Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1890-01-24
WORK OF 4 TORNADO.
Lives and Property Fall Prey
TO It's Destructive Sweep.
Houses Unroofed, Trees Torn Up
and Buildings Blown Down.

A dispatch received from St Louis, No,
stated that at twenty minutes after four
O'Clock in the afternoon a gale Of wind
swept over that city. killing three persons
and damaging more than 800 buildings. The
day was shCwery and sultry, the Their
mometer reaching seventy degrees at noon.
An hour later stacks Of black clouds began t.
pie up in the southwest. The wind
increased, and at four O'Clock It was
blowing violently with the clouds scUd-
ding before it. Suddenly 4 delUge poured
down SURPRISING any rainfall in the memory
of the oldest inhabiIauC In i've minute
the streets were flooded. the sewers ch0keG
and the lower portions Of the city coTere>,
with water. At this moment a suIDnurous
cloud was seen approaching from the south
west. 1t assumed the twisting tornado form.
and on reaching Lafay cite ana Grand
avenues, in the extreme southwestern part o.
the city. it began the WORK Of destruction.
Two brick houses were first unrOCled, ana
Mrs Miller and her child dangerously hurt.
The wind continued in a nOrcheasterly course
across the city, blowing down steeples, tele-
graph poles, roofs, fences and houses. The
greatest damage was done in the northern
part Of the city, where II passed across the
river into Illinois
Near the corner OF Ninth and Mound
streets, the roof OF a twO-stOry brick building
was carried away. The house collapsed and
a man, woman and one child were killed by
falling walls. All the houses in an area OF
two blocks by four in this neighborhood were
wrecked and damaged. The killed are Mrs.
Maggie Connors, age forty; Bernard McCon-
nell age forty and ''.Joe' Weaver, age nine.
The Mcdonnell and Connors families occU-
pied the house jointly. There was party
for children in progress when the building
went down. Four persons We're seriously
hurt. One child was taken out from under
the roof 100 feet away, and, though badly
injured, will live.
The wind passed over the lumber distric.
on its way to the river and literally filled
the river with lumber. Whole stacks of pine
were picked up and carried over to the Hi
noiS shore. Among the buildings damaged
were the Anchor Mills the Hodgins School,
the Missouri Pacific Hospital, the First
Lutheran Church, the Second Presbyterian,
the st. Lawrence O'Toole Cathedral, War
brooks furniture factory, Kingsland's q
FergusOns factory, the Advance Elevators,
Heller's CHAIR factory and half a hundred
others. The churches named lost their
steeples
A messenger which had just arrived from
the east side Of the river said that the storm
in st. Clair County, H., was unusually Sc
we're. Brooklyn, a village Of about 500 Eeo-
pie, seemed to have suffered most as the
damage at East St. Louis and at Venice was
largely confined to railroad property and
small dwellings and telegraph and telephone
poles. Brooklyn is about three miles north
of East st. Louis. Its population is largely
composed of cOlOred people. Though several
persons were injured, no lives were lost. 4
number of dwellings were in ruins. The
Baptist Church was entirely demolished, and
the Methodist Episcopal Church, a frame
building, unrOofed and turned clear around
on its foundations. At Belleville, Ill, sever
al public buildings were unroOfed, but no
one reported injured.
A late Wabash train arrived at the relay
depot in East st. Louis about 81 P. NJ. The
engineer and conductor reported that during
the storm they feared that their train would
beathrOWn from the track, great was Th@
force of the wind.
The storm passed over Clinton, KY. at ten
minutes after O'Clock i'll the evening. Ten
persons We're killed in wretched dwellings.
and fully sixty were injured, many Of whom
will die.
The financial loss is estimated at $50, OO0
The storm shiverad to splinters every dwell
ing in path one block wide. The course Ley
through the eastern portion OF the town, ant
Unfortunately missed young ladies seminar
which contained about 100 inmates. The dead
and wounded were all taken from the ruins
of their homes.
The work Of rescue was at once organized.
Cairo, H., responded with physicians and
supplies, and offers of aid came from Hickman
ana Paducah. Over $1,000 was collected mex
morning, and it is believed that the town car
take care OF the sufferers.
News from the country shows that the
storm swept everything III its path to the
north and south OF the town. Clinton has
1900 inhabitants and is the county seat o.
Hickman County.
Al Wickliffe, XIV, the storm was destrvc-
tive. As in the case OF Clinton, the town l.
situated on a bluff, all except the reiiroaG
station. Thirteen Of tire principal houses.
embracing ali the business houses, were
wrecked. ans; twenty-five people were more
or less injured, none fatally. Five loaded
freight cars standing on the Illinois Central
track near the depot we're lifted of the track
nnd thrown against the depot platform,
twenty feet away. The town IS wrecked.