AN APPALLING CALAMITY - River Falls Journal June 22, 1893
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Lightning Strikes a Circus Tent
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Seven Persons Killed and Many More Injured!
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A Community Mourning For Its Untimely Dead!
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The Saddest Calamity That Has Ever Happened to the Inhabitants of this place
full upon us Yesterday shortly before 4 O'clock in the afternoon!
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Few occasions have ever called to this city from the surrounding country a
larger concourse of people than that which yesterday assembled here to witness
the Ringling Bros. Shows.  In the morning the streets were lined with an eager
and joyous throng to view the splendid pageant of the street parade.  In the
afternoon the great tents were filled with the same gay and curious crowd.

The weather had been sultry and hot.  Early in the afternoon great banks of
ominous clouds were gathering in the west and the deep roar of the thunder was
almost continuous.  Not long after 3 o'clock the heavens were inky black with
the portending storm.  The rain fell in torrents; the flashes of lightning were
frequent and intense; the crash of the thunder was terrific.

The performance in the main tent was over.  A large number of the residents
of the city had left for their homes at the commencement of the storm.  A large
number of people were still in the menagerie tents viewing the caged animals.

A blinding flash of lightning filling the tent with a sheet of fire followed
instantly by a terrific crash as of the discharge of heavy cannon paralyzed the
groups of sightseers.  A cry of terror went up that the great white tents were
struck!  No description can be adequate to the scene that followed.  It was at
once known that several people were killed and an unknown number prostrated and
more or less injured.

Two separate shocks were felt with a distinct interval between.  The bolt
struck one of the center poles near the main entrance, around and near which was
a group of one hundred or more people.  The bolt of lightning it* striking the
pole caused a gasoline reservoir that was attached to it for lighting the tent
to explode scattering the burning contents over the crowd, burning a few of
them.

The scenes of confusion and consternation that followed when the survivors
began to realize the extent of the fatality and the nearness of their own peril
beggars description.  Dazed men, women and children surged in great crowds,
some forced by curiosity towards the scene of disaster, some terror-stricken
fleeing by every exit out into the pouring rain, some white with horror seeing
the sheet of flame that flashed on their vision believing the great tents were
on fire raised the cry "Leave the tent!"  It was only the great presence of mind
on the part of the proprietors and their employees that the panic was stayed
before fatal results followed from this incipient stampede.

The Ringlings exerted themselves to render every assistance to the dead and
injured.

An ambulance was furnished and the dead soon gathered up and taken to the
Engine House where they were generally identified in a short time.  Their
names, four full grown men and three little boys, are as follows:  Alfred O.
Deans, a young married man, son of J.A. Deans of Kinnickinnic township, Eugene
Reynolds, unmarried of Kinnickinnic, James a Glendenning, married, leaves a
wife (herself dangerously injured) and a little boy also dangerously hurt-his
only other child a boy of twelve years old was killed.  Mr. Glendenning was
town clerk of Oak Grove.  Clark Mapes, single, son of the late James Mapes of
Kinnickinnic.  Clau** Aldrich the twelve year old son of Curtish Aldrich of
Troy and little Floyd Smith, son of Wallace Smith of Clifton.

The names of some of the injured are:  Mrs. James a Glendenning seriously
injured, the doctors say dangerously.  She is now at the Tremont.  Her husband
and one son were instantly killed, the other son badly hurt.  This is the
entire family.  A fearful awakening will come to this poor woman can she
realize the full extent of her awful loss.  It seems that one might wish to be
spared such a fate by sharing that of those we mourn.  They experienced no
suffering, their death was absolutely instantaneous, and who would not prefer
so to make his departure rather than by lingering disease.  It is reported that
Mrs. Alfred O. Deans is also injured.  She is a sister to Mrs. Glendenning both
being daughters of Mr. Morgan of Pleasant Valley.  Earnest and Howard Deans
brothers of Alfred were also injured.  Alfred Mapes brother of Clark Mapes was
hurt, also Pat Collins, Harding Kelly, James Kelly, Mrs. G.W. Maier of
Beldenville, Curtis Aldrich of Troy, Sydney Symes, William B. Delhorbe, Joseph
Phenning, Louis Turnquist, Lewis Rosses and Lars Larson.  Mrs. Ault, niece of
Jay Loucks was somewhat injured.

Many others received severe shocks and yet feel the sensation in partially
paralyzed limbs.  One young man had his thumb split probably a splinter of the
tent pole, and was so dazed that he did not regain control of his senses until
an hour after the shock when he found himself a mile from home and going in the
opposite direction to his home.

Six men bore off the paralyzed form of a young man names Lewis Rosses of
Spring Valley whose face and breast were terribly burned and whose lower
extremities were paralyzed.  At a later hour he recovered consciousness and was
kindly nursed.  He is badly burned and his lower limbs still benumbed, but is
not considered fatally injured.

Wm. B. Delhorbe, aged 18, is badly hurt.  His parents live at Norma* Oklahoma
Territory.  He has been working on the farm of Thomas R. Morrow.  When struck
he was holding the hand of a little boy.  The boy was shocked but soon
recovered and walked around apparently as sound as ever.

Wm. Delhorbe will be as good as new in a few days.

Rod McGregor's little girl was paralyzed temporarily and his little boy has a
burn on his back.

Jay E. Loucks, proprietor of the Gladstone hotel, and his whole family were
thrown to the ground by the shock but received no injury.  One of the killed
fell against Mrs. Loucks.

Two men now at the hotel were injured but their names have not been
ascertained.  Archie O'Brien of Oak Grove is also reputed injured.

This terrible catastrophe has cast a gloom over the whole community.  Tears
are in the eyes and voices of the living.  All that can be done by skill of
physicians, tenderest nursing and kindest words of loving friends is freely and
earnestly given to the injured and bereaved.  Universal sympathy is expressed
for all who are so suddenly bereaved by these untimely deaths.

No blame attaches in any way to the circus managers, they are universally
commended for their thoughtfulness and care during and after the accident.