| Show THE DAY OF DOOM ST LOUIS may 28 two hundred lives snuffed out in this thin city and as mure more io in east bast st louis property destroyed in value running up into mulli loss Is the record made by the day of xay may 1896 this is a conservative estimate no possible idea of the number of people killed in the tornado that swept this vicinity yesterday afternoon ORD can be made at this time south st LOW louis Is ie littered with the bodies of the dea dead d st louis is a gigantic cemetery under the be debris of the buildings of that city are scores buried whose bodies will not be brought to the light for many days perhaps never it was the most disastrous storm from every point of view in the history of the southwest the storm did little dam age in the business and northern portions of the olty city save eave along the river front where the damage cannot be estimated nor will it over ever be known just how many gave up their lives in the waters of the sippi when the tornado came down and od tore all the boms boais in the harbor from their moorings mooring the channel is full fall of wreckage in south st louis the storm spent its force all the way from papia pallu street to carondelet Ca it put a stamp on the face of the city that will not be effaced for years big trong strong build buildings loge fell before the wind wina like houses houes made of cards from where it entered the city out to in the he southwestern eu burba to where it Is left somewhere ome where near the eads ethere Is fl a wide path or of ruin factory after iter factory went down and piles of brick and timbers timber mark the places on which they stood dwellings were picked up aap and thrown in every direction business lioumes were flattened there was no chance for the escape of the occupants the ruins covered bruised and mangled bodies that will not be uncovered until a systematic search is made thou emde ands of families in n south bout st SL louis jazo re homeless practically and the temporary hospitals shelter scores and hundreds early la in the storm the plant of the xia la clede gas company at fourteenth and nd poplar streets was destroyed and a large portion of we the central portion of the city was out cut oft off from its gas sup eup ply this affected the newspaper new paper offices severely evere Jy in ii the republic office no yas could be obtained to heat the metal on the lino ype machines and the typesetting was done UD ma machimer mach chimes laes in which the metal was melted by blow lamps this accounts for the twisted condition of tho tb typographical department of the republic this vi morning orning and also for its limited size the scullin line will be crippled lor for weka weeks because of the blowing down of the power house on greyer ave avenue wires are down all over the city liggette myers big factory in coma corner 1 ton heights to is in ruins and many were killed anil and injured injure il in the wreck elevators were brown blown down boats boate were sunk and churches and school houses bouses were demolished alter after the wind wild aud and rain had bac done its work fire added to the destruction Retze Pd sd mill was the be first to become ignited and it was totally destroyed at a loss of 3 harris barrett barret factory nearly fifty loaded cars care in the ter terminal rainal yards lyncia lanoble ba boarding house herds feed tore store lees leea blacksmith shop and other smaller places were burned the destruction st of the water works early in the be storm cut cat off the water supply and chief purdy and his hie men fought the fire with a bucket brigade as best they could the whole central portion of the city was threatened oed by the burning mill but all hands worked with such a will that its further spread was prevented the fire caused consternation when the first evidence of the approaching pro aching storm began to appear every engineer on the river got up full steam abam in order to be able to combat the elements had it been anything but a tornado itis it is probable this would have aided the crews of the steamers in saving their craft but the onslaught was so ao violent that the crews found their efforts only sufficient to aid them slightly in directing the course of their boats the steamer pittsburg of the diamond joe liro the steamer city of vicksburg Vioka burg and the providence of the columbian exposition company the captain monroe of the anchor line a and nd many of the smaller craft were pitched and tossed about until the final finai blast rent them from their anchorage the storm diagonally across the f river ivor and struck the be illinois bonk bockwith with increased fury the loss lose of life in the water on the east side seems to be light as evary everybody body was cautioned not to jump and everybody was carried safely to land the city of vicksburg to is almost a total wreck the city of providence was blown up on the illinois tank bank her rudder cabin and smoke stack are gone the st louis and st paul packet companie vj steamer Bt paul had started for keokuk when the tornado struck the city she has not been heard from since she had a full cabin list the belle of calhoun calbout Calbo and the illarie condor which were moored near choteau avenue were almost totally broken up the ellen G smith the harbor boat was blown away