The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1896-05-28
ONE THOUSAND
ARE KILLED
Another Terrible Cyclone Wrecks the
City Of st. Louis,
Missouri.
THE EADs BRIDGE IN RUINS
Hospitals Fall Of Iniufed aad the Aorguss
Crowded Hith the Dssd--Fifes Start
ed 10 yarions Sections Iele-
graph Wires Doka.

graph kirss DoNa.
st. Louis. May ia tornado blowing
At the rate Of eighty miles an hour struck
st. Louis at 5i5 this evening and ragged
for half an hour with great fury. As a
result hundreds OF lives have been lost
on both sides Of the river Many build.
ings we're blown down and severai river
steamers sunk with all on board Al
present II is impossible to estimate the
number Of lives lost. The hospitals are
fun Of the injured and the rnorgue con-
tains many dead. while the bodies OF
numerous slain lie everywhere among
the ruins Of demolished buildings.
portion OF the Fades bridge is destroyed.
The grandstand at the fair grounds. ana
the wonen's portion Of the Jail were
were blown down The watsrs-Pierce
on Works are burning and buildings in
various sections OF the town are also on
fire
At East St. Louis the damage seems
greatest II. c. Rice. Western Union
manager at Relay depot. climbed across
the demolished bridge and reported that
the National Hotel. the fremont House,
Hartell House. Dewolfe cafe. Hazel Mil
ing Company's mill. Horns Copper Shop.
and great many dwellings east OF
there as far as Fifth street, were gone
and many people killed.
The Baltimore and Ohio and vandalia
roundhouses. Standard Oil Works. East
St Lous and Crescent elevators and
twelve freight houses on the ievee are
demolished.
The Grand Republic and several more
excursion steamers with all on board are
reported sunk in the river and all the
steamers on the levee have gone down
A rough estimate would place the num-
Der OF killed and wounded AT one thous-
and Both the Western Union and Postal
Telegraph Companies lost every wire out
OF the city, which is tonight in total
darkness.
ST. Louis, May g7.-Death ana destruc-
ton reign supreme in St. Louis and East
St Louis and vicinity tonight, as re-
suit Of the most disastrous storm that
ever visited this section OF the country.
SO widespread Is the destruction In both
ST. Louis and East ST. Louis, that IL is
impossible to estimate the damage ana
loss OF life. Buildings Of every descrip-
tion are In ruins and as a result hundreds
OF people are reported dead and injured.
but until daylight comes and order is re-
stored Il will be impossible to make def
mite statements.
Reports are in circulation that steamers
at the wharves both on this and on the
East St. Louis side of the river have
been sunk with all on board. The city
is nearly In darkness, as the electric
lights and trolley wires are down. With
one or two exceptions all street car lines
in the city are at a standstill and thous-
ands OF people are compelled to remain
down town or walk.
BY WAY OF CHICAGO.
Chicago, May s7.-one of the worst
features of the disaster at st. Louis is
thought 10 have taken place at the race
track where the races were in full swing,
and the grand stand was crowded, Re-
turns from the ST. Louis races are re-
ccived at the track at Lakeside, Ind,
and a few minutes after O'Clock an op-
orator sending a report OF the races
stopped his work long enough TO remark;
"Ther goes the grand stand" and then
his wire collapsed and nothing more was
heard from him.
In a few seconds the same message was
reported from Lexington, Ky, with the
additional information that fully 500 peo-
pie were dead. This Information was
subsequently, eorroborated by the opera
tor OF the Wabash road at Decatur, who
said that in his second message received
from East ST. Louis Il was declared that
the grand stand at the race track was
down and that fully $50 people were
buried In the ruins.
The storm which tore through the coun-
try south OF Centralia, ILL.,, is said to
have occurred at about O'Clock. or an
hour after st. Louis was devastated.
These points are in a direct line from
northwest to southwest, and the weather
officials are inclined to believe that the
storm was one and the same. At mid
night It was reported that it was impos-
slble to reach any point further south
than Nameoki. which is nine miles north
east from st. Louis The operator at
that point said that up to midnight it
had been impossible TO obtain any definite
information from st. Louis. but 1t was
certain that fearful damage had been
done. He said the ruins at East ST.
Louis were on fire and burning fiercely,
but could tell nothing more than that
BY WAY OF MEMPHIS.
Memphis, May 27.--Word has reached
here by way of Carondelot that sixty
dead persons have been taken from the
st. Louis city hospital, which was COM
pletely wrecked. and every patient has
been probably killed. The buildings OF
the Refrigerator and Wood Cutter Com
pany were demolished and caught fire
and are destroyed. The losses of life in
these buildings are believed to be heavy.
The United elevator was blown down.
Llggett & Myers big tobacco manufac-
tory, the largest In the West, was totally
wrecked and the loss of life there was
great Twenty dead bodies and many
wounded have been recovered from this
building. The scene on the river was
appalling. Steamboats, moored at land
'ings were torn away, turned over ana
sunk. drowning all on board
Many people were seen clinging to the
floating wreckage and people stood ap-
pealing for help.
EIGHTY REPORTED KILLED.
Kansas City, May g7.-The train dis
patcher at the headquarters of the Alton
u WIsa.s annNr