Schuldt, David 1909-1920
SCHULDT, SCHULTZ, MILLER, HITCHINS, HITCHENS, CASTEN, THOMA, LAND, HARRIS
Posted By: S. Ferrall - IAGenWeb volunteer
Date: 5/25/2010 at 23:54:24
Two Killed at McGregor
McGregor, June 28 - Two persons were killed and two others slightly injured in a landslide at Pictured Rocks, near here, about three o'clock Sunday afternoon. Miss Ruth Miller, 18 years old, of Waterloo, and David Schultz, 12 years of age, of McGregor, were the victims, being buried beneath nearly fifteen feet of sand. The little boy was killed instantly, the impact of the slide crushing his skull. Miss Miller lived beneath the mound of sand for nearly twenty minutes. When rescue parties reached her she was dying.Owen Hitchins of Waterloo and a little boy who was standing close to David Schultz were slightly hurt.
Miss Miller had accompanied Mrs. Ambrose Hitchins, Mr. and Mrs. F.O. Hitchins and their son Owen of Waterloo to Pictured Rocks for a Sunday outing. The little Schultz boy and his playmate were in the party and had been playing around the Rocks all afternoon. A few minutes before three o'clock Owen Hitchins, who was with Miss Miller, told her it was time to join the party and return home. "I only want to take one more picture of the beautiful sand," she replied as she stepped closer to the side of the cliff and set her camera. While she was getting her focus and the little boys were watching her, an overhanging ledge, without a moment's warning, crashed down, burying Miss Miller and the Schultz child. Hitchins and the other little boy were standing close by and received minor injuries.
Nearly fifteen feet of sand fell and rescue parties were without tools to dig the victims out. Picnickers got down on their hands and knees and began digging the sand away with their hands and sticks. They worked for about twenty minutes before the first body was reached. The little Schultz child was found first. His skull was fractured. He was dead. Rescue workers dug down a few more feet before the form of Miss Miller, covered with sand, could be seen. As they lifted her out she breathed her last. She had lived beneath hundreds of pounds of sand for twenty minutes. Picnickers feared other bodies were beneath the sand and worked for nearly an hour in the search for vicims. When assistance from McGregor came the work progressed rapidly and every bit of sand that fell was turned over before the work was abandoned.
Miss Miller was the daughter of John D. Miller of Waterloo, a contractor. He arrived in McGregor last night and accompanied the body of his daughter home. Miss Miller had registered to enter Iowa university this fall. David Schultz was the son of Charles Schultz, a McGregor farmer.
~Postville Herald, July 2, 1920
_____ _____Added by Reid R. Johnson 6/5/2013:
Postville Review, Friday, 2 July 1920.
DOUBLE TRAGEDY AT PICTURED ROCKS. Postville Boys Do The Rescuing.
Last Sunday afternoon at about 3 o'clock as Lawrence Schultz, John Casten, the Misses' Hattie and Ethel Thoma and Bertha Schultz were going to the Rocks they saw the sand slide and strike a young lady and boy and crush the life out of them. Before the sand quit sliding the boys were busily engaged in extricating the bodies from the heap of sand and stone. The boy was the first one to be removed and his skull was crushed, he passed away very shortly. The young lady was dead when the body was removed her neck having been broken and also one of her limbs.
The ledge of sandstone fell about 20 feet. The trails to the Rocks was filled with tourists and the word was passed to the Peak in short order. A doctor was present but his efforts were vain. Mr. and Mrs. J. M. Thoma and Mrs. Henry Lang and Cy Harris were on the trail just above when the accident occurred. Mrs. Lang assisted in preparing the bodies to send to McGregor. The boy was David Schuldt, son of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Schuldt, who lives a few miles from National. The young lady was Miss Ruth Miller of Waterloo, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John G. Miller of that place. She had graduated from the High School in June and was to have entered University of Iowa at Iowa City this fall. In company with Mr. and Mrs. Hitchens and their son Owen of Waterloo she had come to spend the day at the beautiful play ground. She had her camera with her and was in the act of taking a view when the slide occurred. The bodies of the victims were taken to the undertaking rooms at McGregor and from there taken to their respective homes. A sad case and one which all the Postville people who were in the party will long remember.
Transcriber note: the Iowa Gravestone Photo Project shows a photo of the gravestone of David M. Schuldt 1909 - 1920 in Moody cemetery, Clayton County. Also note the difference in the spelling of the surname Hitchins/Hitchens.
Submitter is not related.
Clayton Obituaries maintained by Sharyl Ferrall.
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