Huntsville gazette., 1890-01-18
THE CYCLONES WRATH.
The Visitations at ST. Louis and
Elsewhere.
Vast Amounts of Property Destroyed,
Accompanied by Loss of Life and
Serious Injury to a Large Num-
ber of Persons.

OF. LOUIS, Jan. 13.-Ih1S city, which
has boasted of immunity from the cy-
clones wrath, has at last been stricken,
and to some purpose. as the wreck and
ruin, four dead bodies and large num-
Der OF persons nursing injuries in its
track abundantly testify.
About half-past four o'clock yesterday
afternoon, after period of muggy and
sultry weather, big rain drops began
falling, which warned those who were
on the streets to seek shelter. Sudden
ly the air became chilly, and a glance
to the southwestward revealed dense,
black mass of cloud sweeping down,
sending a thrill of terror through all
who observed it. There was not much
time given for thought, for in a few sec
onds it was speeding across the city in a
northeasterly direction, leaving death,
manning and destruction in it's wake. Its
track was about fifty yards in width
and its movement somewhat undulating,
judging from the nature of the damage
done. The cyclone proper was immedi-
ately succeeded by an enormous down
pour of rain, which, as eye-witnesses
describe it, came down in loads, flooding
the streets in the portion OF the city re-
ceiving the full fury of the storm. 1t
was all over in few minutes, but those
minutes chad been fraught with an
amount of damage that can as yet
scarcely be fully estimated People oc
cupyiDg buildings in the cyclones track
were fully aware that the consequences
h,l Al
suffered, for the crash of wrecked build
ings had been heard and the flying
debris seen; and gradually they emerged
from their homes and sought to learn
the nature and extent Of the damage.
The cyclone, as stated, began in the
southwestern portion Of the city and
swept northeast towards the river The
damage in its course may be CLEANED
from the following partial list OF build
ings which suffered from its fury:
Hodgen School, on California avenue, near
Lafayette; part of the roof on the southwest
extremity of the building lifted off and
considerable portion of the wall blown in
and the upper story of the building badly
damaged.
Summer house of the Missouri Pacific Hos
ptal wrecked and general damage to dwell
ings in that locality, California and Eads
avenue.
Goodwin's candle factory at Twentieth
and Poplar; three large chimneys blown
down.
Chimneys of the Anchor Mills, at Twenty
first and Randolph, wrecked, and damages
inflicted to the roof and walls.
Pullman car shops, at Twenty first and
Scott avenue, windows being blown in and
the walls and roof partially wrecked
The George Eimans Hops Malt Company's
plant at Twenty second and Scott avenue
had the elevator walls and part of the eleva-
tor roof destroyed
The dead walls of the old Harrison wire
mills at Twenty third and Chouteau avenue
were blown down and filled the vacant lot of
an entire block with the debris.
The Harmonic Club building at the corner
of Eighteenth and Olive streets, suffered to
the extent of about $1,000 from the storm.
The wind broke the windows in the dancing
hall, which is also used as theater, and
catching the scenery played havoc with it,
II vas thrown and tossed about until it was
utterly destroyed and unfit for further use.
The Natatorium building, corner Nine
teenth and Pine, damaged by falling smoke
stacks. A crowd of 500 persons were gath
cred there and panic was narrowly averted-
The smokestack of the Excelsior Brewery
fell on the roof of 1872 Market street, demol
ishing the structure.
Smokestack of Smith Academy, on Eigh-
teenth and Washington avenue, blown
down, doing much damage it its fall.
Two smokestacks blown down at Water
Gas Works, 1901 CLARK avenue.
Roof blown off and the walls damaged of
the Ellerman malt house, Twenty second
and Scott avenue.
Joseph Schnaidcr brewery, 2235 ChOuteau
avenue, walls blown down.
Union Depot Elevator Company, Twentieth
and Poplar streets; tin roof blown off.
portion of the roof was blown off the Ex
celsior Brewery, Eighteenth and Market
streets.
At Fourteenth and O'Fallon the storm had
passed to the east far enough to miss the
steeple of st. Lawrence O'Toole's Catholic
Church entirely, but it swept almost the en-
tire roof off the great Plus Hospital that oc-
cupies O'Fallon street, from the southeast
corner of Fourteenth halfway to Thirteenth
street. al
The top OF the spire Of the Second Presby
tie rian Church fell striking the residence of
Charles A. Barstow, corner Seventeenth
street and Lucas Place, doing considerable
damage and soaring the family nearly out of
their wits.
The German Lutheran Church on the
southwest corner of Fifteenth and Morgan
streets was in the direct route of the storm,
and at 4:40 the spire of the church, which mad
an altitude of some eighty feet, was seen to
sway and in another instant to fall with
terrific crash dagonally across to the north
east corner of Fifteenth and Morgan
clean sweep was made of the spire down to
the roof of the church and the debris SO
blockaded the street that travel was stopped.
The steepIe of ST. Peters German Evangel-
ical Church was left in very precarlous
condition. and may fall at any moment.
No. 924 Mound street, a two story brick
building, sustained the loss of the roof and
gable ends. No. 922, a one story brick, ad-
Joining, had the whole roof crushed in by
falling walls.
The large manufacturing establishment or
Gus V. Brecht, manufacturer of butchers,
supplies, No. 1211 Cass avenue, had the win
dows shattered by the storm. The smoke
stack on the rear portion of the building
was blown down
The windows and skylight of the Nelson
Manufacturing Company building, No. so9
Cass avenue. were shattered
Several hundred private dwellings
were more or lesss damaged by roofs,
walls, chimneYs or gables being blown
away.
It remained, however, for the worst
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