ALTON - On Monday, July 13, 1925, two men were rushed to St. Joseph’s Hospital in Alton with heatstroke. William F. Morris died that evening. John Zink succumbed the next day.
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The high temperature in Alton hovered around 100 degrees Fahrenheit that week. John Zink, an employee of the James Fortin Construction Company, was overcome by heat near Roxana at noon on July 13 and was rushed to St. Joseph’s Hospital. William F. Morris collapsed on East Broadway near Main Street at 1:30 p.m. Dr. O.E. Carson, township physician, had been called in to attend Zink and was already there when Morris arrived. Dr. Carson tried to save both men, but their temperature on arrival at St. Joseph’s was 109 degrees Fahrenheit. Body temperature above 106.7 degrees is hyperpyrexia, a life-threatening emergency.
Morris, 45, of 324 Main Street in Alton, worked as a lather. Bystanders noticed him staggering near the interurban car barns and he was likely on the way to his home on Main Street when overcome by the sun. Before they could reach him, he had collapsed. The city ambulance was called, but a passing motorist volunteered to take Morris to the hospital before the ambulance arrived. He died at 9:30 p.m. Morris had been a resident of Alton for 20 years. He was survived by his parents, Mr. and Mrs. A.F. Morris, and a brother and sister, all of whom lived in Alton. His funeral was planned for Thursday, July 16.
Zink, 55, of Theresa Avenue in St. Louis, died at 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, July 14. Zink’s home address was known to be on Theresa Avenue or Franklin Avenue, but messages by wire and telephone failed to reach his wife, Alma. Late Wednesday, July 15, Coroner Bauer asked the St. Louis police department to try to locate her, but in the meantime, she learned about her husband’s death by reading about it in a St. Louis newspaper. She immediately came to Alton. Zink’s funeral on July 16 was held at Bauer and Hoehn Chapel with internment at Alton Cemetery.
Sources
Alton, Illinois; a Graphic Sketch of a Picturesque and Busy City. 1912. Saint Louis, Mo.: J.A. Reid.https://archive.org/details/altonillinoisgra00sain
“First Deaths of the Year From the Heat in Alton.” Alton Evening Telegraph (Alton, IL), July 14, 1925.
“Learns of Husband’s Death By Newspaper.” Alton Evening Telegraph (Alton, IL), July 16, 1925.
“St. Louisan Dies of Heat in Alton Hospital.” St. Louis Globe-Democrat (St. Louis, MO), July 15, 1925.
“Sunday Climax of Record Hot Week of the Year.” Alton Evening Telegraph (Alton, IL), July 13, 1925.
“Zink Inquest Tonight.” Alton Evening Telegraph (Alton, IL), July 15, 1925.
