Kann, Alfred J. & Ethel M. died 1937

KANN, SCHULTE EILERS, BERNS

Posted By: Reid R. Johnson (email)
Date: 6/14/2023 at 12:03:53

Clayton County Register, 27 Oct. 1937.

A young Clayton county farmer and his wife - Alfred J. Kann, 28, and his wife, 27 - were burned to death following an automobile crash on Highway No. 52, in Guttenberg, about nine o'clock last Thursday evening.

The crash was between the Kann car and a large automobile transport truck which had unloaded a load of automobiles here for Dittmer Bros. earlier in the evening.

This truck and another, which also had been here, were enroute home via Dubuque. The trucks were driving south, while the Kann car was coming north, having entered the highway at the shell service station, located about a block away when the crash occurred.

According to the information the Register has been able to obtain, the first of the two trucks had been driven way off the paving to avoid a crash, but the Kann car was driven into the second truck, striking a gasoline tank which was carrying about 50 gallons of gasoline.

The crash ignited the gasoline and Mr. and Mrs. Kann were thrown from their car by the impact. Their clothing was soaked with the gas and immediately their bodies were a mass of flames.

Mr. and Mrs. Kann were taken to a doctor's office in Guttenberg, where the former died shortly after midnight, and the latter about a half hour later.

Steven Schuster, driver of the truck, had to break a window in the cab to get out, but, with the exception of minor bruises, he was not injured. ____, ____ year old son of the Kann's, was not thrown from the car and he also escaped injury.

Mr. and Mrs. Kann were horribly burned in the accident and no hope for their lives was entertained at any time following the accident.

Edward Harms of Guttenberg prevented further fire loss by extinguishing the flames which had enveloped the truck, with a chemical extinguisher, which he found in the cab. Harms arrived at the scene of the accident shortly after the crash.

Besides the son who was with his parents at the time of the crash, Mr. and Mrs. Kann are survived by another small child.

(Note: See the gravestone photo on the IGGP in Mt. Olivet cemetery, No further obituary was found in the next two editions of this newspaper.)

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Added by S.. Ferrall 6/14/23

Death Certificate of Alfred (familysearch.org)
DOB: 11/07/1905
Father: Gottfried Kann
Mother: Theresa Eilers

Death Certificate of Ethel (familysearch.org)
DOB: 09/05/1905
Father: Henry Schulte
Mother: Hattie Berns

Additional info from Dubuque Telegraph Herald, 10/22/1937:
"A five year old son, Leon, who was riding in the death car, miraculously escaped unhurt."

"Besides the son who escaped possible death, the Kann's have another small child."