Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1896-06-04
AN AWFUL TORNADO.
ST. Louis and Nearby Towns Torn
by the Winds.
DEATH LOSS WILL REACH 500.
Damage to Property Will Reach Into the Hun
dreds of Thousands. Wholesale
District Ruined.
DEATH LOSS WILL REACH 500.

CHICAGO, May 2.-One of the great
est disasters of recent years over
whelmed the city ofSt. Louis tonight
in the shape of a cyclone, which be-
gan shortly after ) O'Clock, and for
thirty minutes tore it's awful way
through the city with a velocity of
over so miles an hour. Although re-
ports from there are very meager,
owing to the almost total dcstruc-
ton of the telegraph wires, it seems
certain the number of the dead and
wounded will amount to fully 1000,
and the damage to millions of dol
lars. The city hospital, which for
tunately survived the storm, is filled
to Overlooking with mangled men.
women and children, and the morgue,
within two hours after the storm.
was so full of cOrpses that it was
necessary to provide other quarters
for the reception of the dead. In
addition to those killed i'm houses and
on the streets, hundreds of dead are
beneath the waters of the Mississippi
river. OF all the steamers on the
leyee when the storm broke out, but
one is now aflOat. All the Others
every soul being lost, and i'm Others
not over two or three being able t.
reach a place of safety. Among th'
boats destroyed is the excursion
steamer Great Republic, one of TIN
largest steamers on the lower river
Noh a man escaped from her. and i
| it il said she was crowded with ey
lcursionists when the storm came NJ
The center of the city is wreck
Many buildings have been demolisl
ed and Others partially wrecked
streets are utterly impassable t
lstreet cars, and i'm many place
progress on foot is n matter OF diff
Iculty. To add to the horrors of TIL
might the electric light plants wa
rendered incapable of service and ga
lamps were also shut off, leaving tn
city in total darkness. Fire ais
broke out i'm several parts OF thecity
and the fire department was unabl
to make an effective fight because {
the choked up condition OF the street
and the large number of firemen VIII
were engaged in the imperative wor
of rescuing the dead and wounded.
ST. LOUIS, MAY 2S.-The awfl
Isweep of last nights tornado
marked by a devastated district
the southwestern portion of thecit,
half a mile wide and four miles Ion;
with wrecked buildings, totterin
walls, debris choked streets and re
cuing parties to tell the story I
havoc and death.
st. Louis is dazed by the extent I
the calamity, and it will be day
before the total loss of life an
. amount of property destroyed wi
be known. Estimates of the numb'
killed vary from 200 to 500, with
general belief that the latter figur
are nearer correct. Coroner Wait
at II O'Clock, said the death list
st. Louis proper would easily reas
Il M, anu III Dt. A<pht'
would be perhaps as large. At poll
] headquarters. the dead i'm st. Lou
were estimated at 800 and at Ea
st. Louis 100.
Extra editions of the local pape
Iplace the total amount of loss Mt )
or more. The storm left it's pa
Uttered with dead and dying. al
lpatrol wagons, ambulances and u
Idertakers' cars were busy all d,
long carrying identified dead to the
1 homes and the homes of relatives al
friends, or leaving the unidentifi
with the city authorities. The pro
erty loss is terrific, estimates rangi
rom $40, 100000 to $3O,OOO,OOO T