The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1890-01-21
A TERRIBLE STORM.
Visits st. Louis Yester day After
neon and Creates a Panic.
Four Persons Killed, Many In.
jured and Buildings
Wrecked.

At about 4:3N O'Clock yesterday after
noon a fierce and destructive cycloE
swept through ST: Louis, doing immens
damage to property In the line of its path
and causing a loss of life that added to il
terror. AS usual In the history of cy
clones, the wrath of the wind travelled il
northe&sterly direction, its worst fore
begiunipg as nearly as Ecould be ascer
tanned, 10 the south western portion of thu
CITY about on a line with Lefingwell anG
Park avenues, and from there going i'm al
almost undertaking norIhessterly lin,
about so yards wide strsight through TIA,
city, reaching and crossing The river a.
poiut which caused its fury to break on,
afresh in the villsge of Venice, on the
east side The cyclene was of not longel
duration than Eve minutes time, but ia
that short spsee il left behind it track OF
ruined buildings, unrooted houses, shat
tered walls, dismsntled churches AID
schools, wrecked factories and mills, streets
hesped with debris, telegraph poles blown
down by thousands, the wire service of the
city temporarily destroyed, and the usual
dread accompaniment of loss OF life and
widespread injury to human beings that
left psnic-strcken populace gathering
on every street corner to discuss the sud.
den horror that marked the closing of a
Sabbath afternoon.
From the evidence of eyewitness the
storm was an undoubted cyclone, drop
ping upon the city at about the Initial
point designated and gaining in intensity
as it swept in its diagonal path towards
the river. The usual sudden darkening of
the skies at the point where the cyclone
burst, the awful descent of the funnel
shaped cloud and the wild havoc of ruin
following its touching terra 6rma, are ali
told in the stories CT those whose terrify-
ing fortune it was to mark the approach
and passage Of tie hurricane. The detailed
account of the loss OF life and property
along the track of the cyclone will be
found In full below, and places yesterday s
storm on record az the most destructive
and appalling that has ever visited 81.
Louis.
As is usual in such cases, the weather
preceding the cycloLe was close. muggy
and oppressive, the atmosphere being sur
charged with electricity, and all the ele-
ments of disastrous outbreak of the forces
of nature being present. During the fore
noon the day became dark and lowering,
the temperature being OF a spring time
mildness, almost facilitating IN its lam
guor. Toward the afternoon heavy and
increasing rain began, that was accompan-
led by 6tful but severe gusts OF wind sug-
gestive OF storOy March day. About 4
O'Clock the skies darkened perceptibiy !;
shortly after that hour one solitary flash OF
lightning illumined the lowering scene,
and severe peal of thunder followed. Ii
was the only ihuuderclap OF the threaten
ing day. and might fily be called the sig
nal for the dread outburst that followed,
for, hardly had the echoes died away,
when the cyclone burst upon the city, and
a brief reign of terror and desolation sue
ceeded. When that was past and
people dared to venture out OF their dis
mantled homes, the storm still continued
q q modified form and a severe wind pre-
vailed throughout the remainder OF the
afternoon and night, with the temperature
steadily falling. Swaying and threaten
ing walls marked every corner along the
track of the cyclone aud streets looked as
if an earthquake had racked the city upon
IFS treacherous bosom and scattered the
debris of roofs, chimneys and church spires
down into the broad thoroughfares until
an aspect of general ruin prevailed. Fol-
lowing the sleet storm of last Tuesday
night, the effect of yesterdays cyclone
upon the telegraph and telephone service
was disastrous and a network of tangled
and swayipg wires festoons every street
crossed by the swift sweep of the wind
The effect of the storm, percephble at.
every foot of its progress, indicates, how
ever, that it gained in intensity as II passed
through the city, and wresked Its fullest
force of fury in the northeastern portion
of St. Louis, as it approached the riVer;
Any estimate of the financial loss caused
by the cyclone is rendered Impossible al
the present moment, but there is no doubt
the total will swell into magnitude that
will cause the day to become memorable
one, while the loss OF life and injury to
limbs inflicted by the storm adds that at
mosphere of tragedy TO the elemental cut
break that stamps the cyclone OF Sunday,
January u, 1890, indelibiy upon the
public recollection.
A TwIsTER.
As evidence of the cyclonic nature OF
the storm, the testimony of an eyewitness
To the scenes that marked its course will be
found significant. Mr.. Frank Wilkins,
living on 2106 Eugenia street, said The
wind was genuine cyclone. L have seen
cyclones in Kansas, and know what am
talking about. 1t was revolving wind
storm, lasting about five minutes, twisting
of the corners of strong houses, tearing
down factory chimneys and filling the air
with a whirling mass of bricks and timber.
The tiu roof of residence torn of by the
cyclone was twisted into an almost COM
pact mass, being dropped finally in the
street, not covering a space larger than a
doorway. ] was sitting In my room
which has window facing the southwest
/ saw a sudden drop of the CLOUDS several
blocks away in that direction, ana In
moment could distinguish the wreck thai
was being made by the wind. AS II neareo
INV house the air seemed white WITH Inc