The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-06-01
One Hundred Funeral Professions
Wind Slowly Through the City
to the Cemeteries.
FORCE OF EIGHTEEN MEN
ANSWERING TELEGRAMs AND LET
TIERS TO CHIEF OF POLICE.
Reports from Illinois and Missouri
Show q Number of Towns and VIII
lagos Nearly Wiped Out.

ST. LOUIS. May s1-Every railroad enter
ing this storm-stricken city ran excursion
trains to-day. They brought scores of thou
sands OF people to view the devastation and
ruin wrought by the awful storm of Wednes-
day. The streets in the devastated district
were thronged with visitors all day. They
came from almos,. every town and city with
in radius of one hundred miles. An day a
cold, drizzing rain fell. Lowering, threaten
ing clouds overcast the SKY, and more dis
NAL scene than the ruined portion Of this
city presented could scarcely be imagined.
Through the crowded streets all day long
funeral professions were passing. One hun
dred burial permits were issued by the
health department. yesterday, and every
hearse in the city was kept in constant use.
At early dawn people began to crowd the
city morgues. Many came in search Of
friends, but for the most part people who
visited them were drawn by morbid desire
to see the mangled corpses of the unfcrtu-
nate victims of the tornado. All day long
the officers on duty were kept busy keeping
the people moving in line and out of the
viewing room of the morgue. Every few
minutes some one would think they had dis
covered some one whom they knew among
the bodies exposed for view. Superintendent
Mack. OF the morgue, had trying time in
answering questions in regard to the bodies
and taking names and descriptions OF per-.
sons who have not been seen by their friends
since the storm. There were people there
from points in all directions far and near.
Chicago. Cincinnati. Louisville. Indianapolis.
Kansas City and scores OF smaller places
were represented. From such towns came
anxious people inquirIng for lost friends.
kilograms continue 20 pour IN on the chief
Of police from all sections of the country
making anxious inquiries about friends and
relatives who are supposed TO have been
killed or injured In the wreck. Fully one
thousand kilograms and letters have been re-
ceived within the last two days, and the
task OF replying to all Of these has kept the
police department. busy. Secretary Esoy has
a force of eighteen patrolmen especially de-
tailed to assist in this work, which is re-
garded as the most important in allaying
the fears of the citizens outside Of the city.
CITY WITHOUT LIGHT.
Although four days have come and gone
since the tornado the labor Of clearing away
the debris is hardly commenced The city at
night goes without street lamps either gas
or electric. The only light afforded Is that
furnished by private electric plants, and the
principal streets are IN darkness. The street
railway companies have hundreds of men at
work repairing the damage to their power
houses and trolley wires. and to-day nearly
all the principal lines were In operation. But
the work that has been done Is so meager
when compared with that which remains to
be done that there is scarcely any perceptible
Improvement. The telephone service is prac-
tically parayzed. although the telephone
company has had hundreds Of men at work
repairing the damage to its wires. Hundreds
of demolished buildings have not been
touched No one can tell il the ruins conceal
the bodies of victims of the storm. In many
localities a foul stencil arises from the ruins.
Whether this is due to the fact that the
ruins conceal human bodies or dead animals
time alone can teE
The work Of searching in the ruins of the
old City Hospital for victims of the storm
began to-day with a force of laborers. Su-
perintendsnt Carr, of the workhouse, with q
gang of fifty negro prisoners, handled the
search. Besides the force of workhouse la
borers thirty laborers from the sewer de-
partment were also placed at work in the
ruins Guards armed with double-barreled
guns kept watch over the workhouse pris-
oners The whole of the acute surgical ward.
the co1sumptive ward and other wards were
gone over without disclosing a trace Of
human body.
The authorities at Jefferson barracks have
notified the central relief committee that
| force Of troopers will bring up to the wrecked
districts large number of tents tomorrow
and establish a commssary for the purpose
Of furnishing cooked food for the needy. The
cavalry cooks, stewards and camp men will
do the work. The number of persons and
families who are still without homes and
| without the means Of getting them is great.
Many wagons were in use to-day distributing
| food TO the hungry. Over hundred teams
were kept busy moving furniture from
wrecked buildings for these who did not have
| the means to pay for a van. There are
hundreds of people VINO need clothing. and
need 1t badly, and the supply on hand is
meageT.
100000 Loss I'm Five Towns.
ST. LOUIS, May 81. - Additional reports
| received at Carlyle, Ill.,. Of the havoc
wrought in that vicinity by the tornado
| wednesday evening continue to swell the list
| of dead and injured. A rumor was aficat
| here that Richview. a small place situated
| on the Illinois Central. had been entirely de-
mo.ished and twenty persons had been killed.
but it escaped with small injury in compari-
| son with neighboring towns northwest. The
| full extent of the loss Of property cannot be
| ascertained for weeks TO come. Many or
| chards have been destroyed, thus entailing
| a loss of thousands OF dollars.
| The tornado was also visitor In the VI
| cinity Of Ashley, three miles south OF Rich
view. and demolished houses, barns and
orchards. 1t seems that the storm parted be-
| fore reaching this place. one half going north
| of it and the other south
Oakvi.le. eighteen miles south of Carlyle.
was visited. Rain fell in torrents swelling
the small streams to rivers. Shade trees are
strewn In profusion over the town. Emma
| Krause, aged nineteen. died yesterday. Her
parents were killed. This makes the total
number OF dead fifteen.
The storm came from the northwest at