. But for him the dead might have laid where they were for hours, and little Willie Anderson might have been suffocated under their bodies.

“Percy Keane, clad in bathing trunks, and watching from the water station, thought he heard a scream as the bolt struck. Mindless of the storm, he rushed across the beach. At the pier he heard a cry: ‘Help — get me out.’ He looked into the cabin and in dismay saw the twisted bodies. Young Percy, crying, pulled at the dead men’s arms and legs to get them away. He saw Willie Anderson’s head and part of his body, but he could not pull him out, nor could he pull the heavy bodies from on top of him. Then young Keane telephoned to the police…” (Jefferson Bee, IA. “Lightning Kills Eleven,” 7-4-1901, p. 2.)

Sources

Daily News Almanac and Book of Facts for 1902. “Events of 1901.” Chicago Daily News Company, 1902, pp. 335-338. Accessed 7-10-2018 at: https://books.google.com/books?id=7ZIaAQAAIAAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false

Evening Herald, Syracuse, NY. “Single Bolt Killed Eleven,” 8-2-1901, p. 2. Accessed 7-11-2018 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/syracuse-evening-herald-jul-02-1901-p-2/

Jefferson Bee, IA. “Lightning Kills Eleven,” 7-4-1901, p. 2. Accessed 7-11-2018 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/jefferson-bee-jul-04-1901-p-2/

New York Times. “Ten Killed By One Bolt of Lightning,” July 2, 1901, p. 1., col. 6. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=52164636

[1] Today (2018) Lake View is one of the 77 community areas of Chicago, Illinois, located on the city’s North Side. (Wikipedia)

1901 — July 1, Lightning, boys fishing at Pier at Montrose Boulevard, Lake View, IL — 11