down the river and was wrecked oear near arsenal island it is thought no lives were lost on this boat the steamer ed bd harvester of the missouri valley transportation company was also torn from its dork dock and carried down the river many heroic sets acts were performed in the saying of lives as a result of the storm when the be city of monroe had listed away from the anchor line wharf there were about forty passengers on board and a buil crew as the boat was just making ready for the trip to now orleans when the moorings finally gave way the boat lurched over on its starboard ara side and nearly capsized the movement threw nearly all the to the starboard side and served to hold bold the boat in its perilous position captain biegler made a rea reassuring speech to the passengers which slightly quieted the extreme excitement me nt he said they were all safe when the boat struck the ill illinois IDOs bank the captain was waa not to be found A tug had a marvelous escape irom from drowning when the boat wad waa blown from its moorings mooring at the foot fool of washington avenue on board were three men and two women the latter jennie miller cook and emma nolan chambermaid when the storm broke the men were on dock deck and the women below toe the mate saw that the storm was to be a baru bard one and began bo ring the alarm bell then the steamer learner dragon which left its ito moorings was blown out into the me stream at the same moment the dolphina dolphin a ropes parted and the tug began to ship hip wa water t er the wind blow blew her against the bridge while this was going on the women an anil I 1 the men on en the boat climbed to the upper docks decks when the boat struck the bridge those hose on board had to dodge to escape the iron work of the structure the meats mate saw maw there was no hope it if they stayed on board jennie miller was the first to climb on the iron work she was assisted by two of the men while the mate stayed on deck to help emma nolan As she swung herself to the beams the boat drifted away and sunk sank before the eyes of the horii fled crew slowly with the wind blowing with a force that caused the big structure to rock rack like a cradle the three brave men assisted the women on the laborious climb to the roadway several times they were nearly blown off they finally reached the railroad track on the bridge where they lay down until the full force pt the storm was passed they then crawled to the washington avenue tation station the st louis refrigerator and wooden gutter companas comp anys entire plant on main and park street was destroyed the plant consisted of a four story factory a four story ware warehouses warehouse houses ft a bicycle factory and several smaller buildings when the cyclone struck str a W k the plant there were at work between and men and women the top stories of the warehouses and factory were blown off fortunately there were only a 8 few people on the top floor and all but two are thought to have escaped with slight injuries juries io one of the employee emp loyes was seen shortly after the crash and he was positive that at least two of his bin follow fellow workmen had been buried in the ruin fire eire broke out in the warehouse just after the top floor was destroyed the panic stricken employee emp loyes rushed poll pell mell from the buildings leaving many di disabled tabled behind them to add to the horror hundreds of olenes os 08 heavy lumber from adjoining lumber yards came flying through the air and forced many back into the blazing buildings alarms were sent in from all the he fire alarm boxes in the neighborhoods neighborhood but bat the wires were already useless chief swingley happened to be crossing the fourteenth Fourteen tb street bridge at the time and saw the blaze blase he drove to the nearest engine house bouse and piloted the apparatus to the fire by the time the engine arrived the warehouse was a mate macs of flames agmes and the fire bad already spread to td the factory across the alley the ground for blocks around was covered with lum lumber berand and brick bric kand and the tire fire plugs near the business buildings were under masses of debris it was same time before water could gouid be secured and much difficulty was experienced io in dragging the be hose boas to the building the chief hurried off after more apparatus and suc succeeded ceded in getting several companies to the fire it was wag seen that we the entire plant was doomed so the main efforts of the department part ment were directed toward pre pr venting renting the spread of the flames at 10 the fire was under control and at midnight it was practically out ST LOUIS may 27 the tornado proper was preceded by a fierce blow irom from the east strong and steadily the wind came and then it swelled to a burri hurricane cane and there were three distinct attacks which ripped up roofs and commenced the general destruction which followed when this wind met one which was coming from the southwest the tornado was waft born and return ing began its ita work of destruction it truck struck st louis on the southwest at a point just north of tower grove park and traversed in a northeasterly direction until it reached grand avenue from there it followed mill crook creek valley to the river veering slightly to the north