The Yale expositor., 1896-06-05
OVER 400 KILLED.
ST. LOUIS, MO-, THE SCENE OF
AN AWFUL CYCLONE.
Hundreds OF Buildings Destroyed and
Many River steamers Sunk With All
on Board-Scores Killed In Missouri
and Illinois Towns.

A bowling, swirling, rushing, twist
ing black demon of destruction tore
through the midst of the city of st.
, Louis, Mo-, carrying wreck end ruin to
many homes and business places and
slaughtering the inmates, sinking river
excursion steamers with their precious
human freight, blowing trains from
bridges, destroying bridges and then
passed over the Mississippi river to re-
peat the horror in East st. Louis and
flying through the country with wings
of de1'A nni disaster to dcvastate the
country districts.
In st. Louis the day had been very hot
and oppressive and many residents had
sought comfort on the river. About i
p m. rain began falling, gently at first,
heavier in a short time; the evening
breeze rustlcd through the trees with
a soothing breath, but in few moments
the heavens grew darker, the breeze
increased into u terrible wind, mighty
thunders rolled and the heavens were
ablazc with lightning and the storm
was upon the city. The streets were
full of people going home from work
and panic ensued as soon as the storm
broke; men were picked up and hurled
against the buildings; horses and car
riages were sent flying here and there
and falling wires, full of the deadly
fluid, added to the horror of the scene.
For half an hour the reign of destruc-
ton continued and by the time it had
passed darkness had settled upon the
city. Electric light, telegraph and
telephone wires were down, the streets
were almost impassable on foot while
the shouts of the excited and hurrying
rescuers, mingled with the cries of the
wounded and means of the dying,
reached the ears in composite wall
Of agony and horror.
Fire broke out in several portions Of
the city and the fire department was
unable to make TN effective fight be-
cause of the choked up condition of the
streets, and the large number of fire.
men who were engaged il the impcra-
tive work of rescuing the dead and
wounded.
In East st. Louis the western portion
Of the city suffered and 200 people are
reported as killed. Elevators, freight
houses and wholesale stores along the
levec were utterly demolished. The
top of Eads briige was knocked off,
as well as ihe big abutment. Hun
dreds of cars were rolled from the
tracks on the south side and Broadway
was completely blocked up with
a,.tc ,Nf hn,cnC ba 10,
destroyed and the city is without water
Or light. The city hall, which had just
been repaired, was completely wrecked.
Within "A hours after the storm 315
bodies has been removed from the ruins
On both sides of the river and it was
generally admitted that scores and
probably hundreds were yet imprisoned
in the wreck of dwellings, business
places, factories, etc., and the most
conservative estimate places the dead
at 400 and the injured at 600 with the
sad possibility OF scores of deaths from
injuries. The storm did terrific dam
age at various points in Missouri and
Illinois before and after striking st.
Louis and East st. Louis, and by add
ing the killed and injured at these
points the total will reach fully 500
killed and 700 injured.
The property loss will reach up into
millions, but insurance people, firemen
and police refuse to hazard even
guess at accurate fgures, although
$50, 600, 900 has been stated as a rough
estimate. The uncertainty regarding
the loss of life and property is due
mainly to the wide extent of the havoc
wrought by the storm. The miles of
wrecked buildings as yet unexplored
and the numerous collapsed factories,
towards the investigation of which
little progress has been made, may
aide almost any number of bodies, as
the police have been unable to secure
anything to make an accurate list of
the missing. In the factory district
many of the employees on duty at the
time the storm broke were without
relatives in the city, and their disap-
2earance would scarcely be noted,
even though they be buried in the
ruins.
The most furions work of the storm
vas along Rutgers, Lafayette and Cho-
eau avenues and contiguous thorough
,ares east of jefferson avenue. There
not tree nor a building standing
n Lafayette park. The wreck of the
,ity hospital was so surrounded by
wrecl<age that it was barely possible
20 reach it. BY far the most remark
lble freak of the storm was at this
hospital. About 200 patients were
scattered through the wards when the
;ornado struck, but although the en-
ire upper story was cut off clean and
me wing razed to the ground, but
,ne inmate was killed. The entire
building was rendered useless and the
,ottering walls will be torn down and
md a new structure built. Many of
he handsome residences in Fourteenth
street and about Lafayette Park are
'uined, but the most damage was done
IN Sixth, Seventh, Eighth and Ninth,
'outh along Choteau avenue in the
cnement house district.
The path of the storm is about half
nile wide and over four miles long,
weeping through the thickly popu-
atcd southwest portion and across the
liver into East st. Louis, embracing
lmost the entire levee district of st.
.,,l o,Dooral 20 1,o fl,n ,,.~.x 4