The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1896-05-28

AT present It is impossible to state
the number of lives lost The hospitals
are full of injured, and the morgue
contains many dead, while numbers
lay everywhere among the ruins of
demolished buildings. A portion of
the east end of the Eads
bridge was destroyed. The grand
stand at the fair grounds, and
the woman's portion of the Jail were
blown down. Waters and Pierce Oil
Works are burning, and buildings in
various sections of the town are on
fire. The Plant flour mills and St.
Louis Iron and Steel Works were de-
moliShed. and the immense Cupples
block partially destroyed.
The reports regarding the duration
Of the storm, are conflicting. About
eight o'clock the operator on the Wa
bash Road, at small station near
East ST. Louis managed to get the
operator at Decatur, ILL.,, long enough
to send him word that the Bound
house of the Wabash road was blown
down and that the freight house of
the Nandalia was wrecked, and thir-
ty-fve men were killed in the ruins.
After he had told this much the wire
failed him.
Shortly after five o'clock the Wabash
operator at Decatur reported to the
main dispatcher's Office at Forest, H.,
that a cyclone had just passed through
the country to the South of Decatur
and it was reported to have done
much damage. In few minutes he
sent word that a second storm had
passed through the country almost
exactly in the track of the first and
that he was unable to get any more
information regarding it, but that it
was thought to have done great dam
age in the country lying East of East
st. Louis.
The operator on the Alton Road
was unable to get any information
from their men in the neighborhood
of st. Louis but reported that just
before all their connections with that
city were broken off, they had receiv-
ed word that there had been a severe
cyclone at Rush Hill, Mo-, which is
small town on the Alton Road not
far from Mexico, Mo.
The despatcher's Office of the Illinois
Central was unable all night to get
any information from any point on
their line south of Centralia. 1t was
reported to them, however, that cy-
clone had swept through all the coun-
try South of that point.
The dead and injured are being TAX
en- from the ruins. At East st. Louis
the loss was greatests III. c. Rice, the
western manager at the Relay depot
on the East Side climbed across the
demolished bridge and reported that
the National Hotel, fremont House,
Martell House, De Wolfe Cafe, Hazel
Milling Company's mill, Horns Cooper
shop, and great number of dwellings
east Of there. as far as fifth street,
were gone, and many people killed.
The B. & o. and Vandalia round house,
Standard Oil Works, East ST. Louis
and Crescent elevators, and twelve
freight houses on the leyee were de-
molished.
The Republic and several more eX-
cursion steamers, with all on board,
are reported lost in the river, and all
the steamers on the levee have gone
down. The city hospital is filed with
wounded, and the morgue contains a
great number of dead. A rough esti
mate would place the number of killed
and wounded at one thousand. Both
the Western Union and Postal compa-
MES have lost every wire out of the
city. After sending this brief despatch
the telegraph wire failed: 'One of
the worst feature is thought to have
taken place at the race track at East
st. Louis where races were in full
swing. The grandstand was crowded
with people. Returns from the ST.
Louis races are received at the track
at Lake Side, Ind, and at few min
utes after five o'clock, the operator
sending the report of the races stopped
his work long enough to remark:
There goes the grandstand," and
then his wire collapsed, and nothing
more was heard from him. In few
seconds the same message was report
ed from Lexington, Ky, with the adj
ditional information that fully one
hundred and fifty people were killed.
This information was subsequently
corroborated by the operator of the
Wabash road at Decatur, who said that
in his second message received from
East ST. Louis it was declared that
the grandstand at the races was down
and that fully one hundred and fifty
people were killed.
A few minutes after five O'Clock the
operator of the Associated Press AT
ST. Louis, who was in the act OF taxing
the usual report, sent word that 1t
was growing very dark, and asked Tor
a moments delay that he might pro
vide himself with light. In second
more the wire snapped, and it was I'M
possible to get any further informa-
tion from him or out of the town
The local weather offices in this clty
was unable to give any information
regarding the storm, as they were in
formed early in the evening by the
Western Union that it would not be
able to send the usual weather bull
letins from St. Louis. 1t was aid, how
ever, at the local office. that the condi-
tions had been all day favorable for
severe storms all through Missouri and
Southern Illinois.
The Eads bridge. which is reported
as having been badly damaged by the
storm, was built in 1878, and was con-
sidered one of the strongest arch
bridges in the world.
AT midnight it was reported at the