Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1896-06-04
Chicago Report Continued.

,yiree II would be impossible TO send
ant any more messages from 81 LOUIS
or It's vicinity. Reports regarding the
duration OF the storm are connictihg.
About O., lock the operator on the
Wabash. at a small station not iar from
East st. Louis managed to get the OPP
orator al Decatur, ILL.,, long enough 70
END him word that the rourd-house on
the Wabash read had been blown DOWN
and that the freight house vi San1ala
was wrecked and thirty-fye men Killed
In re ruins After he had told TINS
much the wire failed him Shortly al
ter s clock the Wabash operator at
Decatur reported TO the main despatch
er's olhce at Forrest, H., that the cy-
clone had just passed through the
country to tie south OF Decatur and Il
was reported tn have done great dam
axe. In few minutes he sent word
that the second storm had passed
through the country almost exactly IN
the track OF the fret, aud that he was
unable to get any more information re-
RdIultlB " UuI AlflA ~ was NhNht5-AN -
have done great damage In the country
lying east OF Fast ST. Louis. The op-
orators on the Alton road were unable
10 get any information from their men
in the neighborhooG OF st. LOUIS, but
reported that just before all their Ton
nections with that city were broken of
they had received word that there had
been Il severe cyclone at Rush Hill,
which Is a small town on the Alton
road, not far from Mexico, Mo, The
dispatchers Office of the Illinois Gem
trail was unable all night TO get any
information from any point on tho
lines south OF Centralia 1t was re-
ported to them, viewer that the cy-
clone had swept through all the coun-
try south Of shat point
One OF the worst features OF the dis
aster Is thought to have taken place at
race track In st. Louis where races
were in full swing and the grand stand
crowded with people. Returns from
the st, Louis races we're received at
the track at Lakeside, and at a few
minutes after o'clock the operator
sending the report Of the races stopped
work long enough to remark: There
goes t! c graz ! stand" and then tbs
wire collapsed and nothing more was
heard from him. In few seconds the
same message was reported from Lex.
ington, KY, with the additional infor-
nation that fully one hundred and
fifty people were dead This informa-
ton was substantially corroborated by
the operator Of the Wabash road at De
eatur.
Thousand Reported Dead
st. Louis, May 2G-Death ana de-
struction reign supreme in st. Louis
and vicinity as result Of the most
terrible storm thai ever visited this acc.
ton OF the country. So widespread Is
the destruction In both st. Louis and
East st. Louis that 1t Is impossible even
to est mate the amount of damage and
loss of life. Buildings of every de.
scription are In ruins and as result
one thousand people are reported lead
and injured Reports are in cirtull-
ton that seven steamers lying at the
wharf on this and the East st Louis
side of the river have been sunk with
all on board. The city was in dark
ness as the electric lights and trolley
wires were down With one or two
exceptions street car lines in the city
are at a stand still The storm broke
at 5 o'clock In the afternoon after a
most oppresslyely hot day, and rain
began to fall. Ii soon developed into a
fierce thunderstorm with wind from
the east, and little later the wind lad
gained velocity OF eighty miles an
hour driving the rain before It and
tearing away everything in its way.
Buildings Of every description were de-
molshed and others set on fire ~
lightning and crossed wires. The fire
department responded to fourt cen
alarms, The streets were fun OF poo
pie going home from work and a manic
ensGed as soon as the storm broKe.
Men We're picked up and hurled against
buildings, horses and carriages were
sent flying here and there. and falling
wires full q deadly fluid added to the
horror Of t'a scene Suddenly the
wind yee:ed uro;nd to the west end
completed us obstruction Il IS as
serted by some Of those who have
traVersed the oowu town mart o. The
city that lhcre a"a but few buildings in
81. Louis that Ii 80 not suffered iii
some way from the storm. Last II ght
the streets wore in complete dariir ass
and travel IN any direction was dan.
eerous because OF ALLEN live Sirss ami
lcbris lying everywhere The wagon
way Of The r,ads lr'Gge on the East st.
Louis site is 4 etumbling mass ot nor.
sar and stone u. parts of the tower
and pler Na ! are also torn away.
Thousands ol collars will not cover the
Nreckagc an out bound aceommoda-
fion train on b, Chicago n Alton t16d
was wrecked by broken rail, BUT
fortunately uooolS among the fity bas-
senSers was hurt \ trolley car loa1-
ga With passengers bound tor the vest
side IS said . have fallen through TO
he railroad ,rteh below, but with VIA
result II moi Known The roof ot the
- t