when it reached tenth street at the abe levee it swung around almost at a right angle and swept straight up the abe river to beyond venice and madison where it veered to the east again judging from the reports of the greatest damage done the path of the storm was on an average of ten to twelve blocks in width the worst damage was done in a path about bout six blocks wide wida extending eastward stward a from grand avenue to tenth street from la payette fayette avenue on the abe south to the railroad tracks on the north morth about every other block the wind seemed to go rejeb out and crush a few buildings and residences ances outside of its main path every wire along avenue from grand avenue east to twelfth street was down and the polus poles and their heavy weight oi of cables were scattered soa tiered along the street all streets aroln from park avenue to choteau were in a similar condition none of them were passable irith with a horse borse or vehicle and walking was a diff lault and dangerous experiment what few telegraph and telephone wires remained above ground were draped by battered tin roofs from neighboring residences and the tin seemed to have been blackened in token of the he ruin that had bad been brought in the neighborhood of jefferson avenue and the railroad tracks and for three blocks norths north including Eul bugenis lenia adams and randolph Ba adolph streets it was impossible to drive through and nearly every residence and abd building alone either of them within three blocks avenue were more or less damaged at east bast st louis the destruction was great the houses bouses factories ane alle workshops along the front street were out to the ground and presents a sad sight of ruin and wreck how many lives were snuffed out under the be wrecks it will take time to find out to is a nu number m bar of people killed Is certain two hundred is thought to be a conservative estimate of the number dead A three story hotel of ww wm wicker in which there pre are fifteen or twenty people went down with a crash how many or whether any of the guests were saved is not known among the buildings destroyed are the city hall half police station tremont house bouse balti more ohio sod and vandalia lla railroad round houses every freight house on the island wiggins ferry corn com ware warehouse bouse standard oil works s hotel Work marrs bank B IL E harris harries a cooper shop ST louis may 27 As train no 68 of of the merchante Mer cbanta chanta terminal nal pulled out of granite city ill at pm it was struck by the second division of the hurricane and was carried from the track overturning six coaches con passengers the train is known as the work train l and car rles ries employed emp loyes to and from their work at the rolling mills find and stamping works at granite city robert miller foreman of the rolling ue department injuries io uries from which he died miss ml nellie hagerman received ID juries which may prove fatal all the other passengers escaped without injury except about forty who reee received ived scratches the damage in granite in ig reported slight alight no words can do justice to the horrors of the scene at seventh and butger streets in one wreck wrack alone it to is known that more than twenty bod lea iea are still imbedded embedded Im bedded five shockingly mangled forms forma were uncovered sad and removed just before midnight fred mannheimer Manc heimer helmor kept a saloon on we the southeast corner of seventh and but ger a three story brick building fitted up over head as a tenement house A few minutes after the tornado struck the structure was a mere pile of bricks woodwork aud plastering and beneath it an unknown number dumber of meo men women sod and children met an aw ful death by the light liebi of a few lanterns assistant fire chief grosi and a norus of assistants labored under great difficulties all night just before mid night theaodies the bodies of fred maschebet mer mar who kept the saloon and 0 thomas harry and william killian I 1 the latter boys boy under eight years of age were recovered together with that of an unknown man main the search still went on to wife and not lose less probably many more are known to be pinioned under the he ruined tenement the bodies of the live five were taken to adolph byer eyers s livery stable near at hand band they I 1 presented a frightful appearance in an adjoining apartment of the stable were the remains of an old french woman said to have been taken from the demolished three story building operated as a grocery by E H gundlach Quod on the opposite corner at 1301 south seventh it was stated that more bodies are in this latter wreck while a few yards south at 1385 three more people are known to have been caught in the suddenly collapsed home the eclede gas companes company comp anys Ps tank at fourteenth and gratiot was struck by lightning and exploded samuel Cup Cuppl plesa eald woodenware com banys warehouse at seventh and spruce was burned six unknown men were taken out of the ruins of a bux box factory at ninth and barry the foundling fou odline asylum at hickory and elm is a complete wreck on south jefferson lerson Jef avenue four fine residences were completely wrecked wrack ed lumber was struck by lightning aud and destroyed and annunciation church at sixth and |
